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Day 2 of NYCC, and a second CinchCast summary of events of the day which caught my attention.
It's a bit unfortunate that both NYCC and my abrupt return to the mic (well the iPhone, anyway) after a 10-year hiatus are both occuring while I'm riding out a wicked cold, but them's the breaks.
What would Spider-Man do? He'd fight on throught his cold. What would Stripesy do? He'd - keep on buying war bonds or whatever. So, like the heroes we admire and whose exploits we follow in the printed page and on screens big and small, I'm gonna keep on workin'.
Today I have some thoughts about a couple of the nastier exchanges between the big 2 publishers (Marvel and DC), and on the approaches each of them are taking to try to prevent $3.99 from becoming the standard price for new comics.
Setting aside for the moment the fact that Tigra is not - spoiler alert! - one of the victims of the Vampire virus that seems to be localized to the Marvel U's Northern California locale, specifically the mutant populace, the ick factor on this one is just off the scale.
The topic also arose at the “Welcome to the X-Men” panel, where an audience member asked, to some applause, whether Marvel would lower prices on $3.99 titles. According to CBR’s report, X-Factor writer Peter David “asked if fans who want to see titles drop to $2 would also like to see their local comic shops go out of business. As costs rise for retailers in terms of rent and operational expenses, he argued, books must also rise sometimes.”
Wow. for such an insightful writer, Peter David's shortsightedness and insensitivity on this one really took me by surprise. Aside from the obvious - his bizarre logic in equating protests at the push towards a $3.99 price point with an unspoken desire to see pricing drop too $2.00 - not an unreasonable request in a rational world, but still not what was on the table - any drop in price, or any slowdown of pricing increases, would grind the comic book retail industry to a halt?
Really?
What about if your readership, those lucky enough to have employment, tire of spending $300.00 per week to keep up with their LCS' increasingly over-saturated offerings? Or what if they don't - but their loyalty to comics means that they can't afford to keep their homes.
Or what if they don't have kids, because they can't afford to? Where will the next generation of comics buyers come from?
These scenarios might impact retailers negatively as well. Also consumers, who you'd think Mr. David would take into account at least for a moment in his line of reasoning. As a fan of Mr. David's work, I'm disappointed in seeing him join Paul Gitter and Geoff Johns on this week's list of comics people who really shouldn't say things.
Apropos of nothing in particular, I thought it might be an appropriate time to reminisce about Geoff Johns' run as writer of The Avengers.
Good times.
In any event, NYCC rules, but there's no need to ignite a goofy-ass cosplayer version of the '90s East Coast-West Coast wars. That said, I'm an NYC guy, I'm loving Comic-Con, and I'm always in favor of NYC FTW Internet thingies.
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(CNN) -- One of the actors in "CHiPS," a hit TV show from 1970s and early '80s, is accused of being part of a stock fraud scheme, authorities said Thursday.
Larry Wilcox, who played motorcycle officer Jon Baker, was one of 12 people charged in the scheme, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said.
Zombie Epic Crosses into Blockbuster Hollywood Franchises
IDW Multi-Title Event Starts in January 2011 with Acclaimed Creators
San Diego, CA (October 8, 2010) - A first in comic book history, IDW Publishing is proud to announce INFESTATION! Starting in January 2011, INFESTATION will infect STAR TREK, GHOSTBUSTERS, TRANFORMERS and G.I. JOE comics with zombies, zombies, and more zombies. To help create this multi-dimensional saga, IDW is teaming up with fan-favorite writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (The Thanos Imperative, Legion of Super-Heroes) and artist David Messina (TRUE BLOOD).
“This is definitely one of those ‘there’s no way they’ll ever do this’ kind of events,” said IDW’s Chief Creative Officer Chris Ryall. “But not only are we doing something fans never thought they’d see, we’re doing it in a way that should confound and exceed their expectations. And doing it with real pros like Abnett and Lanning just makes it that much sweeter, especially knowing what they’ve got planned as a follow-up to this event.”
Setting the stage for this massive event, Abnett and Lanning will pen INFESTATION #1, launching in January 2011. This initial 32-page story begins in IDW’s own ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS universe, where something goes terribly wrong and ultimately infests the worlds of TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK, G.I. JOE, and GHOSTBUSTERS with zombies and infected robots. From there, the story spins ferociously into each of the four properties throughout February and March, and culminates in April’s bombastic finale, INFESTATION #2.
In February, TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #1-2 and STAR TREK: INFESTATION #1-2 will ship bi-weekly. The TRANSFORMERS title will also be written by Abnett and Lanning, with fan-favorite Nick Roche handling the art. STAR TREK will be written by mainstay writers Scott and David Tipton and illustrated by Casey Maloney (Zipper).
March will see the release of the bi-weekly G.I. JOE: INFESTATION #1-2 by writer Mike Raicht and artist Giovanni Timpano, as well as GHOSTBUSTERS: INFESTATION by Erik Burnham (THE A-TEAM: WAR STORIES) and Kyle Hotz (Marvel Zombies).
Artist John K. Snyder III (PHOENIX WITHOUT ASHES) will provide covers for the two INFESTATION issues, as well as 1950s sci-fi film-inspired images for each of the four involved series.
To further commemorate this “decade in the making” event, IDW will be releasing special incentive patches with every issue. Each embroidered, sew-on patch will feature “infected” logos of the four titles. Additional incentives include a painted cover by ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS co-creator Ashley Wood for INFESTATION #1, as well as a special 16-page sketchbook featuring zombified versions of the perennially popular characters from these four universes, as illustrated by artists associated with each property.
The entire event will make its presence felt on the cover of the January Previews catalog, showcasing a special INFESTATION “quadrtych” image of Snake Eyes, Mr. Spock, OPTIMUS PRIME, and Dr. Peter Venkman under attack from a zombie by LOCKE & KEY artist Gabriel Rodriguez.
“We’ve found a way to involve all of these diverse titles in a massive storyline that has ties all the way back to the early days of IDW,” continued Ryall. “I think fans will be amazed by what we’ve pulled together here, as well as the stories that will come out of this once-in-my-lifetime event.”
INFESTATION #1 ($3.99, 40 pages, full color) will be available in stores on January 19, 2011.
TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #1 and #2 will be in stores on February 2 and 16, 2011, respectively.
STAR TREK: INFESTATION #1 and #2 will be in stores on February 9 and 23, 2011, respectively.
G.I. JOE: INFESTATION #1 and 2 will be in stores on March 2 and 16, 2011, respectively.
GHOSTBUSTERS: INFESTATION #1 and 2 will be in stores on March 9 and 23, 2011, respectively.
INFESTATION #2 will be available in stores on April 6, 2011.
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Press Relase
| The King of the Monsters™ returns to comics… and this time, he’s not alone San Diego, CA (October 8, 2010) – The biggest star in motion pictures prepares to wreak havoc once again! IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce a partnership with Toho Co., Ltd. to create all-new GODZILLA comics. Starting in 2011, Godzilla will smash his way back onto the scene with a cast of characters from his films never before seen in comics. “This new series will be monsters and mayhem, but most importantly, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Yukio Kotaki of Toho. “Godzilla has been gone from comics for too long and we feel that IDW is the perfect company to welcome him back in 2011.” In addition to the King of the Monsters himself, the new comics from IDW Publishing and Toho Co., Ltd. will feature many of Godzilla’s friends and foes, including MOTHRA™, KING GHIDORAH™, RODAN™ and more that have never before been featured in an American comic book series alongside Godzilla. With an impressive cast of monsters both old and new, IDW’s series will treat fans to both familiar themes and original takes on the pop culture legends that have stomped, smashed, and fought their way across movie screens for over five decades. “Not only is Godzilla known worldwide, he’s loved worldwide, too. Having a film career with more than 25 movies and going on a 56-year span pretty much solidifies you as a legend, and IDW is really looking forward to contributing to that legacy,” said Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in Chief for IDW Publishing. “We wanted Godzilla to return to comics, but this time we wanted him to have some company. I think fans will be pleased with the monster guest appearances, which will really offer something for every fan of these films. There are the classic characters, but there are also a few surprises, too.” Debuting in February 2011, fans can expect to see a number of unique storylines from some of the industry’s top creators. |
Well it's day one of New York Comic Con, and news is coming fast and furious, as publishers, game companies, film studios, toy makers, and like 60 Green Lanterns and counting have descended upon my fair city. Did I mention that this is all happening at the same place and time as Anime Expo? Hello, Sailor Moon! So I figured this would be as good a time as any to take another crack at my new CinchCast voiceblogging thing. So without further ado, I've got some cool stuff to tell you about Dark Horse - digital comics, Star Wars, Buffy and Angel stuff. Listen and be psyched!
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Wolverine SNIKT Extraction:
Wolverine SNIKT Retraction:
(Wolverine "SNIKIT" poster via James Lillis).
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Yep, you read that headline correctly. Fast Company has the story on this PSA, narrated by Gillian Anderson, who to the best of my recollection has never appeared on an X-Files episode anywhere near this effed-up.
Mind you, no television show or advertisement is anywhere near as scary as the empirical fact that we are doing stuff that is going to blow up the frickin' planet, and that we could take measures to prevent this but we aren't going to - but we're Americans, and our priorities are what they are. Sigh.
Good news. everyone! He isn't going to make her refer to herself as "Mrs. Gnards"!
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I'm way behind our President, and it really was a beautiful thing that he was elected. Out of the two candidates, he was the infinitely better choice, and what a wonderful moment in history! The fact that he's kinda sitting out the fight while our country erupts into Civil War because he can't magically fix things overnight, I'm not nuts about. Ya gotta fight to win, Obeezy!
That said, it really was a beautiful, if sadly short-lived, moment of hope and unity. It's telling, however, that I'm more nostalgic these days for the brilliant, but apparently canceled, Boondocks. Canceled may not be the word I'm looking for here. My understanding is that Cartoon Network/Adult Swim wants it back, but for reasons unknown Aaron McGruder isn't interested. Such a shame. The season three opener, you may recall, featured a documentary much like the one featured above, including this gem of a tribute to Barack from Wll.i.am and Thugnificent:
What you most likely didn't see, was the president's response to the clip, posted at Boondocks Bootleg:
Still, I'm looking forward to 11-4-08; and, of course, to the release of the Boondocks season three DVD set. Which, last I heard, was set for release in - sigh - November.
The story is a tech-noir upgrade of Rudolph Mate’s 1950 noir movie D.O.A.: Poisoned by an indestructible virus, a weakening Batman must beat the clock — and work with his archenemy — to avoid the long goodbye.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: With "Red" hitting theaters October 15, we're kicking off the next two weeks of coverage with five days of guest columns from writer Warren Ellis, co-creator of the 2003 "Red" comic book with artist Cully Hamner. Join us all week for original columns from Ellis that will look at the origins of the comic, his favorite scenes, and much, much more! -RM
via MTV.
James Franco is barely recognizable on the cover of Candy Magazine. Terry Richardson shot the actor, with his hair slicked back, wearing blue eyeshadow and thick red lipstick. Candy is, 'The first fashion magazine ever completely dedicated to celebrating transvestism, transexuality, cross dressing and androgyny, in all its manifestations.'
Franco was also recently on the cover of The Advocate.
And if you like this, make sure you check out the brilliant '50s-inspired Avengers fan trailer, released a few months ago.
Everyone with a brain knows you had Kurt killed. Crackskank fatthighs
Borders Hosts Darwyn Cooke
Celebrate launch of THE OUTFIT,
Borders, New York City; Thursday, October 7, 7 to 9 pmsequel to award-winning graphic novel, THE HUNTER
Who/What: Best-selling creator Darwyn Cooke will sign copies of his new graphic novel, THE OUTFIT, at Borders in New York City. THE OUTFIT, Cooke’s second Parker graphic novel, will be released this week nationwide.
Where/When: Thursday, October 7th from 7 to 9 pm at Borders, 2 Penn Plaza, NYC.
Details: Cooke is the Eisner Award winning writer/artist of the best-selling DC: The New Frontier, and has garnered much critical and popular acclaim as the writer/artist of The Spirit, Selina's Big Score, and others. The first book in Cooke's Parker adaptation series, THE HUNTER, was a New York Times best selling graphic novel and won several awards, including the 2010 Eisner for "Best Adaptation from Another Work." Cooke’s series adapts Richard Stark’s (aka Donald Westlake) crime noir novels based on the character, Parker.
THE OUTFIT ($24.99, 160 pages, 6” x 9”) will be available in stores on October 5, 2010.
THE HUNTER ($24.99, 144 pages, 6” x 9”) is now available in stores.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
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