Relentless Self-Promotion: Nitroglycerin
Comments Off | Posted: May 16th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Click to go read.
Click to go read.
Relentless Self-Promotion: The Rack – Staff Picks!
Comments Off | Posted: May 16th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Stars are tumbling towards each other in slow motion, celestial annihilation is right at our fingertips: an Ivan Brunetti hardcover is out on the same day as The Ultimates and All Star Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder. Will comics ever be the same?
Are you going to be so stunned by the bizarreness of these events that you can’t navigate your shop?
Let the staff at Yavin IV help you.
Huh.
Comments Off | Posted: May 15th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedProving that I shouldn’t pound back bourbon and read the shipping list at the same time, the fact that the third Runaways hardcover is coming out eluded me completely.
So, there’s that to look forward to. And the Mouse Guard hardcover.
Geez, this week suddenly got ‘spensive.
Everyone Else Is Doing It.
Comments Off | Posted: May 15th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized- Munich Machine, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” from Get on the Funk Train.
- Pet Shop Boys, “Paninaro” (Italian Mix), from the “Paninaro” 12″ single.
- The Flirts, “Passion” (12″ Mix), from the “Passion” 12″ single.
- Queen, “Flash’s Theme,” from the Flash Gordon soundtrack.
- Nu Shooz, “I Can’t Wait” (Original Vocal Long Dutch mix), from the “I Can’t Wait” promotional 12″ single.
- Information Society, “Back In The Day,” from the Oscillator EP.
- The Fat Truckers, “Superbike,” from the International Deejay Gigolos 6 compilation.
- Cassette, “The Smartest Bomb,” unreleased but available at http://youtube.com/cassettemusic.
- Juno, “Soul Thunder,” from the Warp 10+1: Influences compilation.
- Blancmange, “Don’t Tell Me” (Dance Remix), available on the Retro:Active 2 compilation.
- Gary Numan, “My Dying Machine” (Italian 12″ Mix), from the Italian “My Dying Machine” single.
**BONUS TRACK**
A Multi-Topic Post, Something I Normally Eschew.
Comments Off | Posted: May 15th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedIt looks like Diamond, famous for ensuring that every last variant cover that Avatar puts out is available, has decided to reject the upcoming print edition of Tim Leong’s Comic Foundry magazine. Here’s an email Tim sent out last night:
Hello Comic Friends,Tim Leong from Comic Foundry Magazine here. I write to you today with the disappointing and shocking news that Diamond Comics has declined to carry the launch issue of Comic Foundry Magazine in their Previews catalog.
Now, this was pretty disturbing news to me, seeing that I wanted to create something fresh, something original — something that’s never been seen in comics magazines before. I want to show the lifestyle and culture of comics, while giving content and coverage the readers actually deserve. And with all the titles on the shelves right now there isn’t room for one with new ideas? Nope, says Diamond.
“A B&W title at the price you’re using just won’t work well in the current market we believe,” says Tim Huckelbery, Purchasing Brand Manager, Comics/Magazines at Diamond Comics Distributors. For the record, our asking cover price is $6.25. So an 80-page black and white magazine for $6.25 wouldn’t sell? If that’s what they think, than sure. Okay. But…I guess the summer issue of Draw!, a black and white 80-page book for $6.95 would? Or an issue of Write Now! that’s also $6.95 and 80 pages? That’s 70 cents more than us, by the by. Hmm…
I called Diamond to inquire further, and again Tim Huckelbery was happy to take my call: “When I was looking though it and reading a magazine of that type, which is about comics, which has lots of images of comics characters, that is looking to be timely and topical, I was expecting color. That, just for me, is how my brain is wired.”
So…to do a magazine that’s timely and topical and feature lifestyle content, it must be in color? So says Diamond. Beyond ridiculous, says I.
Being declined by Diamond is no new thing — it’s a business and I most certainly understand that. Others in the past who’ve expressed their rejections online have been very understanding and were not creating a call-to-arms. Well, I’m just not that patient. If you want to see Comic Foundry in stores, I’m asking you to write Diamond to tell them just that. And if you have a blog, a messageboard or any other means to reach out to the masses — ask them to do the same. Right now we have a rare opportunity to tell the Diamond conglomerate how we feel and what we think. Just like there are checks and balances within Diamond to see what will pass and what won’t — we, as a comics community have the same opportunity. This is our balance. This is the time to speak your mind. We have a chance to not only be heard, but to make a difference.
If you support Comic Foundry and want to see a new approach to comic magazines, please write in to tell Diamond. Send emails to: Diamond’s Tim Huckelbery at htim@diamondcomics.com
Your support is appreciated,
TimAnd just like in an election, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
I’m a big fan of Tim Leong. Not only is he dashedly handsome, but his brain and heart are definitely in the right place. I’ve often bemoaned that comics is lacking an Entertainment Weekly or Premiere (probably a bad example, as that just folded) and Comic Foundry‘s print incarnation would help cover the middle ground between Wizard‘s frat-boy schtick and The Comics Journal‘s occasional forays into pretentiousness. If you get a moment or two, fire off an email to Tim Huckelbery. Once I’m done redacting all of the various suggestions concerning where Diamond’s head is lodged, I’m doing the same.
A bulletin on MySpace tells fans of a certain techno duo (plus Darren Price) the following:
underworld have started to lock-in what’s starting to look like a mini-world tour that starts in north america in september. taking in venues such as the hollywood bowl in los angeles, and central park in new york, the north america leg already promises to be very special. expect more shows to be added in the coming weeks. check underworldlive.com for updates.
Oh, I will be checking underworldlive.com for updates, but here’s the skinny on the confirmed dates: September 9, the Hollywood Bowl; September 11, Red Rocks in Colorado; September 14, Central Park in New York. (For once, I wish I lived in Los Angeles: my other favorite duo, Pet Shop Boys, are playing The Hollywood Bowl on September 27th.)
Nothing says “It’s Sex O’Clock” quite like Buddy Freakin’ Bradley. (Via.)
I’ve been trying to formulate some kind of response to the latest Comics Blogosophere Brouhaha. Part of me agrees with the most vehement protestors: it’s an ugly toy made for the lowest common denominator fan and is worthy of much scorn for not just the quality of the piece, but the subservient pose and attitude on display. The rest of me, though, is wondering when they’re going to get around to doing a Lois Lane version.
(Confidential to VD: Why do so many writing and discussing this when there’s so many real-world atrocities demanding our attention? For the same reason they cared when you revealed that your employment at a superhero content factory was marred with misogyny and personal trauma – they give a shit about what happens in the medium. Your story hit home and meant something in a way that a story about the same events happening at Ford or Paramount Pictures wouldn’t, just like this Mary Jane statue represents the idiotic sexism of beer commercials and Joe Francis’s media empire intruding into “their” space.)
I like what Dave has to say about all this.
Picks and Pre-Reviews for the week of May 16, 2007.
Comments Off | Posted: May 14th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedMidtown’s list is up. Here’s what I have to say about this week in comics.
DC Comics
All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder #5 – Hosannas of the highest strain, to the Lord be given. This day, we shall all know the grace of God and his wisdom and infinite kindness.Battler Britton Trade Paperback – Not my favorite Ennis project, as I have no connection at all to the British comics character Ennis is revitalizing here, but an effective war comic with some lovely Colin Wilson art. If you like things where lots of people get shot and planes zip around, it’s probably going to be right up your alley.
The Plain Janes – I wrote this about the book a couple of months ago:
Having read [The Plain Janes] I’ve got to say that Graeme is 100% right in his review. It’s a well-conceived book with lots of potential for hitting its target market head-on, but there’s a big, big problem: the perfunctory, unsatisfying ending completely undermines a lot of the girl-power ethos that fuels the book. Disappointing and a bit infuriating, especially when the book’s rendered so well by Jim Rugg.Showcase Presents The Flash Volume 1 – When the Showcase line was announced, this was the character I was most excited about seeing in this format. There’s something about the Silver Age Flash stories that really appeals to me on a level that’s not at all ironic; I really like Barry Allen and I read reprints of these comics when I was close to the perfect age (fourteen or so, when the first Archives came out) to appreciate an older comic with truly gonzo ideas. Also: Iris West? Hot.
Yes, I know how sad I am.
Marvel
The Ultimates Volume 2 #13 – Jason had to remind me in comments that this was coming out. I’m deeply convinced that this has to do with being the sort of person that doesn’t believe in such cosmically-slight chances. This and The Greatest Batman Story Ever Told, Period on the same day? Truly blessed are we.Yes, I like The Ultimates. No, I don’t like much else Mark Millar’s done. I think it may well be Brian Hitch’s art that sells me that particular bill of goods.
X-Men First Class Special – You had me at “Colleen Coover, Kevin Nowlan, Nick Dragotta (Inked By Allred,) and Paul Smith in the same comic.” Jeff Parker’s scripting is the buttercream icing on top.
Dark Horse
Satan’s Sodomy Baby – For some reason, neither Diamond nor Midtown is willing to put “Sodomy” right in their listings where it belongs. It’s Eric Powell, The Goon, etc. He says it’ll never be collected, so I guess I’ll splash three-and-99/100ths bones to catch it.
Avatar
Four titles: Lady Death / Shi, Black Gas 2, Plague of the Living Dead, and Brian Pulido’s Lady Death Masterworks. Twenty-eight covers. Holy crap!
BOOM! Studios
Check their blog later.
Dynamite Entertainment
Four comics: Battlestar Galactica, Highlander, Painkiller Jane, and Red Sonja. Twenty-two covers. Oh, so close!One day you can beat Avatar’s record! I believe you can fly, Dynamite!
Fantagraphics
Misery Loves Comedy – If I were on a desert island, say, and could only take one book of “funny” comics with me, this hardbound collection of the first three issues of Schizo (along with various flotsam and jetsam from other sources) would certainly be a contender.
Oni
Local #9 – Golly, it’s been a while.
Yaoi Press
I don’t know anything about this publisher’s titles, really, but I like that they’re that up front about what they’re putting out. I guess if Avatar and Dynamite followed this sort of logic, it’d be battling for the name Variant Cover Comics, right?OK, yes, that horse has been flogged thoroughly. Somebody ship it off to the glue factory.
How To Make YouTube Much More Bearable In Three Easy Steps, Possibly Only Two, Maybe Even Just One.
Comments Off | Posted: May 14th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized- Install Mozilla’s Firefox browser on your PC. If you’re already using it, go straight to Step 2.
- Install Greasemonkey. To quote the website: Greasemonkey is a Firefox extension that allows you to customize the way webpages look and function. This is critical and is the only way that Step 3 can occur.
- After you’ve installed Greasemonkey and restarted Firefox, install this script. This automatically takes YouTube pages, removes the comments and ads, and resizes them nicely.
Relentless Self-Promotion: The Rack.
Comments Off | Posted: May 14th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedI’m just going to say this so all the Lydia fetishists (you know who you are) click over: Lydia in a majorette outfit.
In Which I Help Out Marvel’s Marketing Department.
Comments Off | Posted: May 13th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedHere you go, guys. Free of charge.
(Context.)
A couple of things.
Comments Off | Posted: May 13th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized- For some reason or another (probably because Bahlactus talks it up so much), I went and joined Twitter. If you’re on there, click here and do whatever. It still feels close to useless, but one never knows.
- Watch the pilot for The Drinky Crow Show. I laughed an awful lot, especially at lines like “If it’s awful, it exists. If it’s beautiful, you’re imagining it.”
Here are some videos featuring electronic music from the early-to-mid-90s that I still like an awful lot.
Comments Off | Posted: May 12th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedAltern-8 performing “Brutal-8-E” on Normski’s Dance Party.
“LFO” By LFO
“Testone” by Sweet Exorcist
Directed by Jarvis Cocker.
“Charly” by The Prodigy
Spiral Tribe on BBC’s Dance Energy
“Love U More” by Sunscreem
“Bombscare” by 2 Bad Mice
“Mr Kirk’s Nightmare” by 4 Hero.
“Inner City Life” by Goldie
“Hymn” by Moby.
Kirby Saturday: BTOOM!
Comments Off | Posted: May 12th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
From Fantastic Four #62
Inked by Joe Sinnott
Friday Night Fights: The Time Has Come To Galvanize!
Comments Off | Posted: May 11th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
From The Incredible Hulk #314
Written and Drawn by John Byrne.
Professionalism.
Comments Off | Posted: May 11th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedRoger Ebert says an awful lot about how critics and creators alike should act in his latest column. It’s well worth checking out. (Via.)
Promotional: The Rack
Comments Off | Posted: May 11th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedIt’s a little late today, but I’m pretty sure you’ll confirm that today’s strip was completely worth the wait because Birdie sells that thing like it was one of the Glengarry leads.
A difficult choice.
Comments Off | Posted: May 10th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedPavarotti and Barry White
or
Pavarotti and James Brown
U-DECIDE.
This is why I should be running Hollywood.
Comments Off | Posted: May 10th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedJust imagine Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane as a mid-budget, 90-minute romantic comedy starring…
Tina
Fey
Yes, she’d write. Of course she’d write.
Debra Messing as Lana Lang, Steve Martin as Perry White, Alec Baldwin doing Morgan Edge-as-Jack Donaghey, bring back Brandon Routh to play Clark/Superman, and hell, keep the guy that played Jimmy in Superman Returns. I liked him.
(Can you tell I like 30 Rock an awful lot? Liz Lemon, Lois Lane? It’s a natural progression.)
Some Notes Concerning An Out-Of-Context Panel From A Silver Age Superman Comic.
Comments Off | Posted: May 10th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
From “The Duel Over Superman,” in Superman #150
Story by Bob Bernstein | Art by Kurt Schaffenberger
Reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Volume 3
- It would be frightfully easy to turn this into a phone sex flier that you could plant in strategic areas around a comics convention and help take your fledgling dirty chat operation to the next level.
- I can’t really blame Superman for being awful to them, if this is the sort of thing they do behind his back. The entire thing is sick, but understandable.
- Again, Kurt Schaffenberg’s gals are stone cold foxes. Check out Lois lounging around in that diaphanous little thing. “Hot” ain’t the word here – thermonuclear is. (Yes, I’m ignoring the horrible collar with what looks like a Macy’s gift bow attached and instead pretending.)
- I’d be willing to bet Lois is listening to Duke Ellington & John Coltrane on the hi-fi. OK, that’s what I’m pretending she’s listening to. Shut up.
- I bitterly regret than another panel, in which they state they’re tired of all the catfighting they’re doing is placed so close to the spine and I don’t have a color copy of this story in my archives to use.
