Tagged: DC

April Fool’s Day 2010 Roundup

  • News
  • April 5, 2010

Let’s see if we caught them all– there have been some real gems this year:

World’s Top Writers Hate Brad Meltzer – Comic Book Resources 

Mark Waid Goes On Rampage At BOOM! Offices, Wounded By Police – ComicMix news 

#aprilfoolscomics – Twitter Search 

Oh, Right…It’s April Fool’s Day: The Best Internet Gags – Humor – io9 

April Fool’s Link Ink: Where Nothing You Read Is Really Happening! – ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

April Fools’ Day On The Web : 2010
April Fools 2010: The Definitive List 

Who Will Play J. Jonah Jameson In Spider-Man Reboot? 

Behind The Scenes Of YouTube’s ASCII Prank 

On reflection, not very dangerous: Harlan Ellison’s The Last Dangerous Visions

Locus Online April 1st: 2010: News Summary of the Year To Date

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April Fools Day: New Marvel/DC Crossovers, ‘Halo’ Movies, ‘Lost’ Clocks, And Other Fake Stuff! 

April Fools’ Day: Michael Cera Is The Flash! No, Zachary Levi Is! Wait — Neither Of Them Are!

April Fool’s Tweet : Edgar Wright Here 

Zachary Levi Is Front Runner For Lead Role in DC’s The Flash 

April Fools’ Day Roundup: Taylor Lautner Is Superman? Avatar Sues Avatar? Don’t Believe The Hype!

DC and Hot Wheels Announce a Hot New Toy, If You Can Find It

Halo: The Bollywood Epic, and YES… It’s Real.

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‘Blackest Night’ #8 Recalled: Production Error Changed Story In Non-variant Editions

  • News
  • April 1, 2010

blackest-night-8-recalled-9742779In one of the most stunning mistakes in comics, Blackest Night #8, which came out yesterday and was supposed to end the series, is being recalled due to a production error that caused the wrong pages to be run in most copies of the issue, changing the story heavily.

DC Comics is asking retailers to remove the issue from shelves immediately, and to issue refunds on the issue. A corrected version of Blackest Night #8 will be available in stores next week, with a new cover to distinguish between versions. No word has yet come down on how DC will be reprinting the variant cover editions, or if they had the same errors across all editions.

This is not without precedent: I worked in DC’s production department during “A Death In The Family”, the let’s-use-a-900-number-to-see-if-Jason-Todd-lives-or-dies event. What was not widely known at the time was that different versions were prepared in advance, depending on the voting. I had a xerox of the page where Jason lived for years, just to prove to people that it could’ve gone either way. Also, when The Simpsons did “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” different results were animated. It just seems that in this case, the wrong pages ended up getting printed, with one version showing up in the regular issue and another showing up in at least some of the variants.

Action is already beginning to heat up on eBay, as various versions are already beginning to get traffic. And I can’t imagine that a lot of retailers are going to turn all their copies in, although that may be the only way they get their replacement issues. 

So what actually happens? What are the differences? MAJOR SPOILERS after the jump…

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Dick Giordano: Mentor

  • News
  • March 27, 2010

Sitting here at I-Con, the word is spreading throughout the Green Room with alarm that Dick Giordano, one of the most universally beloved figures in the comics world is gone.

Growing up as a comics reader, I was first aware of Dick as a superlative inker, usually in tandem with Neal Adams on Green Lantern and Batman. It was only later I learned of his work at Charlton, editing the line of Action Heroes titles followed by his short stint at DC as an editor.

I finally got to meet him at Paul Levitz’s wedding in the wake of the announcement that he was returning to DC. It wasn’t until December 1983 that we finally had a chance for a conversation — when he interviewed me to join the staff.

DC in 1984 was a company poised to explode into a new age. All the pieces were being put into place as Dick was recently named to run the editorial department and was setting the stage for creators from Frank Miller to Alan Moore do some of their best and most memorable work.

Working on staff at the time allowed me to see the man in action and to learn from him. He was a superb artist and had excellent story instincts which he happily conveyed with any and all to walk into his cluttered office. Every lesson I’ve learned in how to review portfolios and talk to artists, came from Dick. Whenever I was looking art artwork and I knew something was wrong, but the words failed me, I could walk into his office and show him the page. He saw my point and then grabbed a sheet of tracing paper and showed me (and often the artist as well) what was wrong, why, and how to fix it. (more…)

The Health Care Bill And The Comics Industry

  • News
  • March 22, 2010

So after more than 100 years, the House passed a health
care reform bill. As of this writing, our president is going to sign the thing
into law tomorrow and then the Senate has to affirm some changes.

And then every paranoid, fear-filled right-winger who
doesn’t know the difference between a communist, a socialist, and a Nazi will
moan about the world coming to an end. Republicans don’t like the word
“democrat,” and in their world a majority doesn’t rule the day, so court
challenges will abound.

Since ComicMix
is a comics-oriented website, it might be a good idea to address how all this
affects the comics world. But in order to do that, I’ve got to try to explain what’s
going on.

A lot of the good stuff doesn’t kick in until 2014, but
there’s a lot of good stuff that starts this year. No more pre-existing
condition exclusions, and a special program will help adults with pre-existing
conditions get coverage until the full program kicks in. No more getting
dropped by your insurer when you get sick. No more lifetime coverage limits.
The annual cap dwindles and is eliminated entirely in 2014. Kids can stay on
their parents’ insurance until they’re 26. That’s only fair, since they’re
living in the basement anyway. Small businesses will get tax credits of up to
50 percent of premium costs.

For the 65+ crowd, they’ll get $250 towards closing the
“donut hole” in their prescription drug coverage (right now, seniors have to cover
everything between $2,700.01 and $6,200), and Medicare’s preventive benefits
now come with a free visit with your primary care doctor every year.

Mind you I’m not totally thrilled with this bill, but I
agree with Congressman Denis Kusinich: it’s a lot better than nothing, and it’s
a good start. Sadly, a lot of people will die between 2010 and 2014. And it
will make the insurance companies all the more wealthy because everybody will
have to have private care insurance. Yeah, I know, there’s supposed to be a
safety net but it’s based upon family income and not family situation: if
you’re making a living today but have incurred massive debt due to previous
health costs, you’re still screwed. I’m not crazy about any law that forces
everybody to give money to big business whether they want to or not, but I’ve
long felt that same way about our seat belt laws. People should have the
freedom to do what isn’t necessarily best for them, as long as it doesn’t
affect others.

Getting back to goring the ox of fabled Comicsdom… (more…)

Tim Burton To Tackle Charles Addams?

  • News
  • March 18, 2010

It was a long, long running series of one-panel cartoons. It was an iconic teevee series. It was subject of two pretty decent movies. It was almost a DC Comic by Mike Baron and Bill Wray. It is the subject of a Broadway play that opened last week to mediocre reviews. And now it looks like The Addams Family will be a Tim Burton movie.

But with a twist. This adaptation will be based upon Charles Addams’s misanthropic cartoons in the New Yorker magazine and not in the spirit of the teevee series. Woo-Hoo!

According to Deadline Hollywood, it isn’t a done deal and Burton and his pal Johnny Depp are preparing their version of Dark Shadows. One wouldn’t want Burton to get typecast, right?

Either way, Universal Studios paid for the rights and it’s possible the movie might actually get made. If it winds up being a Burton-less adaptation of the musical I wouldn’t be surprised, although neither Nathan Lane nor Bebe Neuwirth are known as big box office. No matter what, as long as they get the theme song in, I’ll be happy.

Diamond Distributing Promotes IDW

  • News
  • March 18, 2010

Diamond Comic Distributors just promoted our friends at IDW to “Premier” status. Essentially, that means IDW’s titles – which include the ComicMix line as well as Transformers, Doctor Who, Angel, Star Trek and a great many others – will now appear in the highly valued front portion of the monthly Diamond catalog. This is a much desired position, and marks the first time a publisher has joined this elite group (Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, and DC) since the whole Premier thing started almost 15 years ago. There are various programs that make it more convenient for retailers to order IDW’s books that will be implemented later in the year.

Diamond has been IDW’s exclusive distributor to both the comic book stores and “traditional” book stores suck as Barnes and Noble. This relationship, of course, will not change.

“We are very pleased to have completed this groundbreaking agreement with Diamond,” said Ted Adams, CEO of IDW Publishing. “By combining Diamond’s leadership in distribution with IDW’s ten-plus years in developing, creating and marketing comic books and graphic novels, we have created an ideal relationship for each of our companies. The comic book medium is trending upward in all parts of consumer awareness and we are proud to be a partner with Diamond for the future.”

Our congratulations to our friends at both companies.

Nick Simmons Apologizes for ‘Homage’

  • News
  • March 4, 2010

incarnate-6224599Radical Comics removed it’s comic, Incarnate, from this week’s pull lists, after a Tetsuo-sized avalanche of displeasure emanated from the internet and it’s legion of Otaku. It seems penciler/writer/creator Nick Simmons (you might know his dad, Gene, from the Dr. Pepper commercials…) has paid a little bit to much homage to various Manga series. Covered extensively on Livejournal’s ‘Bleachness’, and reported on by iCv2, the New York Times, as well as Geeks of Doom and numerous others around the web, Simmons’ Incarnate has been under the microscope for a little under a week now. The series (only a 3 issue mini-series) shows uncanny similarities between it and the Manga series Bleach, as well as (to a lesser extent) Hellsing. Some fans even went as far as to note certain plot beats were appropriated from White Wolf’s Vampire: The Masquerade. Everything from character design, to panel layouts, and even dialogue have been claimed to be copies from their respective sources.

In response Simmons released a statement Monday through his publicist:

“Like most artists I am inspired by work I admire. There are certain similarities between some of my work and the work of others. This was simply meant as an homage to artists I respect, and I definitely want to apologize to any Manga fans or fellow Manga artists who feel I went too far. My inspirations reflect the fact that certain fundamental imagery is common to all Manga. This is the nature of the medium.

I am a big fan of Bleach, as well as other Manga titles. And I am certainly sorry if anyone was offended or upset by what they perceive to be the similarity between my work and the work of artists that I admire and who inspire me.”

Now, let’s be fair, for fairness’ sake. The world of comics is rife with appropriation and homage. Those who don’t find similarities between Superman, Hyperion, The Sentry, Supreme, Samaritan, and The Plutonian might want to clean off their bifocals. Thanks largely in part to the current industry trend of gigantic crossover mega-events, homage covers are beyond trendy. Where might Arthur Suydam be today if not for his Marvel Zombies covers (Ok, he’d probably be doing just fine, but still…)? Where might DC be if a hero can’t cradle another dead hero in their arms? Heck, Kurt Busiek’s Astro City is imprinted by Homage Comics! Given the mountain of evidence collected by the fans though, Nick Simmons’ series might have been given a direct ticket to the quarter bin. Nick Simmons won’t get to collect $200 when he passes GO either. But we’re sure his father might be able to loan him a few bucks. So long as someone buys a couple extra Kiss Kaskets.

So, ComicMixers, we implore you to discuss! Did Nick go to far? How far is too far when it comes to homage? And why does Superman seem to have more analogs than changes of costume?

The Point Radio: Stan Lee Wants You – And Your Violin

A good portion of the success enjoyed by DC’s direct-to-DVD features belongs to the directing expertise of Andrea Romano. So how does she find thopse wonderful voices and which Hollywood A-Listers are on her “wish list”? Plus, Stan The Man is looking for a few good musicians – really, True Believer we’re not kidding!

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And be sure to stay on The Point via badgeitunes61x15dark144-8531337, RSS, MyPodcast.Com or Podbean!

Follow us now on facebook144-4291748 and twitter144-7735360!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Next week we will have just one (big) broadcast – direct from TOY FAIR 2010! Look for us mid-week right here!

Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net – plus there is a great round of new programs on the air including classic radio each night at 12mid (Eastern) on RETRO RADIO COMICMIX’s Mark Wheatley hitting the FREQUENCY every Saturday ay 9pm and even the Editor-In-Chief of COMICMIX, Mike Gold, with his daily WEIRD SCENES and two full hours of insanity every Sunday (7pm ET) with WEIRD SOUNDS!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE FOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys

 

 

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Review: ‘Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths’

jl-crisis-bd-3dskew-42-3085184DC Comics brought the notion of parallel universes to comics, beginning with the classic “[[[Flash of Two Worlds]]]” and then began the annual team-ups between the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America. Since then, the inhabitants of Earth -3, the Crime Syndicate of America, have been interpreted and reinterpreted with regularity. As a result, they have remained a popular aspect of the multiverse and certainly ripe for use in animation.

[[[Justice League: Crisis on Two Worlds]]] brings us a brand new take on the CSA, using Grant Morrison’s [[[JLA: Earth-2]]] graphic novel as a launching pad and going in a brand new direction.  The original animated feature goes on sale this month in a variety of formats from Warner Premiere and Warner Home Video. With a script from veteran comics and animation writer Dwayne McDuffie, the story posits an early version of the JLA with a limited membership. We open as they are still building their satellite headquarters only to have their work interrupted by the arrival of the parallel universe Lex Luthor.

On his world, the CSA has effectively taken control of the world, dividing it in six sections with each member exerting control through ten super-powered “made men”. Luthor and the Jester were the last of the metahuman resistance but the Joker-doppelganger sacrifices himself, taking their version of the Martian Manhunter with him, to allow Luthor to escape.

The JLA argues whether or not their mission should include other realties and when Batman is outvoted, he remains behind to oversee construction. The others cross the barrier and the action begins, rarely letting up. Overall, it’s a swift story that’s very entertaining with some playful touches including Slade Wilson as Earth-2’s US President. We see many “evil” versions of familiar JLAers in addition to the addition of new heroes to the JLA, so we get to watch the growth of the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes.

It’s far from perfect including my dislike for the character designs. Each of the Warner Premier videos is stand-alone and that seems to mean they are forced to reimagine how the heroes appear. This time, they’re a little too lean, too angular to appear as powerful as they should be, notably Superman. While a stellar alignment of voices is used, most feel miscast or bad matches to the characters designed. For me, the best characterization, dialogue and voice work are seen in Superwoman, performed by Gina Torres.

The overall threat, put into place by Owlman, has a poor rationale while the resolution leaves huge dangling threads. It’s a good effort, overall, but also not WP’s strongest offering.

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Bruce Timm offers New Insights

  • News
  • February 19, 2010

Executive producer Bruce Timm offers new perspective on the creation of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original movies,  and The Spectre, the inaugural DC Showcase animated short, in an all-new Q&A with the guru of super hero animation provided to ComicMix by Warner Home Video.
The full-length animated Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths on February 23 as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and Download. We will be reviewing this on Sunday.Timm, the executive producer has been the creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animation’s modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics’ canon of super heroes to new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical acclaim and further whetted the public’s appetite for comic book entertainment.

Question: What excites you about Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths?

Bruce Timm: In a weird kind of way, this is a return to my favorite show Justice League Unlimited. The original script was intended to be the bridge story between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited to explain how we went from seven heroes to more than 50 super heroes. We loved the story and the script, and it floated around here for years while we tried to figure out what to do with it – it was considered for a comic, but fortunately that got shot down. Then we took a look at it and, with just a few slight tweaks, we jumped at the chance to make it a DC Universe movie.

Question: What sets it apart from the TV version of Justice League?

Bruce Timm: It’s a very satisfying, grand scale adventure movie with a big cast of interesting, quirky characters. It’s amazing how much it feels like a great episode of Justice League Unlimited as a big, epic film with slightly different visual stylings. That’s a good thing.

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