Tagged: Marvel Comics

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Skrull-icide in “Secret Invasion”

  • News
  • August 22, 2008

secret-invasion-5-00-8968406Over at Metabunker, Matthis Wivel has posted an interesting analysis of the "only good skrull is a dead skrull" theme in Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion event. When presented with the rampant slaughter currently going on in Marvel’s latest big event, Wivel wonders what ever happened to the whole "heroes don’t kill" standard of yesterday’s comics.

I’m not going to be all holier-than-thou about this — I know that the audience for these comics is largely adult geeks such as myself, and that a little killing won’t hurt our sensibilities much. But still, it’s gotta be some kind of landmark that the biggest superhero event this year so callously ignores what was once a central principle of the genre. And kind of auspicious too, that a series that at least superficially carries pretensions of political allegory most likely unintentionally lends to its heroes a borderline fascist groupthink outlook on their enemies.

And beyond all that, what is the big problem with the skrulls, anyways? I mean, Embrace Change sounds like a pretty nice guy… er, skrull.

(via Tom Spurgeon)

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Behind the Scenes With “Stan’s Soapbox”

  • News
  • August 21, 2008

stansoapbox-00-6645624Just about a week ago, it was announced that the ol’ "Stan’s Soapbox" columns that ran in Marvel Comics from 1967 to 1980 will be collected in an upcoming paperback published by (and benefiting) The Hero Initiative, the very worthwhile organization that is also the "first-ever federally chartered not-for- profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need."

In true form, Stan "The Man" had this to say about the collection:

"Wow! What a kick it is for me to see all my old Soapbox columns printed in one great volume!," said Stan Lee. "Reading them now is like taking a trip back through the history of Marvel in those great ol’ days when the fans and I would rap about how our batty Bullpen was exploding with new heroes, new villains and more far-out, fun-filled, fantastic new ideas than you could shake a radioactive spider at! And, best of all, every Stan’s Soapbox book sold means more money for the great Hero Initiative cause. No wonder I’m so proud of this book and the cause that it serves! Heck, I might even buy two copies!"

While the 144-page collection is scheduled for a November 2008 release and sporting a $14.99 price tag, as well as commentary from Marvel luminaries like Joe Quesada, Kevin Feige and Roy Thomas, there’s one thing the collection won’t include: the original typed copy straight from the desk of Marvel’s Main Man himself. Lucky for us, former Marvel Comics Assistant Editor Scott Edelman recently posted a scan of one of those aforementioned drafts — as well as some thoughts on how he ended up with them.

One of my duties as an Assistant Editor at Marvel Comics in the mid-’70s was to write all of the text for each Bullpen Bulletins page except for Stan’s Soapbox. (Thanks for the opportunity to channel my childhood idol, Len!)

Which meant that Stan would hand me a yellow sheet of paper each month on which he had typed out his musings, complete with edits in the form of crossed-out clauses and handwritten additions. I’d hand both his text and mine (for the rest of the page) to a different Stan, Stanley Aaron, the typesetter who would make it all look pretty so it could then be pasted up for print.

Even without the drafts, the Stan’s Soapbox collection looks like a great opportunity to get all sorts of nostalgic about comics days gone by. I’ve posted the full press release after the jump, with more information about the project. (Oh, and we’re told that’s not the final cover art.)

(via The Beat)

(more…)

Framing The Question, by John Ostrander

  • News
  • August 21, 2008

There’s a lot of buzz on the Internet this last week stemming from new Image partner Robert Kirkman’s video-taped manifesto calling for … well, I’m not exactly certain what he called for. A subsequent article/interview on Newsarama said it was “a call to arms for fellow creators to focus solely on their original stories, instead of the licensed work from the big two comic book companies, Marvel and DC.” Although he is also quoted later in the article as saying, “I want everyone to understand, I’m not saying no one should aspire to write for Marvel and DC characters … I’m just saying that it shouldn’t be the pinnacle of a comic book career.”

The article adds: “While Kirkman sees contemporary creators who try to do both creator owned works, and books for the big two, he believes they’re hurting their opportunity to succeed with their original stories.” It then quotes Kirkman further: “You can’t put your feet on both sides of the fence you have to take that plunge … if I’m doing Invincible and I’m also writing Spider-Man, and I’m giving fans a choice to try my unknown book, or Spider-Man who they know, they’re going to choose Spider-Man.”

OR … maybe some of those fans try Invincible because they really like what the writer is doing on Spider-Man. The savvy ones follow the talent – whether it’s the writer or the artist. The majority, however, are reading Spider-Man because it’s Spider-Man and it doesn’t matter if a hundred monkeys are typing it – unless the monkeys do something really dumb with it like use a Mephisto ex machina to get rid of a pesky marriage or bring out a clone or something. Stoopid monkey!

The point is … more readers get exposed to the writer as a result of his work on Spider-Man. A fair question to ask is – did the sales go up on Kirkman’s own creator owned books after he started writing the webby wallcrawler at Marvel? If not, then he had no benefit from doing it. If they have gone up, however, then at least part of the reason will be his stint at Marvel.           

As I understand it, Kirkman wants to re-energize/save the comics’ industry. If all the established talent left DC and Marvel, he thinks the two companies would have to “re-focus the majority of their titles to the teen audience.” The established creators would then work on creator owned books, revitalizing the industry. (more…)

Origin of Magneto in New Marvel Knights Series

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

I really enjoyed previous Marvel Knights projects Spider-Man: Reign and Silver Surfer: Requiem, as the pairing of writers, artists and subject matter of each miniseries seemed to really catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not sure that these series fit in with past titles falling under the "Marvel Knights" banner, but I know that they felt like a fresh look at both characters — and that’s saying a lot, given the saturation of Spider-Man and Silver Surfer stories the past few years.

I mention all of this because I can’t help but look forward to next month’s debut of X-Men: Magneto Testament #1, which pairs writer Greg Pak (World War Hulk) with artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, whose work I really enjoyed in Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock. The five-issue series promises to take a look at the early life of Magneto, and I’m itching to see if the MK crew can capture the same vibe of Reign and Requiem in this one.

Pak told Marvel.com, "Like so many classic Marvel characters, [Magneto] has to grapple with the typical problems of any scrawny outsider: family problems, schoolyard bullies, and first crushes…But every little conflict takes on a terrifying, new dimension as the scope and inexorable advance of the Nazi menace becomes clearer."

The first issue hits shelves September 10, and I’ve posted the Marko Djurdjevic cover to #1 here, with larger versions of the cover and pages posted after the jump. (more…)

Robbie Greenberger, R.I.P.

  • News
  • August 16, 2008

robbie-1-4900308We are incredibly sad to have to report that Robbie Greenberger, son of DC and Marvel alumni and ComicMix contributor Robert Greenberger, passed away on Thursday evening after a months-long struggle with leukemia. He was 20.

He is survived by his father, mother Deb, sister Kate, and everyone who knew him, all of whom are staggered by the news. Bob has been blogging about the entire course of treatment, and has written up the final week.

Friends may greet the family Sunday from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road., Fairfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, August 18, 2008 at 1 p.m. meeting directly at Saint Pius X Church 834 Brookside Drive, Fairfield. Interment will be private at Oak Lawn Cemetery, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers contributions in Robbie’s memory may be made to The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511-3202 (www.tommyfund.org). For information or to offer an online condolence, please visit www.spearmillerfuneralhome.com.

Skrull Marketing Department Invades Twitter

  • News
  • August 15, 2008

You have to hand it to Marvel Comics’ online marketing crew. From the viral success of their MySpace "Home Invasion" video series to a Twitter presence that seems to grow exponentially every day, the Merry Marvel Marketing team seems to be firing on all cylinders (or whatever the digital equivalent might be) these days. Their latest foray into the online world is a Twitter user going by the name of "Embrace Change" — a very green user, with some distinguishing features around the chin area.

Here are some of the observations offered up by Embrace Change today:

We have traveled across the universe to save you from yourselves.

We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to save you.

While I applaud the original art that Marvel seems to have created for the Twitter profile of Embrace Change (I’ve posted the user image here), thus far the account doesn’t appear to be much different from the multitude of Twitter-spam marketing ‘bots out there. It features random cryptic remarks about the Skrull’s mission on Earth, and appears to be following every Twitter user whose profile it comes across. Heck, if you substitute the whole "Skrull’s mission on Earth" part of that last sentence with "profitability of an ambiguous moneymaking scheme," you’ve got a pretty good description of the last dozen-or-so spammers I’ve blocked on my own Twitter account.

An "A" for effort, though, Marvel crew… consider my interest piqued.

Marvel’s Michael Turner “Hulk” Tribute Covers

  • News
  • August 14, 2008

hulk-07-turnervariant-00-6738005In an announcement released earlier today, Marvel Comics has released the variant cover images for Hulk issues #6 and #7 featuring the art of recently deceased, fan-favorite artist Michael Turner. Turner passed away on June 27 due to complications in his battle with cancer.

Hulk writer Jeph Loeb had this to say about the covers:

“Living in a world without Mike is something I could never imagine,” said Hulk scribe Jeph Loeb. “He was the greatest guy. The. Greatest. I wanted some way to share my love of his artwork and at the same time give something to the fans — who were more important to Mike than anyone can imagine — and spoke to Marvel about doing these covers. They are pieces Mike did of the Green Hulk (one as a gift to Frank Mastromauro)and Peter Steigerwald of Aspen Comics did the recoloring and remastering. It was terribly important to me that Peter and Aspen got to be part of this as well. They are a celebration of Mike’s enormous talent and in turn, his life. Enjoy.”

Hulk #6 is scheduled for release September 24, while Hulk #7 is scheduled for an October 22 release.

So, ComicMix readers, what are your thoughts on the use of Turner’s art in these covers? Is it a respectable tribute to a beloved creator or something a bit more… suspect? Either way, the art is as impressive as always, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the decision to release these covers.

Full-size versions of both cover images are posted after the jump. (more…)

Is Hillary Clinton Really The Thing? By Dennis O’Neil

  • News
  • August 12, 2008

I never talked to either Jack Kirby or Stan Lee about politics, so I don’t really have any idea where they stood on the subject. My guess would be that following their political spoor wouldn’t take you very far west and that they didn’t have much sympathy for the hippie-rebels of the 60s (and here allow me to blush and hide my face). After all, they and their parents (and my parents) fought for a place in the American mainstream because, finally, acceptance meant an increased chance of survival and for those outside the tribe, who suffered the Great Depression, not surviving seemed to be a real possibility. Then here came the snotty kids with their tie-dye and their girly haircuts and their wiseass slogans saying that a place in the tribe was not worth struggling for – in fact, the tribe itself was stinking of corruption.

Both generations were, in their own way, right; both had a piece of the truth.

Stan and Jack were – are – of the first of the two generations and so they were – are – probably politically a bit to the right of me and maybe you (and my parent and most of my siblings.) But events of the past week make me guess that their greatest creations were liberals. I refer to the Fantastic Four who, along with Spider-Man co-launched Marvel Comics, as one or two of you might have heard. True FF aficionados know, and perhaps relish, the tendency of the members of this supergroup to squabble among themselves. Two of the four, The Human Torch and The Thing, seem particularly apt to indulge in petty argumentation.

Remind you of any particular political group?

Yeah, right. Liberals. Witness the recent news: Ms. Hillary Clinton’s die-hard supporters are threatening to vote for John McCain, the Republican candidate, unless Ms. Clinton’s presidential aspirations are accorded full acknowledgement at the Democratic convention, which will be soaking up media time in about two weeks. This despite the fact that Ms. Clinton has already lost the nomination to Barack Obama, whose crew must be thinking harsh and uncharitable thoughts about the Clintonites.

(more…)

ComicMix Quick Picks: 8/8/08

The collection of posts that may not warrant a full entry of their own. Excelsio — er, onward and upward:

Billionaire financier Ronald O. Perelman has agreed pay $80 million to settle a lawsuit accusing him of helping to divert $553.5 million in notes when he controlled Marvel. I’ll do a better run-down of the financials after I have a chance to slog through them. Ironically, Perelman had always wanted to turn Marvel into an intellectual property powerhouse in the mold of Disney, but it only happened after he drove Marvel into bankruptcy and bolted.

And speaking of legal matters, Gordon vs. Gordon. It’s a shame when things go bad. I wonder what will happen at the custody hearings.

And speaking of Gotham City going-ons (what a segue!) somebody else has built a working Tumbler. No word on what else he keeps in his basement or his belfry.

Don Heck’s Lovecraft work to finally see the light of day. Ai! Ai! P’tagh i’dw ryall!

Tom Brevoort is attempting to take over DC Comics. Watch out, Paul…

And just because some of you might want to know how to give yourself pointed ears… well, here you are. We’re not responsible for any pon farr, though.

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Milestone: If You’re Not There, You Just Won’t Get It, by Michael Davis

  • News
  • August 8, 2008

m-invite-1-1308510Denys Cowan and I were hanging out watching the crowds inside the convention center at the San Diego Comic Con. It’s 1991. As we walked the floor we were kidding around as always. Kidding around and looking at girls. Hey, that’s what we did when we walked the floor at conventions. We joked and looked at girls. We tried looking at guys but we both agreed that made us look pretty… gay.

We were having a pretty good time when Denys got quiet. I thought it was because of this real fine Asian girl we were looking at. Denys turned to me and said “We should start a comic book company that will create some characters of color.” I said, “That’s the stupidest idea I have ever heard. Will you look at that girl?” Denys did not look. That’s when I realized that he was being serious. I said “That’s a great idea.” After that we spent most of the rest of that day and evening talking about what the company could be and whom we should include. This is the first time I have really talked about Milestone outside of a VERY few interviews over the last 15 years. Milestone is the story of five – that’s right FIVE black creators and we all have a story tell.

This is my Milestone story…

Denys and I spent the rest of that day and evening talking about what the company could be and whom we should include. In 1991 there were ample black creators we could have included but we wanted to make sure we got this right. It’s important to note that we were not trying to be exclusive by only inviting black creators – we wanted to create black superheroes and wanted to do so with black creators first. If you really look at Milestone you will soon realize that we were never a black company, we were a black owned company. In truth we were a true multicultural company that counted among our talent many, many different races. We went out of our way to include talent from many different walks of life.

(more…)

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