Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

Neilalien's Favorites of MoCCA 02004

Runners Runners: Bad Goods by Sean Wang
This extremely impressive sci-fi series about a group of alien smugglers should be read by everyone who enjoys comic books and Star Wars- which is everyone, right? The art is drop-dead crisp and gorgeous, the story immediately draws you in, and the characters are rich with personality. Good mix of burgeoning space-opera epic, light banter humor, and attention to detail, too. Issues #1-3 are out and available, so order them! If Neilalien had one nitpick (and there always is; only for the best books), he would prefer tidier lettering and ballooning that does the art justice (but it doesn't detract, and maybe something neater to this frustrated letterer's liking would be too sterile).
The Silencers The Silencers by Fred Van Lente and Steve Ellis
Last year, Van Lente's Action Philosophers #1 snagged a Fave of MoCCA, with The Silencers mentioned in passing. This year, The Silencers properly snags the prize. Neilalien's been enjoying this series a lot. A combination of superpowers and the mob filled with action and plot twists. Cardinal is one of the coolest characters in comics right now. Ellis' rough-and-tumble art is perfect for the story, and the coloring is pretty sweet too. #4 just came out.
66 Thousand Miles Per Hour 66 Thousand Miles Per Hour by Michael Cavallaro
Well damn, if Johnny X is going to do a comic book with such an irresistable title, Neilalien's on board. Evie Pryce is being suffocated by her hometown of Squareville, New Jersey- but all that changes. How? A cheating boyfriend, electrocution, a ghostly figure, a mob hit, a Mayor's love that dare not speak its name, an alien landing, animated sculpture, and, if promotional material is to be believed, giant bugs. Neilalien picked up #0 (full color, bagged with a CD of two songs by Shanti) and #1.
Doc by Jim Salicrup Jim Salicrup was drawing for MoCCA donations again this year ("lousy sketches $5"). Neilalien asked if he was game for doing a Doctor Strange sketch, and it's a blast! Since it wasn't so lousy, Neilalien donated more than $5 for it.
Eightball #23 not available Neilalien's just going to assume that Eightball #23 would have been a Fave of MoCCA, but since it was sold out by the time he was on the scene, for now, it's just an assumption, and he's not reading Attentiondeficitdisorderly's engagement with the book until he's read it himself.

Honorable Mentions

Supernatural Law #39 (January/February 02004), has a backup story expertly done in Chris Ware/Jimmy Corrigan style ("The Scariest Kid on Earth").

Highly recommended mini: Teen Boat by John Green & Dave Roman. The angst of being a teen- the thrill of being a boat! #5 debuted at MoCCA. Fun stuff and beautifully rendered.

Updates on Past Faves of MoCCAs

Kevin Tinsley of Stickman Graphics reports good sales for the Stonehaven: Milk Cartons & Dog Biscuits TPB (and the hardcover's getting picked up by libraries!). Neilalien snagged the first three ashcans for Stonehaven: Subterranean Hearts and they are also excellent.

Fade From Blue by Myatt Murphy and Scott Dalrymple has a TPB out, and nine of the ten issues are out. But we have to wait for the #10 finale while they diddle around with some children's book!? No! :)

Mortal Coils by A. David Lewis (with various artists) has a TPB out, collecting #1-3 and new stories. If you like The Twilight Zone, then let Lewis entangle you in his web.

The next Action Philosophers by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey will include Ayn Rand (along with Thomas Jefferson and St. Paul).

MoCCA is the best thing happening in comics for Neilalien. With the warm summer coming, and after a year of blogging, sometimes the comic-book tank feels a little empty. But then MoCCA comes in June in NYC, and the tank gets filled for another year. Chatting with the creators, and leaving with a bag full of minis and loot, is a wonderful experience. And between you and Neilalien, the babe quotient at MoCCA is through the roof- hubba! Anyway, Attentiondeficitdisorderly's recap matches most of what Neilalien was going to say about the event on a meta level. Going from one day to two meant that crowding was alleviated, which was absolutely needed- but more smallpress creator time and money was drained, especially in NYC. Maybe MoCCA is a 1.5 day event right now, on its way to quickly growing to 2, but definitely bigger than 1, and it's a tough midpoint. It was a bummer to see less DIY minicomics (yet still heartening to see people who went halfsies on the more expensive tables this year). Overall, it's been three straight years of success for the MoCCA Art Festival- here's to many more.

Posted 30 June 02004 - Permalink

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Marvel Studios CEO on Spider-Man 2, other films [Seattle Times] [via The Defenders Message Board]

Q: What about "Doctor Strange" - which should premiere in a state where medical marijuana is legal, because it was such a '60s head comic?
Arad: I know, isn't it? We are nowhere with that. That's a tough one to write, but we are working on it. We are trying to find the real Jerry Garcia of the writing community.

Posted 29 June 02004 - Permalink

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New Steve Ditko/Dr. Strange essay on the radar

Sean Howe emails Neilalien to mention that his new anthology Give Our Regards to the Atomsmashers!: Writers on Comics includes an Andrew Hultkrans essay about Dr. Strange and Steve Ditko! [Pantheon Graphic Novels]
Developing...

According to Neilalienistas who've seen Spider-Man 2, Dr. Strange is mentioned in the movie! They're saying the film is excellent, too- Can't wait to see it!
Developing...

Neilalien's best-laid plans for a wonderful weekend, including participating in The Mermaid Parade at Coney Island, and The MoCCA Art Festival, might be disrupted by Real Life? Rats! Never!
Developing...

Posted 24 June 02004 - Permalink

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Mutation Found in 'Muscle Man' Toddler [AP on Yahoo News] [via reader email- thanks!]

Somewhere in Germany is a baby Superman, born in Berlin with bulging arm and leg muscles. Not yet 5, he can hold seven-pound weights with arms extended, something many adults cannot do. He has muscles twice the size of other kids his age and half their body fat. DNA testing showed why: The boy has a genetic mutation that boosts muscle growth... The discovery, reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, represents the first documented human case of such a mutation.

"One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the supermutants will soon be here. And Neilalien, for one, welcomes our new Homo Superior overlords. He would like to remind them that as a trusted internet personality, he can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves." - Neilalien in a statement, his mind addled into obedience by years of reading supercomics

Posted 24 June 02004 - Permalink

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From the quiz Which Marvel superhero are you? [via Cyclic Synchronicity]

Dr. Strange answer to Marvel superhero quiz

Posted 22 June 02004 - Permalink

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Brandon Peterson interviewed about working on the new JMS Dr. Strange series [Pulse]
What, no artwork to accompany the piece? (Check out Johnny Bacardi in the house, educating the commenters on Ditko's Doc!)
Update: More Peterson interviews [Newsarama]

Stan Lee part of the Julie Schwartz tribute books [Pulse]

CrossGen Comics files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; in major debt [Pulse] [Newsarama; update with debt info]

Comic sales year-to-year up 12% in May [ICv2]

Cycle sheets are one of the retailer's best tools [Brian Hibbs Tilting At Windmills]

Invincible appeared on that TV show The Shield [Comic Book Resources]

DC's superheroesque Focus imprint: dead already? doomed from the start? [Ninth Art]

The Journal of MODOK Studies is part nerd, part satire and all fun [Poopsheet: Reviews]

The Top Nine Comic Book Supervillains [Howling Curmudgeons]

Webcomic critics gettin' snippy [Joey Manley re: Comixpedia v. Webcomics Examiner v. know-nothings]

Posted 21 June 02004 - Permalink

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The old 'superheroes are fascist' rotten egg has been laid again [The Hurting]
Thesis: Superheroes = uncorrupted/ible powerful ubermenschen with authority over us without rebellion = fascism.

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The comics blogosphere smackdown:
What started it all: The problem with The Comics Journal: heroism = fascism [Attentiondeficitdisorderly re: Jean-Claude Mezieres interview passage]
The intellectual's contempt for heroes is where the 'superheroes are fascist' meme comes from [Forager]
Interview passage above was part of the critical discussion of 01986, with its authoritarian Judge Dredds and Watchmen [Pop Culture Gadabout]
Superheroes may approach fascist aesthetics, but not fascist ideology; "what if superheroes really existed?" not exactly a great criticism starting-point [Not The Beastmaster]
The apolitical/noninterventionist superhero is the more common complaint; (60's Marvel) superheroes have doubts that fascists don't; it's the perspective of the heroes, not our perspective to the heroes [Grotesque Anatomy]
Where are these moronic adults reading superhero books who uncritically idolize the superheroes? who read them at face value? [Motime] [more Motime]
"anyhoo, god forbid anyone ever do anything heroic. leave it to the police or the People's Committee's to do it for you. if anyone takes over that plane--better ride it right down into the capitol dome, my friend. it would be fascist to resist." [Sparrow's Fall]
Fascism is not German for "art that I don't like that has some muscular people in it"; the idea that superheroes promote fascism is just as much a product of years-long immersion in comics culture [Attentiondeficitdisorderly]
Follow-up: Definition of fascism served that encompasses Hitler and Mussolini but not Spider-Man [Attentiondeficitdisorderly]
Ubermensch vs. Red Son(s) [Comicon.com MB]

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Update/Tangent/Equal Time: Massive blogechochamber defensive/projective overreaction to Groth's interviewer-gruntage; Mezieres should get some slack on what he claims is fascist because he lived under Nazi rule; Neilalien (and blogosphere-of-silence) in love with moronic (sarcastic?) quote; why the comics blogosphere is so superhero-oriented (so lazy fanzine-bred weekly-fix junk-justifying (high-fivin'!) sooperdoop types have hogged up all the broadcasting licenses so arty types can't discuss/blog the arty books they like?) [Unofficial John Westmoreland Memorial Tribute Webring; follow-up]

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The way Neilalien sees it, superhero comics certainly do have some aesthetic and ideological elements that fascists have embraced. Which of course, doesn't make them fascist- these are elements (such as physical perfection, heroism and self-sacrifice, "with great power comes the great responsibility to be just another cop preserving the status quo", etc.) that any story or myth with a hero, or group membership, or norm definition in it has.

Like most things, this is a continuum, and everyone puts their Fascist Line To Cross each in a different place. Back in the 50's, a movie merely showing students working together on a term paper was judged Communist- to some folks, cooperation promotes the Evil Empire (shrug). To others, putting a God Bless America bumper sticker on one's car after 9/11 is a Fascist Thing. You know, Captain America's got his own jingoist file going, Iron Man's kind of a dangerous corporate/government combo, The Avengers have official state sanction/police powers/U.N. mandate- and when the Punisher starts shooting people for jaywalking, that's definitely fascist. If merely "the concept of the hero" (which means what, any positive mention of self-sacrifice?) crosses your fascist line, then doesn't that put the Boy Scouts, U.S. national pride in its astronauts and moon landings, and al-Qaida 'martyrs' all on the same side of that line or something? Heck, we even all each put Our Starting Point of the Slippery Slope That Leads to Our Fascist Line To Cross in different places (Patriot Acts and faith-based initiatives, anyone?)! Do we have different continuums for Real and Fictional Life?- something the beat cop in your neighborhood does might offend you as fascist, but when the Schoolmaster at Hogwarts does it, it's a plot twist.

So where is your Fascist Line To Cross on that continuum? And where do you put different comic books on that continuum and in relation to where your Line is? What makes an action fascist? How do you define fascism? See what fun interesting discussions happen when you start examining superhero comic book literature seriously? Maybe capes aren't fascist, they're just well-suited for discussing fascism. Squadron Supreme, The Authority, Daredevil taking over Hell's Kitchen, etc.- fun thought-experiments all.

So where is Neilalien on the continuum? Are superhero comics essentially fascist and promote anti-rebellion? He probably sees it as the exact opposite. The 60's Marvel heroes were embraced by hippies and painted on their Volkswagen vans as anti-establishment anti-fascist pro-individualist pro-rebellion figures. But basically, if the hero-vigilante (a) is fighting that which is pretty far down the Evil continuum to most people (and as we all know, superhero comic morality is painfully black-and-white; Batman isn't breaking kneecaps for littering) and (b) doesn't seek abusing political authority power control over the lives of those who aren't doing that which is far down the Evil continuum (and as we all know, capes have a history of being averse to any real world political events after WWII) and (c) isn't worshipped by the people or given unchecked control (Spidey's always hunted by the cops, there's always some Senator on the Avengers' ass) or (d) the comic itself isn't some wretched State propaganda showing paternalistic St. America herd Arabs into concentration camps- then there isn't enough fascism there for Neilalien to see, as he defines it. Power corrupts; but it's how the hero uses the power that makes it fascist or not. Spider-Man's too busy wallowing in self-doubt and getting medicine to Aunt May in time. The fascists were groups like A.I.M., Hydra, corrupt cops/politicians, J. Jonah Jameson funding the creation of Spider-Slayers, etc.- and they always get their heads handed to them in the comics. But maybe to someone else (like critic Pauline Kael famously calling Dirty Harry fascist- meanwhile the rest of the country thought all those other uniformed cops in that movie were the fascists), that's the whole militant-vigilante no-legal-constraints protective-ubermensch-knows-best lynching-solves-community-decline brand fascism in ultimate action- and "Oh thank you Superman for saving my life!" is a statement more of eerie worship than gratitude.

How far does the criticism go until the old Usenet Godwin's law of Nazi analogies kicks in, ending the thread and declaring superhero defenders victorious?

When the discussion stops being fun and interesting is when the superhero reader is personally attacked. Claiming that superhero enjoyers, or people who would actually seriously ponder the moral underpinnings of the stories, would make "great fascists" or are somehow literally softened into being more obedient to authority, is just the same old idiotic snob-camp psychobabble, like superhero readers actually walking around demoralized that they don't win all the time like Spider-Man does. Geez, you enjoy a little physical action and good-beats-evil in some of your stories, and they think you're a moron who can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality. So, are superhero readers arrested adolescents who fantasize about wielding power, or do they desire to submit to power?- It's not that the snob camp can't make up its mind between the two- it's that the snob camp will embrace any and all theories that pee in their straw man's Cheerios.

Posted 20 June 02004 - Permalink

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Spider-Man in a dhoti Spider-Man to wear a dhoti now [Newindpress.com]
India will get its own version of Spidey. Peter Parker will be Pavitr Prabhakar. Instead of a radioactive spider-bite, a yogi gives him his powers. Instead of the Green Goblin, he'll fight Rakshas.

Look Marvel, No Debt! [Motley Fool]
Big boostage for Marvel's business model from someone who owns the stock. Don't we basically know that "Meanwhile, booming movie revenues trickle right down to comic book sales. It's synergy." is a false statement?
Big merchandising payday expected from Spider-Man 2 movie [New York Daily News] [via WFC News]

That new trade group, The International Comic Arts Association (ICAA), is helping retailers promote Free Comic Book Day [Comic Book Resources]

Posted 18 June 02004 - Permalink

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Strange #1 cover The cover of Strange #1 [Comics Continuum]
Marvel Comics' solicitations for September now officially up [Comics Continuum] [via Thought Balloons]
Doc's also in a "once-in-a-lifetime gathering of super heroes and superstar talent" in Daredevil #65.

The Webcomics Examiner has debuted [via Blogdex]

Posted 17 June 02004 - Permalink

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Marvel is Now Debt Free with Cash in Excess of $150 Million Following Redemption of All Remaining Long-Term Debt [press release at Yahoo Finance]

Happy Day! Marvel's debt nightmare is over.
If you want more info on this nightmare, the must-read Comic Wars will be in paperback [Newsarama]

Ditko art pages for The Flash Gordon Companion #16 [Ditko Looked Up]

Is a jowly-with-dark-glasses Dr. Octopus more menacing? U-Decide [Ditko's Amazing Spider-Man #11 cover altered; at Ditko Looked Up]

Ditko art pages for Tiny Toon Adventures #4 (Marvel UK) April 01992 [Ditko Looked Up]

Looking at Carmine Infantino's complaint [Newsarama]

MoCCA programming announced; includes R. Sikoryak's "Carousel" [MoCCA] [via Egon]

Jim Starlin's Cosmic Guard in August [Dynamite Entertainment via Newsarama]
Update: Pulse interviews Starlin [Update: Part 2]

A look at Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, El Dorado, and Samurai- the ethnic Superfriends [Spin Doctors column at Comic World News]

Johnny Ramone ailing [MSNBC]

Posted 16 June 02004 - Permalink

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September solicits for Marvel leaked [Millarworld (whoops! Marvel asked that the thread be removed) via Fanboy Rampage]

STRANGE #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI & SARA (Samm) Barnes
Penciled by Brandon Peterson
Cardstock Cover by Brandon Peterson
The master of the mystic arts is back - as only J. Michael Straczynski and superstar artist Brandon Peterson could envision him! Brash young surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange is on a collision course with destiny - a journey that will force him to search the deepest corners of his own heart... and the outer reaches of the cosmos!
32 PGS./MARVEL PSR $3.50

Also in September: a whole lotta Robert Kirkman!, a whole lotta Ultimate stuff, a whole lotta 'Marvel Knights 2099', a whole lotta X-Men Reload, a whole lotta Marvel Age, a whole lotta Avengers Disassembled- a whole lotta deluge of Marvel characters over-and-over.
Update: For you Marvel Cosmic old-timers who read this website: She-Hulk empowered by The Living Tribunal in #7.
Update: Funny comment at FR re: all of JMS' female co-writers/proteges. Just an observation, that's all.
Update: JMS in an interview apparently responds to protege (mentoring) comments [Pulse]

Throwing original Witches writer Bronwyn Taggart a "thanks" bone is an under-credit? [Lying In The Gutters]

Retailer gives up on manga because the bookstore chains get the goods 2-4 weeks ahead [ICv2]
If manga really is selling more like periodicals- hotcakes when they first come out but dying on the rack as backlist items, as Brian Hibbs has noted (and this retailer's daughter can't wait the 2-4 weeks, either)- then getting books 2-4 weeks behind sounds like a pretty bad non-level playing field. And this retailer apparently was embracing and selling some manga for a while. Still, Neilalien hopes that there's a better reaction/solution than just running away from the competition and this manga cash cow.
Update: Franklin's harsher, but he does remind us of this item from March: Diamond Has Tokyopop Exclusive for Directs: Promising More Timely Delivery & More Inventory [ICv2]

Indian airline uses superheroes in advertising [Air Deccan: Empowerment on a wing]

The idea of using the comic book superhero as a metaphor for flight is extremely charming and simple. More importantly, in the context of Air Deccan, the metaphor sits particularly well, considering the brand's stated positioning philosophy is 'empowerment'.

Thinking Outside the Box, Inside the Panel: By Giving Them the Pen, Project Turns Kids' Love of Comic Books Into Something Educational [Washington Post via WFC News]

Shop owners' passion for comics runs deep [Des Moines Register] [via WFC News]
They know how to speak the Wham! Slam! Pow! language of comic book enthusiasts at Arch-Rival!

Posted 15 June 02004 - Permalink

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Some fun Dr. Strange Dream Teams requested by the "comics blogosphere" [Thought Balloons: Warren Ellis and Barry Windsor-Smith] [Ringwood: Grant Morrison and Glenn Fabry] [Eat More People: Matt Wagner and Mike Mignola] [Near Mint Heroes: Alan Moore and P. Craig Russell] [Otto's Coffee Shop: Alan Moore with P. Craig Russell and Dean Ormston rotating on art]

Ed Cunard is going to the MoCCA Art Festival, and so should you [Subsurface Communications column]
MoCCA will refill your comics-lovin' tank (on the chance that it's been recently emptied by craptacular-as-expected Witches #1).

Details of Carmine Infantino's suit against DC [Pulse; complaint PDF]

"Listen up, Mr. and Mrs. Comic Industry Professional, your comic book covers are killing your books" [The Comic Pimp]

Pre-hero Marvel Strange Tales #77 (October 01960) gets the Oddball Comics treatment [Comic Book Resources] [Ditko page]
Interesting item re: the then-unheard-of "collector's item" cover blurb.

Michael T. Gilbert (creator of the Best Dr. Strange Appearance of 02003, according to Neilalien) interviews Mr. Monster [Comic Book Resources]

Comic books take on the world of faith and spirituality [Sojourners] [via Franklin's Findings]

A+ rating for Ex Machina [review at The Trades] [via Franklin's Findings]
It's also aced FourthRail [10/10] [10/10]

Positive review of new She-Hulk series [Polite Dissent]

Sequential Tart loves Sleeper [Read This Or Die]

Posted 14 June 02004 - Permalink

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Witches #1 out today [Diamond Shipping List]

Ryan Scott Ottney has his 02003 pitch and script for a new Dr. Strange series online with concept sketches [Doc sketch] by Jeremy Rock [via The Johnny Bacardi Show]

Maybe Neilalien is too much of an old-timer anti-change-fanboy reverence-camper when it comes to Doctor Strange, and too skeptical of all these attempts to "revitalize" and "update" the character (including Straczynski's upcoming one). Can't we just tell good new modern stories with the character? Or maybe it's just an automatic aversion now, bred by the horrific 90's, to words like "brother Victor Strange" and "Midnight Sons". But this pitch does not work for Neilalien at all! Your mileage may vary.

Examining Carmine Infantino's suit against DC; every creator's suit creates a little precedent [Permanent Damage]

Brood story tracking reveals that all those X-Men arcs like "The Fall of the Mutants", "Inferno", "X-Tinction Agenda" and "X-Cutioner's Song" happened in one year [Postmodernbarney]
'Comic book time' is an easy target, but Neilalien still found this funny.

Someday when time allows, Neilalien will get to his comments on Doc in Witches, She-Hulk #3, the above Ottney pitch, and more comics he's been reading. Someday...

Posted 9 June 02004 - Permalink

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Marvel Legends Series VIII 6" Figure: Dr. Strange [Amazon listing found via Usenet (Google Groups)]
This item will be released 15 November 02004. "More articulation than ever" is claimed- you'll need more than that for Ditko poses! A classic 32-page Marvel comic book may be included- Neilalien wonders which one they would include for this figure?

Chris Ryall finally discovers Robert Kirkman, Invincible, The Walking Dead [One Hand Clapping column on Movie Poop Shoot] [assist via Thought Balloons]

Graphic Novels Up 50% in 02003 [ICv2]
To $165 million. Since last year, more have been sold in bookstores than comic shops, too.

Complete Calvin & Hobbes Slipcased Hardcover Collection Coming in 02005 [ICv2]

Pop culture profits poop out a bit [USA Today] [via WFC News]
Licensing loot, like Marvel's, was soft in 02003. Pet products are a new trend- expect Krypto shampoo to compete with Lassie shampoo and Elvis Presley's Hound Dog line. When things go weak they run for past glory: expect refurbished franshises like with Batman Begins, Pink Panther and King Kong. It's hoped that Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2 and $395 Betty & Veronica cashmere hoodies turn this year around.

Jimmy Palmiotti interviewed [Newsarama via Fanboy Rampage with money quote]

I see [the comic industry] getting smaller and smaller... even with all the movie and merchandise tie-ins, because the major companies still have not learned to adapt and read what the consumers needs are. The better consumer you are, the easier it becomes to pinpoint what is keeping comics such a niche industry. My #1 reason that comics are not doing so well is that no one can find them. Sure, some towns have a comic shop; but most don't. Bookstores only handle manga and the trades... but look how they are represented in the store. One rack, no order by author and treated like crap. Go ahead... check Borders, Barnes & Noble, Virgin, etc. All the same. Look how they treat other genres of books and then look at the graphic novel section. This will give you an idea of what the outside world thinks of our industry. It's all the tip of an iceberg that I can rant about for hours.

The struggles of regional cons like Charlotte's Heroes Con [Newsarama]
Scheduling conflicts, needing to court publishers, and trying to stay family-friendly, comics-focused, and corporate-Wizard-free.

The secret world of comic grading [News-Press.com] [via Thought Balloons]

Atlas vs. DC Comics re: Charles Atlas and Flex Mentallo [court decision; love the typo "Among DC's best-known characters are Superman and Barman."] [via Comics.212.net]
Sounds like Atlas lost, so where's our Flex TPB?

An affirmation to focus on the positive comic industry news and get the word out on good comics, as opposed to tiring/lame/toxic us-vs.-them [Comics.212.net]

Hand-knit superhero costumes by artist Mark Newport [Greg Kucera Gallery] [via In Sequence]

Neilalien's Mysterious Orb used to validate personality testing [Sisyphus and the Cuckoo Clock Speech]
Just one of its many critical uses. Don't dare increase self-awareness or make life-altering decisions without it!

Franklin's Findings knows who dies in Identity Crisis
Spoilers await, as in, not only would following this link spoil one's surprise, it will spoil any enthusiasm one might have for this series, and any real-world press this series would have snagged. Even the rumored death in Avengers Disassembled [spoilers at All The Rage] is slightly more interesting. Oh well, these two corpses just reek of lame sales-boosting ploys anyway. Can't we just tell good stories?

Posted 8 June 02004 - Permalink

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Dr. Strange in Witches #2 It's June... Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival month! Yay!

Classic creator Carmine Infantino is suing DC Comics over the rights to the Silver Age Flash and more! [Newsday via Pulse] [NYPost via WFC News] [Newsarama]

Witches #2 preview [Pulse]

Marvel smokes peace pipe with Sony, takes on more Spider-Man movie merchandising [Comic Book Resources] [ICv2] [Newsarama]

Stan Lee on the cover of Foom #17 Awesome Stan Lee cover to Foom #17! [Fred Hembeck (2 June entry)] [full image]

"The Secret of the Black Planet" by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko from Tales of Suspense #28 gets the hilarious Progressive Ruin treatment

Stan Lee loved to have x-rays show brain damage, nerve damage, etc. when they don't [now The Amazing Spider-Man #3 gets the Polite Dissent treatment after Strange Tales #115]

Dr. Strange not in this old Artisan-now-Lions-Gate list of properties to be animated straight to DVD [All The Rage]

Also from the above All The Rage: Dan Slott, current writer of the neat She-Hulk series, rants about people who read books in the shop and don't buy ("Byrne-Stealing"?!) [Avengers Message Board]

Robert Kirkman talks The Walking Dead [Comic Book Resources]

Retailers discuss the science of ordering small press comics [Newsarama]

DC takes over/combines with Archie re: advertising sales for kiddie lines [ICv2] [Newsarama]

Who's going to spank Image over its late books? [ICv2]

Interesting essay on 'meandering', 'messy' and 'ambiguous' storytelling [The Forager]

The Filth is a guy thing [Unqualified Offerings]
Flashback: "A girl's got to draw the line somewhere" [In Sequence on The Filth, January 02003]

Vaughan's political "hero" of Ex Machina [Pulse]

New columnmeme: superhero comics are not this self-aggrandized "literature of ethics" [Permanent Damage]

Posted 4 June 02004 - Permalink

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