Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

Fun essay: Dr. Strange myths (he doesn't work, needs to be fixed/updated, too vaguely omnipowerful, can't be on a team, can't support his own book, etc.) destroyed by the facts; blame editorial and superheroic follies, and Doc's own awesomeness [A Trout In The Milk, with great discussion, including a great comment by "Jonathan Burns" re: Doc's darkness and hard-work-magic aesthetic]
(But *more* of Doc knocked unconscious? Let's not get crazy.)

Posted 31 March 02008 - Permalink

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Atomic Robo #1-6

Atomic Robo By Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, and published by Red 5 Comics, the Nikola-Tesla created, dry humored, sentient automatic intelligence and Mecha-American Atomic Robo, and his Tesladyne "Action Scientist" team, use their violence against threats like Nazi cyborgs, giant ants and mobilized Ancient Egyptian pyramids. The pitch would be "Hellboy as robot". Snappy and action-packed, with a chunky art look that fits the concept very well (the backup stories and pin-ups by other artists make that point), Atomic Robo's pulp-steampunk adventures satisfy the fun-explodo-comics need. The books do read a bit breezily while Hellboy does not, though- a creator anticipates and addresses such reviews. Perhaps Hellboy just has more blah-blah- but it isn't so much a criticism as a desire that the great Atomic Robo concept-scaffolding hold some more weight. Neilalien's adult interest in the escapist empty calories might be maintained (or excused) beyond these six issues if the world was more fleshed-out (more weird Tesla alt-science/history/mythology), more fleshed-out characters (Robo, monsters, villains, supporting cast, etc.), and/or more fleshed-out challenges (some solve-the-puzzle outsmart-the-thing resolutions mixed in with the blow-it-up outfight-the-thing resolutions). Neilalien will be able to test that theory, because there will be more Atomic Robo: a Free Comic Book Day book in May, and an ongoing series starts this fall. This first six-issue miniseries will be collected as a TPB in June. [Atomic Robo at Red 5 Comics] [Atomic-Robo.com] [Atomic Robo MySpace page]

Posted 30 March 02008 - Permalink

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Secret Invasion #1 out on Wednesday
First ten pages [Entertainment Weekly]
Animated webisode [Comic Book Resources]
No Doctor Strange yet. The teaser movie says the Sanctum has been infiltrated- don't know if that's Doc, or one of the New Avengers, or just the Cage baby, or Wong or Night Nurse. It's gotta be better than Civil War, right? Right? Bueller?
Also out 2 April: Doc in Amazing Spider-Man #555.

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Reminder: If you are a geek in NYC, then you must go see Fight Girl Battle World this weekend (8 pm Sat and Sun) before it closes, from the same great folks behind Men of Steel and Living Dead in Denmark [Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company] [NYTheatre.com show info and review]

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Federal judge rules that the heirs of Jerome Siegel have owned part of Superman since 01999! [New York Times] [Comic Book Resources] [Siegel Superman copyright decision FAQ at Uncivil Society via The Beat]

More comics-industry myths popped: the repetition-enabling four-year readership turnover, the comics sell better during economic downturns, the effective comics retailer or creator professional/advocacy group [Permanent Damage]

Manga cashcow and female consumers are outside the comfort zone of American comics companies and Direct Market shops [Confessions column at ICv2]

Interloper novelists, and celebrity-"written" publicity-stunt movie-storyboard comics, do not threaten the Actual Comic Book Writer [Myriad Issues]

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Hilarious remix of old-school war propaganda posters re: common blogging kerfuffles, revealing spoilers (loose lips sink ships!) [Postmodernbarney]

Neilalien made one:

Warning!

Posted 29 March 02008 - Permalink

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Fix Dr. Strange? Dr. Strange doesn't need to be fixed! Straight-up superhero stories do not work for Doc; Doc needs to explain magic, troubling things, etc., to a DKS (doesn't know shit) sidekick (and thus also to the reader) [Mightygodking.com; great discussion in the comments too]

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(The above link is in response to Marvel_B0y, the latest Marvel "insider" (Neilalien sources say it's not real) to go rogue- telling spoilers, hilarity ensuing- who claimed he could fix Doc in a day; Marvel getting lots of pitches to fix Doc?; yes, we're all upset Bendis controls Doc; the funniest thing is the cease-and-desist on standard Marvel letterhead, completely altering the meaning of those superheroes sneering at you [Lying In The Gutters] [Marvel_B0y (current home)] [Google cache of original post])

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Great news! Neilalien fave Runners back in May, in color! "The Big Snow Job" published by Archaia Studios Press [Newsarama, with 11-page preview] [Pulse interview] [SeanWang.com]

We nerds have questions about Last Defenders, Joe Casey has answers [Newsarama]

American Flagg! collection hits in July [Newsarama]

Stan Lee to receive New York Comics Legend Award at upcoming NYCC [Newsarama]

Of Skrulls, Reptiles, Shape-Shifters, and Xenophobia [Occasional Superheroine]

How comic books ruined the nation: High praise from Jeet Heer for The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America [Globe And Mail]

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Tomorrow night in NYC: Comic Foundry #2 release party at the Irish Rogue! [Myriad Issues]
See you there, Neilalienistas! #2 on the stands April 2nd. Previews going on at the CF website.

Posted 25 March 02008 - Permalink

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From the Mondo Marvel Panel at WizardWorld LA [Newsarama]:

Q: Will we see Dr. Strange again in the near future? [Marvel editor Aubrey] Sitterson: "There are definite plans for Dr. Strange." [Marvel Marketing Manager Jim] McCann said "there are approved Dr. Strange projects," but nothing that can be announced yet.

Storytelling Engine: Doctor Strange [Comics Should Be Good]
'Doctor Strange meets massive cosmic forces as the representative of humanity' is definitely a Doc "storytelling engine"- but most of Doctor Strange fandom would say that Steve Englehart not being able to finish his 'secret occult history of America', and the Wolfman replacement Quadriverse story, *was* an utter disaster (the essayist claims that a workable tale was salvaged).

P. Craig Russell Doc art was at auction [Ebay] [a link of the image that might live longer]

Marvel Bullpen photos from Fantastic Four Annual #7 (November 01969) [Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun]

Good overview of Marvel's movie-making mission [LA Times]

Interesting anecdote about Brian K. Vaughan's Hood miniseries, and the creator's integrity [Tom Brevoort at Marvel.com]

When The Question and Rorschach crossed paths in The Question #17 [Progressive Ruin]

Comics' whitebread image is a big part of why it's perceived as uncool and lame; few blacks in the industry, not enough blaxploitation [Hooded Utilitarian]

There has probably been no regular outside event that negatively impacts Neilalien's blogging frequency more than March Madness, and this year looks to be no different. Off to fill out a bracket for the office pool.

Posted 17 March 02008 - Permalink

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Frank Brunner's iconic Doctor Strange, Ancient One and Clea art from Marvel Treasury #6 at auction [ComicArtFans.com]

New Fred Hembeck Doctor Strange illo at auction [Ebay] [image]

Mark Evanier's book Kirby: King of Comics is out [Amazon]

And Blake Bell's upcoming Ditko book Strange And Stranger has an Amazon page too!

Fred Van Lente signing Comic Book Comics #1 tonight at Rocketship, next Wednesday at Jim Hanley's Universe [and a Newsarama interview]

The Further Adventures of Li'l Bruce Wayne [Chris's Invincible Super-Blog]

Last Defenders #1 out today [preview at Newsarama]

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Must-See: Fight Girl Battle World, new play in NYC from Vampire Cowboys (Men of Steel, Living Dead in Denmark)! [Vampire Cowboys] [NYTheatre.com]

Posted 12 March 02008 - Permalink

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Joe Casey tells Defenders fans that if they liked the old, they might like the new (his "Last Defenders" miniseries) [Defenders Message Board]

Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey of Action Philosophers brilliance talk up their new history-of-comics series Comic Book Comics [Publishers Weekly] [via/interview by Myriad Issues]

They still view us as subliterate trash: The latest comics-in-the-classroom press lovenote attracts peanut gallery this time [Sporadic Sequential]

Posted 5 March 02008 - Permalink

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Sad news: Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, reached -10 hit points today, and no rod of resurrection to be found [initial AP]

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Todd Klein's Logo Design Basics page shows how the Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme logo evolved behind the scenes [thanks Sanctum!]

New selves revealed by secret skin: Michael Chabon on superhero costumes [New Yorker]
The superhero costume is (1) an impossible object that allows for the drawing of naked bodies and free action without censorship or the realistic bunching of cloth at joints, and (2) a transvestitic object that allows for the transformation of self.

Big (no pun intended) congratulations to Matt and Carol Dembicki for winning the Howard E. Day Prize at SPACE this year for Mr. Big! [Comic Book Resources] [Little Foot Publishing]

Huzzah for Neilalien faves Pop Culture Gadabout for six years blogging, and eight years for LinkMachineGo!

Posted 4 March 02008 - Permalink

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Recap of Amy Grant vs. Marvel Comics over her likeness on the cover of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #15 [Comics Should Be Good: Urban Legends Revealed #144]
It wasn't so much about copyright- she didn't want the Jesus folks to think she was endorsing withcraft by being on a Doctor Strange comic book cover.

Name Five And Only Five Elements Of The Marvel Superhero Universe That Should Be Set In Stone [Comics Reporter]

The term "art comics" has become meaninglessly broad and subjective; "mainstream comics" means superheroes inside the DM and nothing outside it, since all comics remain non-mainstream outside it [Whereof One Can Speak] [via Comics Reporter]

If popular culture is a reflection of our national psyche, then current superheroes reflect a nation completely unsure of itself [Denver Post Op-Ed]

Posted 3 March 02008 - Permalink

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"Collector's Edition", uber-classic Ditko, 8 pager from Creepy #10 (August 01966), posted online [Johnny Bacardi Show]

My favorite Steve Ditko work was the stuff he did for Warren, "Collector's Edition." He was using wash and grey tones, and that was marvelous. But yeah, Steve Ditko, whatever he was drawing, if it was a Gorgo monster strip, or some sort of Atlas super-hero, it was all terrific stuff. - Alan Moore, The Charlton-Watchmen Connection

"Mr. A", uber-classic Ditko, character's first appearance, 5 pager from Witzend #3 (01967), posted online [Golden Age Comic Book Stories]

Batman used in Jesus pamphlet [Graphic Novelties]

Posted 2 March 02008 - Permalink

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