Tagged: DC

Go to Comic-Con On Your Xbox

  • News
  • July 25, 2008

The best way to experience the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con is to be there. The second best is to constantly refresh ComicMix.com. But the third might be to fire up your game console.

The Xbox 360’s online video service offered excellent coverage of last year’s Comic-Con. Not only did they show footage premiered at the con, they also offered daily wrap-ups, interviews with comic creators, and videos of entire panels. I didn’t fly out to California, but I saw J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 panel as if I had a front row seat.

To borrow a phrase from one of their upcoming games, this year the coverage will be “bigger, badder, and more bad ass.” Xbox LIVE has partnered with Warner Bros. and DC Comics to show a weekend’s worth of footage. For free! Hosting the events will Larry Hyrb, better known by his Gamertag as Major Nelson, the public face of Xbox LIVE. To start things off right, the service reposted their daily wrap-ups from last year.

Now if they could just figure out how to download a convention T-shirt, I’d be set.
 

SDCC: Kevin Smith to do Batman miniseries

  • News
  • July 25, 2008

From today’s DC Nation panel at San Diego, Kai Connolly and Arthur Tebbel send the news that Kevin "Silent Bob" Smith will be doing a Batman five issue miniseries.

Titled "Cacophony", it features the return of the villian Onomatopoeia from Smith’s run on Green Arrow, as well as Deadshot, Joker, Mr. Zsasz, and will be drawn by Walt Flanagan. Those familiar with Smith’s View Askewniverse will recognize that name as Smith’s longtime friend, actor and character in his film, most notably as Walt Grover the Fanboy.

Noting Smith’s, shall we say, tardiness on certain comics projects, we’ve been told that solicitations won’t happen until scripts are in hand. Nevertheless, the firstissue is expected out in November.

And with Onomatopoeia as the villian, we can safely assume that somewhere in this Batman story, we will have lots of Pow! Biff! and Sock! action. Just when we thought we were done with all of that…

SDCC: Geek Chic Jumps the Shark?

  • News
  • July 25, 2008

comic_con_logo-3880763There are no shortage of reminders of the lack of attention span in today’s culture, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that there’s already some murmurings that “geek chick” has “jumped the shark.” At the very least, those are two phrases that are well beyond cliché.

The Hollywood Reporter gives some thought to the sentiment that this year’s massive Comic-Con marks the moment the tide shifts away from all things nerdy, with the ominous mention that — gasp! — Paris Hilton is doing San Diego. (No, not the whole city.)

There is talk that despite the high numbers of conventiongoers, or maybe in spite of them, Comic-Con as a measure of geek cool may have reached a tipping point.

Critics are pointing to the scheduled appearances by tabloid mainstays Paris Hilton, who will join Thursday night’s panel for Lionsgate’s “Repo! The Genetic Opera” as well as host a party, and fellow party girl Kim Kardashian, who is supposed to hit DC Comics’ party Friday night before appearing at a “Disaster Movie” panel Saturday. When Comic-Con becomes fodder for the Us Weekly crowd, has the event nuked the fridge? Folks wonder.

“This may be the 2012 of Comic-Cons,” said one comic writer-turned-screenwriter, referring to the year on the Mayan calendar that signals the end of the world.

 

Seriously, one “writer-turned-screenwriter” (whatever the hell that means) made an off the cuff remark and now the comic book renaissance is ending?

Comic-Con News: Wednesday

  • News
  • July 24, 2008

Comic-Con International officially kicked off last night, and already there’s plenty of news to report:

The early hit of the show? Heidi MacDonald of The Beat says it’s the model Owl Ship that Warner Bros. brought from the Watchmen film. "Cooler than dirt," Heidi says.

Ed Brubaker makes the jump to scripting live-action, as Sony has announced they’ll make an online series out of Brubaker’s Angel of Death. It’ll appear on Crackle, Sony’s online video outlet. More information right here.

Darwyn Cooke also announced his new project for IDW, a potential series of four graphic novels based on the Parker crime novels by Donald Westlake. The first will be Hunter, and IDW will have some cards promoting the project that they’ll distribute at San Diego.

On a related note: "And IDW did a nice job with the collateral material as well, handing out Cooke artwork with a disc, as well as Parker T-shirts to the press. Well done, guys." I guess the whole "journalists don’t accept gifts from sources" thing doesn’t apply to the comics world?

"Tossing a bus on an unsuspecting villain never gets old." And that’s the highlight quote from the DC Universe Online panel. Check right here for more.

Blog@ has a nice collection of photos from day one.

Bully makes a smart move with the California excursion and loads up on In-N-Out.

Twitters from Pop Candy, and be sure to note the uber-creepy Photoshopped image of Whitney turned to She-Hulk.

And, lastly, the legend of The Bag.

DC Comics Relaunches Website

  • News
  • July 21, 2008

DC Comics’ boring old Web site saw a big relaunch over the weekend, perhaps coinciding with the record-breaking debut of The Dark Knight film.

Not a ton of new features on the site, which you can view right here, but it’s a whole lot prettier than the previous incarnation.

There is a nice feature called "30 Essential," which lists 30 of what DC views as it’s can’t miss graphic novels. That’s sure to be useful for new readers, though it’s old ground for long-time readers.

You can find that feature right here.

Comic Books You Can Hear

  • News
  • July 20, 2008

You make no excuses that you’re a superhero fan. You buy your weekly stack of comics. You watch the blockbuster movies. You tune in to the TV shows. How can you possibly cram more superhero adventure in your life? Audiobooks. You can listen to comics while commuting, driving, or walking. (We’re not going to list exercising. We’re talking about fanboys here, after all.)

I just happened on GraphicAudio.net and figured it was worth mentioning here, as the company offers DC Comics based audio adventures and the tagline “A movie in your mind.” The recordings feature full cast, special effects, and musical score. They’re available as an audio CD, an MP3 CD, or as a digital download. They even adapt massive events like 52 and Infinite Crisis.

There are currently seven recordings available:

  • 52: Part 1
  • 52: Part 2
  • Batman: The Stone King
  • Infinite Crisis: Part 1
  • Infinite Crisis: Part 2
  • JLA: Exterminators
  • Superman: The Never Ending Battle

While I lightly mocked fans who buy these, I have to confess, I own the BBC audio adaptations of Batman: Knightfall and The Death and Life of Superman. And I loved them. Anyone know how to convert cassettes into MP3s?

Superheroes Boost Hat Sales

  • News
  • July 19, 2008

Back in the day, it was the cool thing to have a New Era cap of a sports team. I had one of the Chicago Bulls.

That trend has fallen off, though, and New Era is coming back by making an array of caps featuring not athletes but superheroes. The company previously had a deal with Marvel, but now they’re working with DC, as of this week.

Further evidence that comics is the "in" thing, I suppose.

Part of this latest comics push is connected to this weekend’s release of The Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. Over at New Era, they’re running a special promotion for the flick.

One can only wonder if people who jump on the superhero apparel bandwagon are also jumping into comics.

Black Canary Barbie: Offensive?

  • News
  • July 18, 2008

We may finally have the next Mary Jane’s exposed thong statue. Apparently some people are getting bent out of shape about the new Black Canary Barbie, which you can see at right.

The Sun, a paper in the UK, ran a story under the header "S&M Barbie is lashed by the public."

Makers Mattel say Black Canary Barbie, out in September, is based on a DC comic superhero of the same name.

But religious group Christian Voice said: “Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far.

A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible – it’s filth.”

Let’s just go ahead and put the brakes on the outrage train right there. This is one group of people who know nothing of the context of the character and are offering a kneejerk opinion.

Someone please send Christian Voice a copy of All Star Batman and Robin so they can see what actual filth is.

Fae Desmond Saves The World, by Michael Davis

  • News
  • July 18, 2008

galactus-and-fae2-5851719Europe was gone.

England put up a gallant fight but was no match for his power. France did not put up much of a fight. The closest they came to a confrontation was a giant banner that said “Please Don’t Eat Us.” The Middle East was a wasteland. Most of the United States was destroyed but still fighting.

Fighting…Galactus! Galactus the world eater!

July 23, 2008, all the superheroes were dead or dying. Marvel’s best, DC’s finest and the greatest of Dark Horse and Image. All dead. When Galactus first appeared decades ago Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic of the famed Fantastic Four, had figured out a way to stop Galactus from destroying Earth. It was the first time Galactus had ever been stopped.

When Richards first heard Galactus’ ship was over Europe before the rampage, he and the Fantastic Four flew the Fantasticar out to confront him. Mr. Fantastic would calmly approach him secure in the knowledge that Galactus would keep his word not to destroy the earth. Reed Richards was so sure of that word that when they had first met he had handed over the only weapon that could destroy Galactus, The Ultimate Nullifier.

He handed it over to… Galactus. Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, one of the smartest men in the world… freakin’ idiot.

The Human Torch flew beside the jet vehicle as always making wisecracks the entire way. The entire trip was filled with laughter and in fact the foursome had decided to take a few days in Europe after they saw what Galactus was up to.

“Most likely he just wants me to find him a world to eat that tastes like chicken.” Richards joked.

When they approached Galactus Richards said “Why are you here, old friend?” Galactus standing over 200 feet tall stared down at Richards in the hovering Fantasticar. “I am not your friend,” The booming voice of Galactus responded.

“Why are you upset with me?” Richards said, now starting to worry.

“Look, Richards this is the deal, I’m here to eat your world.”

The Invisible Woman turned to The Thing, “That does not sound like Galactus!” “You’re right, Susie!” The Thing said and then yelled at Galactus. “Hey big man, why are you going back on your word?”

(more…)

gargoyles-t-shirt-2166293

Interview: Greg Weisman Talks ‘Gargoyles’

  • News
  • July 17, 2008

gargoyles-t-shirt-2166293When I was younger, there was a Disney cartoon that my friends and I loved and which impressed our parents with its maturity and layered story-telling. The series was called Gargoyles, and it told the story of a clan of warrior creatures from 10th Century Scotland who are brought to modern-day New York City via magical manipulation. Led by the noble gargoyle Goliath, the creatures find themselves to be strangers in a strange land, forced to hide while trying to find their new place in the 20th century. Soon enough, they wind up becoming superheroes, protecting the same humans who either fear them or don’t believe they exist.

Although the series lasted only two seasons (followed by the short-lived Goliath Chronicles series, which is considered apocryphal), its fan base remains extremely loyal — so much so, in fact, that a convention for Gargoyles fans, called the Gathering of the Gargoyles, has been held each year for more than a decade now. In recent years, we’ve seen much of the television series finally released on DVD, and Slave Labor Graphics has begun publishing an ongoing Gargoyles comic book series and spin-off miniseries, Bad Guys, headed up by series creator Greg Weisman and picking up where season 2 left off.

I spoke with Weisman (who also serves as story editor for the new Spectacular Spider-Man animated series) during the most recent Gathering of the Gargoyles event, and we chatted about the clan of winged Scottish warriors that he created so long ago and what the future holds for them. 

COMICMIX: So, we’re at the 12th annual Gathering of the Gargoyles convention. You have the new comic book series from SLG and the Bad Guys spin-off coming out now. You’re even talking about future spin-offs. All of this says there’s a decent fan base. So what’s happening that we still only have the first 26 episodes of season 2 on DVD?

GREG WEISMAN: Well, there’s a lot of turnover at Buena Vista Home Entertainment. You’ll have people there who are interested in the project and then you’ll have new people come in who aren’t so much. The ugly truth of it is that Season One sold very well, and the Season Two, Vol. 1 DVD did not sell so well. Even if, ultimately, it sold as well as the first season, we sort of lost Disney’s attention. So we need to get their attention all over again, and the best way to do that is by making sure that we continue to sell the DVDs that exist, show them that the comics are selling well. Gargoyles is SLG’s best-selling comic. (more…)

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