The Four Color Media Monitor

In a new interview with Frank Miller in the Los Angeles Times (registration required), he minces no words in making clear what the problem is with today's Hollywimps, and comics publishers too:

MUCH has been made of Miller's politics in the wake of "300." The deliriously violent and stylized sword film is based on a Spartan battle in 480 B.C., and although Miller wrote and drew the story for Dark Horse comics a decade ago, in film form it was received by many as a grotesque parody of the ancient Persians and a fetish piece for a war on Islam. Miller scoffs at those notions. "I think it's ridiculous that we set aside certain groups and say that we can't risk offending their ancestors. Please. I'd like to say, as an American, I was deeply offended by 'The Last of the Mohicans.'"

Still, Miller gets stirred up about any criticism of the war in Iraq or the hunt for terrorists, which he views as the front in a war between the civilized Western world and bloodthirsty Islamic fundamentalists.

"What people are not dealing with is the fact that we're going up against a culture that finds it acceptable to do things that the rest of the world left behind with the barbarians in the 6th century," Miller said. "I'm a little tired of people worrying about being polite. We are fighting in the face of fascists."

The director of "300," Zack Snyder, chuckled about the portrayal of Miller as a conservative on the attack or a "proto-fascist" as one pundit called him. "I don't think he really has politics, he just sees the world in moral terms. He's a guy who says what he thinks and has a sense of right and wrong. He talks tough and, after Sept. 11, I think he's mad." Snyder said Miller is a throwback and that he approaches his art with a bar-fight temperament, like a Sam Peckinpah. "His political view is: Don't mess with me."

Not surprisingly, Miller's Bat-project in which the Masked Manhunter takes on al Qaeda terrorists appears to have been stalled courtesy of "squeamishness by executives at DC Comics and its parent, Warner Bros. Entertainment, in sending a franchise character on a blood-quest after terrorists." But even if it weren't a "franchise character", chances are that they'd still balk. I think they could sure use more than a bit of criticism for their predictable balking.

Miller offers a plot description and slams the lack of support for the war against jihad in the comics industry:

The book is still not out, and in the industry there is the general sense that the project has stalled a bit. At the W, though, Miller said about 120 pages of his Batman tale have been drawn and inked and he’s starting in on the “final 50 or so.” He said he plans to finish it even though he senses squeamishness by executives at DC Comics and its parent, Warner Bros. Entertainment, in sending a franchise character on a blood-quest after terrorists. The topic is clearly an uncomfortable one for him, and he gave the impression that the title, the distribution deal and the nature of the project are in flux. (Note: if DC just dares in any ways to stop him, that's exactly why a backlash against any editorial interference would have to be a good idea!)

"Our hero's key quote is, 'Those clowns don't know what terror is,'" Miller said. "Then he sets out to get the guys."

With the hero as terrorism avenger, Miller is pointing to the days of comics in the 1940s, when Superman, Captain America and the Human Torch were drawn taking punches at Hitler or Hirohito.

"These terrorists are worse than any villain I can come up with, and I think it's ridiculous that people in entertainment are not showing what we are up against here…. This is pure propaganda, a throwback, there's no bones about it."

Miller also said he relishes a backlash. "I'm ready," he said, "for my fatwa."

Well said! The word "jihad" has actually appeared here and there in some past comics, but I don't think I've seen "fatwa" before, and while it's only in a related interview where we're seeing this now, I must say that that's saying something. Ole!

Open trackbacks: Basil's Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Jo's Cafe, Pirates' Cove, Pursuing Holiness.

Labels: good artists, good writers, islam and jihad, terrorism

In some stranger-than-fiction news, The Scotsman reports about how in Serbia, a mineral was discovered containing chemicals similar to the Kryptonite featured in one of the Superman movies. Isn't that amazing? And yet, with the way it's structured, something tells me it may not be as dangerous as the mineral in the comics!

Update: many in Serbia came to see the exhibition.

Labels: Europe and Asia, science

Here's an article from the Arizona Daily Star about an exhibit on blacks in comics at the Jackson State University in Mississippi.

Marvel as a comics company has been doing some very disgustingly moonbatty things lately, but what about Marvel Studios over in Hollywood? If it's under the same ownership, then they too should be ashamed of themselves for giving academic internship to members of an enemy country like the UAE:

DUBAI - Young Arab Leaders (YAL) and Marvel Studios have agreed to the first ever Hollywood academic internship alliance, according to Mohammed Khammas, the YAL UAE chapter Vice Chairman.

Marvel Studios, one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, has agreed to allow sponsored internship students interested in film studio production, directing, editing, script writing, publishing, animation, marketing and back lot associated careers to work directly under Marvel staff in the full range of industry careers.

Mohammed Khammas stated "The alliance between Young Arab Leaders and Marvel Studios marks the first of its kind in the world. From our end, this partnership is a great honor and testament to our standing in the international community. Through this agreement we will be opening great opportunities for young students and professionals in the Emirates"

"It is our objective to build capacities in a number of industries in the Arab world. The entertainment, movie, publishing and directing careers are the new wave of career interests in our region."

"H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid's Al Maktoum vision is to explore all unchartered professional territories and excel in them, and with that vision we are preparing young Arabs to be professionally trained to manage these industries from all its aspects, with this great opportunity provided by Marvel Studios and its visionary chairman David Maisel."

This Young Arab Leader's initiative is fully supported by Marvel Studio Chairman, David Maisel and the board at Marvel Entertainment who lead both the studio and publishing empire.

So Marvel's plans to build a theme park in Dubai weren't even half of the abominable news. Now, they're even giving "scholarships" to people who could just as well be agents for a country that's really an enemy? Absolutely disgusting.

And here's a little something else from Debbie for people like me to think about:

Marvel Studios chief, David Maisel--is Jewish. Apparently, he forgot about the UAE's Zayed Center--a state-run agency founded by the UAE's late leader Sheikh Zayed--which sponsored speakers and published Nazi propaganda and literature, whose central theme was that Jews and America were behind 9/11.

Hath Maisel no shame? Apparently not.

I think Avi Arad, another one of their filmmaking supervisors, also said some moonbatty things in past years that turned me off. Put another way, Maisel and Arad don't speak for me.

Already, I'm getting very angry at them, mainly because they seem to be doing this deliberately. And what happens next when this kind of corruption starts turning up in the pages of Marvel comics themselves, as could happen?

A commentor at Debbie's blog asks:

I wonder What Stan Lee who helped create Marvel Comics would say?

You know what? I think that's right. Why exactly is Stan the Man being so silent on the issue or selling out himself by not showing the guts to protest? And this was the very same company that tried to rob him, the very one who practically created much of Marvel, of his share of the profits for the first Spider-Man movie. How can he just stick to the shadows now? I realize that he's old of age, but still...

Until that can be solved, I think that any true Marvellite is going to have to search for how to contact their business sources and give them a piece of their mind on this.

Update: this article from Fortune tells that while some of the Marvel movies produced in the past nine years may have made a profit, Marvel themselves haven't made much of anything. Towards, but only circa the end, does it mention how David Maisel went to Dubai. At the beginning though, it does mention that Maisel isn't happy to talk about how much money Spider-Man 3 made, because of how Marvel actually reaped little of it. Would it be fair to say that they may have been asking for whatever they've gotten?

Open trackbacks: Adam's Blog, Allie is Wired, Basil's Blog, bRight and Early, Cao's Blog, Church and State, Jo's Cafe, Leaning Straight Up, Mark My Words, Point Five, The Right Nation, Third World County.

Labels: islam and jihad, marvel comics, politics

At the Titans Tower Monitor, the webmaster lets us all know that World War 3 is not worth your time and money:

I got 'em all, but was rather underwhelmed. The 'gaps' they were supposed to 'explain'? Hardly!! The Supergirl stuff is still confusing... Donna Troy, Nightwing/Jason and Batgirl are not even explained, even though they have panel time. Terra is senselessly killed so Didio can do his 'old mask-new face' trick again. ONE YEAR LATER has been horribly, horribly executed. SECRET WARS did it better over 20 years ago.

That may be the "new" Terra, who turned up in 1991, but that still doesn't justify slaying her. If I were in charge, I would've revealed that she was a clone and had her simply pass away when her lifeline energy gives out. But to actually slay her, if you ask me, was uncalled for.

I'm really not surprised if WW3 is as dreadful as it sounds here, as it seems more geared to hype than a well written story. Once again, another "event" comic that's worth skipping.

Labels: dc comics, golden calf of death

I looked at this fansite for the Question some time ago, and I seem to remember them saying on the main page that they said they'd accept whatever was done with Vic Sage. And you know something? If that's what they said, I'm appalled. DC may have offed a viable character in favor of one who isn't very interesting (Renee Montoya), and who's unlikely to receive any human interest stories like what Vic Sage had in the late 80s series, and they won't even fight for him? To me, this sounds like weakness.

If they were smart, they'd voice their objections. That's exactly what should be done, and not to just go along accepting what's done in Emperor's New Clothes style.

Labels: dc comics, golden calf of death

Here's an article from the Palm Beach Post about a guy involved in setting up the first convention in the neighborhood of Port St. Lucie in Florida.

Labels: conventions

Denny O'Neil, Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich all attended the Cape Girardeau Comic Con this week. The organizer, store manager Ken Murphy, had something to say that I agree with:

Murphy, a sports-loving family man, hates the stereotypes that often are attached to comic book and gaming hobbyists -- people who Murphy says come from all walks of life. But Murphy also said the area has long supported comic books as a hobby and a creative pursuit, as evidenced by people like Thomas and Friedrich -- respected comic book names from Southeast Missouri.

I completely concur with that. That's why I find the word "geek" which originally referred to a circus performer who ate chicken heads or something in the mid-1950s, so appalling. I remember that several years ago, when the first X-Men movie was being produced, there were quite a few press sources who seemed to use the word geek, and while it's always possible to wear it with staunch pride, that still doesn't mean it's justified. Sometimes I wonder if "fanboy" is also an unfair stereotype. A very good question.

Labels: conventions

I looked at the ICV2 sales chart for last month, and I see that Captain America #25 sold at least 290,000 copies. I will make clear, that issue did not deserve an audience, yet readers bought into the publicity and went for it anyway.

In fact, nothing written by Brian Bendis deserves an audience either. That he may dislike some of the characters in the Avengers like Hawkeye, for example, indicates a serious problem with some of today's writers, that they allow their personal dislike of a character to get out of hand, and do bad things to them. (But also wrong is when the editors allow them to go too far with them.) So it's not only the problem with "hot" writers that needs to be dealt with, but also the problem with writers who let their personal biases dictate what they do with someone else's favorite characters.

Labels: Captain America, marvel comics

Not very pleasing, but, as I discovered, there's a "splog", meaning, a spam-blog, that's been siphoning content from my own blog for a few months now, probably by logging on to my RSS feed, I'm not sure. It's on a server called 120host, and here's the URL, where, with the possible exception of anything that involves javascript in the post, it's been copying off of my blog and, if I'm sending a trackback ping to some Wordpress blogs (it's powered by their software), it seems to follow suit.

According to this blogger here, who's also been getting content siphoned from this server:

It's a "splog", or a spam blog. A splogger syphons high-quality content from an original blog (We are talking high-quality in baesian terms. It can be utter trite as far as humans are concerned.) Visitors from search engines then visit the splog and drive the ad revenue.

I have quite a few of them attached, although the 120host is unique because apparently it seeks me personally (e.g. it double-sourced my content from Advogato when available).

There's no way to complain to anyone about the 120host.net. It is a website run by sploggers (which also allows free registration for everyone, as a fig leaf).

I still don't like it. Maybe it's possible to contact Wordpress administration about this, and ask if they can do anything about it, so I'll have to think about it sometime.

Labels: technical matters

Hawkgirl joins the recent Firestorm on the cancellation heap with issue #66. Personally, I wonder if what led to this was that, similar to Firestorm, they forcibly replaced one protagonist with another, or as in the case of the Hawks, they replaced the male lead with the female lead.

Much as I find the idea of putting the lady in the lead intriguing, the way it was done here, to turn Hawkman into Hawkgirl was still otherwise arbitrary and done solely as change for the sake of change. But also damaging was what Identity Crisis did to make Carter Hall look like a cad, which they seem to have used as an excuse for replacing him with Kendra Saunders and even changing the series' name from male to female.

It was a series that had some great potential, if you ask me, but in the end, they ultimately squandered it all.

Labels: dc comics

I don't think I've seen this kind of promotion in publishing schedules that often:

THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #14
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Tony S. Daniel & Art Thibert
Cover by Joshua Middleton
DC Comics announces the second month of a special FLASH promotion as the Fastest Man Alive’s world changes forever! Retailers: please check your the Previews order form for a special incentive designed to help you meet the demand for this story. Fans: remind your retailer early and often to order you a copy!
On sale July 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Something tells me that, with the way sales have plunged for the Scarlet Speedster's title sometime after the forced replacement of Wally West with Bart Allen, they are desperate to try and get people to come back. Sorry, but, only if they're willing to be honest and say clearly that they'll bring back Wally and Linda West, little the worse for wear, will I be willing to consider. This news clip doesn't say anything beyond what we see, other than the superficial "changes forever" cliche, and so I see little reason to be tempted to fall for this rather absurd-looking type of advertising.

Labels: dc comics, Flash, msm propaganda

Scott McCloud makes another lecturing visit on his 50-state tour to promote his book "Making Comics", this time at Krannert in Illinois:

In 1993, the comics writer, artist and theorist first championed the powerful language of comics with his book "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art."

McCloud's book was not simply a text about comics with pictorial examples, but was instead written and drawn entirely in comic book format. John Jennings, an associate professor in FAA, said of McCloud, "In my opinion, Scott McCloud is one of the most important figures in visual culture and media literacy. His insight into the comics medium is second to none, and his passion and expertise will influence comic book creators for generations to come."

I certainly hope he does make an impact.

Labels: good artists, good writers

So here's some news on Black Canary's upcoming miniseries, which is being written by Tony Bedard, and is coming out in three months.

I still think that, whatever her position in the DCU, that she should still be a cast member in Birds of Prey, which works much better with her in it. If DC wants to both her and BoP to work properly, they should bring her back.

Labels: dc comics, women of dc

There were some others who quoted this most recent look at DC sales on The Beat, and I guess I will too, even if it's later than most others:

DC Comics are increasingly struggling to keep up with Marvel in terms of market share and chart domination. The good news is that DC’s average sales recovered somewhat in February, thanks to a strong debut of new team-up title The Brave and the Bold, and to a bunch of high-selling titles returning to the shelves after being absent for various reasons in January. However, for the first time in two years, the publisher failed to break the 100K barrier with any of its releases — in fact, Justice League of America and the elusive All Star Batman are now the only DC titles which haven’t dropped below that marker, and DC doesn’t seem to have any obvious new 100K+ sellers lined up for the next several months. Additionally, the problem of late-shipping titles persists. Justice League of America #6, Teen Titans #44 and Superman Confidential #4 are the most prominent books that didn’t reach stores despite being marked for a February release.

DC’s Vertigo and WildStorm sub-labels also continue to look less than healthy, in terms of monthly sales. Due to the failure of Vertigo’s Fables to ship in February, the imprint’s average numbers dropped to their lowest point yet since Diamond started to release information on actual sales in March 2003. WildStorm, in the meantime, appears to be all over the place. The recent revamp of their WildStorm Universe line begins to look more and more half-hearted, suffering from mediocre sales, two missing flagship titles and high-profile creators jumping ship after their initial arcs, while the whole lot of their new ongoing horror film adaptations has just been canceled. In other words, everything’s looking a little bit bleak for DC at the moment.

And could continue that way if they don't knock off the incredibly politically correct for PC's sake direction they've been taking lately. The lateness that's also hit their publishing schedule is probably also the result of relying too much on "hot" writers, just like what happened with Marvel a few years ago.

On the one hand, it's sad, but on the other hand, if they're going to keep on leaving any of the damage inflicted via Identity/Infinite Crisis lying around unrepaired, then I really can't feel sorry for DC's editors for the embarrassment that's now befallen them. The key to sympathy, and a renewed wish to buy anything involving my favorite characters and teams from them is to make repairs for such characters as Sue Dibny, Jean Loring, and their respective paramours Ralph Dibny and Ray Palmer. Others include for Barry Allen and the JLA's reputations, and also bringing back Wally West and Linda Park West, and even bringing back Stephanie Brown. And...refraining from overly political biases would also do quite well too.

They fulfill those requests, among a few others, which I should think they're more than capable of doing, and then maybe we can talk something over. Otherwise, I really can't feel sorry for DC's current dilemma.

Labels: dc comics

Here's an article from Japan's Asahi Shimbun in English that talks about a manga series called Detective Conan, and a kind of role-playing game that was done for a day as a tourist attraction:

It didn't take a detective to figure out why there was a queue of about 300 people on a street in Hokuei recently.

The crowd was anxiously awaiting the opening of the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory, an attraction that local leaders are hoping will put the town of about 16,700 people on the tourist map.

Aoyama was born in what now constitutes Hokuei, and he is best known for the "Meitantei Conan" (Detective Conan) manga series.

On March 18, the manga factory opened its doors to the crowds of fans and curious locals.

A taped message from the famous manga artist was played at a ceremony to welcome those gathered.

"I hope you will check into every little corner of the entire facility because it is filled with the essence of all of the works I have produced so far."

Facility officials said after the large numbers at the opening, they were confident of reaching their annual goal of 130,000 visitors.

In keeping with the Detective Conan motif, visitors became amateur gumshoes for a day, using special film sheets to read special hidden messages laid throughout the factory.

That sure sounds like a lot of fun!

Labels: manga and anime

There's going to be another Hulk movie, but, as some recent news reports have indicated, could this be a remake rather than a sequel?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton will play scientist-turned-superhero Bruce Banner in a new movie version of "The Incredible Hulk," Marvel Entertainment said on Monday.

The new movie is based on the comic book series telling of the exploits of Banner, a scientist who transforms into a giant green brute, and it follows a 2003 big-budget film called "Hulk" that failed to catch fire with audiences or critics.

Norton, 37, is among Hollywood's most versatile actors, having appeared in more than 20 films including "American History X" and "Primal Fear," both of which earned him Oscar nominations for acting. For the most part, his roles have been in dramas such as 2006's "The Illusionist," making his choice to portray a comic book hero a novel idea.

"His ability to transform into a particular role makes him the ideal choice to take on the character of Bruce Banner/The Hulk," said Kevin Feige, president of production at Marvel Studios.

Well, we'll see just how good or bad this turns out to be.

Labels: Hulk, marvel comics

I see now that Gail Simone is going to be the new writer for Wonder Woman (via Monitor Duty). Maybe now, there'll be something auspicuous to come of this third volume.

Update: more evidence as to why we should hope so: while looking at the Dixonverse forum, someone tells what happens in WW #7:

Wonder Woman has been in search of her 'bracelet' in issue #7 and gets picked up the Metahuman Force and taken in for questioning. There is another witty/stupid exchange with a Sarge Steel who informs her she will be detained till they get info on some 'Purple Ray' power. When the Sarge says he was told to do this, WW says 'Violate The Geneva Convention?', Orders from the White House is the answer. I was surprised WW wasn't put in an orange suit and sent to Gitmo. I'm getting fed up with these moronic analogies to Gitmo. The people there are NOT superheroes, Cut the CR@P. Sorry, had to get that off my chest. If this is the crux of the WW III by DC, after Marvels Civil War, I'll pass. Still, Gail is a good writer, I'll give it a chance when she comes aboard.

As will I, provided she refrain from the kind of crap that takes place in this issue. Simply disgusting, that once more, the US government, even in a fictional universe, is being made out to look one-dimensional for the sake of negative attitudes towards government policy. Let's be clear, we don't want to hear constantly about how the local government is wrong and only the "Geneva convention" is right. That's one-sided, and it's something that needs to be refrained from for a change.

Labels: dc comics, Wonder Woman

Not content with just being anti-American in their storytelling, Marvel's management is now following in the footsteps of Halliburton* (the company Michael Moore profited from even as he attacked them), and doing a deal with Dubai to open a theme park there.

FastCompany, a mostly business related blog, wondered if Capt. America was sacrificed on the alter of global business (or, put another way, to appease the enemy):

Less than two weeks after the surprise death of this superhero created during World War II to embody the patriotic spirit, Marvel Entertainment Group announced a partnership with UAE-based Al Ahli Group. According to Marvel’s press release, this partnership “will bring Marvel’s full library of Super Heroes – including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer – to Dubai for a major new theme park destination being developed by AAG.” Captain America died just in time.

Apparently, there is no longer room in Marvel’s library for a super hero that symbolizes – and, indeed, is named for – America. Marvel’s website calls Captain America “a fallen son,” and laments that “Captain America's death has dealt a major blow to the heroes of the Marvel Universe.” Despite any mourning period, the AP reported on March 21 that “Marvel said it is beginning talks with the developer (AAG) to partner on additional projects in the (Persian Gulf) region.”

Since the “Captain America Complex” has been linked with the global war on terror, perhaps its namesake’s days were numbered. When it comes to the global marketplace in general, and the United Arab Emirates’ booming economy in particular, it looks to me like there is no longer room for the “living symbol of freedom” (to quote Marvel’s website).

Even if it didn't have anything to do with this, Marvel is really taking a turn for the obscene by making any kind of a business deal with a country that's been harboring terrorists, terror funders, and even child slavery. Could their park venture deal hurt them stateside? Yes, it could. As word gets out, people could backlash against Marvel by boycotting their Florida-based theme park, as well as any others that are making money.

The people now running Marvel are clearly some of the most dishonest people in the business, if they're going to go miles out of their way to ignore important facts and make Faustian pacts with countries that have shady business lurking behind the scenes.

* That's not saying that Marvel's literally moving their businesses there. Nevertheless, that they're doing business with this shadily operated country, totally oblivious to any of the important facts and findings about it is very troubling.

Update: Jihad/Dhimmi Watch mentions this a bit.

Labels: Captain America, marvel comics

The San Diego Union Tribune interviews Paul Norris, the artist who co-created Aquaman with Mort Weisinger back in the Golden Age, who's now 92 years old:

OCEANSIDE – Paul Norris is still getting fan mail for the comic book character he created more than 65 years ago.

The 92-year-old Oceanside resident created “Aquaman” in 1941 with DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger, known for his work on Superman.

It was the golden age of comics when Norris was asked to create a super human who lived in the sea.

“I drew up the character, and off he went,” Norris said.

“Aquaman” appeared around the world and developed a following throughout Europe that still exists today.

Wow, if that's so, then how can anyone ever say the Sea King isn't a great character? He certainly is, and the Silver Age adventures are certainly said to be well regarded.

Labels: Aquaman, dc comics, good artists

If you're looking to buy the trades of the New Teen Titans, namely, Terra Incognito and the Judas Contract, you'll probably want to know that there's a very odd manipulation in the former.

A couple years ago, I bought three issues of the New Teen Titans from around the time of the Terra storyline. Later on, I bought both the above trade paperbacks, and so I now more or less have all of that famous storyline. That aside, when looking at some of the pages inside the former, I noticed that there was some very strange thing done there, as I'll explain by presenting the following panels below. For starters, here's page 9 from NTT 28:
Now, Donna sure looks great taking a shower, doesn't she? But the main subject here is how, in the trade paperback, they manipulated her word balloon when she's talking to Koriand'r about Dick and how he tries to be as good as Batman (being such a classy girl, she often referred to the Masked Manhunter back then as THE Batman, which probably shows how much she respected Dick's mentor back then.): here, you see that both word balloons are truly Donna's. Now, I wish I could scan what's to be seen in the trade as well, but I'm afraid of damaging the fabric with which it's been glued together (I have another trade of Spider-Man that almost came close to risk of coming apart on the inside a couple years ago), so I have a strict rule NOT to scan out of those, let alone offer a description of scenes there. But what I can say is that in the trade compilation, it appears that the editors fooled around with the combined word balloon and made it look almost like Kory was the one saying "he's just not driven the way the Batman is. He hasn't got that same fanatical obsession." A line was drawn between the two balloons, and a little triangle was drawn underneath the balloon hovering over Kory, making it almost seem as though Kory were the one to say it. Not at all, as shown by the above scan, it's Donna who told her fellow Titan this.

Frankly, it's ludicrous that they should be toying around with what was shown in the original material in the early 80s, since it almost dilutes the impact of the original scene. I think the editors have something to answer for here.
Now, see this panel from issue 29? We see that Frances Kane's coat is colored reddish-pink. But in the trade, it's plain white and the footnote was omitted. Not so bad a step but still very odd that they bleached her coat.
Now, in issue 33, that appears to be Gar Logan doing a backstroke in the water in the third panel to the right, but his hair looks blond and he's not colored green. In the trade, they recolored this part properly so that he IS green. That, on the other hand, is a good step.

So there we have three examples of alterations done in a trade paperback, one that's sloppy, one that's so-so, and one that's meant well. But good or bad they may be, I've noticed that many times, DC has omitted certain things minor though they may be, either by blacking them out or by digitally erasing them, from a lot of the trade paperbacks they've published. And I have to wonder, is this a good thing? Marvel, for all their faults today, usually doesn't tinker with small details like footnotes, writer/artist/editor credits and "Next ish" announcements in their trades, and leaves them more or less the the way they were seen in the original pamphlets.

If it's for doing something like recoloring the skin color of anyone like Beast Boy, then I'd say that's good, but when it comes to footnotes, I really don't see the point, even if it's possible to look these things up on the internet and on Wikipedia.

On one more note, the second trade, while there were some omissions, is otherwise okay and there didn't seem to be any serious manipulations there. One difference is that that one is published on a form of paper almost similar to what you find in the pamphlets!

And with that, we now return you to your regularly scheduled Donna-gazing. ;)

Labels: dc comics, Titans, women of dc

The fluff-coated Wizard runs an interview with John Ostrander in which we discover that he too suffers from the problem of obsession with death obsession:

War is about to break loose in the DC Universe, and no one is safe—not even the junior superhero team, the Teen Titans. In a series of one-shots being released April 18 in conjunction with issue #50 of the weekly series 52, the DC Universe will feel the wrath of Black Adam. We sat down with writer John Ostrander to talk about World War III Part 3: Hell Is for Heroes, in which we’ll see one of the Teen Titans die. The comic veteran reveals that the issue will show readers how Black Adam’s rage is not without cause, and he hints at the possibility of another death in the issue.

Oh, I'll bet it's not. And that line about how no one is safe, I can't stand that either.

WIZARD: So, one of the Teen Titans is going to die, huh?

OSTRANDER: Someone asked me that question and I said, “Hmm…only one?” [Laughs]

[Wizard:] So more than one of the Teen Titans will die!?

OSTRANDER: You’ve been told one is dead. What happens to some of the others? Not pretty. Everyone is going, “Oh, they’re killing another Titan!” It’s not just that we’re killing them, we’re pounding on them. And it’s meant to be horrific. You’re meant to see what happens when characters like the Teen Titans go up against characters like Black Adam. They are in way over their head. The fact they are attempting to slow him down is what marks them as heroes. But what happens when you get into something you aren’t equipped to deal with?

Even if it's minor characters who do, I wouldn't waste my time on this mishmash for that. It's not why I read comics, nor is what's suggested this could be in the following:

[Wizard:] I’d say it’s going to be a gore fest with the Teen Titans, what do you say?

OSTRANDER: Yeah! I’d say so. What I can also say is that it’s not pretty when the Teen Titans manage to round up a quick group to go up against Black Adam and he just basically tears through them like tissue paper. I mean, they try to give a good account for themselves here because they have some pretty powerful characters, but [Black Adam] is virtually out of his mind with what he wants to do.

A gore fest? Even with teenagers in it? The older TT stories were not without their own share of bloody violence, but this is really sensationalizing the whole thing, and makes me even less encouraged to read it than ever.

Death and bloodletting is one of the worst ways to market and promote a comic book, and Ostrander has really fumbled the ball here, as has Wizard for paying lip service with their horrid sensationalism.

Labels: dc comics, golden calf of death, Titans

It seems that Gail Simone is leaving Birds of Prey. If she leaves while fixing the error Mark Waid made when he killed off Tora Olafsdotter a decade ago, then she'll have left a solid mark to her record on that series.

Labels: dc comics

So Warren Ellis is putting out his first creator-owned material with Avatar Press called "Black Summer". Sorry to say, but I have very little respect for this would-be writer whose standings towards the US are so negative, and when spotting this little line here about the premise, that's what tells me this may be quite dreadful indeed:

Series protagonist John Horus was a retired member of the once government-endorsed team of superheros called the Seven Guns, but when the political situation in the USA becomes more than he can stand, he moves to take matters into his own hands. Since all his other team-mates aren't so eager to throw the world into chaos, an epic conflict starts to form. And no one will be safe as the bodies start to fall.

And I'm sure this book will be more than I can stand either. I've got no interest in hearing Ellis drone on and on about how he doesn't like US government policy. And if even independent comics start becoming full of all this political nonsense, they too will end up in just as bad a state as the major comics are now.

Labels: moonbat writers, politics

This is one more minor followup to the prior post I did on Eddie Berganza. I'd seen that Sable took to speaking on the forum of Girl-Wonder about his upcoming role on just one issue of Supergirl, it turns out, but does even he emerge from Berganza's debacle unscathed? Not really. Besides, here at the FCMM, any comic book staffer/freelancer can be subject to criticism and will do well to respect that. He went onto this thread here and said:

...I'd first like to say I can [u]nderstand why you and many others aren't happy with the tone of the column, but I'm hoping that you'll be able to look past that and give our issues a fair shot. Regardless of how it was expressed, speaking only for myself, I beleive the sentiment behind the column is sincere.

Let's see, he speaks for himself, or does he? The sentiment has already been exposed as shoddy contempt, given what issue #15 turned out to be like.* He can say what he likes, but in my mind, he's only apologized for a man who doesn't really deserve it. Attempting to promote a psycho who's obviously not going to be a regular is the wrong way to do it.

Does this mean that I wouldn't want to take a look at issue #16, which he co-wrote? No, not at all, but it is meant to serve as little reminder that I don't take kindly to those who apologize in the name of the others who should be writing the apologies themselves. If Sable's wise, he'll avoid going out of his way to do things he doesn't have to.

By the way, I don't understand what the point is to this son-of-Boomerang, who doesn't seem to serve much purpose. Clearly, as a "product" of Identity Crisis, he was redundant.

* That's not saying the story doesn't have value as an argument about how you don't beat up on those whom you love, but the way that Berganza "promoted" the story was so incredibly foolish, because, rather than to promote that part, he makes it sound as if there's a new heartthrob in town for female readers to look forward to, totally obscuring the fact that Power Boy happens to be a psycho-jerk. Depending on how you look upon it, Berganza had a chance to actually impress upon the female readership, and he blew it.

Labels: dc comics, Supergirl, women of dc

But Brad Meltzer prefers to defend that whole approach:

Is there a way to tell a story faster? Yes. Is telling a story faster better? That’s a matter of opinion and taste. There’s no right or wrong. I really do believe that the coming together has much more effect here, because you got to meet the characters and interact with them, and then you get to see the whole big ka-bang.

Sorry, not interested. And he won't be missed when he goes.

Labels: dc comics

Note: it's strange how the javascript on front part of the carnival page doesn't show the upcoming schedule date properly, even though it does seem to display well on the submission page itself.

Labels: Carnival entries

The Frankfort Times of Indiana has an article about a comics fan who's opened up a super-hero museum in Indianapolis.

Labels: museums

Here's another item from within my collection I'm going to write about, this one the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 from 1986, which features a trio of short stories told by 3-4 different writers.

The book begins with Steve Englehart's framework story featuring Sinestro in jail on Oa, which at the time was turned into a prison planet where intergalactic criminals could be kept. He's trying to make it seem as if he's got connections to some kind of space-lord out there, and that by telling some great stories, he can win a get-out-of-jail-free card. All the other convicts on his cell block are mighty annoyed by him, but along he goes and proceeds to tell a couple of short stories about occurances in the history of the GL Corps.
We first start with one written by Mindy Newell, about a Han Solo-like soldier of fortune named Penn Maricc hanging out in one of these intergalactic bars who's approached by mysterious figures who ask of him to undertake the daring mission of rescuing an alien prince on planet Cadrial 7, who's been deposed and imprisoned by an alien despot who looks a lot like Saddam and Stalin. The bounty hunter is captured and thrown in the same cell where the stuffy prince is being kept, and soon breaks out and together, they bring down the dictator who attempted to usurp its rightful heir. With the job done, Maricc is approached by the strange figures again, who turn out to be Guardians of Oa, who want to welcome him to the Green Lantern Corps for accomplishing the mission. But Maricc is angry at how they didn't approach him honestly about who they were in the first place, and that they lied to him about the reward he was to recieve (clearly, he'd hoped for money), and so, the nervous Guardians quickly transport him back to the intergalactic bar where they'd first met him, one saying that "some men are happiest when there are no strings to bind them."

A good story this was, and one of the most impressive things about this was how it seems to be an allegory to the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s (and to another extent, the Cold War in its latter days), and the dictatorial despot is drawn to look like a cross between Saddam and Stalin. One of the Guardians in disguise even tells how on Cadrial 7 there's a "jihad" going on. It's a perfect opportunity to see how Penn Maricc even clobbers the crap out of the despot when they finally catch up to him.

The second story, by Paul Kupperberg, is about an aging Green Lantern named Ghrelk from a planet named Naktos, who patrols Sector 69 in space, who's age is beginning to take its toll on his sanity...and also his control of his power ring. He's really beginning to screw up, and a young local policeman named Commander Varix comes to confront him about what's going on, and how he failed to prevent a disaster earlier in the day.
Alas, Ghrelk's sanity is beginning to fray, and Varix is rightfully concerned now that Ghrelk is a danger to the local community. The aging GL, in all his unstable sanity, soon attacks a group of spaceships that went to look for him, thinking that they're really invaders. Varix comes after him to try and convince him to stop, and while he's hesitant, he does begin to wonder if he's cracking up. This prevents him from trying to avert a potential disaster at a local asteroid mining field, as he doesn't know if this is for real or not. Luckily, Varix catches up with him and takes the power ring to set things right himself. Ghrelk is grateful, and tells Varix to keep the ring, as he, as the younger, has earned it, and it's time for Ghrelk to retire.

A touching story this was, about how even GLs can fall vulnerable to old age, confusion and self-doubt, and how a younger protagonist ends up earning the right to take up the baton passed on in his stead.

The third story, by Alan Moore, is about the early days of Hal Jordan's own predecessor who passed on his ring to him, Abin Sur, and how, while journeying to a planet called Ysmault filled with strange exiles to rescue an infant alien in a spaceship that crashed there, he spoke with some of the trussed up aliens, one of whom offered to answer his questions to tell what will be his ultimate fate. Little does Abin know when leaving that the alien may have led to his destruction, "though it'll be a decade before he knows it." What fiends indeed.

This too was a pretty good story telling about how Abin Sur may have learned that he was to pass on his mantle to a human of Earth, but didn't expect what ended up happening until years later, when his ship, as we now know, had a disastrous malfunction and crashed in the California desert. It's written in Moore's talented dialogue that he mastered back in the 80s, something you don't really see much of today.

At the end, Sinestro, who's been telling these stories and at the same time tricking his fellow prisoners into thinking that there's really some space god out there who's fulfilling his wish to break out of jail, pushes a button and opens the door. No doubt it was really just a cleverly orchestrated stunt he planned for getting out, but his fellow prisoners now buy into the whole act, and as he leaves them behind while escaping to do more damage as the villain he is, they start trying to tell their own stories in hopes of emerging themselves.

Overall, not a bad issue, with some of the most facinating and smartly written space stories to be found in comicdom from during the 80s. If we had this kind of writing today, who knows, maybe we'd be much better off today than we are now.

Labels: dc comics, Green Lantern