Weekend Reading: Die Hard, Avengers, Stan Lee and Frank Robbins
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent, Marvel Comics
Happy Halloween! You won’t find any Halloween-themed stuff down below because thousands of other people are already way ahead of me on that. What you will find is some very nifty reading (and looking) on folks like Howard Chaykin, Frank Robbins, indie cartoonist J.R. Williams, Stan Lee, and Blackest Night. Start the ball rolling downhill…
Incognegro: Galleycat gives a shout-out to the new graphic novel by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece, making it their Featured Book of Color. This Vertigo book has “movie” written all over it, and I’m sure Diane Nelson has noticed that.
Die Hard: Those We Left Behind enjoys the new Howard Chaykin/Stephen Thompson Die Hard prequel, Die Hard: Year One, from Boom! Says TWLB of the just-released second issue: “The series is really capturing the spirit of the McClane character, with his quick wit and regular-guy attitude.”
The Avengers: James Reasoner reviews Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 1 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. “It’s also interesting to see the introduction of storylines that would resonate through the Marvel Universe for years, and in some cases, decades afterwards.” But there’s a “but” coming that you’ll have to click and discover for yourself.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Die Hard, Avengers, Stan Lee and Frank Robbins
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Weekend Reading: Iron Man, Geek Chic, Chip and Dale and I Love Lucey
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Marvel Comics
Lots of good stuff going on as we slide into the weekend. We’ve got Iron Man, Archie Comics, Douglas Adams’ Monty Python connection, Chip and Dale and tons more.
Let’s start with my pal Bob Greenberger, the noted comic book writer, novelist, tie-in writer, and a guy who actually knows how to make a physical comic book/graphic novel (all that production/printing/binding/press run/distribution stuff). He has a new book out. Iron Man: Femme Fatales has just been published by Del Rey and it should keep fans happy post-Iron Man I movie and pre-Iron Man II movie. Bob happily blogs about it at his website where he reposts this nice review. I haven’t read the book yet, but I snapped up a copy off the rack at Wal-Mart to feed a little royalty money Bob’s way. I also reshelved the remaining copies to give Bob a better display. That’s how I roll, people.
Harry Lucey: The animator John Kricfalusi has a nice gallery of great Lucey covers from assorted Archie titles at his blog. The covers are absolutely stunning in their simplicity. There’s a “Get Off My Lawn!” part of my brain that wishes the books still looked like this.
Geek Chic Daily: Nikki Finke has a few details about the Hollywood playas lining up behind Gareb Shamus’ new online presence.
George Tuska: Marvel and DC artist George Tuska, so prominent in the comics of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s has passed away at 93. Mark Evanier has a nice look at Tuska’s career. Here’s a real nice original art page by Tuska—no superheroes, just guns, gangsters, street scenes and a hot girl in a bikini. He was from the generation of comic artists who all knew how to draw people, horses, cars, the folds of clothing, and characters in hats who could still make a guy in an iron suit seem believable.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Iron Man, Geek Chic, Chip and Dale and I Love Lucey
Marvel Turns Tim Gunn Into Superhero
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Marvel Comics
Leave it to Marvel to branch out into yet another pop culture obsession (I mean, they had me hooked with Marvel Zombies): fashion. This time, they’ve actually appointed a nontraditional, real life hero, Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn.
Ridding the world of fashion crimes in real life, Gunn lends his likeness to Marvel‘s limited series Models, Inc. in the first issue of the series, “Loaded Gunn.”
And boy is he thrilled:
“Isn’t it just utterly and totally surreal? This is one of those make-a-wish things that could never happen… There are lots of debates about how much it looks like me. I said, ‘Gentleman, this is your business. This is not what I do. I do not even want to remotely weigh in on it or micromanage it.’”
With a little help from Iron Man, Gunn comes to the rescue when a special superhero museum is attacked.
Click to continue reading Marvel Turns Tim Gunn Into Superhero
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| USA Today
WEEKEND READING: STEVE DITKO, SPIDER-MAN, VAL MAYERIK & ELMORE LEONARD
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials
There’s lots of cool stuff on the internets, and I had lots of free time to find all of it, I mean most of it, okay, some of it. If you like your “Tales of Steve Ditko,” have a memory of comic book artist Val Mayerik, love the idea of Dave Berg getting looked at, or want to know about someone who slept their way into comics, this is the place for you. Let’s get it started:
STEPHEN DESTEFANO & STEVE DITKO: A long time ago, Stephen DeStefano, one of the industry’s premiere cartoon people, worked in a near-forgotten department of DC Comics and without really realizing it, he ran into Steve Ditko. At his blog which he no longer seems to update, Stephen relates the story and draws a picture of Ditko from memory. It’s an old post, but worth a visit.
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: I’d forgotten that Steve Vrattos used to dress up as Spider-Man, not because of a particular fetish or a desire to pretend to fight crime, but because his employer Marvel Comics used to pay him to do it. If this sounds like perfect blog-fodder it is; it’s a fascinating side of the business of comics that most people don’t know about.
(h/t Scoop at Diamond Galleries)
“I SLEPT WITH A GUY AND ALL I GOT WAS A STORY IN AN IRON MAN ANNUAL”: Before she went on to become “Operations Manager for a telephone answering service,” Carrie Lowry was Carrie Barre, and she was married to an assistant editor at Marvel Comics back in the go-go 1990s. That was
Click to continue reading WEEKEND READING: STEVE DITKO, SPIDER-MAN, VAL MAYERIK & ELMORE LEONARD
Review: Invincible Iron Man 10
Posted by Todd Matthy Categories: Reviews, Marvel Comics
Run to the hills, Marvel has unveiled their “Iron Maiden”. Okay that was lame, but I couldn’t resist it. Now let’s get down to business… reviewing another solid issue of “Invincible Iron Man”. Month in and month out, Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca have been giving us the Iron Man movie on paper. I can’t believe I had reservations about this book when it debuted (I mean did we really need another Iron Man book), but I finally caved, bought the first three issues, and have been coming back ever since.
Anyway, this issue Norman Osborn continues his destruction of everything Tony Stark has ever built. But while Tony’s friends and employees suffer the Green Goblin’s wrath, Tony continues to play it calm, play it cool, and relieve “stress” with Maria Hill as he destroys his armory and goes on the run. And he’s not alone. Building off of events in previous issues, Pepper Potts finally takes up the mantle Fraction had been hinting at since the last story arc, the Iron Maiden, and not a moment too soon because Stormin’ Norman’s stormtroopers are on her tail. (You can thank the Spider-Man movie for that one).
As for Larroca’s art, the character’s designs are a continuation to the actors from the movie, but are unique enough that they aren’t direct traces. Much of this is enhanced by the coloring of Frank D’Armata giving the book an energetic realism.
Overall, if you’re not reading this book, get the first trade then catch up by buying the issues you missed. Trust me it’s worth it.
No comic book films for Best Picture at Golden Globes, Ledger however gets a nod
Posted by David Torres Categories: Editorials, Movies
I wasn’t expecting “Iron Man” to get a Best Picture nomination from the Golden Globes, but I thought maybe “Dark Knight” would get one. Sadly, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association did not give a Best Picture nomination to either “Iron Man” or “Dark Knight”. We don’t normally see films outside of the Hollywood drama category get a nomination for Best Picture. The original “Star Wars” got a nomination for Best Picture from the Golden Globes and the Oscars. It lost the Oscar to “Annie Hall” that year in case you were wondering. Which is shocking in itself because it’s a comedy and comedies don’t normally win Oscars.
Read More | Golden Globes
New Wolverine photos posted on Marvel.com
Posted by David Torres Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics
I’m a huge Wolverine fan. He is and always will be my favorite X-Man. So much so, my son’s middle name is Logan. (That’s everyone’s cue to yell FANBOY at their computer screens.)
When I first saw Hugh Jackman on-screen as Wolverine, I said to myself YES! Jackman’s casting as Wolverine ranks as one of the best in Hollywood in relation to super-hero comic book movies. Christopher Reeve as Superman is by far the all-time best.
Jackman was great in all three of the X-Men films (yes, I liked X-3.) and I looked forward to a solo Wolverine movie if they were to do one. Well, next year I get my wish and Marvel.com has posted some stills from the upcoming movie.
Click to continue reading New Wolverine photos posted on Marvel.com
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Iron Man: Warmonger or American Hero?
Posted by David Torres Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics
I finally got Iron Man on DVD the other day. Whenever I get a DVD of a comic book movie I ALWAYS get the double disc set because of the extras. I saw when I was ordering it online that this DVD had a history of the character in comics. I love comics and I love history so this was a win-win situation.
So I sat down one night and began watching the extras first before I even watched the film. I saw the film in the theater, so I could wait until I saw the extras first.
Click to continue reading Iron Man: Warmonger or American Hero?
Casting Captain America
Posted by David Torres Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics
Now that we know that the casting of Will Smith as Captain America was just a rumor, we can continue to debate who we would like to see be cast as Captain America. Personally I would like to go with an unknown. Prior to the Richard Donner “Superman,” not many people knew of Christopher Reeve. Instead of going with a big name for the lead, they went with this unknown actor and surrounded him with well known actors like Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, and Glen Ford. The movie was of course a big success and is now a classic. In my opinion, it’s the best comic movie of all time. So I would go with an unknown, but here are some of the names floating around.
Click to continue reading Casting Captain America
Interesting Villians Help Make Interesting Heroes
Posted by David Torres Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics, Wizard Entertainment
I just noticed in the latest issue of Wizard magazine that War Machine will be getting his own on-going series. It will be written by Greg Pak who has done some amazing things on the Hulk recently. Cool. I wonder how long this series will last.
I say this because if you are a long-time comic book fan as I am, you know that when a supporting character gets their own on-going series, very rarely do these books last more than a year or two. Some break the trend and do last awhile, but many last twelve issues or so and then get canceled. Some characters don’t even deserve their own series and get canceled because nobody cares. Marvel Comics’ Quicksilver had his own series in the ‘90s. Why ask you?!? Why?!?
I think a major reason why supporting characters don’t last in their own series is because the powers that be (writers/editor-in-chief/editors) don’t take the time to really develop interesting antagonists for these characters.
Click to continue reading Interesting Villians Help Make Interesting Heroes
Read More | Wizard Magazine
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