Go to: Lucky (July 2017), by Gabrielle Bell
7/31/2017
7/29/2017
More NonSense: Comic-Con 2017 Edition
Go to: Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International in San Diego (at least until 2021) is the big comics-adjacent event this July. How did this year's super-massive convention go down? Here are a few links to get you started:
Words:
Moviepilot reports on DC's future publishing initiatives. Todd Allen reacts to the news that the comics industry is close to collapse.
John Lewis leads a march through the San Diego Convention Center.
Comics Announcement: The Terrifics by Jeff Lemire and Ivan Reis.
The 2017 Eisner Awards.
LA Times
Vox on the the film juggernaut that is Marvel Studios.
The Verge
The Beat, more, more, more,
io9, more, more, more, more,
Time
Tor
Women Write Write About Comics
Videos:
Comics Announcement: Superman: Year One by Frank Miller.
The Beat,
io9, more, more, more, more, more, more, more,
Lupita Nyong'o, more,
Estelle
Tested
Yellow Productions, more,
Hyper RPG
Trailers & Clips:
io9, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more,
Vox, more, more, more, more, more,
Photos:
Bleeding Cool
The Guardian
io9
Reuters
Space.com
Glen Weldon lists ten comics that changed the medium. It's a fairly conventional list since most pundits would agree with his choices.
Glen Weldon also lists his top 100 graphic novels.
Glen Weldon lists the most influential newspaper strips.
Matthew Thurber lists 10 cartoonists for art lovers.
Abraham Riesman on the rapidly expanding kids comics market.
Shannon Wattres, Tom King, And Veronica Fish list 17 comics to read at the beach.
Amanda Shendruk analyses gender representation in comics.
Abraham Riesman on the fallout over Marvel making Captain America evil.
Christopher Butcher employs the somewhat unsatisfying "Marvel will be Marvel" observation when commenting on the publisher's recent woes.
Tom Holland trying to pass off as an American teenager in order to experience what life is like for students attending American high schools is cute. Then again, critics are going gaga over his portrayal of Peter Parker in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
The "Marvel Cinematic Universe" version takes more liberties with the character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko than the two previous Sony Studio incarnations. But the changes have actually resonated with the MCU audience because they still manage to tap into the character 's core appeal. Take his relationship with Tony Stark/Iron Man. Peter's classic Spider-Man suit being gifted to him by Tony would seem like a violation of the superhero's reputation for self-reliance and creativity. But the relationship also hones in on Peter's often troubled history with terrible father figures. And Tony, who essentially substitutes for Norman Osborne/Green Goblin as wealthy industrialist with dubious motives, is as terrible a father figure as any. Peter's rejection of his generous offer at the film's end is in line with the character's emerging maturity. In the meantime, his hacking of the suit's parental controls is what any overprotective adult should expect from a very bright, if not too experienced teenager.
Holland's dorktastic Peter isn't the lonely outcast of Lee and Ditko. But the bumbling hero who learns to rely on a supportive network is one of the more welcome changes of the Miles Morales/Kamala Khan generation. More importantly, Holland is the most convincing adolescent of any actor ever tasked to play Peter. And it is refreshing to see him interact with a similarly young (not to mention multiethnic) cast of actors after so many MCU films populated by serious-looking adults.
Alex Abad-Santos on the film's homage to the iconic scene in Amazing Spider-Man No. 33.
Pepe the Frog now has a lawyer in Kimberly Motley.
Sean T. Collins lists the top 40 "Game of Thrones" characters and the top 25 episodes in anticipation of the series July return on HBO.
RIP Joan Lee, spouse of Stan Lee.
RIP Sam Glanzman (December 5, 1924 - 2017), veteran artist known for his many war comics made for Charlton and DC in the 1960s and 1970s.
RIP Flo Sternberg (March 17, 1939 - July 23, 2017), Marvel's 'Fabulous Flo'. Tribute by Michael J. Vassallo.
RIP George Romero (February 4, 1940 - July 16, 2017), director of "Night of the Living Dead". the film that spawned the modern zombie genre. Reactions from his colleagues.
RIP Martin Landau (June 20, 1928 - July 15, 2017), veteran Hollywood actor, whose credits included "Space: 1999", "North by Northwest", "Mission Impossible", and "Ed Wood".
RIP June Foray (September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017), celebrated voice actress. Tribute from Matt Zoller Seitz.
7/27/2017
7/24/2017
Batman/Elmer Fudd Special
“Pway for Me”
Story: Tom King
Art: Lee Weeks
Colors: Lovern Kindierski
Letters: Deron Bennett
Variant: Bob Fingerman
“Rabbit Season”
Story: Tom King
Art: Byron Vaughns
Colors: Carrie Strachan
Letters: Deron Bennett
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
Elmer Fudd created by Tex Avery & Chuck Jones.
Bugs Bunny created by Ben Hardaway, Cal Dalton, Tex Avery.
When two tonally dissimilar fictional characters meet in a crossover, the resulting story must play a delicate balancing act that lends credibility to both. Archie Comics has usually accomplished this by setting their crossovers in the Archie universe (see Archie vs. Predator). However, the current DC/Looney Tunes series of one-shots splits the difference: a main story takes place inside the DC universe, while a backup story takes place within the more cartoony Looney Tunes setting. The latter isn’t that hard to imagine, given that Looney Tunes has already skewered DC multiple times (remember BatDuck?). But the former requires DC’s stable of writers to be clever when reimagining the Looney Tunes characters operating in a timeline that normally doesn't acknowledge talking cartoon animals.
Regular Batman scribe Tom King succeeds by making Batman/Elmer Fudd a noir story about the small town vs. the big city. His Elmer is a starving country boy who moved to Gotham and parlayed his hunting skills to become a hitman. When his girlfriend is murdered, Elmer tracks down her killer Bugs “The Bunny” to a local dive called Porky’s. Bugs bargains for his life by giving up the name of the client who ordered the hit - someone named Bruce Wayne. Without realising it, Elmer has been put on a collision course with the Dark Knight Detective.
The comic’s appeal rests on artist Lee Weeks being able to transplant the Looney Tunes characters into the gritty noir setting while maintaining their general features. Elmer looks out of place in Gotham with his hunting jacket and oversized cap. But the getup serves as his menacing calling card. Bugs is bucked-tooth, and weaselly looking. Porky’s regulars also happen to be other Looney Tunes characters: from mustachioed biker Yosemite Sam, to a mohawked tough guy named “Taz.” What elevates the story from noir to some place even more surreal is that Weeks’ visuals are accompanied by Elmer’s first person narration. The character’s trademark “w” substituting for “r” and “l” speech impediment remains intact while he monologues like the typical male protagonist dead set on carrying out his revenge in the name of his dead lover. It sounds hilarious, and shows an awareness of the comic's own absurd premise.
When the inevitable confrontation between Elmer and Batman takes place, the fight is more evenly matched than most would expect from an Elmer Fudd/Batman fight. Elmer holds his own with nothing more than his signature shotgun. His brutal efficiency works so well against the caped crusader’s fancy, acrobatic dodging that even Batman has to eventually talk his way out of getting shot in the chest, again. Take that, f@#* one percenter! It's a duel between two people whose contrasting fighting styles reflect their backgrounds from different social strata. Not a small amount of class resentment is mixed with the desire for revenge when Elmer resolves to kill this spoiled billionaire playboy he doesn't know, but who probably never had to hunt and kill his own food.
And if that’s not to the reader’s delicate taste, Tom King’s backup story is basically the same story done in the more conventional Looney Tunes style. As Batman himself would say in the comic, “He is… quite a stinker.”
7/19/2017
7/12/2017
7/09/2017
Wonder Woman: Steve Trevor Special
Story: Tim Seeley
Art: Christian Duce
Colors: Allen Passalaqua
Letters: Josh Reed
Covers: Paul Renaud, Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn
Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston, H. G. Peter, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Olive Byrne.
This comic’s publication coincided to take advantage of the Wonder Woman film opening, so curious audience members could learn more about the character’s comic book incarnation. Apparently, that means reading more about Steve Trevor, who has been recently reinstated as Diana’s official beau. That will sound odd to most non-comics fans, but Steve hasn’t been romantically linked to her since the mid-eighties reboot authored by George Perez. But make no mistake, everything has now been set right by the powers that be. The comic even introduces the story within as “Wonder Woman's Boyfriend Steve Trevor” just in case there are any lingering doubts from skeptical comics fans who still remember that Superman and Wonder Woman were still an item until earlier this year. But given that in the film’s [Spoiler Alert] onscreen romance was kinda doomed, maybe DC is also hoping that film fans will be relieved to learn that the happy couple are still going strong within the pages of their own comics.
And yes, this is a Wonder Woman story even when Steve occupies most of its panels. Just as a Lois Lane story is actually about how Superman is seen through her eyes, or a story about James Gordon and the GCPD is ultimately about how Batman helps keeps Gotham safe from its resident lunatics. Steve is called away from Wonder Woman’s side to take part in a covert mission. But the mission itself, which involves rescuing a supernaturally enhanced individual from the clutches of nefarious forces, reminds Steve of his own complicated feelings towards Diana. Love is mixed with guilt over Steve being the person who contributed to Diana’s decision to leave her home in “paradise.” These emotions inevitably inform his actions on the mission.
This is an okay though unremarkable story drawn competently enough by Christian Duce. But the comic’s main purpose becomes apparent when Steve meets up with his usual team of crack operatives for the mission. They turn out to be the same trio of misfits from the film: The British sniper Charlie who suffers from PTSD, Moroccan aspiring actor and conman Sameer, and Native American tracker/smuggler “Chief.” Their comics appearance is remarkably quick compared to other characters introduced in other mediums making their way into the comic book pages. For now, Steve has kept his covert activities and his work with Diana far apart. But it’s safe to assume that at some point these two worlds will collide spectacularly as DC’s writers continue to flesh out this newly minted version of the Diana-Steve coupling. Corporate synergy, folks!
7/05/2017
7/01/2017
More NonSense: Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Edition
The Harry Potter franchise will be 20 years old this June 26. The publishing phenomena taught a generation of kids how to enjoy reading an increasingly hefty book series, and they would grow into one of the defining fandoms of 21st century popular culture. Pottermania helped push geek culture into the mainstream. The Harry Potter and "Lord of the Rings" film adaptations from the 2000s made it impossible to dismiss sci-fi/fantasy as mere niche entertainment.
But Harry Potter's early fame would naturally court controversy, namely with conservative Christians accusing the books for promoting occultism, paganism, devil worship. The usual stuff. Such dunderhead arguments did however touch on an important truth - Harry Potter's early appeal rested on Hogwarts. Like Starfleet or the Xavier mansion before it, the wizarding school was the kind of nerdvana misfits and outcasts could dream about. Everyone feels the desire to belong somewhere. And like its titular hero, fans would come to see Hogwarts as an ideal home for them as well. Who wouldn't want to attend a school which feels so comfortingly familiar, yet teaches subjects that are so cool, useful, and unconventional? A safe haven from the oppressive muggles who don't understand their geeky obsessions. And who now doesn't want to know which of the four houses is a natural fit for them? Go Slytherin! Or maybe it's Ravenclaw?
Tiffany Babb examines the mythological structure of superhero comics, using Marvel character Loki as a case study.
Abraham Riesman lists eight Comics You Need to Read This June.
Marta Bausells profiles Jillian Tamaki.
A short video on Trina Robbins as the first women to draw Wonder Woman.
Alex Abad-Santos on how the Wonder Woman film tackles her origin and its feminist content.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige thanks God that Wonder Woman has helped make it easier to make female-led superhero films. Alrighty then.
Cecilia D'Anastasio on the state of manga scanlators trying to go legit.
Deb Aoki on why manga industry can smile in 2017. Among them are increased variety of genres, digital first initiatives, and simultaneous English/Japanese publishing schedules.
Michael Livingston explains what "The Great Wall" gets wrong about Chinese history, and how it ends up playing into the White Saviour complex.
Derf doesn't have anything good to say about the ACHA.
Charles Pulliam-Moore asks why so many black superheroes have electricity powers? Sadly, it didn't occur to me until I read this that Jamie Fox playing Electro in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" follows in this trope.
Sean T. Collins ranks ninety three "Game of Thrones" characters in order from most good to most evil. I don't think there's any disagreement on who the bad guys are. But who is the worst of the worst? The placement might spark some debate.
Matt Furie keeps trying to save his creation Pepe the Frog from being appropriated as an alt-right token. His latest move is to launch a kickstarter for Pepe to reclaim "his status as a universal symbol for peace, love, and acceptance." I wish him luck. It must be infuriating when one of your characters is officially considered a hate symbol. But the attempt sounds pretty futile.
Is Michelle Pfeiffer in "Batman Returns" the best movie supervillain?
RIP Adam West (September 19, 1928 – June 9, 2017), the world's most beloved Batman. More from Glen Weldon, Evan Narcisse, Keith DeCandido.
RIP Michael Bond (January 13, 1926 – June 27, 2017), creator of the beloved character Paddington Bear.
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