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Baseball Season Brings 20th Anniversary Edition of “The Sandlot”

the-sandlot-20th-anniversary-1157_rgb-e1362070769987-5513195It’s almost spring and we’re suckers for the promise Spring Training brings, so we were thrilled to see that The Sandlot¸ starring genre faves James Earl Jones, Karen Allen,  and a bunch of kids, is finally coming out on Blu-ray. Here are the details:

LOS ANGELES, (February 27, 2013) – “You’re Killing Me Smalls!” A film that still captures the hearts of baseball fans young and old, THE SANDLOT debuts on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack March 26 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in celebration of the beloved film’s 20th anniversary. “A charming and whimsical comedy about boys and baseball and a GREAT BIGDOG” (“Siskel & Ebert”), THE SANDLOT ranked in the Top 40 as one of the best sports movies ever.

With memorable performances from nine terrific young actors and supporting appearances from Honorary Academy Award® winner James Earl Jones (Field of Dreams, Star Wars Franchise), Denis Leary (Rescue Me, The Ref) and Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Starman), The Sandlot 20th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack includes limited edition packaging and 10 collectible cast baseball cards.

It’s early 1960s and fifth-grader Scotty Smalls has just moved into town with his folks. Kids call him a dork – he can’t even throw a baseball! But that changes when the leader of the neighborhood gang recruits him to play on the nearby sandlot field. It’s the beginning of a magical summer of baseball, wild adventures, first kisses, and fun!

In connection with the release, FHE will embark on a partnership with Benny the Jet’s favorite shoe brand PF Flyers, for a special one-of-a-kind promotion. Beginning March 26, a limited run of The Secret Weapon, will be made available inside a vintage 1960’s shoe box, along with a $3 SANDLOT coupon inside. Additionally, all Blu-ray and DVD combo packs will feature a 10% PF Flyer discount coupon inside the packaging. Further information on this exclusive purchase can be found at www.pfflyers.com.

Additionally, The “Sandlot Baseball Field Program” will be comprised of partnerships with Major League Baseball teams nationwide in connection with the FOX Sports Networks. Notable teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins will coordinate baseball field renovations across the Unites States so that loyal fans and baseball lovers everywhere will get the chance to enjoy their own “Sandlot” field in their backyards. Furthermore, screenings of THE SANDLOT will be hosted at several Major and Minor League ballparks across the country with Director, Writer and Narrator, David Mickey Evans. So lace up your mitt and get ready for a season full of baseball fun!

SCREENING LOCATIONS/DATES

(*Subject to Change)

ARM & HAMMER Park, home of the Trenton Thunder (Trenton, New Jersey) – 4/13/13

Fluor Field at the West End, home of the Greenville Drive (Greenville, South Carolina) – 4/19/13

Arvest Ballpark, home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Springdale, Arkansas) – 4/21/13

Rangers Ballpark, home of the Texas Rangers (Arlington, Texas) – 5/11/13

Tucson Padres at Kino Stadium (Tucson, Arizona) – 5/18/13

Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals (St. Louis, Missouri) – Date to be announced

Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Date to be announced

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) – 6/1/13

AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds (Memphis, Tennessee) – 6/15/13

Steinbrenner Field, home of the Tampa Yankees (Tampa, Florida) – 6/22/13

Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express (Round Rock, Texas) – 6/25/13

Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks (Corpus Christi, Texas) – 6/29/13

Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens (Toledo, Ohio) – 7/5/13

Classic Park, home of the Lake County Captains (Eastlake, Ohio) – 7/12/13

CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of the Kansas City T-Bones (Kansas City, Kansas) – 7/26/13

Security Service Field, home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Springs, Colorado) – 8/2/13

Fifth Third Field, home of the Dayton Dragons (Dayton, Ohio) – 8/10/13

Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers (Omaha, Nebraska) – 8/17/13

The Epicenter, home of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Rancho Cucamonga, California) – 8/30/13

Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Braves (Lawrenceville, Georgia) – 9/21/13

THE SANDLOT Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack Special Features:
●    Featurette
●    Theatrical Trailer
●    TV Spots

John Ostrander’s Crossing Realities

Ostrander Art 130127There’s a plethora of “reality” shows on the tube and some fit into the niche of what I call “redneck reality” – shows like “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” “Redneck Vacation,” “Alligator Wrestlers” and so on. There’s also a niche of “supernatural reality” shows such as Ghost Hunters, Finding Bigfoot, and other “investigative” shows. Of course there is also fictional horror shows that are real big like “The Walking Dead” and “American Asylum.” At least, these are shows that intend to be fictional.

I’m not loathe to hop on a bandwagon and I love combining genres or niches so I’ve come up with an idea for a supernatural redneck reality show I’m calling “Zombie Wranglers”.

Cue theme music and opening credits: Zombie Wranglers with Joe Bob Briggs, Ellie Mae Clampett and Simon Pegg.

Narrator: Zombie encounters depicted in this show are handled by self-proclaimed experts in the field. Do not attempt these at home. If you see a zombie, run like hell.

Opening visuals: The team walking through bayou country with Joe Bob in the lead. And he talks to the camera. Ellie Mae, in a tied off red plaid shirt opened to the third button and cut offs cut way up high, is on one side, Simon, carrying all the equipment, brings up the rear.

JOE BOB: This week me and the Zombie Wranglers team are in Bayou Country of Loosiana. Lots o’ Zombie sighting out this way. A few running wild. Hopefully, we can hook up with a local bokor, or voodoo priest, who can give us the lay o’ the land.

Now, your average bokor, he may raise himself up some zombies but mostly it’s just to work around the hut or run errands and such. Very rarely do you come across a bokor trying to create a zombie army and I myself personally have never come across one trying to create a zombie apocalypse. Stands to reason – if zombies take over the whole world, where’s the bokor gonna live, I ask you.

Sometimes you might get a hybrid, like a zombie loupy garou or werewolf. Those are nasty. I’ve heard some talk ‘bout bigfoot zombies but, personally, I’ve never believed in sasquatches myself. That’s a little too out there for me.

Some ignorant types said they don’t find zombies all that scary because you can just outrun ’em. That’s not always true. An older zombie, one that’s come back to life a while ago and whose grave is old, yeah, okay. Their joints are stiff and they just creak along. A newly raised zombie or one created by a zombie bite? That’s a different story. They can move pretty fast and you may not know which is which just to look at ‘em.

Hey, Simon – we seem to be getting’ nowhere in a hurry. How ‘bout you send up a zombie call?

Visual: cut to Simon, muttering.

SIMON: How ‘bout yew carry yer own weight on this show, yew bloody gobshite.

JOE BOB: What was that?

SIMON: I’m doin it!

Visual: Simon cups his hands around his mouth and calls.

SIMON: Urgh! Aargh!

Visual: All three heads turn as a cry comes back from close by.

VOICE (off) Urgh! Aargh!

Visual: Camera turns to catch a pretty fresh zombie lurching out of the brush.

ZOMBIE: Urgh! Aargh!

Visual: Joe Bob keeps his eyes on the off camera zombie as he gives direction. Middle background – Ellie Mae unbuttons another button on her shirt. Simon starts sneaking off in the background.

JOE BOB: Okay, Ellie Mae, prepare to lure him on. Not too fast now. And undo another button on that shirt; that’s pure ratings gold right there. Simon, start circling ‘round now behind him.

ELLIE MAE: Right you are, Joe Bob.

Visual: Ellie Mae, glancing behind her with wide eyes, faking being scared, prances on in front of the zombie, her breasts heaving, The zombie, distracted, follows her, reaching for her.

ZOMBIE: Hurrr?

ELLIE: EEEEEEEEE!

Visual: Joe Bob talks to the camera in a calm, professional manner.

JOE BOB: It’s a little known fact that zombies are easily distracted by a purty woman running just out of reach and screaming, especially if she has large hooters on display.

Visual: Joe Bob calling to Ellie Mae.

JOE BOB: Ellie Mae? You want to run a little faster than that, girl. This is a speedy critter.

Visual: The zombie grabs Ellie Mae by her hair, yanks her back, and bites her on the side of her throat. Ellie Mae no longer fakes being terrified; her screams are for real.

ZOMBIE: Hurrr! Aargh!

ELLIE MAE: Gaaaaaah!

Visual: Simon, coming up from behind, furiously plants a machete in the top of the zombie’s head. The zombie releases Ellie Mae but her eyes roll up in her head.

SIMON: Let go of her, ya bloody beastie!

Visual: The zombie, the machete still in its head, turns around and bites Simon in the arm. His eyes start to roll up in his head as he grimaces in pain.

ZOMBIE: Urgh! Aargh!

JOE BOB: (off camera) See now, this is a classic mistake in combating zombies. You want to strike crossways across the neck and take off their head. Top wise like Simon did does no damn good a’tall. Tell ya the truth, I’m a little surprised at Simon for bein’ so unprofessional.

Visual: Back to Joe Bob as he keeps a wary eye out off camera.

JOE BOB: Now yew folks are gonna get a little extra treat here. You’ll see how someone bit turns into a zombie like Ellie Mae and Simon are about to do.

Visual: Simon and Ellie Mae, their faces going white and their eyes sinking back in their sockets, stand jerkily and raise their arms in classic zombie fashion.

JOE BOB: (off camera) There now. Skins getting’ all pasty white and stuff. See that? Sure sign of them turnin’ into zombies, you bet.

ELLIE MAE: Braaains. . .

SIMON: Braaaains. . .

Visual: Joe Bob seeing that their coming for him and turning to run.

JOE BOB: Well, that’s about all the time we got for this week. I’ll be back next week with a new Zombie Wrangler crew. In the meantime, don’t let em’ grab you! Bye all!

Visual: long shot of the zombies chasing Joe Bob through the bayou as ending credits and theme run.

The Author Concludes: Discovery Channel, TLC – I’m waiting for your call.

The Editor annoyingly adds: Illustrating Mr. Ostrander’s column today is a Wasteland piece by the gifted artist and energetic entrepreneur Michael Davis, best known for his long-running ComicMix column published every Tuesday afternoon… when we can find him.

MONDAY: Mindy Newell

NEW PULP BEST SELLER LIST

  • Uncategorized
  • December 3, 2012

New Pulp Author Barry Reese compiles a list of the Top 10 new New Pulp best selling books on Amazon every Monday morning. See how your favorite pulp books fare each week at http://barryreese.net.

Without further ado, here’s the completely and totally unofficial New Pulp bestseller list as of right now (title, then publisher, then release date, then sales rank):
1) Doc Savage: Death’s Dark Domain by Will Murray (Altus Press, September 2012) – 71,739
2) The Golden Age by Jeff Deischer (White Rocket Books, October 2012) – 125,852
3) Pro Se Presents # 15 by Various (Pro Se Press, November 2012) – 184,340

4) The Spider: Shadow of Evil by C.J. Henderson and J. Anthony Kosar (Moonstone Books, October 2012) – 273,590
5) Horror Heroes by Various (Pulp Empire, October 2012) – 585,940
6) Secret Agent “X” – Volume Four by Various (Airship 27, October 2012) – 647,102
7) Three Against the Stars by Joe Bonadonna (Airship 27, November 2012) – 795,194
8 ) Black Bat Mysteries Volume Two by Various (Airship 27, August 2012) – 867,330
9) Mystery Men (& Women) Volume Three by Various (Airship 27, November 2012) – 956,126

10) Monster Aces by Various (Pro Se Press, October 2012) – 1,463,279

Just missing the list were: Pro Se Presents # 14 by Various (Pro Se Press, October 2012) – 1,697,869, Blood of the Centipede by Chuck Miller (Pro Se Press, September 2012) – 2,140,953, Pirates and Swashbucklers Volume Two by Various (Pulp Empire, October 2012) – 2,335,554 and The Spur: Loki’s Rock by Mark Ellis (Fortuna Books, September 2012) – 2,471,177.

Read the full list and the rules for putting the list together here.

amazingchanandthechanclan_complete-300x447-1508426

REVIEW: The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

amazingchanandthechanclan_complete-300x447-1508426Prime time television in the 1950s and 1960s was packed with family situation comedies, including Hanna-Barbera’s takes on The Honeymooners in the form of The Flintstones and The Jetsons. By the dawn of the 1970s, those situation comedy tropes began to permeate Saturday morning cartoons as funny animal and super-heroic fare began to wane. Then there came Scooby-Doo, the first truly original and fresh concept in ages. The four meddlesome teens, their charismatic canine companion and van became the template for many imitators.

I can therefore imagine the brain trust at H-B trying to find new variations on the successful theme. The idea of combining elements a mystery solving family was a natural but how they ever settled on Charlie Chan and his dozen children remains an, ahem,. mystery.

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan debuted in 1972 on CBS and was derived from Earl Derr Biggers literary sleuth, Charlie Chan. Based on Honolulu, Chan was modeled on real life detective Apana Biggers, and was introduced in 1926 but gained greatest fame in a series films featuring occidental actor Warner Oland.

Interestingly, there had not been a Chan movie or television series for quite some time by 1972 so one wonders how familiar the youthful target audience was with the character when the series arrived. Regardless, the sixteen episodes showcased the kids a lot more than they did Mr. Chan and the show featured one of the larger casts of regular characters even if the prose Chan Clan was an even dozen, for this show they trimmed that to ten. In prose and television, the mother is never mentioned.

The stories themselves are filled with harmless action, some mild humor, and plenty of chances for the cast to shine. You can see for yourself in the newly released The Amazing Chan Clan and the Chan Clan — The Complete Series from Warner Archive. For the record, the series is credited for being the first time Charlie Chan was performed by a genuine Chinese actor, Keye Luke, who played Number One Son in many of the earlier features. Other performers were also of Asian descent but were quickly recast when CBS deemed their accents difficult for the audience to comprehend (although you wonder if they actually tested this theory and we won’t know because the original stories were redubbed). Only Robert Ito, as Henry, and Brian Trochi as genius inventor Alan, remained.

Debbie Jue (Nancy), Jay Jay Jue (Flip), Leslie Juwai (Mimi), Leslie Kumamota (Anne), Virginia Ann Lee (Suzie), Michael Takamoto (Tom), Robin Toma (Scooter), and Stephen Wong (Stanley) were replaced, respectively, by Beverly Kushida, Gene Andrusco, Cherylene Lee (as Suzie and Mimi), Jodie Foster (yes, that one), John Gunn, Michael Morgan, and Lennie Weinrib. Don Messick was the required dog companion Chu Chu.

Each kid had a specialty in addition to a musical talent so they would perform a song in each episode, making for relatively simplified storytelling. The music was supervised by Don Kirshner (who else?) with vocals led by Ron Dante (carried over from The Archies). As for the cases, they mimicked the movies’ international flavor so Mr. Chan and the kids globetrotted after the Crown Jewels or visited Trinidad to find missing doubloons, or joining in for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The cases were never the reason to watch the show, but instead to see the siblings interact and to find out what goofy new invention would come in handy. None of the songs ever made it to the Top 40 and are pretty forgettable.

If anything, this series is a curiosity from that transitional period between the Golden Age of Saturday morning fare and the watered down pabulum that denoted the ‘70s.

May 2012 comics sales break more records

  • News
  • June 12, 2012

The full report of comics orders for May 2012 has been released by Diamond Comic Distributors, and as the initial report here found, the market is hitting on all cylinders. It’s also breaking records, according to estimates compiled here at The Comics Chronicles. Click to see the comics sales estimates for May 2012.

As reported on Friday, led by Avengers Vs. X-Men #4, the comic book Direct Market’s orders of $44.68 million in comics and graphic novels (at full retail value) is the largest sum seen in a single month since Diamond began reporting Final Order data in February 2003, and it’s probably a higher figure seen in any month since 1995 in un-inflation-adjusted dollars.

Now, with the estimates out, we can see that two other Diamond Exclusive Era records have been set. Diamond’s Top 300 comics had orders totaling $25.72 million, an increase of 44% over last May and the highest total since Diamond became the sole distributor in 1997. It beats the total of $25.37 million set in December 2008.

Trade paperbacks and hardcovers were exceptionally strong, too, with the DC reboot volumes topping the charts; the Top 300 accounted for $8.27 million, just missing the one-month record from November 2008. That combined with the comics figures to break the other record this month: the Top 300 comics plus the Top 300 graphic novels combined for sales of almost exactly $34 million, beating the previous record from December 2008 by nearly $2 million.

These are dollar sales and not unit sales — though the unit figures came close to setting records, and inflation is not really a huge factor in comparisons over the last two or three years. As we can see on this table of average comics prices, that December 2008 peak found the average weighted price of comics in the Top 300 to be $3.31; this month, the average weighted price was $3.53. That’s less than a 7% increase over three and a half years.

The 300th place issue didn’t set a record, but it was the second-highest total for issues at that rank since 1996, with more than 4,800 copies sold. We’ve also now gone a full year where all first place issues each month topped 100,000 copies. So we are, as they say on CNBC, well “off the lows” for the decade.

Again, the Diamond Exclusive Era records are exactly that — they don’t take into account the mammoth sales of the early 1990s, the Golden Age, or anything earlier than 1997.

The aggregate totals for the month:

TOP 300 COMICS UNIT SALES

May 2012: 7.3 million copies
Versus 1 year ago this month: +42%
Versus 5 years ago this month: -6%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +27%
Versus 15 years ago this month: -8%
YEAR TO DATE: 31.29 million copies, +20% vs. 2011, -11% vs. 2007, +13% vs. 2002, -27% vs. 1997

ALL COMICS UNIT SALES
May 2012 versus one year ago this month: +44.24%
YEAR TO DATE: +20.89%

—

TOP 300 COMICS DOLLAR SALES

May 2012: $25.72 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: +44%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +5%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +60%
Versus 15 years ago this month: +36%
YEAR TO DATE: $108.66 million, +20% vs. 2011, -2% vs. 2007, +39% vs. 2002, +8% vs. 1997

ALL COMICS DOLLAR SALES
May 2012 versus one year ago this month: +45.12%
YEAR TO DATE: +21.77%

—

TOP 300 TRADE PAPERBACK DOLLAR SALES

May 2012: $8.27 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: +47%
Versus 5 years ago this month, just the Top 100 vs. the Top 100: -17%
Versus 10 years ago this month, just the Top 50 vs. the Top 50: +47%
YEAR TO DATE: $33.16 million, +28% vs. 2011

ALL TRADE PAPERBACK  SALES
May 2012 versus one year ago this month: +41.14%
YEAR TO DATE: +16.22%

—

TOP 300 COMICS + TOP 300 TRADE PAPERBACK DOLLAR SALES

May 2012: $34 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: +45%
Versus 5 years ago this month, counting just the Top 100 TPBs: +1%
Versus 10 years ago this month, counting just the Top 25 TPBs: +36%
YEAR TO DATE: $141.83 million, +22% vs. 2011

ALL COMICS AND TRADE PAPERBACK  SALES
May 2012 versus one year ago this month: +43.76%
YEAR TO DATE: +19.95%

—

OVERALL DIAMOND SALES (including all comics, trades, and magazines)

May 2012: approximately $44.68 million (subject to revision)
Versus 1 year ago this month: +44%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +9%
YEAR TO DATE: $182.49 million, +20% vs. 2011, +4% vs. 2007

The average price of comics in Diamond’s Top 300 was $3.53 as was the cost of the average comic book retailers ordered. $3.50 was the median price of all comics offered in the Top 300, while the most common price remained $2.99.

The numbers already show it, but there’s increasing anecdotal evidence of a turnaround out there — including this piece in yesterday’s Ventura County Star. The headline alone is of a sort we haven’t seen in the business in a long time. Brian Jacoby from Secret Headquarters in Tallahassee, Fla., also provides a very positive view in the comments thread of this ComicsBeat post. “My subscriber list has grown 20% in the past 9 months, beginning on the strength of the excitement for the New 52, and bolstered by other great launches since, like (Miles Morales as) Ultimate Spider-Man and Saga, and the continued influx of Walking Dead– and Avengers-curious people brought in by other media.” That’s how recoveries have worked in the past: one thing leads to the next.

Follow Comichron on Twitter and Facebook, to be alerted when new estimates are released.

‘Watchmen’ Top BookScan Charts for November

  • News
  • December 4, 2008

watchmen-trade-paperback-1031596It’s little surprise that the Watchmen toped BookScan’s list of Top 20 Graphic Novels for November for the fifth month in a row.  In a report at ICv2, it was noted the book actually hit the Top 10 list twice with the paperback edition of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ story atop the list and the new hardcover edition in the sixth spot.

Eight of the 20 spots belong to traditional graphic novels with the remaining dozen spots nabbed, as expected, by Manga releases, led by Fruits Basket Vol. 21 in second place. DC’s Joker original tale debuted in fourth place and gave the publisher three of the Top 10 spots. Marvel had no titles in the Top 20 although DK’s holiday book Marvel Chronicle debuted in 17th place. Similarly, Running Press’ wonderful DC Vault appeared in 15th place.

BookScan’s report of bookstore sales is an incomplete picture of the book business but used as a measuring stick by publishers and retailers.

Rank    Title                                                                                                  Author                              Pub     PubDate

1           WATCHMEN TPB                                                                           ALAN MOORE               DC         4/1/95
2           FRUITS BASKET VOL. 21                                                            NATSUKI TAKAYA         TKP       11/1/08
3          NARUTO VOL. 32                                                                           MASASHI KISHIMOTO  VIZ        12/1/08
4          THE JOKER                                                                                     BRIAN AZZARELLO      DC       11/1/08
5          YU-GI-OH! GX VOL. 2                                                                     NAOYUKI KAGEYAMA   VIZ       11/1/08
6          WATCHMEN HC                                                                             ALAN MOORE                 DC       11/1/08
7         NARUTO VOL. 31                                                                            MASASHI KISHIMOTO   VIZ       9/1/08
8         HELLSING VOL. 9                                                                           KOHTA HIRANO             DHC    10/1/08
9         CHIBI VAMPIRE VOL. 11                                                                YUNA KAGESAKI            TKP     11/1/08
10       BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 8 VOL. 3                  DREW GODDARD         DHC    10/1/08
11       OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB VOL. 11                         BISCO HATORI               VIZ       11/1/08
12       THE DRESDEN FILES: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE HC     JIM BUTCHER                DEL    10/1/08
13       FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST VOL. 17                                              HIROMU ARAKAWA        VIZ      10/1/08
14       TSUBASA  VOL. 19                                                                         WILLIAM FLANAGAN      DEL     11/1/08
15       THE DC VAULT: A MUSEUM-IN-A-BOOK                                   MARTIN PASKO              RPB     10/1/08
16       BLEACH: SOULS OFFICIAL CHARACTER BOOK                   TITE KUBO                       VIZ      11/1/08
17       MARVEL CHRONICLE                                                                   BREVOORT, DEFALCO DK     11/1/08
18       D.GRAY-MAN VOL. 11                                                                    KATSURA HOSHINO     VIZ     11/1/08
19       VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 5                                                              MATSURI HINO               VIZ      9/1/08
20       BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPEC. ED. HC                           ALAN MOORE                 DC      3/1/08

ComicMix Radio at NYCC: More Stan, a Little Disney and Eli Stone

cradio-4550209We kick off day two of the show direct from The Big Apple with a rundown of today’s big stuff including Stan Lee again, Peter Parker hanging out with Eli Stone and a sneak preview bonus for Lucasfilm fanatics! Plus, can you imagine the Top 10 Plants In Pop Culture?

Grab your con badge and press the button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-7322121 or RSS!

 

‘Captain America’ Tops Rolling Stone’s 10 Best List

  • News
  • March 7, 2008

As I’ve said before, I’m a fan of lists. I’m particularly interested in lists of favorite, must-read comic books or must-see movies and TV shows because, in some cases, I discover something new that I have never heard of before. I also sometimes see things on a list that make me wonder why they’re on the list at all.

So, it was with some great interest that I read Rolling Stone’s list of the "Top 10: Best in TV, the Web, Books and Beyond." Sure, comics were relegated to the "beyond" category but still, they were represented. Not only that, but one of my all-time favorite characters and titles, Captain America, topped the list at number one.

The magazine was particularly impressed with the latest Captain America storyline, calling it "a metaphor for the effects of the Bush Presidency." This was due in large part to the recent storyline where Cap is killed and "a new, more morally compromised character has taken over the stars-and-stripes uniform" in the persona of Cap’s former sidekick Bucky — who is now a gun-toting killer.

It’s an interesting way to think about it, I suppose. Although, I kinda expect Rolling Stone to find the political angle on most anything, so its not much of a surprise they went that way. Plus, they did also pick the abyssmal Quarterlife and the inane Project Runway as some of the other "Top 10."

Even though I think they made a good choice with Captain America, adding those other two to a list of the supposed "best" makes me question the entire thing. Given that, if you’re still curious to see if your tastes fit in with Rolling Stone’s, check out the list right here.

Rock Posters Rule!

ComicMix Radio jumps right into this week’s pile of new comics and DVDs that are screaming to be added to your gift list… plus:

• There was a day when every good (or bad) rock & roll concert had a distinctive poster attached. There’s a list of the Top 25 All Time Rock Posters – and even a few surprises for comic fans (Nancy, a word to the wise. Avoid this Alternate Universe Sluggo)

• If you like Street Fighter, this is your week

• Spike awards the Top Video Games but where was Guitar Hero?

• This week’s Sold Out score: DC 2 and Marvel 1

• The Fresh Prince puts his music career aside for a while

Please Press The Button – our pal Sluggo is getting scary!

Top 7 reasons to root for a writers strike

  • News
  • October 30, 2007

I didn’t think I’d be writing this, but I think I’m actually looking forward to Hollywood having a writer’s strike.

Why? What sort of un-American bastard would be hoping for the shutdown of production across TV shows and movies across this great land of ours? My god, man, you might force the audience to think or something! Sorry, no. I can think of seven good reasons.

1. The writers deserve to be compensated. First and foremost, this is the biggie. As Mark Evanier points out, "the same studio execs who say there’s no more money are elsewhere bragging about record profits and taking home seven, eight and even nine figure annual salaries." Some studio heads are saying that they need to cut upfront costs. My reply is that it’s the studios’ own damn fault, because nobody trusts them to ever pay out any money on the back end. If you could be trusted, you wouldn’t have to shell out all the money in advance. If you were fair in sharing the revenue from home video and DVD sales in the first place, you wouldn’t be in this fix now. (more…)

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