Tagged: Glenn Hauman

ComicMix Columns & Features for the Week Ending August 31, 2008

  • News
  • August 31, 2008

As we bid goodbye to August and so much more, we mark endings and new beginnings.  Our production head and cofounder Glenn Hauman returns with not one but two installments of his way-too-occasional column, our news editor Bob Greenberger’s been posting up a storm, and it’s rumored that ComicMix has some interesting things coming down the pike, but I couldn’t possibly say.  I just do a column and these roundups:

As we enjoy our federal holiday away from the office, let’s salute all those freelancers who don’t get paid when they don’t work — and, sadly more than a few who don’t get paid even when they do.

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Apple Censoring Comics? Not So Fast… by Glenn Hauman

  • News
  • August 31, 2008

apple-iphone-in-hand-finger-6486954There’s a lot of chatter on the net, probably starting from Rich Johnston’s column and now working its way up to Fortune magazine, about how Apple (the computer company, not the comic company of the 90’s– hi, Mike Catron!) has declined to sell P.J. Holden’s Murderdrome comic, which was submitted as an application to be sold via iTunes and designed to be read on an iPhone.

Many people, including many commenters on the company’s web site, are calling this censorship. To which I reply, bullshit.

Look, I know censorship. I was an original plaintiff in ACLU v. Reno, the lawsuit that overturned the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which gives me the legal right to type the word "bullshit" on the internet. I’ve been a member of the CBLDF for years (and you should be too). I published a poem by Neil Gaiman about erotic cannibalism, written in strict iambic pentameter, just to prove the point. And I’m telling you, what Apple’s doing ain’t censorship.

Apple has declined to carry this product for sale in their store. Is that censorship? If it is, so is the comic store I frequent most for not carrying the latest works of Milo Manera. He’s decided not to carry it. He feels it doesn’t fit in with his customer base, he’s just not interested. Does he carry comics that feature bare breasts? Yep. This is like saying that it’s censorship for a store to not stock Eros Comics when the store doesn’t even carry Fantagraphics.

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D&D Co-Creator E. Gary Gygax: 1938 – 2008

  • News
  • March 4, 2008

Chances are if you love comic books, sci-fi, fantasy and other great things like these, you’ve probably also played Dungeons & Dragons at one time or another as well. I’m not embarrassed to admit I used to play it quite a lot and before the days of the sophisticated computer and console games we have now, it was a great way to get together with a bunch of friends, roll the 20-sided-dice and kick some Beholder butt.

So, it’s sad news today to report that Gary Gygax, co-creator of D&D, co-founder of Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) and generally regarded as the "Father of the Role-Playing Game" has passed away. The news was first reported on the Troll Lord Games Forums but now has spread across the Internets with postings at various other sites. Plus, his Wikipedia page has also already been updated.

Born on July 27, 1938, Ernest Gary Gygax took his love of Avalon Hill wargames and his passion for the works of Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, Fritz Leiber, and other great sword and sorcery authors and created D&D. He also co-founded Tactical Studies Rules, the company that published the game.

After D&D, Gygax went on to create the Dangerous Journeys and Lejendary Adventure RPGs, as well as a number of board games. He also wrote several fantasy novels. Over the years, Gygax became an icon to gamers and developed a huge following of fans, even appearing as himself in an episode of the show Futurama.

ComicMix’s own Glenn Hauman had a personal connection to Gygax.

"I met Gary a few years back, and he was a complete gentleman," said Hauman. "Ironically, he died on GM’s Day, a day created by various role-playing aficionados to pay tribute to the one who holds your character’s life in your hands. Gary’s influence on the gaming industry is immeasurable, and he will be dearly missed."

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

We’ve got issues!

  • News
  • October 2, 2007

Okay, technically we’ve got issue with no "s", but today is a pretty big day for ComicMix.

We have a new design. We published the first installment of one of our comic books online. We added the ability to leave anonymous comments. We added an easy way to listen to our podcast archives. Best of all, we moved the site to an entirely rebuilt publishing platform which will let us release new features over the coming weeks at light speed.

The amazing thing to me is that it’s just a start. It’s everything that comes after today that has me so psyched.

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A week of winners

  • News
  • August 26, 2007

Two of our comic friends’ posts follow up on news we reported here earlier on two ongoing contests.  Becky Cloonan notes that she was selected as one of the 18 finalists in the first-ever International Manga Awards, first mentioned on ComicMix back on May 25.  Way to go, Becky!  The winners are listed at the Japanese Consulate’s website.  And Heidi MacDonald lists the winners in the Life Without Fair Courts contest, first mentioned on ComicMix back on February 25.  Congratulations to all the participants and winners!  Speaking of winners, Glenn Hauman rejoined our ComicMix columnists this past week; here’s our weekly wrapup:

The ever-dependable Mellifluous Mike Raub is still helming our terrific Big ComicMix Broadcasts:

Winning entries all!

GLENN HAUMAN: Decompression and burn rate

  • News
  • August 25, 2007

gh_100-4331646Bully makes a speech buried in a comment thread on decompression in comics that I’ve been saying for years, and deserves much wider play, so I’m running part of it here (but read the whole thing):

"Read the books on their own, month by month, paying $2.25 (or whatever they are now), and it’s clear: you get very little story for you money. I can’t quantify value as you say, because your joy over a decompressed story may vary from person to person, but I lament that you can now spend three bucks and read a comic book in less than five minutes. That is poor entertainment value for the money and only exists because of the crack-like addiction we (I’m including myself here) have to these characters.

"My point, and I do have one, is that in many ways — not all across the board but in so many instances for so many titles — "comics are your worst entertainment value." Spending three bucks on five minutes of enjoyment and not getting the feeling of a full story is a trend that does not help gain new readers. We lament that it’s hard to turn new readers, especially kids, onto superhero comic books. Is it any wonder, when you get a fraction of a story that reads like the wind. I’m not calling for a return to wordy stories that are "done in one" across the board, but the trend of decompression devalues the worth of the comic as a piece of entertainment.

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Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike

Well, maybe not the NJ Turnpike, but it seemed like every car in the world was in the Garden State Parkway heading southward both yesterday and today.  Kinda fun if one’s travelling northward, but not at all amusing when one is among the plastic and metal hordes.  It’s nice to come home to one’s own bed, one’s own computer desk, and one’s own ComicMix colleagues; here’s what we all cooked up for you this past week:

Had I only the foresight, Mellifluous Mike Raub could have entertained me in that horrid traffic with his latest Big ComicMix Broadcasts:

Of course our newest addition, Andrew Wheeler, has been cranking ’em out day in and day out, hope you’ve been keeping up! In addition, Robert Greenberger‘s had some crack analyses, Matt Raub‘s been reviewing everything in sight, and even Glenn Hauman made another columnar appearance this past week with Above and Beyond #3: Who made comics piracy big?.  Plenty of cool reads during these hot times!

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Playboy talks to Matt Groening

margesimpsoncleaning-9521276The cartoonist who created one of the world’s longest teevee series talks in depth to Playboy, and just in time for The Simpsons’ Movie.

Here’s the link for a small part of the interview, which is not safe for work if your boss will give you a hard time about going to the Playboy website.

Matt Groening discusses The Simpsons, the future of Futurama, and Life In Hell, as well as providing a lot of valuable child-rearing advice:

"I appalled some of my friends with how undisciplined I was as a parent. My kids talked back to me, and I laughed it off. Now they tell me I’m not funny anymore. My son said he wishes Seth MacFarlane were his father."

All this plus Woody Allen, Gahan Wilson, Don Rickles and Playboy Party Jokes.

(Artwork copyright Fox. All Rights Reserved. Tip of the hat to our own Glenn Hauman for making the call.)

Captain America arrested (again)

  • News
  • April 25, 2007

Okay, let’s see if we’ve got all the weird down right:

1) A 54 year old doctor in Melbourne Florida was part of a gaggle of costumed drunks doing a pub crawl. 

2) Dr. Raymond Adamcik was dressed as Captain America.

3) He had a burrito stuffed in his pants. He allegedly groped two women.

4) He got arrested.

5) At the police station, he was caught flushing a bag of marijuana down the toilet.

6) After being charged with battery, disorderly conduct, and pot possession, he was released after posting $2000 bail.

Well, the story is more plausable than 52.  But if you think we’re making this up, the Melbourne police department report is available right here.

(Glenn Hauman contributed mightily to this story)

ComicMix week five

  • News
  • March 18, 2007

Time again for your one-stop shopping roundup of this week’s regular columns and podcasts!  Here are the columns:

And here are mellifluous Mike Raub‘s podcasts:

See below for the first regular Above and Beyond column from Glenn Hauman.  And don’t forget to check with us on weekends (and occasionally even during the week) for our special Opinion pieces and feature reports!

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