Quick hits
Author Gerard Jones says the paperback edition of his excellent history of the American comic book history, "Men of Tomorrow," will be updated to include new information he gleaned from Michael Siegel, son of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel. Michael declined to be interviewed when Jones was at work on the previous edition of the book but has since agreed to talk.
Dial B pays tribute to Neal Adams' "Dead Man."
Here's a nice gallery of Tiki mugs (via PCL LinkDump).
Also via PCL, a visual history of Superman's shield symbol.
Filming on "Fantastic Four 2" is set to begin in June.
Dial B pays tribute to Neal Adams' "Dead Man."
Here's a nice gallery of Tiki mugs (via PCL LinkDump).
Also via PCL, a visual history of Superman's shield symbol.
Filming on "Fantastic Four 2" is set to begin in June.
The Batusi Incident
Last week TIP! posted several different cover designs artist Mike Allred did for his issue of DC Comics' "Solo" title, including the fun, Adam West-ish "Batman doing the Batusi" version shown again here.
Well, as anyone picking up "Solo" last Wednesday knows, we got Wonder Girl doing the Batusi instead. Today, blogger Heidi MacDonald points to Allred telling us why the original cover got spiked:
Until this week I wasn't even completely sure that my SOLO book would come out (it would have been strike three for DC after ELSEWORLDS TEEN TITANS and METAL MEN) since I eventually realized the tension between DC and anything relating to the 60's TV show. And my BATMAN A-GO-Go story makes up 18 of the 48 page book.
I have to say that Mark Chiarello,our editor on the project, is one of the best and most inspiring editors I've ever worked with --and with the exception of the cover and a few minor details this comic is everything I was hoping for. It's one of my favorite things I've ever been a part of.
After "Batusi Batman" was taken from me by (overly?) cautious higher ups, I struggled with a replacement--An impossible task given that the "Batusi" cover is among my top favorite covers I've ever done and, arguably, received the most enthusiastic reaction ever, when released with the soliciation.
So, I did several alternatives hoping I'd come close to an equal replacement.
No such luck. But Wonder Girl was ultimately MY choice--and she comes second only to Batman to represent my "childhood to adolescence" affection for DC comics which my SOLO book largely signifies.
And Heidi points further to this interesting missive from cartoonist Jay Stephens, whose retro-take on the Teen Titans (featuring a script by the late Bob Haney) got spiked last year:
This confirms the not-so-secret policy at Dan Didio's DC. Campy, funny, playful, all-ages or accessable versions of DC Universe characters are forbidden. Didio hates that stuff (I hear he literally HATES Metamorpho and Metal Men), and only wants to push grim & gritty superhero work. I also have it on good authority that clean-line, 'cartoony' art is definately OUT. No more Darwyn Cooke/ Mike Allred-ish stuff for Dan Didio, no siree. Call me when his ass is out the door, thanks.
Interesting. Given the awful grim'n'gritty stuff DC is churning out these days, this seems pretty accurate. But, as Heidi also notes, Darwyn Cooke did get the go-ahead to do a revived version of Will Eisner's "Spirit," so maybe Didio's attitude isn't as hard and fast as Stephens thinks.
My theory is that playful takes on DC's core superhero characters probably are discouraged, but that there's more room for experimentation with other, licensed characters such as the Spirit.
Which is why Cooke's "Spirit" is likely to be a lot more fun and creative than anything we see coming out in DC's mainline superhero titles any time soon.
Well, as anyone picking up "Solo" last Wednesday knows, we got Wonder Girl doing the Batusi instead. Today, blogger Heidi MacDonald points to Allred telling us why the original cover got spiked:
Until this week I wasn't even completely sure that my SOLO book would come out (it would have been strike three for DC after ELSEWORLDS TEEN TITANS and METAL MEN) since I eventually realized the tension between DC and anything relating to the 60's TV show. And my BATMAN A-GO-Go story makes up 18 of the 48 page book.
I have to say that Mark Chiarello,our editor on the project, is one of the best and most inspiring editors I've ever worked with --and with the exception of the cover and a few minor details this comic is everything I was hoping for. It's one of my favorite things I've ever been a part of.
After "Batusi Batman" was taken from me by (overly?) cautious higher ups, I struggled with a replacement--An impossible task given that the "Batusi" cover is among my top favorite covers I've ever done and, arguably, received the most enthusiastic reaction ever, when released with the soliciation.
So, I did several alternatives hoping I'd come close to an equal replacement.
No such luck. But Wonder Girl was ultimately MY choice--and she comes second only to Batman to represent my "childhood to adolescence" affection for DC comics which my SOLO book largely signifies.
And Heidi points further to this interesting missive from cartoonist Jay Stephens, whose retro-take on the Teen Titans (featuring a script by the late Bob Haney) got spiked last year:
This confirms the not-so-secret policy at Dan Didio's DC. Campy, funny, playful, all-ages or accessable versions of DC Universe characters are forbidden. Didio hates that stuff (I hear he literally HATES Metamorpho and Metal Men), and only wants to push grim & gritty superhero work. I also have it on good authority that clean-line, 'cartoony' art is definately OUT. No more Darwyn Cooke/ Mike Allred-ish stuff for Dan Didio, no siree. Call me when his ass is out the door, thanks.
Interesting. Given the awful grim'n'gritty stuff DC is churning out these days, this seems pretty accurate. But, as Heidi also notes, Darwyn Cooke did get the go-ahead to do a revived version of Will Eisner's "Spirit," so maybe Didio's attitude isn't as hard and fast as Stephens thinks.
My theory is that playful takes on DC's core superhero characters probably are discouraged, but that there's more room for experimentation with other, licensed characters such as the Spirit.
Which is why Cooke's "Spirit" is likely to be a lot more fun and creative than anything we see coming out in DC's mainline superhero titles any time soon.
Lennon titles due for remastering
Two John Lennon solo albums, Walls and Bridges and the much-maligned Sometime in New York City are due out in remastered form Nov. 22.
Sometime... features Lennon in full-on topical songwriting mode and the creativity and listenability of the music suffers for it. Still, it's John Lennon and if you're a fan/completist, you'll probably want these tunes in their remixed/remastered form.
Walls and Bridges, on the other hand, is a pretty decent record, featuring the hit single with Elton John "Whatever Gets Your Through the Night." The remaster features a live version of that tune as a bonus track.
Sometime... features Lennon in full-on topical songwriting mode and the creativity and listenability of the music suffers for it. Still, it's John Lennon and if you're a fan/completist, you'll probably want these tunes in their remixed/remastered form.
Walls and Bridges, on the other hand, is a pretty decent record, featuring the hit single with Elton John "Whatever Gets Your Through the Night." The remaster features a live version of that tune as a bonus track.
ZBS offers audio stories for cellphones
ZBS Media, creator of the wildly entertaining (and just plain wild) audio adventures of Jack Flanders
, Ruby and others is now offering 90-second "short stories" for cellphone.
The titles are all penned by Flanders and Ruby creator Meatball Fulton and can be downloaded from the ZBS site. Free sound samples are available there too.
Stories include: "The Okey Dokey Swamp Thingie," "Revenge of the Tooth Fairy," "Hotel Catatonia," "The Sweet Scent of a Succubus," "Frankenstein's Finger," "Don't Eat on Twilight Street," "Zombie Al's Big Night Out," "Doctor Borneo Bob, Head Shrinker," "All My Cells Have Phones!" "Don't Eat at Igor's" and "The X Fillings, Dental Case #122, 'An Odious Extraction'."
, Ruby and others is now offering 90-second "short stories" for cellphone.The titles are all penned by Flanders and Ruby creator Meatball Fulton and can be downloaded from the ZBS site. Free sound samples are available there too.
Stories include: "The Okey Dokey Swamp Thingie," "Revenge of the Tooth Fairy," "Hotel Catatonia," "The Sweet Scent of a Succubus," "Frankenstein's Finger," "Don't Eat on Twilight Street," "Zombie Al's Big Night Out," "Doctor Borneo Bob, Head Shrinker," "All My Cells Have Phones!" "Don't Eat at Igor's" and "The X Fillings, Dental Case #122, 'An Odious Extraction'."
Comic sneak peeks
Mile High Comics has posted first looks at: Batman Gotham County Line #2; Desolation Jones #4; Jonah Hex #1; Seven Soldiers The Bulleteer #1; Swamp Thing #21; Winter Men #3; Captain Universe/Hulk #1; Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #9; Marvel Team-Up #14; Nightcrawler #11; Sentinel #1; Spider-Girl #92; Spider-Man House of M #5; Spider-Man Unlimited #12 and X-Men Colossus Bloodline #3.
Quick hits
Dial B details the 1972 Rutland Halloween comic book stories, which were a first, sneaky attempt to "cross over" Marvel and DC Comics characters.
Examining Teen Titans mania.
Amidst lots of rumors and hype, Marvel Comics announces an adaptation of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series.
Retrocrush counts down the 100 top horror movies performances of all time.
You can check out four tunes from the new Rubber Soul tribute, This Bird Has Flown here. (The Ben Harper track, for starters, is awful. Dar Williams' isn't bad at all.)
Details on how ABC is using mysterious Web sites to promote "Lost."
Examining Teen Titans mania.
Amidst lots of rumors and hype, Marvel Comics announces an adaptation of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series.
Retrocrush counts down the 100 top horror movies performances of all time.
You can check out four tunes from the new Rubber Soul tribute, This Bird Has Flown here. (The Ben Harper track, for starters, is awful. Dar Williams' isn't bad at all.)
Details on how ABC is using mysterious Web sites to promote "Lost."
DVD new releases for November 2005
Nov. 1
The Dick Cavett Show - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Brady Bunch:Complete Fourth Season
Fox Film Noir Collection (Amazon.com Exclusive)
Fox Studio Classics Collection (Amazon.com Exclusive)
Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season
Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)
Steve Mcqueen Box Set
Nov. 8
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Widescreen Edition)
Remington Steele - Season 2
Doctor Who - City of Death (Episode 105)
The Partridge Family - The Complete Second Season
Doctor Who - The Claws of Axos (Episode 57)
Ducktales - Volume One Collection
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers - Volume One Collection
George Pal - Flights of Fantasy
Lenny Bruce Performance Film
Live 8
La Dolce Vita (Deluxe Collector's Edition)
Tommy & Quadrophenia Live With Special Guest
Nov. 15
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Chosen Collection (40 Disc DVD Set)
Charmed - The Complete Third Season
Cheers - The Complete Seventh Season
The Flintstones - The Complete Fourth Season
Frasier - The Complete Seventh Season
Friends - The Complete Tenth Season
The Huckleberry Hound Show - Vol. 1
Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)
Murder One - The Complete Second Season
Scrubs - Season Two
Three's Company - Season Five
Tru Calling - The Complete Second Season
The Yogi Bear Show - The Complete Series
Nov. 22
The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Fourth Season
Astro Boy:Collection Box Set (1980)
Batman Vs Dracula gift set
C.S.I. Miami - The Complete Third Season
Dark Shadows Collection 21
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - 2nd Gig, Vol. 2
King Kong (1976)
King Kong (2-Disc Special Edition) (1933)
King of the Hill - The Complete Fifth Season
Leave It to Beaver - The Complete First Season
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
The Polar Express (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Seinfeld - Season 5
Seinfeld - Season 6
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)
Nov. 29
C.S.I. - Crime Scene Investigation Season 5
Family Guy, Vol. 3
Havoc (Unrated Version)
March of the Penguins (Widescreen Edition)
Sky High (Widescreen Edition)
The Tomorrow People - Set 2
Top 10 bestselling graphic novels, DVDs, CDs and action figures/toys
From Amazon:
Graphic Novels
1. Watchmen (Absolute Edition)
2. Batman: Year One Deluxe Edition
3. Watchmen
4. Black Hole
5. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
6. Batman: The Long Halloween
7. V for Vendetta
8. Identity Crisis
9. Bone: One Volume Edition
10. A History of Violence
DVDs
1. Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)
2. Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition)
3. Alias - The Complete Fourth Season
4. Cinderella (Disney Special Platinum Edition)
5. Lost - The Complete First Season
6. Firefly - The Complete Series
7. The Wizard of Oz (Three-Disc Collector's Edition)
8. Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Full Screen Edition)
9. Titanic - Special Collector's Edition (1997)
10. The L Word - The Complete Second Season
CDs
1. Thanks For The Memory...The Great American Songbook IV ~ Rod Stewart
2. Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook [DualDisc] ~ Bette Midler
3. A Time To Love ~ Stevie Wonder
4. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane [Live]
5. Prairie Wind ~ Neil Young
6. Confessions on a Dance Floor ~ Madonna
7. Timeless ~ Martina McBride
8. Playing the Angel ~ Depeche Mode
9. Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled ~ Melissa Etheridge
10. Born to Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set [Original recording remastered] ~ Bruce Springsteen
Toys and Action Figures
1. Mr. Potato Head Darth Tater
2. Star Wars Build Your Own Lightsaber
3. Batman Begins Deluxe Batmobile
4. Power Rangers S.P.D. Delta Command Megazord
5. Star Wars Darth Vader Voice Changer Helmet
6. NFL Legends Figure: Barry Sanders Detroit Lions Blue Jersey
7. Batman Begins 6" Ultra Armor Figure: Laser Blaster Batman
8. Mystery Machine Ghost Patrol (Scooby Doo)
9. Batman Begins Action Cape Batman Figure
10. Power Rangers SWAT Command Truck
Graphic Novels
1. Watchmen (Absolute Edition)
2. Batman: Year One Deluxe Edition
3. Watchmen
4. Black Hole
5. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
6. Batman: The Long Halloween
7. V for Vendetta
8. Identity Crisis
9. Bone: One Volume Edition
10. A History of Violence
DVDs
1. Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)
2. Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition)
3. Alias - The Complete Fourth Season
4. Cinderella (Disney Special Platinum Edition)
5. Lost - The Complete First Season
6. Firefly - The Complete Series
7. The Wizard of Oz (Three-Disc Collector's Edition)
8. Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Full Screen Edition)
9. Titanic - Special Collector's Edition (1997)
10. The L Word - The Complete Second Season
CDs
1. Thanks For The Memory...The Great American Songbook IV ~ Rod Stewart
2. Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook [DualDisc] ~ Bette Midler
3. A Time To Love ~ Stevie Wonder
4. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane [Live]
5. Prairie Wind ~ Neil Young
6. Confessions on a Dance Floor ~ Madonna
7. Timeless ~ Martina McBride
8. Playing the Angel ~ Depeche Mode
9. Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled ~ Melissa Etheridge
10. Born to Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set [Original recording remastered] ~ Bruce Springsteen
Toys and Action Figures
1. Mr. Potato Head Darth Tater
2. Star Wars Build Your Own Lightsaber
3. Batman Begins Deluxe Batmobile
4. Power Rangers S.P.D. Delta Command Megazord
5. Star Wars Darth Vader Voice Changer Helmet
6. NFL Legends Figure: Barry Sanders Detroit Lions Blue Jersey
7. Batman Begins 6" Ultra Armor Figure: Laser Blaster Batman
8. Mystery Machine Ghost Patrol (Scooby Doo)
9. Batman Begins Action Cape Batman Figure
10. Power Rangers SWAT Command Truck
Comic book books: Big, old, black-and-white reprints
I'm a bronze age baby. I hit my comics-loving peak at age 10, smack dab in 1975.
I still love comics of course. But that was when trips to the spinner rack took on their greatest importance. Later I got interested in records and girls and my priorities shifted.
And one of the things I loved most about reading comics back then were the great reprints. Marvel put out a bunch of reprint books each month. And stories from the 40s, 50s and 60s often appeared as backup features in regular titles. Plus there were those big 80- and 100-page giants and annuals. Not to mention those nice, tabloid-size treasuries.
But best of all were these:
"Superman from the 30s to the 70s" and "Batman from the 30s to the 70s" are still (somewhat tattered) treasures of my comics collection.
(There was a "Shazam" volume too, which I still regret not buying at the time and it still continues to elude me on eBay. I have the whole works on CD, but it's not the same...)
Sure, in 2006 we're spoiled for reprints with DC Archives and Showcase volumes and Marvel Masterworks and Essentials. But I'll never give up my "30s to the 70s" books. They're too much a part of me.
I don't know how many times I've read the stories they contain. I've loved these books to literal pieces, especially the Batman volume. The stories where Batman and Robin traveled back in time were particular favorites. Seeing the mean, gun-wielding Batman of the early tales was startling. And I loved learning there'd been a Batgirl before Barbara Gordon--not to mention a Batwoman!
There are a couple of sections in color, including Denny O'Neil and Irv Novick's classic "One Bullet Too Many," which in just a few pages (panels, really) shifted the tone and course of every Batman story to follow. All without an overpriced, overblown "event" series that promises to change everything but doesn't. It's a re-boot today's comics creators could learn a lot from.
There's great stuff in the Superman book too. It leads off with some of the "Socialist Man" tales, where the Man of Steel regularly championed the downtrodden while socking it to corporate fatcats. And from there it's on to the goofy Bizarro tales, Lois Lane's shenanigans and other assorted whimsies of the Weisinger era. The book ends with some stories from when Julius Schwartz took over the editorial reins, providing another great example of how to makeover a character on the fly.
What got me thinking about these books again and led me to pull them off the shelf is the arrival of DC's Showcase books. These are nice and thick like Marvel's Essentials, but on whiter paper and with better production. Perhaps they'll catch the attention of younger readers like the "30s to the 70s" books did mine. My 7-year-old son, for one, is excited to dig into the Showcase Superman volume I got the other day.
Younger readers will find a heap of fun stuff to read in the Showcase books. It's nice to think about a new generation of kids discovering these stories.
I still love comics of course. But that was when trips to the spinner rack took on their greatest importance. Later I got interested in records and girls and my priorities shifted.
And one of the things I loved most about reading comics back then were the great reprints. Marvel put out a bunch of reprint books each month. And stories from the 40s, 50s and 60s often appeared as backup features in regular titles. Plus there were those big 80- and 100-page giants and annuals. Not to mention those nice, tabloid-size treasuries.
But best of all were these:
"Superman from the 30s to the 70s" and "Batman from the 30s to the 70s" are still (somewhat tattered) treasures of my comics collection.
(There was a "Shazam" volume too, which I still regret not buying at the time and it still continues to elude me on eBay. I have the whole works on CD, but it's not the same...)
Sure, in 2006 we're spoiled for reprints with DC Archives and Showcase volumes and Marvel Masterworks and Essentials. But I'll never give up my "30s to the 70s" books. They're too much a part of me.
I don't know how many times I've read the stories they contain. I've loved these books to literal pieces, especially the Batman volume. The stories where Batman and Robin traveled back in time were particular favorites. Seeing the mean, gun-wielding Batman of the early tales was startling. And I loved learning there'd been a Batgirl before Barbara Gordon--not to mention a Batwoman!
There are a couple of sections in color, including Denny O'Neil and Irv Novick's classic "One Bullet Too Many," which in just a few pages (panels, really) shifted the tone and course of every Batman story to follow. All without an overpriced, overblown "event" series that promises to change everything but doesn't. It's a re-boot today's comics creators could learn a lot from.
There's great stuff in the Superman book too. It leads off with some of the "Socialist Man" tales, where the Man of Steel regularly championed the downtrodden while socking it to corporate fatcats. And from there it's on to the goofy Bizarro tales, Lois Lane's shenanigans and other assorted whimsies of the Weisinger era. The book ends with some stories from when Julius Schwartz took over the editorial reins, providing another great example of how to makeover a character on the fly.
What got me thinking about these books again and led me to pull them off the shelf is the arrival of DC's Showcase books. These are nice and thick like Marvel's Essentials, but on whiter paper and with better production. Perhaps they'll catch the attention of younger readers like the "30s to the 70s" books did mine. My 7-year-old son, for one, is excited to dig into the Showcase Superman volume I got the other day.
Younger readers will find a heap of fun stuff to read in the Showcase books. It's nice to think about a new generation of kids discovering these stories.
Quick hits
Rhino Handmade, the limited-edition arm of Rhino Records, is releasing a box set collecting recordings by comic Allan Sherman. (Mark Evanier says it's available cheapest via Barnes and Noble.)
Over at the official Star Wars site, you can download wearable paper character masks.
And here's a page where you can download cut-and-fold robots (this and the Star Wars item via BoingBoing.)
Dial B pays tribute to Bernie Wrightson.
Comics artist Charles Burns and Chris Ware chat, link via Drawn.
Mystery novelist and "Dick Tracy" comics scripter Michael Kilian has passed away.
Despite objections from the publishers of the "Asterix" comics, a French mobile phone manufacturer can register the brand name Mobilix.
The revived "Doctor Who" beat out "Desperate Housewives" as most popular drama in the U.K. National Television Awards. Britons are smarter than we are.
Music downloads from the videogame based on Jeff Smith's "Bone" comic are available here.
Will "Buffy" characters live on in straight-to-DVD films?
Over at the official Star Wars site, you can download wearable paper character masks.
And here's a page where you can download cut-and-fold robots (this and the Star Wars item via BoingBoing.)
Dial B pays tribute to Bernie Wrightson.
Comics artist Charles Burns and Chris Ware chat, link via Drawn.
Mystery novelist and "Dick Tracy" comics scripter Michael Kilian has passed away.
Despite objections from the publishers of the "Asterix" comics, a French mobile phone manufacturer can register the brand name Mobilix.
The revived "Doctor Who" beat out "Desperate Housewives" as most popular drama in the U.K. National Television Awards. Britons are smarter than we are.
Music downloads from the videogame based on Jeff Smith's "Bone" comic are available here.
Will "Buffy" characters live on in straight-to-DVD films?
Everyone do...the Batusi!
I haven't been to the comic book shop this week, but it sounds like DC went with Wonder Girl out of the numerous cover illustrations artist Michael Allred prepared for his issue of the publisher's "Solo" series. I'm looking forward to checking it out. In the meantime, let's review:
"Lost" tonight...
...is a repeat of the season opener (sigh). But if you wanna watch it again, or missed it the first time, you might wanna review the various clues and other notable things that occur during the episode. Check up TIP!'s roundup here.
Also see the Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.
Also see the Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.
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