Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

The great Belgian cartoonist Mauricet draws Doctor Strange [Mauricet, Dessinateur de BD] [thanks Augie for the FYI]

Another great Dr. Strange art gallery found, this one by Sean Wasielewski [Comic Art Fans] [thanks to a reader for the FYI]

Marvel month-to-month February 02005 [Pulse]
Strange levelling off at 37K. "Considering that it's a Dr Strange miniseries, these aren't bad numbers."

Grant Morrison, sacred cow creators, and liking all or nothing [Unqualified Offerings]

Unimaginative comics are still killing the medium more than any other factor [Permanent Damage]

Free Comic Book Day in 1900 stores, 2 million books [ICv2]

Is Lockjaw a dog or an extremely deformed Inhuman? [FFPlaza.com] [via Progressive Ruin]

This weblog becomes a sports widow during March Madness...

Posted 29 March 02005 - Permalink

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From the Cup O' Joe panel at Wizard World LA: [Pulse]

Q: How about a SHIELD series?
A by Q: SHIELD and Dr. Strange are very, very tough to do over an ongoing series. Certain characters seem better suited as guest-stars.

It's official: The people running the House of Ideas are fucking out of ideas.

Too few comic shops, too many comic books [Brian Hibbs Tilting At Windmills]

Marvel leaves the $2.25 price behind [Newsarama]

Comic shops don't reach the demographic wanted by Sin City movie promoter!? [ICv2]

Gem from Ringwood's 100 Things:

8. That comics is the only place where a story about a 150 year-old dude with claws in his hands who is a samurai, a spandex-clad superhero, and a feral beast is considered passe and creatively inert.. only in fucking comics, man. You'll be lucky if TV shows add even a slight shade of dimension to their usual shit ("it's a cop drama, but this time, he's BLIND!" "Write that man a check!")

Comics suck, the critical darlings suck, the industry's too small and unwilling to support better creators [Ninth Art]

What's the point of a Green Arrow comic in which he doesn't shoot any arrows? [Kyle Baker interview; go read more quotables] [via Brill Building]

Johnny Ryan's Marvel Super Pages positively reviewed [The Hurting]
Potty humor in general gets old fast for Neilalien, but he knew what he was getting into when he ordered this book. There are some great gags in it. You might not be a real fan of comics until you've seen Ghost Rider frustrated because his flaming head keeps melting the dildo he's trying to suck, so get yours (with artworky envelope) before all 200 are sold. [The Dr. Strange strip is online]

Kids are the key to a revival of the slumping comic-book industry [Asahi.com] [via Franklin's Findings]
Market supported by older folks, rehashing comics from their youth, not much for kids. But this article isn't about superheroes in North America- it's about manga in Japan!?

Chris Allen of Movie Poop Shoot's Breakdowns column and Comic Book Galaxy fame (and soon to be of comics writing fame) is blogging [Chris Allen Online]

Chin up, Bill! Rough patch for Neilalien fave Pop Culture Gadabout

Posted 21 March 02005 - Permalink

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Entry for sanctum sanctorum in The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, 02002

(SANGK-tuhm sangk-TAWR-uhm) Latin for "holy of holies." The place in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. By extension, a sacred and private place.

"Manga Mangled": Zippy The Pinhead from 23 February [via cleaning wayward browser bookmarks- probably via Progressive Ruin if the 'Prog' that was added to the bookmark name is any indication]

Posted 16 March 02005 - Permalink

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Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis interview, preview images of Defenders! [All The Rage] [image #1] [image #2, rockin' Dormammu and Umar]

Millar talks Ultimate Defenders; no Dr. Strange [Pulse]
"We've got Nighthawk, Son of Satan, Power Man, The Valkyrie, Black Knight (whom everyone assumes is just a role-player), Hellcat and, of course, poor Hank Pym." Eh, maybe we Doc fans have been spared.

Good history of various comic lines and their fates [Filing Cabinet Of The Damned]

Milo & Otis is one of greatest movies ever made, and those We3 cuties should be dead dead dead [The Hurting]

Posted 15 March 02005 - Permalink

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Blake Bell writing the introduction of Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko [Ditko Looked Up update]

If you're a Ditko wonk like Neilalien, you're enjoying Steve Ditko: Space Wars and happy for more Ditko exposure, but there are grumbles (most of which we all knew already but we like to grumble): The stories are by publication date, not in the order Ditko drew them, so you have to do a little work to get the feel of Ditko's progression (the book's introduction lists the alternative order) [Ditko Looked Up with updated page]; half of this book overlaps reprints (and in the same b&w format) in Pure Imagination's Steve Ditko Readers [Volume 1 at Last Gasp] [Volume 2] (with "Mystery Planet" from Strange Suspense Stories #36 (March 01958) in the upcoming Volume 3); and is there a page missing from "The King of Planetoid X" (Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #7)?- the directories say 7 pages but it's reprinted twice now as 6 (looking into it) [relevant message on the Ditko-L Yahoo Group if you're a member]. Also: [generally negative but accurate Comic Book Galaxy review; Joe Gill probably wrote most if not all the stories]

Brad Bird gets the last word on The Incredibles [IGN] [via Metafilter]

Q: One of the things I liked was Bob's frustration, when he talked about celebrating mediocrity, and Syndrome's comment that if everyone is super, then no one is. Do you think people picked up on that point?
Bird: I think so. I think it got misinterpreted a few times. Some people said it was Ayn Rand or something like that, which is ridiculous. Other people threw Nietzsche around, which I also find ridiculous. But I think the vast majority of people took it the way I intended. Some people said it was sort of a right-wing feeling, but I think that's as silly of an analysis as saying The Iron Giant was left-wing. I'm definitely a centrist and feel like both parties can be absurd.

Posted 14 March 02005 - Permalink

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Judge dismisses about half of Marvel's claims against NCSoft and City of Heroes [Newsarama] [Gamespy] [Gamasutra] [FileFront] [actual NCSoft press release at Business Wire via Google News] [at PlayNC] [but not at NCSoft's site]
Both companies taking a glass-half-full attitude to the news.

GAY [caps sic], junkie and single-mum superheroes have replaced old-school caped crusaders as comics adapt to reflect a changing society [News.com.au] [via Franklin's Findings]
Comics: the home of suicide, depression, incest, black magic, and terrorism?

Kirkman talks Invincible movie news [Newsarama]

Posted 12 March 02005 - Permalink

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Essential Dr. Strange Vol. 2 out today [Marvel.com]

Collects DOCTOR STRANGE #169-178 and #180-183, AVENGERS #61, SUB-MARINER #22, MARVEL FEATURE #1, INCREDIBLE HULK #126, and MARVEL PREMIERE #3-10 and #12-14. 608 PGS. All Ages. $16.99

Cover for Strange #5 looks great, like the colors [Marvel.com]

Reports: Dr. Strange in June 02005's House of M #1 [PopCultureShock: "Interior scans removed at the request of Wizard"; need to sneak open a Wizard baggie to check out the preview pages] [text description by fan]

Stan and Marvel to settle? [reported by The Beat]
Guess you had to watch the webcast for that juicy tidbit- Neilalien's usual text searches for 'Lee', 'lawsuit', etc. when Marvel's earnings reports come out found nada.

Ex-Stan Lee Chief Pleads Guilty to Stock Crime [Reuters]
Peter Paul expected to plead guilty to one felony count of stock manipulation [Pulse]

Great Ditko Question panel re: modern art [Brill Building]

Drawn! New group blog about illustration, art, and cartooning [via Boing Boing]

The case for using comics as journalism, 'artist-reporters' [Columbia Journalism Review]

Dan Slott interview [Toon Zone] [via Thought Balloons]

I think it's important for comics to give you a full unit of entertainment. If it takes six issues to tell one story, I don't have a problem with that- as long as each of those six chapters are chock-full of great moments, rich characters, and clever beats. I believe that when you put any comic down, you should feel that you've had a "full meal" and not a "light snack." Seriously, these things cost $2.99! That's a lot! For the price of 3 comics, you could go to a movie. For the price of 6, you could take a date. (No popcorn, though). When you fork over your three bucks, I feel it's my job to entertain you-- but it's my duty to make sure you don't feel ripped-off. I owe you my all. Not to just put out a comic you'll read- but one you'll want to RE-READ too!

More praise for Dan Slott [Brill Building]

Tom Brevoort interview; JMS defended [ComiX-Fan]
Neilalien wanted to mention that one of his faves from decades ago, Rising Stars, finally reached its final chapter #24 last week. Liked the ending. But wow, talk about delays killing all interest.

Surprise warning from Art Spiegelman about the possibility of the collapse of the booming graphic novel market [Publishers Weekly; reg req'd, try BugMeNot] [via Thought Balloons]

Unartful dodgers of adulthood: More and more grown-ups are too serious about hanging onto their childhood [Macleans.ca] [via Thought Balloons hat trick!]
"...it's easier for comic writers to move with their audience than to try and bring in new, younger readers. In the same way that Rolling Stone is now for old people."

Ed Brubaker's Captain America is upset by people who call the French cowards; this upsets the Freedom Fries crowd [Workbench] [via Pop Culture Gadabout]

Grant Morrison interview, too much wonderfulness to quote [Suicide Girls] [via LinkMachineGo- congrats on five years!]

I've never felt that I 'had to' write superhero stories in lieu of more honest work. The superheroes work just fine for me and seem to be able to express all manner of things I need to express. The superhero as a metaphor can carry a lot of weight and meaning if you want it to. All stories come from someone's experience and say at least something about the human condition by their very nature. It all depends on the audience. I think comics were more interesting when they were written for children because when people write for children it seems to free them up to be less self-conscious. Traditional American superhero comics are being written for an older audience now. I think that since superhero comics started being aimed at adults they've become a bit too self conscious and a bit less visionary. I don't know why that is because adults should enjoy fantastical stuff as much as any child.

Stand-alone self-contained content needed in mass market, 7-11's [ICv2]

From Comics To Crap [Bookslut]
"It's annoying, though, to think that anyone might be getting bad impressions of good comics from incompetent films."
Via Unqualified Offerings, with a hot new redesign.

Seven Mistakes Superheroines Make [AlterNet] [via Progrssive Ruin]
More girl power, less man hate.

Learn the comic fan's jargon [Captain Comics] [via Franklin's Findings]

Posted 9 March 02005 - Permalink

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Marvel releases Q4 02004, 02004 year-end numbers [Newsarama]
Publishing: Q4 02004: An increase from $19.0 million in Q4 02003 to $22.1 million in Q4 02004, up 16%. Year 02004: An increase from $73.3 million in 2003 to $85.9 million in 02004.
Lots more about the conference call [The Beat] [Business Wire]
Dr. Strange no longer listed in the upcoming movies!

The custody battle for Superboy [Newsarama]

Faster, More Powerful, Able [Comics Reporter]
"Mainstream American comic book companies are built on the exploitation of properties that someone else created."

Slott exclusive with Marvel: "Dan puts the fun and funny back into 'funny books'" [Newsarama] [Pulse]

Big Top Shelf sale [Top Shelf Productions]
Lots of stuff discounted, or for $3 (they ask that you reach $30). Neilalien fave Less Than Heroes is $10.

Batman and Joker in the battle of the boners [Superman Is A Dick] [reminded of these classic panels by The Beat]

Superheroines In Tights [GeoCities site often exceeds its allocated data transfer; if motivated wait until tomorrow? next month?] [NSFW] [via Fleshbot]
Related: Sexy-Superheroine-Models.com
Let's start this week off with a little of the sexay.

Posted 7 March 02005 - Permalink

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Wow, Congrats!: Invincible picked up by Paramount; Kirkman to write script [Newsarama] [ICv2]

Marvel month-to-month sales January 02005 [Pulse]
Update: DC and others [Pulse]

Inside the Siegel/DC battle for Superman [Newsarama]

Great big Terry Moore interview re: self-publishing [new ComicFoundry.com website]
Good to see that CF's community growth potential is no longer utterly enfeebled: they've lifted the requirement that one be registered just to read the articles.

Finally! A better way to track outgoing links [MyBlogLog] [via 43 Folders]
Great stuff, and very easy to implement. Merely add one line of Javascript in your code. But is it important usage data for a linkblog, or just that much more weblog crack to smoke? Now let's not confirm for Neilalien that weblog click-through rates are notoriously low, or let him catch you clicking on all those fun Optimus Prime and Stripperella links but ignoring all those important and interesting wonky comics-industry links! :) Viva l'internet!

Posted 4 March 02005 - Permalink

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Headed to Neilalien's orbital HQ: One of only 200 copies of Marvel Super Pages by Johnny Ryan [Comic Art Collective- get yours now!] Tell Johnny that Neilalien sent you. :) (thanks Howard!)
Two Minutes with Johnny Ryan [G4]

New Marvel Legends action figure previews [Comics Continuum] [a Dr. Strange figure is in this set, remember?] [thanks to Thought Balloons for the FYI]
People have been complaining that requiring purchase of the Professor X action figure in order to get all the pieces to complete the Galactus figure is lame... (har dee har har- pardon Neilalien while he makes space for the lightning bolt headed your way)

Blo.gs is for sale [via Waxy.org]
This might impact the Comic Weblog Updates thingie. The economic model for personal publishing and related elements hasn't been figured out yet: Blo.gs currently operates at a $20 net loss per month (Google ad cash minus hosting costs).

Epilogue: Neilalien thought Christo's Gates in Central Park were neat [Flickr: photos with the 'gates' tag (5,916 at this writing)] [via Robot Wisdom]

As Neilalien celebrates the five-year survival of this weblog, be it a personal creative fun fulfilling project sustained by passion for art, and/or a frustrating frustrated lunch-hour trashlog of cat-photo nerd ephemera- he takes a serious perspectivey moment to remember that people in Iran are both doing much more with that 'Publish Post' button, and getting imprisoned and tortured for it. They are the real survivors in the blogosphere.

Posted 3 March 02005 - Permalink

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Reading this Alliterative Appellations post at Polite Dissent, Neilalien is moved to wonder, What would be some good alliterative nicknames for Dr. Strange? Or for other favorite superheroes?

This is, unless Sorcerer Supreme is as perfect as it already is.

(Remember the fun we had with the Dr. Strange Collective Nouns? (Yikes was that a year ago already?))

Good news: Marvel comics returning to 7-11s! [The Beat] [Newsarama]
Update: Marvel's escape from Skull Island [The Beat]
Update: ICv2 with more

Stan Lee gets movie deal re: his new superhero creation Foreverman [ICv2] [BBC News via Thought Balloons]
Paramount's looking for the next Star Trek, so they went to The Man.

Graphic Novels Up 25% in 2004: $205 million at retail [ICv2]

Isotope Comics now has a blog!
Indy Comics Versus Superhero Comics: The Absurdity of the Genre War [Isotope Comics]
Also: 3rd Annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics Submission Rules

Spider-Man's Greatest Bible Stories [via Waxy.org]

Evolution of the Batman logo [This Is Pop!] [via Waxy.org]

The Classic Felix the Cat Page [via Mark Evanier]
There's some great old cartoons there too (warning: RealVideo).

Posted 2 March 02005 - Permalink

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