Monday, August 28, 2006 - Turn the clock back 15 to 20 years and you will find Judge Dredd front and center on many a comic fan's radar. There was a time when Judge Dredd was simply a somewhat obscure British import title containing ultra-violent humor which set up shop just left of comic's mainstream and read like a raw counter-culture work of great fan fiction. There was a time when it was cool to be a Dredd fan. The counter culture fandom for the title even made it's way into the world of music or, more specifically, the world of speed metal. Yes, back in 1987 you could regularly catch Anthrax (a quaint little East Coast punk inspired speed metal band) belting out I Am The Law, their tribute to Dredd. That song (along with the rest of the now classic Among the Living album) had teenagers traveling down the highway banging away on their steering wheel to the rhythmic drums singing the opening lines of Anthrax's Dredd inspired track...
"Fifteen years in the academy / He was like no cadet they'd ever seen
A man so hard, his veins bleed ice / And when he speaks he never says it twice
They call him judge, his last name is Dredd / So break the law, and you wind up dead
Truth and justice are what he's fighting for / Judge Dredd the man, he is the law"
Judge Dredd, the ultra-violent policeman patrolling a post-apocalyptic future, first turned up in comics in 2000 AD #2 back in 1977. Part wild west lawman and part unstoppable force of justice, Judge Dredd has now been a part of the comic mythos for almost 30 years. The character itself was originally created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and moved around the world of comics for a time until it ultimately found it's permanent home within the pages of Judge Dredd Magazine. During that time it continued to turn up within the pages of 2000 AD where, over the years, it has been written by the likes of Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison and Mark Millar among others and drawn by such comic greats as Alan Grant, Brian Bolland, Ron Smith and Steve Dillion. The series has kicked off a host of spin-off titles and most comic collections house at the least an issue or two. Collections that don't typically still see comic fans who can share a favorite story from the title.
Judge Dredd seemed to well up within the American comic market during the big independent boom of the 1980's. At that point he became a bit of an icon turning up on t-shirts and posters. Regrettably, as was often the case in the late 80's and early 90's, Hollywood got involved and didn't do the character any justice. It's really too bad Sylvester Stallone and director Danny Cannon had to come along in 1995 and take away some of the character's luster by presenting a blockbuster release which lacked the Brit humor, the unquestioned style and many of the essential elements of the comic story. For many, Stallone rather than the 2000 AD character comes to mind when you say Judge Dredd and that is a real shame since the film over commercialized a character that simply wasn't Judge Dredd. Suddenly we had pinball machines, video games, action figures, statues, role-playing games, cups, plates, wrapping paper and far more.
What was a fan to do? The only way to heal that wound was to let time pass and now, eleven years later, it looks as if Judge Dredd may once again have his day as the powers that be are taking the character back to his roots in a new series titled, quite simply, Origins. This tale is planned to be one of the biggest Judge Dredd storylines of all time. It's written by original creator John Wagner and drawn Dredd's other creator Carlos Ezqerra. Here we get to see how it all began for Dredd and both promise that history will be written in 2006 within the pages of this title. Yes, after almost thirty years, Wagner and Ezquerra are finally going to reveal the genesis of the Justice system and the society in which it operates. In 2000 AD Prog 1505 (on sale 13th September) Judge Dredd - Origins will begin a 23 part epic which will run into the magazine's own 30th anniversary taking place in February 2007. Nice!
If you are interested in keeping up with the newly emerging title, first you should check in with the on-line trailer located at www.2000adtrailers.com then park your browser at www.2000adonline.com where details are starting to emerge.
Nothing tops a good interview (except maybe four interviews)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - It's time to offer a shameless plug to a site we love to visit. Each month we pick what we think is the best of the best, website-wise, and honor that site on our links page as our Site of the Month. Sometime ago we honored Avengers Forever in that spot. That said, this site is such a resource for Avengers news and information, it kind of rivals any fan site out there. Avengers is such a cornerstone title for Marvel that covering it is no small task. Basically, if you are a fan of Marvel's Avengers or any of the ever growing family of titles related to the team (up to and including Civil War) and you somehow haven't visited the Avengers Forever website [link], you don't know what you are missing. Take a moment, stop what you are doing, visit www.avengersforever.org, add a bookmark to your browser and return often as the good people who run this site understand what it means to be a fan. All you really need is Jarvis to greet you when you arrive at the site and it would be utterly complete.
Why are we writing about the site today? Well, this week they're doing something special offering fans a true treat. They already offer regular comprehensive coverage (interview, reviews, news, wallpapers, articles, forums and more) of the titles but every so often they take time out to mix it up with the creative talent behind the titles... the pros. Mixing it up with the talent has never been quite as evident as it has been this week at Avengers Forever.
Talking with Brian over at the site they let us know that they are half way through running four fresh interviews "back to back to back to back". They've spoken with Joe Casey, Phil Hester, Molly Lazer and, if all goes as planned (drum roll please) Brian Bendis. Following each chat, they went to work posting the conversations for the fans to enjoy. We here at Comic Related are linking to these interviews in our news. In addition, we're giving them a bit of a plug on the front page of the site (lower right) and wanted to give you a bit of additional detail here in a quick Related Recap so you know the score. Don't miss out. It's quite the Avengers event!
Who Wants to be a Superhero?
Sunday, August 20, 2006 (ratings information added August 22, 2006) - Stan Lee has asked the question "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" and you might be surprised how many people turned out to try out for the show. As the show has now crossed the half-way point, series-wise, we thought we would weigh in on how the show is faring in our humble opinion and take a look at its ratings.
Yes, it's the show you may be watching that you don't want to admit you watch isn't it? This is the truest form of guilty pleasure. From my perspective, I cued up the Tivo and grabbed the first episode a little over four weeks ago when it debuted. It was several days before I sat down to watch it as the show had me more than a little concerned. As a comic fan, I was a bit worried it was going to be a little hard to watch. I was concerned the cheese factor was going to be ramped up a bit too high my taste and at best planned to watch it in private. As Stan himself stated in a pre-series interview, you're either going to love it or your going to hate it. He honestly didn't think there was going to be a large undecided audience for the show.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Who Wants to be a Superhero?, it's a television show airing on the Sci-Fi Channel which is the channel's first reality show. In the show, twelve (actually in the end only eleven) everyday people create heroes, dress up as their alter-ego's and compete for immortality. Immortality here comes in the form of a Sci-Fi Channel Saturday movie and Dark Horse comic based on their specific heroic creation. The series, produced by Bruce Nash Entertainment, Scott Satin and Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment [link] runs over the course of six, hour long, weekly episodes. Every Thursday night, comic creator and legend Stan Lee tests these real people in tights on the qualities he sees as making a person a true hero. You can learn quite a bit more by visiting the official website www.scifi.com/superhero/.
When I sat down to watch the show, it did one thing I didn't expect... it made me laugh. I honestly did enjoyed the first episode. So much so I took a chance and showed part of it to my household's part-time comic fan, Katie. I lured her in with the audition portion of the first episode and minutes later that kooky real life Legion of Super-Heroes styled try-out session [video] session had her hooked. I rewatched the episode with her and at the end she smiled asked if I had another. Nice! Four episodes later, we here at Comic Related (what a vast two person show it has become) can give it an unexpected CR thumbs up. It's good, relaxing low-annoyance television and honestly fun. Stan has a gem in the rough for comic and non-comic fans to enjoy. At best it's a laugh filled hour and at worst a nice little guilty pleasure.
At this point, Who Wants to be a Superhero is down to the final three contestants with two episodes to go. On last weeks show our remaining heroes, in full costume, had to visit a prison and encourage life sentence criminals to either allow them to sit on their knee, give them a shoulder rub or a nice hug... three times. Let the fun ensue.
The show averages two eliminations a week and is filled with sometimes unexpected takes on being a hero. We've had one hero return as a super-villain, one get put on the street due to a headache, one almost take out a ceiling fan while practicing karate and much more. The show comes complete with rooftop eliminations, a superhero secret lair, public changes to costume (well, in the first episode anyway) and a ton of self-deprecating humor. The show doesn't take itself seriously. It may not be Shake sphere, but it is is good clean fun.
Before we go, we have to tip our hat to one hero in particular. Major Victory (whose motto "be a winner, not a wiener" just has to make it into Dark Horse comic infamy) is a hit in our book. Week after week, this reformed ex-male stripper (no, really... it's true) turned superhero has made us laugh. When faced with attack dogs, he turned to the camera and explained he was changing his name to Major Dog Food. When discussing another hero going to visit the inmates he said simply "I'll miss him" and during his own visit he asked if the inmates "know this isn't a conjugal visit?" Honestly, never have the words "Whose child is this?" been more funny than when uttered by the Major in the first episode. Good, good stuff and yes, he's in the final three. What, that doesn't sound funny? Well you have to see this guy in action to see what we mean. He's a classic and should be illustrated at the end.
Taking a look at the ratings, we have a hit (from RealityTVWebsite.com)...
"SCI FI Channel′s hit reality series WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? from Nash Entertainment and POW! Entertainment Inc., continued its upward trend of week-to-week growth soaring to new series heights with its fourth installment on Thursday, August 17th at 9:00PM ET/PT. Episode 4 delivered a 1.32 HH rating (+10 vs. last week and +48% vs. its July 27th series premiere), 1.031 million viewers 18-49 (+27% vs. last week), 899,000 viewers 25-54 (+28% vs. last week) and 1.815 million total viewers.
Since its premiere on SCI FI, WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? has grown at least 10% week-to-week in the 18-49 and 25-54 key demos. The 4th episode grew an amazing 62% from the premiere among viewers 18-49 and 61% among viewers 25-54. Additionally, the series has outperformed last year′s time period average by 67% among viewers 18-49 and 36% among viewers 25-54. The show also scores among the younger crowd with a median age of 32, which is thirteen years younger than the same time period last year.
Season-to-date WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? is up +29% in HH ratings, +48% in P18-49s and +44% in P25-54s."
Miss the latest episode? Why not watch it on-line? Click here for all the details.
An anything but comics (CBS) Sunday morning
Sunday, August 13, 2006 - Looking for a fresh take on the world in which we live? Looking for something a little different than the never-ending coverage of the war in the Middle East? Looking for something that covers art, culture, history, literature and current events with an almost seemingly forgotten positive attitude? I challenge you to try getting up by 9 AM on a Sunday morning, leaving the cartoons behind and tuning to CBS. There you will find an hour and a half of news and commentary wrapped up in a program called CBS Sunday Morning. It's a nice way (with a cup of java) to kick off the end of the weekend.
Honestly, the topics covered just might surprise you as you settle in for the show. Today(August 13, 2006), CBS Sunday Morning featured the creators of South Park (pictured left - link), the history of "slacker" culture (with a sweet little Clerks II clip - link), the history of the Berlin Wall and the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas (where 80,000 concrete enthusiasts congregate yearly). CBS Sunday Morning may have a fogy feel at first look, but I think if you give it a chance the content will surprise you. I've discovered music, read a book or two and followed the work of more than one artist due to this show. Long ago, as I began to make the show part of my weekend game plan, the biggest shock I had was adjusting to news that wasn't littered with death, war and destruction. Believe it or not, there are actual cultural elements out there that aren't dark, depressing and filled with global warming, terrorist threats, Iraqi War and Middle-East Crisis. There are segments on this show that actually don't contain the words "under attack"... What a nominal concept? How shocking!
Long story short, the interview with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, titled "A Walk in the Park" was well worth the price of admission and welcome part of this 90 minutes of my morning. You not only got to hear an unedited take from the two, you got a look at their studios, their political opinions (both right and left) and their working stress level as they produce the weekly show.
While writing about CBS Sunday Morning, I have to tip my hat to an unexpected voice within our culture... Nancy Giles [learn more]. She is a person I've come to respect as she consistently presents one undeniable bit of political thought after another within the show's commentary section. She's not actually on every week as she alternates with Ben Stein (you know... Win Ben Stein's Money... yea, that guy). When she is on though, I find myself taking note of what she says and, quite often, moved by her words.
Curious what she has to say? Check out her take on Hurricane Katrina. Check out her take on this week's terror threats in London. Powerful stuff and a clear voice in a sometimes mad, mad world. She explains, “I want to make people laugh and I want to entertain them, but I also want to provoke thought and discussion.” Well said.
Catching up with Smallville
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - It's the time of year when television shows are in rerun, hints are being dropped about the upcoming season premieres, new shows are quickly getting firmed up and we're expected to go out and do something other than watch television for a change. Of course, if you have Tivo, this season quickly becomes the time of year when you catch up on shows you didn't get to enjoy live or first run.
For me, one show ended up being a "push back" show that just seemed to back up, week after week in my Tivo last season. That show was Smallville. It wasn't really a statement about the quality of Smallville or even how much I wanted or didn't want to see it but rather a clear example that '06 has been a busy year. Smallville is one show that should be on every comic fans watch list. Now that Buffy, Angel, Farscape and so many other classic geek-speak bastions of sci-fi goodness have expired, Smallville somewhat rules the roost filling many fans comic television fix week after week. If you haven't seen it, pay a visit to this pre-Superman Clark Kent. The in-joke references to the DCU alone make it worth your time.
Over the last couple days, I've taken advantage of some down time and started catching up on the latest season of Smallville going back-to-back through 18 (so far) of the 22 episodes of season five. Why am I writing about it? Well, episode 18 really caught my attention. Episode 18 is titled Mercy and focuses on Lionel Luther (Lex's dad) being taken hostage by a masked man who forces him to play elaborate series of games for the prize of staying alive. Martha Kent (Clark's mom, of course) ends up fighting for her life with him on this adventure. The episode has a few clear shining moments which are nothing short of interesting.
If you haven't seen the episode, I do plan to spoil a point or two of the story. In Mercy, the story hit's its high point when Martha and Lionel find themselves trapped in an elevator with a loaded gun. Lionel, the consummate villain, and Martha, the clean living recent Senator from Kansas, are presented with a simple choice... one must die by way of the gun or both will die by way of an explosive. They get to make the choice and they have 60 seconds. What follows is a turning point for the character of Lionel Luthor as he chooses to end his own life rather than deprive Clark of the positive influence of his mother. A selfless act from a character who has been anything but selfless over the years (and the first four seasons). Of course they learn the bullet is a blank, but the gesture remains true and rings of a change within the character.
Personally, I love any story where a villainous character must struggle with his or her own morality and ultimately find redemption even if that redemption is ultimately lost due to their true nature. These are the characters I find myself drawn to in fiction as the moral drama is usually quite a solid read. A fine comic example out there today would be Black Adam and his moral play taking place in the pages of 52. In Smallville, Lionel, Lex and now Professor Fine (aka Brainiac played by James Marsters ... yep, Spike) have always been the characters which pulled me toward watching show. From that perspective, this episode didn't disappoint.
One of the best lines from this episode... The masked figure who has captured Lionel asks, "Hello, Lionel – how does it feel to be helpless?" Lionel's reply? "I’ll let you know if it ever happens."
What made the episode all the more fun was the series of creative games Lionel must play to win his possible freedom. It reminded me quite a bit of Daredevil # 208 (titled ""The Deadliest Night of My Life" from July 1984) written by the great Harlan Ellison. That issue told the story of Daredevil narrowly living through a trip to an abandoned house loaded with death traps. It remains one of my favorite issues of Daredevil (if you haven't read it, be sure to dig up a copy and give it a look) to date. Being a raving Frank Miller fan from that same era, that's saying something.
Did you know, according to as 1984 interview in Amazing Heroes, Ellison came to write that issue as a favor to Denny O'Neil who was writing the book at the time and entering the hospital for a short stay? Working with Arthur Byron Cover (who helped Ellison understand the depth of the character), Ellison wrote an initial 24 page version of Daredevil 208, complete with full dialogue and character perspective. Ellison has always been quite the master storyteller and slid easily into the mind behind the red horned head of the Daredevil.
This type of "death trap" laden house has made it's way into many a Sci-Fi story and even a McGyver episode or two. Many a series have benefited from this type of story over the years. Here, Smallville did it justice, but Ellison's story set the standard.
That said, I have 18 episodes under may belt and at this point I'll have to call it the best season yet for the series. I can't wait to see what the final four episodes have to hold. Smallville is set to return to the small screen this September and filming started on July 10th. With Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow played by Justin Hartley), Jimmy Olsen (played by Aaron Ashmore), Zod and others slated to turn up this time out, it should be a solid season six.
Monday, August 28, 2006 - Turn the clock back 15 to 20 years and you will find Judge Dredd front and center on many a comic fan's radar. There was a time when Judge Dredd was simply a somewhat obscure British import title containing ultra-violent humor which set up shop just left of comic's mainstream and read like a raw counter-culture work of great fan fiction. There was a time when it was cool to be a Dredd fan. The counter culture fandom for the title even made it's way into the world of music or, more specifically, the world of speed metal. Yes, back in 1987 you could regularly catch Anthrax (a quaint little East Coast punk inspired speed metal band) belting out I Am The Law, their tribute to Dredd. That song (along with the rest of the now classic Among the Living album) had teenagers traveling down the highway banging away on their steering wheel to the rhythmic drums singing the opening lines of Anthrax's Dredd inspired track...
Judge Dredd, the ultra-violent policeman patrolling a post-apocalyptic future, first turned up in comics in 2000 AD #2 back in 1977. Part wild west lawman and part unstoppable force of justice, Judge Dredd has now been a part of the comic mythos for almost 30 years. The character itself was originally created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and moved around the world of comics for a time until it ultimately found it's permanent home within the pages of Judge Dredd Magazine. During that time it continued to turn up within the pages of 2000 AD where, over the years, it has been written by the likes of Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison and Mark Millar among others and drawn by such comic greats as Alan Grant, Brian Bolland, Ron Smith and Steve Dillion. The series has kicked off a host of spin-off titles and most comic collections house at the least an issue or two. Collections that don't typically still see comic fans who can share a favorite story from the title. 
bit of an icon turning up on t-shirts and posters. Regrettably, as was often the case in the late 80's and early 90's, Hollywood got involved and didn't do the character any justice. It's really too bad Sylvester Stallone and director Danny Cannon had to come along in 1995 and take away some of the character's luster by presenting a blockbuster release which lacked the Brit humor, the unquestioned style and many of the essential elements of the comic story. For many, Stallone rather than the 2000 AD character comes to mind when you say Judge Dredd and that is a real shame since the film over commercialized a character that simply wasn't Judge Dredd. Suddenly we had pinball machines, video games, action figures, statues, role-playing games, cups, plates, wrapping paper and far more. 
What was a fan to do? The only way to heal that wound was to let time pass and now, eleven years later, it looks as if Judge Dredd may once again have his day as the powers that be are taking the character back to his roots in a new series titled, quite simply, Origins. This tale is planned to be one of the biggest Judge Dredd storylines of all time. It's written by original creator John Wagner and drawn Dredd's other creator Carlos Ezqerra. Here we get to see how it all began for Dredd and both promise that history will be written in 2006 within the pages of this title. Yes, after almost thirty years, Wagner and Ezquerra are finally going to reveal the genesis of the Justice system and the society in which it operates. In 2000 AD Prog 1505 (on sale 13th September) Judge Dredd - Origins will begin a 23 part epic which will run into the magazine's own 30th anniversary taking place in February 2007. Nice!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - It's time to offer a shameless plug to a site we love to visit. Each month we pick what we think is the best of the best, website-wise, and honor that site on our links page as our Site of the Month. Sometime ago we honored Avengers Forever in that spot. That said, this site is such a resource for Avengers news and information, it kind of rivals any fan site out there. Avengers is such a cornerstone title for Marvel that covering it is no small task. Basically, if you are a fan of Marvel's Avengers or any of the ever growing family of titles related to the team (up to and including Civil War) and you somehow haven't visited the Avengers Forever website [
Why are we writing about the site today? Well, this week they're doing something special offering fans a true treat. They already offer regular comprehensive coverage (interview, reviews, news, wallpapers, articles, forums and more) of the titles but every so often they take time out to mix it up with the creative talent behind the titles... the pros. Mixing it up with the talent has never been quite as evident as it has been this week at Avengers Forever.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Who Wants to be a Superhero?, it's a television show airing on the Sci-Fi Channel which is the channel's first reality show. In the show, twelve (actually in the end only eleven) everyday people create heroes, dress up as their alter-ego's and compete for immortality. Immortality here comes in the form of a Sci-Fi Channel Saturday movie and Dark Horse comic based on their specific heroic creation. The series, produced by Bruce Nash Entertainment, Scott Satin and Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment [
When I sat down to watch the show, it did one thing I didn't expect... it made me laugh. I honestly did enjoyed the first episode. So much so I took a chance and showed part of it to my household's part-time comic fan, Katie. I lured her in with the audition portion of the first episode and minutes later that kooky real life Legion of Super-Heroes styled try-out session [
Before we go, we have to tip our hat to one hero in particular. Major Victory (whose motto "be a winner, not a wiener" just has to make it into Dark Horse comic infamy) is a hit in our book. Week after week, this reformed ex-male stripper (no, really... it's true) turned superhero has made us laugh. When faced with attack dogs, he turned to the camera and explained he was changing his name to Major Dog Food. When discussing another hero going to visit the inmates he said simply "I'll miss him" and during his own visit he asked if the inmates "know this isn't a conjugal visit?" Honestly, never have the words "Whose child is this?" been more funny than when uttered by the Major in the first episode. Good, good stuff and yes, he's in the final three. What, that doesn't sound funny? Well you have to see this guy in action to see what we mean. He's a classic and should be illustrated at the end.
Sunday, August 13, 2006 - Looking for a fresh take on the world in which we live? Looking for something a little different than the never-ending coverage of the war in the Middle East? Looking for something that covers art, culture, history, literature and current events with an almost seemingly forgotten positive attitude? I challenge you to try getting up by 9 AM on a Sunday morning, leaving the cartoons behind and tuning to CBS. There you will find an hour and a half of news and commentary wrapped up in a program called CBS Sunday Morning. It's a nice way (with a cup of java) to kick off the end of the weekend.
Honestly, the topics covered just might surprise you as you settle in for the show. Today(August 13, 2006), CBS Sunday Morning featured the creators of South Park (pictured left - 
While writing about CBS Sunday Morning, I have to tip my hat to an unexpected voice within our culture... Nancy Giles [
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - It's the time of year when television shows are in rerun, hints are being dropped about the upcoming season premieres, new shows are quickly getting firmed up and we're expected to go out and do something other than watch television for a change. Of course, if you have Tivo, this season quickly becomes the time of year when you catch up on shows you didn't get to enjoy live or first run. 
If you haven't seen the episode, I do plan to spoil a point or two of the story. In Mercy, the story hit's its high point when Martha and Lionel find themselves trapped in an elevator with a loaded gun. Lionel, the consummate villain, and Martha, the clean living recent Senator from Kansas, are presented with a simple choice... one must die by way of the gun or both will die by way of an explosive. They get to make the choice and they have 60 seconds. What follows is a turning point for the character of Lionel Luthor as he chooses to end his own life rather than deprive Clark of the positive influence of his mother. A selfless act from a character who has been anything but selfless over the years (and the first four seasons). Of course they learn the bullet is a blank, but the gesture remains true and rings of a change within the character. 
Personally, I love any story where a villainous character must struggle with his or her own morality and ultimately find redemption even if that redemption is ultimately lost due to their true nature. These are the characters I find myself drawn to in fiction as the moral drama is usually quite a solid read. A fine comic example out there today would be Black Adam and his moral play taking place in the pages of 52. In Smallville, Lionel, Lex and now Professor Fine (aka Brainiac played by James Marsters ... yep, Spike) have always been the characters which pulled me toward watching show. From that perspective, this episode didn't disappoint. 
What made the episode all the more fun was the series of creative games Lionel must play to win his possible freedom. It reminded me quite a bit of Daredevil # 208 (titled ""The Deadliest Night of My Life" from July 1984) written by the great Harlan Ellison. That issue told the story of Daredevil narrowly living through a trip to an abandoned house loaded with death traps. It remains one of my favorite issues of Daredevil (if you haven't read it, be sure to dig up a copy and give it a look) to date. Being a raving Frank Miller fan from that same era, that's saying something. 