July 31st, 2007 - We're really pleased with our 2007 Comic-Con coverage. Sure, we couldn't actually be in San Diego this year, but we were really working feverishly to link to each and every story we could find tied to San Diego's Comic-Con International. In the end, we pointed you to 500 Comic-Con related stories and posted four days of solid commentary coverage soaking up everything we could learn. If you missed any of our convention coverage, it's still available to enjoy. We invite you to take a look and see if you can't find a story or two you may have missed. Here are all our coverage links...

We're not even stopping to take a breather now that Comic-Con has passed. Tomorrow we plan to look back on G4's four hours of televised San Deigo coverage all the while packing and counting down the hours to our Chicago show next week.

This year, we'll be doing live, on-site coverage of Wizard World Chicago. Our plan is to bring you into the action with photos, video, commentary and much, much more. Our Chicago show will have a much more personal touch than Comic-Con. We're really excited to make the trip and we'll post our first pre-convention update on Wednesday 8th. We'll be right in the heart of the action all the way through the following Monday morning sharing ever detail we can cram onto our site.

July 30th, 2007 - Today we're looking back at Sunday at Comic-Con. San Diego may be a wrap for 2007, but our coverage continues. Today we'll point you to a few straggler story pointers still popping up over on our news page [link]. We'll also see what the bloggers had to say about the con. Later this week, we'll take a look at the G4 television coverage. For now, let's jump right into our Sunday coverage to what was hot at Comic-Con...

DC Big Guns: DC returned with their Big Guns panel, an all question and answer session which was to focus on the trinity of the DCU; Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Heading up the panel were Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, Mark Verheiden, Bob Shreck, Dustin Nguyen, Ivan Reis, Carlos Pacheco, Matt Idelson, Mike Marts, Grant Morrison, Kurt Busiek and Gail Simone. Some interesting tidbits coming out of the panel include upcoming details on the evolution on Wonder Woman implicating her lasso as one of the "most dangerous weapons in the DCU". Talk of the Teen Titans movie indicated the film will center on the Wolfman/Perez run and Nightwing will be in the film. Here's Kurt Busiek's take on the big three...

"They're the nucleus, everything that happens revolves around them. With characters like the Metal Men, you can have them or not, it's a matter of preference, but they really work best together, they're the core of the Justice League. If Zatara had been a big success in 1938, it would be a very different DC Universe. But with DC, they're a foundation, whereas with Marvel, they have foundations that don't have to do with one another. Spider-Man's not a part of the Avengers, not a part of the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk is somewhere else."

In other discussion, Grant Morrison called Final Crisis the Lord of the Rings for the DCU. This proved to be one of the more detailed though sometime meandering (what Q&A session doesn't meander through) DC panels of Comic-Con. For more on this panel, please visit the coverage on Comic Book Resources [link] and Newsarama [link].

Joss Whedon Panel: Make mine Whedon!! Two amazing announcements for Buffy fans came out of yesterdays Joss Whedon Panel. First, it wasn't a huge surprise that there will be a Season 9 comic to follow the runaway success of the Buffy Season 8 series at Dark Horse. It was revealed though that Oz will play a role in upcoming comics/episodes of the series. That was great news, but wasn't a complete shocker. What was a shocker was the possible return of Ripper, the prequel story of Rupert Giles which may take the form of a 90 minutes Buffy spin-off film for the BBC. Plans are still being ironed out on that front. Whedon will play a part in the new Dark Horse presents series and, as reported previously yesterday, Angel: After the Fall will continue that television series in comic book form. For more on this panel, please visit the coverage on Comic Book Bin [link], Pulse News [link], Wizard [link] and Cinema Blend [link].

Marvel Studios Panel: Might Marvel film goodness as the panel covered the upcoming Hulk film and Iron Man. For the Hulk film, we had producers Gale Anne Hurd and Avi Arad, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, director Louis Leterrier and Liv Tyler (Betty Ross) and Edward Norton (Bruce Banner). On the Iron Man side, we had Avi Arad and Kevin Feige, director Jon Favreau, Terrence Howard (James Rhodes), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) and Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark). A star studded panel to say the least. As Norton and Downey Jr. are two of this fans favorite actors in Hollywood today, I couldn't be more pleased with the line-up for these two films.

For the Incredible Hulk presentation, we learned that production is underway. As reported previously, the film will ignore the Ang Lee version of the Hulk and blaze a new trail. Ed Norton actually wrote the screenplay for the film and he was influenced by the Bruce Jones run on Incredible Hulk. Fans of Doc Samson will be pleased to hear that he will be included in the film along with several references to the broader Marvel Universe. Nice!

Over on the Iron Man side of the fence, they unveiled (for the second time so far this weekend) a rough trailer for Iron Man. In the presentation, fans got a better feel for Downey Jr as Tony Stark and saw more of the overall cast. Favreau, in the early sequences presented, bragged about the lack of CGI used in much of the footage explaining the suits actually exist! Stan Lee joined the panel for a time and there was even talk of the Avengers film!

For more on this panel, please visit the coverage on Comic Book Resources [link] and Wizard [link].

X-Men: Endangered Species: Talk about your rough few year for mutants... It appears life is about to get even rougher as the Marvel X-Men Panel shared all the latest details on the X-titles. Here we have a new 12 issues series (X-Man: Emperor Vulcan) focusing on the X-Men left behind in space. There were details on the upcoming Messiah Complex storyline building in a few of the titles and the panel hinted that the X-Men will be more like and army and less like a family when this story is done. It seems, like most sides of the Marvel coin, the X-titles are in a time of upheaval as they tear everything down, do the unexpected and build the books back up from the ashes. Ed Brubaker said it best when he explained, "I feel like Marvel right now is more like Marvel in the '60s when you never knew what would happen month-to-month." Good news for comics and comic readers. For more on this panel, please visit the coverage on Newsarama [link] and Comic Book Resources [link]

In Other News: Running through some of the other items from Sunday rapid-fire style... DC Vertigo announced that John Bolton will be the artist on The Green Woman. The Simpson's panel basked in all the newly released film goodness. The Fables panel gave away a one page Fables story starring Jack of Fables that would never be reprinted. Wildstorm offered fans a glimpse into the future of their titles. Oni celebrated it's 10 year anniversary and discussed upcoming titles. Image unveiled plans for some Jack Kirby / Silver Star, Captain Victory updates. New Harry Potter swag (aka new merchandise) was unveiled. Nicolas Cage and Weston Cage talked Voodoo Child. A Spaceballs Animated series bus offered an artwork preview of the new G4 show and much, much more. We're just touching on things here in a shotgun fashion. For all the details, please visit our news page [link].

For all the details as they are announced,
be sure to follow all the links on our new page.
Click here for the Sunday breakdown!

July 29th, 2007 - Today we're looking back on Saturday in San Diego. This year's Comic-Con plays to a sell-out, packed house as comic royalty and those who ascribe to title geek sheik gather for the convention to end all conventions. It's Comic-Con baby! With this update, we've crossed the half-way point in our coverage. Today we'll cover another 24 period of announcements, breaking news and general comic goodness both here in summary form and our our news page [link].

DC Nation Panel: Everyone is asking, what is Final Crisis? We've seen Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, Infinity Crisis and now we're counting down to Final Crisis. DC's littered us with teaser images [link and link to point to just a few], but what does it all mean? It was my hope that the DC Nation Panel would answer those questions or at least hint at an answer. Well, we learned that Grant Morrison is going to write Final Crisis with J.G. Jones (think 52 covers) doing the art. In an odd statement of fact, the panel unveiled that Kamandi will be featured on the last page of the first issue. Beyond that, we're still left to wonder what lays ahead for the 52 earths that now make up the DCU. While they were there, the panel also unveiled the first word on the new Salvation Run mini-series penned by Bill Willingham. It's set to star Flash's fan favorite Rogue's Gallery. You can learn more about the Rogue's Salvation Run here [link] and a little more about Final Crisis here [link] and here [link]. You can learn more about the entire panel at Pulse News [link], Wizard [link] and on Newsarama [link].

WB Unveils New Spidey Toon: Ah it's good to see Spider-Man back on the small screen and this latest rendition shows real promise. Here's one description of the con-exclusive preview footage unveiled today (thanks to CBG whose article is linked below)...

"The footage showed an obviously teenaged Spider-Man swinging through the city on his way to stop a robbery. The footage ends with a few 'off-screen' attacks by an assortment of classic villains. High-tech Dr. Octopus arms were seen creeping up behind the young hero, followed by a Lizard tail swipe and a few screaming pumpkin bombs. Sandman's arm swings and misses, Electro blasts and the Vulture's shadow were next, and the footage ended with the black symbiote oozing across the screen."

The new series is set to hit the Kid's WB in March of 2008. For all the details, please visit Comic Book Resources [link], Wizard Universe [link] and Newsarama [link].

Marvel Ultimate Universe Panel: The panel kicked off with word that Butch Guise is now exclusive to Marvel! Nice move by the house of ideas. During the panel we also learned that there will be an Ultimates interpretation of the Age of Apocalypse (Jeph Loeb at the helm), Ultimate Spidey's going to see the return of Norm Osborne and that Ultimate Power will sson have big implications for the entire Ultimate Universe. Chief among the announcements from the panel was the fact that Ultimates 3 is due to hit stores this December and will have a more fluid line-up than seen previously. A new series (slated for May 2008) titled Ultimatum promises to follow in the footsteps of the primary comics trend of this modern age... it will change everything. Given the fact that the Ultimate Universe really isn't tied to some of the same restrictions as the main Marvel Universe, this series promises to be one to watch. For all the details, please visit Pulse News [link], Wizard [link], Comic Book Resources [link] and Newsarama [link].

In Other News: There was so much taking place today that it's hard to sum it up here. In the space that follows, we're going to touch on the high points then direct you to our news page for all the detailed story links.

In other news today, DC's Vertigo line will take a look at Madame Xanadu, the House of Secrets and the Unknown Soldier among others in a growing line-up of titles. Boom! Studios discussed a host of new projects. During the Image Show, Robert Kirkman unveiled plans to kill many if not all the characters in the Walking Dead by issue #50. This was just one of a host of Image announcements. Marvel's new MMORPG will be set in actual Marvel geography and may allow for time travel missions taking players to key points in Marvel's history. Fans got a look at the highly anticipated Dr. Strange animated film. The 2007 Eisner Awards were handed out. Fans got to see, live and in person, one of the Iron Man suits used in the film (Mark 1). Aspen comic unveiled a new Showcase series highlighting individual characters from the Aspen Universe. Kevin Smith will be writing and directing the first episode of Heroes: Origins. The full pilot of the Bionic Woman series was shown. Angel: After the Fall will pick up right after the last episode of the final season of Angel continuing his television story in comic form. T op Cow Productions showed off anime, comics, statues and even t-shirt projects in the works. Judd Winick will soon take on Titans East for DC and much, much more. We're just touching on things here in a shotgun fashion. For all the details, please visit our news page [link].

For all the details as they are announced,
be sure to follow all the links on our new page.
Click here for the Saturday breakdown!

July 28th, 2007 - Comic-Con, there are few words that can describe it. That said, I really liked one line from the G4 coverage [link]. During last night's two hour live show (the second such show since the con began) host Olivia Munn [link] explained that Comic-Con was "like a mensa meeting on acid". That hit just a little too close to the truth.

We'll talk more about the G4 coverage during tomorrow's Con update. For today, here's what we thought rose above the rest in terms of announcements from Friday at Comic-Con...

Dark Knight Teaser Trailer: As the next Batman film [link] inches closer, Comic-Con treated fans to the first teaser trailed from the film. No visuals yet (beyond the bat sign being blown away and a joker card), but here it is in all it's audio glory thanks to the good folks at G4 for sharing the embedded link...

Marvel's Cup O' Joe Panel: It's was a wide open question and answer session with Marvel's Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada during the now traditional Cup O' Joe panel. Laced with announcements and exploration of all things Marvel, Quesada fielded questions along with Jim McCann, David Gabriel, C.B. Cebulski, Phil Jimenez, Charles Knauf and Matt Hawkins. During the panel, here are some of the big stories...

Chester Quest: Cebulski will be visiting conventions & comic ships looking for 12 artists who will be guaranteed to be hired following the search

Runaways: Strangers in Paradise writer Terry Moore will follow Joss Whedon's run

Eternals: Charles and Daniel Knauf will be taking on a new Eternals monthly title
Marvel and Top Cow: More sharing of characters in the months ahead

Joe, as always, was very willing to take on all comes with questions and gave a real air of openness during the Q&A. He wasn't willing to spill the beans on big stories like Hulks rule in the Marvel Universe once World War Hulk is done, but was very straight forward when it came to the issues of under performing titles, how to break into working for Marvel, which DC character would best fit at Marvel and criticism of cross-over events. A solid panel from the mighty Marvel bullpen.

For us, the revelations regarding Runaways was the jaw drop moment of the presentation. Terry Moore's work on Strangers In Paradise is near legend status in my book and I couldn't have placed his talent with a title better suited to his writing style. If Joss had to leave the series, Terry is a great man for the job.

For more on this panel, please check out the Wizard [link], Newsarama [link] and Comic Book Resources [link] stories. Great coverage all around.

DC's Crossing Over Panel: This was an interesting panel where representatives of DC discussed "crossing over" to other career paths beyond comics. Paul Dini, Greg Rucka, Christos Gage, Mark Verheiden, Gregory Noveck, Steve Niles and others were on hand for this exchange. Probably the best line out of this presentation was made by Gregory Noveck when he asked...

“When did Comic-Con become Sundance? The studios are shutting down for the week and coming to San Diego.”

He brings up a really good point. There is talk that Comic-Con might actually move to Los Angles in the near future to accommodate the film industry. Is this a good thing? I mean I really geek out when a film with a comic tie-in is featured at Comic-Con, but it seems increasingly common for Comic-Con to feature non-comic related films. This fan thinks that's an inappropriate watering down of the Comic-Con experience. Hollywood is welcome at our show of shows, but they do need to play by our rules if they want to hang out with the big geeks. Okay, stepping off my soap box... For great blow-by-blow coverage of the Crossing Over panel, be sure to visit Wizard [link], Pulse News [link] and Comic Book Resources [link].

Simone Bianchi and Warren Ellis on Astonishing X-Men: Two words... Can't wait! This announcement ranks right up there with Terry Moore taking on Runaways. Ellis writing with Bianchi's art makes this title a no-miss, must-buy, man-that's-going-to-be-great comic. Announced during Marvel Comics' booth presentation, this was a show stopping moment. It didn't quite break the internet in half, but it was a good one. As far as commitments go, Ellis is set for 24 issues with Bianchi looking at 6 to 12 issues. For all the details, look here [link], here [link], here [link], here [link] and here [link].

DC's Group Therapy Panel: This DC panel featured Dan DiDio, Gail Simone, Geoff Johns, Sean McKeever, Eddie Berganza, Duncan Rouleau, Dwayne McDuffie, Tony Bedard and Michael Siglain and focused on DC team titles. Big announcements breaking from this chat were a bit few and far between as the presenters were a bit more tight lipped than the Marvel panel we discussed earlier. There seemed to be more joke or non-answers here. We did learn that the Sinestro Corps storyline will run through, at least, Green Lantern #25. Also, in Teen Titans things are going to get darker before they lighten and there was a hint at a Rogue's Gallery comic. Let's hope Saturday's DC Nation panel is a bit more forthcoming with the DCU info. You can find more on this panel at Newsarama [link], CBGtxra [link], Comic Book Resources [link] and Pulse News [link].

In Other News: Comic-Con was sold out for the weekend by mid-day Friday. The Joker sent fans on a scavenger hunt. Dr. Who is setting up shop at IDW. Boom! Studios has Mark Waid as it's new Editor-In-Chief. Dark Horse Comics is teaming up with Myspace. The Image Founders Panel was held reuniting all the original founders of Image Comics. The Watchmen film saw it's release date set and kicked off an official website. There was Iron Man and Indiana Jones 4 news and much, much more. You can catch all the details on these and many more stories on our news page [link].

For all the details as they are announced,
be sure to follow all the links on our new page.
Click here for the Friday breakdown!

July 27th, 2007 - There is so much to report and it's only the first day of San Diego Comic-Con International. Thursday is a wrap and today we offer our look back on all the fun that was the first 24 hours. We should open by saying that we're not in attendance at the convention this year. We WILL BE there in 2008 (already working on room reservations!!), but for this year we can only share our thoughts on the rumblings emanating from the show and ride the information currents as they ripples across the wide world of comics as only Comic-Con can.

Watchmen Film: One of the biggest stories yesterday had to be the announcement of the full Watchmen cast [link]. Billy Crudup was a masterful choice we already knew, but I almost fell out of my chair when presented with Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. The more I think about this choice, the more prefect it seems. He has the look of Walter Kovacs, he proved in Little Children that he has the creepy yet human factor needed for the role down pat and he's a comeback story (you might remember him as a child actor from the Bad News Bears movies or the film Breaking Away) the likes of which only Hollyweird can produce.

DC's Final Crisis Panel: Dan Didio, Paul Dini, Tony Bedard, Adam Beechen, Sean Mckeever, Mike Martz, Dan Jurgens, Jim Califiore, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti hosted the DC Countdown panel yesterday. During the panel the team worked to hint at the answer to the question "What are we counting down to?" That answer hinged on counting down to Final Crisis. What is Final Crisis? That doesn't seem to have a completely clear answer yet. There was interesting discussion of the evolution of the Red Robin, the various versions of the Legion, Smallville making it into DCU continuity, Darkseid's impact, DC One Million and much more. Great coverage of the panel can be found over on Newsarama [link], Pulse News [link], Wizard [link] and Comic Book Resources [link].

Mondo Marvel Panel: Always a crowd pleaser, Mondo Marvel was back again this year! This was the kickoff panel for the Con and promised a solid look at "all things Marvel". Some breaking news included the announcement that Brian Reed and Lee Weeks will be taking on the new Captain Marvel title. The presentation promised that World War Hulk #3 will be mind blowing. It was revealed that there is a big bad behind the Phalanx's drive in Annihilation: Conquest. One of the bigger announcements from this panel was the coming debut of the The 12. J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston explained that the series, starting in January, will focus on Golden Age characters like Dynamic Man and Fiery Mask. In other news, current Iron Man film director Jon Favreau will be taking on an Iron Man comic tentatively called Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas. Great coverage of the panel can be found at Newsarama [link], Wizard [link] and Comic Book Resources [link].

In Other News: Jeff Smith unveiled details of his new series RASL. Plans for the Conan relaunch were unveiled. The Superman/Doomsday movie premiered. Boom! Studios announced its new Godfather series. IDW discussed more Star Trek. Star Wars Social Networking Cards were unveiled. Neil Gaiman showed off some great Beowulf footage. Matt Wagner covered the new Vertigo Madame Xanadu series and looked back on Grendel. DC discussed winning the NBC Heroes license and their upcoming graphic novel. The new Marvel postage stamps were discussed. A series of retooled G.I. Joe action figures were unveiled. Dreamworks announced snapping up Oni's The Damned and Courtney Crumrin for films. Yes, it was a loaded day filled with these stories and much, much more!

For all the details as they are announced,
be sure to follow all the links on our new page.
Click here for the Thursday breakdown!

July 26th, 2007 - Tonight at 9:00 PM EST, the Sci-Fi channel unveils season two of Who Wants to be a Superhero? Once again, Stan Lee will weed his way through another platoon of superhero wannabe's as they quest for fame, fortune, a comic book cover and spandex that doesn't chafe.

My feelings towards Who Wants to be a Superhero? are mixed. After a few months separation from season one, I remember enjoying it but I have to admit I'm not sure I know why that was the case? I do know the quirkiness of the first season made it a bit of a pleasant guilty pleasure in our home. After the first episode aired, I asked my wife (then girlfriend) to watch it while it was still in the Tivo cue. She found herself looking for the shows second episode right along with me. I do remember laughing with her as the (far too short) season unveiled itself one challenge and one week after the next.

I guess I'll simply have to tune in tonight to see if I can rediscover what sold me [link] on season one. I am curious to see how they've upped the ante this time out. I hope the cast has a shining star like Major Victory that captures my attention early. I also hope some of the season one contestants make a comeback assisting with some of the season two challenges. They were involved in the casting calls so it's probably a solid bet.

Here's a rundown on the contestants we'll see this season...

Basura (aka Aja De Coudreaux / Oakland, CA) enlists the help of all bugs everywhere and uses her mystical powers to turn trash into treasures.

Braid (aka Crystal Clark / Bloomington, IL) makes herself any age, race, or gender and can turn her hair into crime-busting tentacles.

The Defuser (aka Jarrett Crippen / Austin, TX) is an expert paramilitary superhero who uses non-violent weaponry to stop villains. He has the unique ability to function at 110 percent.

Hygena (aka Melody Mooney / Sherman Oaks, CA) fights crime and grime making weapons from all types of cleaning utensils.

Hyper-Strike (aka John Stork / Plainfield, VT and Chicago) is a martial arts expert with super strength and agility and he can project his Chi (life force) through his hands.

Mindset (aka Phillip Allen / Ft. Lauderdale, FL) is a telekinetic time traveler on a mission to end all war. Originally named Omnicron, Mindset is the viewers' choice on the show winning his place by Internet voters earlier this year.

Mr. Mitzvah (aka "Sir Ivan" Wilzig / Miami, FL and New York City) is real life Bruce Wayne who lives in a castle, this multi-millionaire's mission, under the guise of Mr. Mitzvah, is to save the lives of children.

Ms. Limelight (aka Trisha Paytas / Byron, IL and Los Angeles) is a captivating blonde caped-crusader absorbs the powers of action stars on TV and in movies.

Parthenon (aka Dan Williams / Orlando, Fl) is an archaeologist who gets his mystical powers from an ancient gauntlet he discovered in Greece

Whip-Snap (aka Paula Thomas / Dallas, TX and Los Angeles) Raised in Texas, this superhero has a mastery of the whip and if her bare skin touches a villain that villain is turned into sand.

Sounds like a fun mix to us. You can find more details on the show on the official web site [link] or our own media page dedicated to the show [link].

July 25th, 2007 - Late yesterday we finished our links page [link] validation run. All in all we spent nine separate days clicking through and checking every single link.

During a link validation, we evaluate each link updating the URL as needed, reorganizing links among our various topic areas or simply pulling links completely if they're no longer live or no longer relate to comics. We started the validation run with 1,600 links and cut that number by 129 dropping the count to 1,471 active and validated links.

This is one time when pulling content from our site is a really good thing. Our end goal following any validation run is to ensure our links page is the best in the business. We hate dead links and work hard so you don't find them here.

Have a link you would like to see added? We average 10 new links a week usually posting them on Mondays. Please feel free to e-mail us any you think we've missed.

July 24th, 2007 - The good folks over at blog@newsarama [link] posted an interesting update yesterday morning. As it relates to the hard work of some dedicated bloggers doing it for a good cause, we thought we would share the information here as well.

First, let's explain Blogathon 2007 [link] whose motto holds "stay up late and make a difference". As we dug into the site, we learned that Blogathon started In the summer of 2000 when blogger Cat Connor decided that a free weekend could be combined with a marathon session of insomnia to have some fun with her personal website. Cat decided to update her site every 15 minutes for an entire 24 hours, for a total of 96 posts over the course of a single day. In the years that followed, other bloggers joined the cause and started utilizing the event to raise money for charity.

This year's Blogathon is scheduled to begin on July 28th at 6:00am Pacific. How does this all tie into the world of comics? Some of the Shotgun Reviews/Newsarama Best Shots reviewers team have gotten together to blog for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund [link]. Their blog is title For Great Justice! and can be found at shotgunreviews.com/blogathon. We invite you to tune in on the 28th, support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and watch all the fun. Other Blogathon participants can be found here.

July 23rd, 2007 - We're always working to make this web site a little better and easier for comic fans to use. Yesterday, we implemented a small change right here on our Related Recap page!

From July 1 forward, every story we post will contains a new "permalink" hyperlink. You can find it just to the right of the golden title bar kinking off each update. Now, if you ever feel the need to link to or reference something we say here in our Related Recaps, just follow that premalink for a permanent link to that individual post. Those links will not change so you can link to us with confidence.

While we were dusting off this area, we also streamlined the load speed for the page limiting the number of stories on this initial page while firming up a new story archive system. The end result... the content remains available to enjoy and our current Related Recap page will always load quickly.

We are deep in the countdown [link] to this year's Wizard World Chicago [link] convention. Our tickets arrived yesterday for the show (along with our dual copies of the new Harry Potter book) and we're fired up to head north. We're busy getting the car ready, picking out the books we're taking to the show, grabbing a clean sketch pad, loading up on bottled water, plotting out our attack plan for the show floor and itching to hit the highway. Just seventeen more days until we make our way to Chicago!

Some early news on the Chicago show comes to us from the good folks at CGC [link]. They will be offering Modern On-Site Grading at Wizard World Chicago August 9 to August 12, 2007. Here's all the fine print...

"Only Modern submissions will be graded On-Site in Chicago. Collectors and dealers can submit all tiers of books to be sent back to CGC's home office for grading. Prior to the show submissions for Modern On-Site Grading can be completed online giving CGC customers the opportunity to prepare submissions in advance instead of having to spend too much time waiting in line. After completing the online show submission form, print four copies of the form, three for CGC's records and one copy for your records. You must present these copies along with your books at the time of submission. This online form is only for On-Site Grading Services at conventions and should not be used for submitting books for regular turnaround times."

To submit Modern Tier books visit their online submission form [link]. For questions regarding On-Site Grading call 1-877-NM-COMIC. For more information on Wizard World Chicago, visit their official website [link].

Seventeen days and counting. We'll see YOU in Chicago!

July 21st, 2007 - When we say the names Mikey Walsh, Data Wong, Chunk, Mouth, Brand, Andy Carmichael, Stef Steinbrenner or Sloth, does your mind begin the slow slide back to the mid-80's? How about talk of the lost treasure of One-Eyed Willie or the Fratelli Brothers crime family? Does that start your mental wayback machine a churning?

Of course we're talking about the cult classic film The Goonies [link]. This piece of geek goodness originally arriving in theaters back in 1985. The film was helmed by Richard Donner (Superman: The Movie), written by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) and based on a story by Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders, ET, etc). Over the years, it's taken on a life of it's own and continues to gain a larger following from continued DVD sales and television re-airs.

For those who've seen the film, just the mention of the title can bring an honest smile to most. This was certainly the target audience when the film became the butt of a Wizard Magazine April Fools joke earlier this year. Back then, the magazine did a full story announcement spelling out a comic sequel titled Goonies: The Search for Sloth. Wizard explained in their statement [link]... "Richard Donner returns to the world of his classic movie, and he’s bringing Geoff Johns along for the adventure." They later explained it was all a joke, but in all honesty how many fans were just a little interested by the idea?

Mezco Toys thinks there is a strong Goonies market out there and they've announced that they'll release a series of Goonies action figures starting in early November. Taking an early look at the series, it's sure to have fans of the film breaking out in a Chunk-styled Truffle Shuffle.

For the action figures, Mezco Toys will start with 7-inch scale versions of Mikey, Mouth, Chunk, Data and Sloth. They also plan a deluxe Sloth, which will be either 12 or 18 inches.

Goonies fans attending the San Diego Comic-Con will want to watch out for a limited Copper Bones One-Eyed Willy Key. The 1 to 1 replica will have a street price of $25 and has a limited run of 3,000. Other replicas rumored to be in the works include a miniature Copper bones, a framed Goonies map and coin, a miniature One Eyed Willy’s Pirate Ship, One Eyed Willy’s Skull and much more. Cool Goonies swag in the best sense of the word.

Goonies never say die!

July 20th, 2007 - As if we didn't already have enough reason to be excited about the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con (which starts this coming Wednesday), independent comic creator Jeff Smith has stepped in and sweetened the deal announcing that he will unveil a new comic, RASL, with a six-page preview during the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con.

Jeff Smith, creator of Bone and recent writer of DC's Shazam: Monster Society of Evil limited series, has given fans no real indication as to the exact nature of the RASL story. He's going to allow the preview to speak for itself at the Con.  Smith will publish RASL under his own Cartoon Books imprint starting in 2008. If Bone was any indication, this will be a must own series of the next year's crop of new titles.

July 19th, 2007 - It takes a lot to really geek us out over a new toy product, but we've found an action figure line we simply have to own. We've always had a soft spot in our heart for the "big red cheese" and the entire Marvel Family [link]. Soon the computers the bring you the Comic Related web site will have their very own Captain Marvel, Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivana parked just to the right of the monitor screen. Here's the entire, soon to be released, Marvel Family (click image for closer look)...

This line is being released by DC Direct in Novembers of this year. According to DC Direct...

"Remember that creepy Shazam! TV show in the ’70s? Billy and “The Wizard” moved from town to town in a van each episode, pausing only when the old man told Billy it was time to become a man. These toys have nothing to do with that. These are good, clean figures of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr., who face the sinister Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind. The towering Captain’s alter ego Billy Batson is two-packed with Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, and keep your eyes out for the white Mary variant! She’s pure as the light of the full moon but twice as rare."

Plop down the credit card. We're placing an order!

July 18th, 2007 - Are you a Warren Ellis fan? We like him so much, he kicked off our Quote of the Week page [link] back in September of '06 with this memorable Ellis quote...

"What makes you burn?  Find more of that.
(Unless it's, you know, paraffin or something)"

Reading that quote lead us to seek out what other artists, writers and creators had to say and begin collecting them in an online archive. Since that first quote post, we've kept up the weekly pace never quoting the same individual twice. We don't know how long that will last, but so far (43 weeks later) it's become a bit of a fun game to play on our quote page.

As long as we're talking about Warren Ellis and what he has to say, we should mention he has a new book out titled Crooked Little Vein. The book [link] hits the streets on July 24th. Here's one description of the book...

"Michael McGill is a burned-out private detective who suddenly becomes enlisted by an army of presidential goons to retrieve the Constitution of the United States, but not the one we all know about. This would be the real Constitution (the one with invisible amendments) created by some of the Founding Fathers as a fallback for their great experiment. Along the way, McGill gains a polyamorous sidekick named Trix, gets scared to death by what men do with warm salty water, and descends into a world where crime, sex, and madness all seem to be the same thing.

 

Full of mind-bending style and packed with a wild cast of characters, Crooked Little Vein infuses Robert B. Parker with Kurt Vonnegut and the madness of the graphic-novel world. A surprisingly surreal treat, it will appeal to hardcore comic fans, mystery aficionados, and all readers looking for a riotous summer reading adventure."

Interested yet? Ellis himself is sweetening the deal by offering up the first chapter, free-for-all, on his web site [link]. Sounds like a crazy interesting summer read to us.

July 17th, 2007 - Born in 1976, today Brian K. Vaughan turns 32. Vaughan is perhaps best known for his comic series including Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways and the utterly outstanding Pride of Baghdad graphic novel. He's worked on a host of other comics and recently made the move to television recently taking over as executive story editor for ABC's Lost.

Vaughan has won a lot of awards for his work in comics including Eisner Awards in 2005 (Best Writer and Best New Series). He received nominations for five Eisners in 2006. Vaughan was named Comics Best Writer by Wizard that same year. So far in 2007 he's been honored by GLADD, the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers, the Harvey Awards, the Eagle Awards and the Joe Shuster Awards to name just a few.

Back in May, Vaughan was awarded a Rave Award by Wired Magazine. In his own words (via a series of videos) Vaughan discusses the good things about writing, making time, doing the right thing, comics, films, television shows, becoming a comic writer and much more on the Wired web site. In honor of his birthday, we invite you to visit the Wired page [link] and let Vaughan share a little advice in his own works.

July 16th, 2007 - We're big fans of comic blogs. Really, who isn't these days? Comic blogs have proven themselves to be every bit as interesting as anything found in the more popular discussion forums or, at times, even the industry press releases. It's in the realm of blogs that you'll encounter the truly interesting and sometimes unique side of comics. It tends to be a strange brew of comic fun. Our own links page [link] features a great mix of the best of the best comic blog sites. We're adding more there all the time.

Today we just increased our link count by one as The Hero Initiative has launched it's own blog [link]. It began posting updates back on July 5th and has registered posts five out of the last eleven days. One of the site's web team launched the blog and here's what he had to say during the launch...

"I'm Derek Thorson, one of the guys behind The Hero Initiative web site. Jim, president of Hero, asked me to look into creating a blog for Hero, so here I am. I have no idea if this is the ultimate place we'll end up, but it's the one I like the most."

After that initial post, Hero Initiative President, Jim McLauchlin has been the name associated with each new post. Nothing like hearing it from the top.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Initiative, it is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, visit www.heroinitiative.org or call 310-909-7809.

The Hero Initiative is also July's featured Site of the Month [link] here at Comic Related. We're strong believers that, as their moto goes, everyone really does deserve a golden age!

July 15th, 2007 - We find ourselves, like so many others, trapped in Potter mania this weekend enjoying what we have (the film) and craving so much more (the book). We're in that uncomfortable limbo between the release of the film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the new book hitting the streets, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [British cover pictured right]. It's just six days until the new and final book in the series arrives and we've had our Amazon order in for two copies for months. Two copies? Yes, we didn't want to face the uncomfortable discussion over who would read the book first here in our Comic Related household so we simply ordered two. With that plan in place, we sit... and wait... and wait...

You would think seeing the film (which we did last night) would sate our appetite for a few days. It did just the opposite. It made these final few days all the more painful. The film was magnificent and I would even go so far as to call it the best of the series so far, but more on that in a moment.

The story behind Order of the Phoenix represented a literary turning point for the series. The film, like book five, moved into much more serious ground and seemed to ratchet up both the pace and story tone building toward the final climax of the series. As I sat watching Order of the Phoenix, I found myself wanting to know all the secrets and guessing how the overall story will end. I plan to savor every page of the upcoming finale in the series.

Turning back to the film, what a magnificent interpretation of the story. The Harry Potter films are classics as far as I'm concerned. Any film that can go so far with such a great story and work so hard to remain true to each book wins a lot of ground with this reviewer. There are things they left out of the film that I regret (more on Neville and his family, the fact that Cho Chang wasn't actually the one to give away Dumbledor's Army, the ups and downs of Harry's brief relationship with Cho and the swamp scene when Fred and George Weasley took their revenge to name just a few), but there was clearly enough there of the original story that I have to call the film a complete success. When I left I was (cliche's front and center please) enchanted and spellbound by this very magical film.

Everyone is talking about the special effects. I have to say, they did hit a new high for their representations of magical warfare (what an utterly awesome finale which I have to see in IMAX), cinematic transitions (loved the use of the daily profit to tell parts of the story and move the film forward), apparating (so much better than I envisioned it while reading) and many, many more sequences that made the story pop visually.

As good as the effects were, I give a major nod to the acting within the film. There are moments with real heart that resonated with me. As chilling as the film was, scenes like the one where Harry is pleading his desire to fight alongside the Order and Sirius Black shared a small wink of approval really stuck with me. The fact that the friendships present between the key students (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna) of Hogwarts might carry this story through it's darkest days is obvious both in the books and resonated well in the film. For all the dark moments, the film held shades of real hope.

The character of Dolores Umbridge, played by Imelda Staunton, was a real scene stealer this time out and there is talk of possible awards in her future. She was utterly believable as the Ministry of Magic affiliated new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher at Hogwarts. Her ability to rattle off a quip of laughter during the most menacing of moments was the perfect take on this character.

I believe CBS  Sunday Morning movie critic David Edelstein said it best earlier today when he described her [link]...

"She's a pink toad, a tea-cozy Fascist who loathes poor Harry. She represents an unchecked executive branch of government — abolishing civil liberties, holding inquisitions at the first whiff of insolence."

Also fairing extremely well this time out is the new character of Luna Lovegood played by Evanna Lynch. She captures the otherworldly, almost ethereal take on life this character presents so well in the books with relative ease. She was immediately likable in the role and a welcome addition to the already stellar film cast.

I wouldn't be fair to these films if I didn't point out the one issue that has plagued me for the last three Harry Potter films. I'm not a fan of seeing these kids in modern clothing at numerous various points in the film. It's most likely my only real complaint with films 3, 4 and 5. I liked the costuming of the students of Hogwarts much better in the first two films. I guess that jinni is now out of the bottle and it is a forgivable one, but I do regret they made that choice starting with Prisoner of Azkaban.

For this film, I would not only offer my highest recommendation that you see it (though who out there really isn't planning to see it) and state, once again, that I consider this the best of the series to date. It was a great way to spend and evening and I will miss this series of book and films once it's gone.

Getting back to the upcoming book as I close today, I'm happy to report that I have my reading spot all picked out for Deathly Hollows . I have my eye on a tree, a creek and a hammock toward the back of my farm (well away from the world of man) where, weather permitting, I plan to enjoy the first few chapters of the new book this coming Saturday. I doubt we will be doing the round-the-clock reading so many fans have planned, but I'm betting we will do little else once the new book arrives.

July 14th, 2007 - G4 TechTv [link] has, once again, announced that they will be doing live coverage of San Diego Comic-Con. If you've not all that familiar with the channel, it's a cable network that caters to gamers sharing a mix of programming targeting all aspects of gamer life.

This year, G4 has expanded their Comic-Con show to two nights of two hour coverage. The official broadcasts are set to air July 27th and 28th starting at 7PM eastern time. Also, over the course of this weekend, they're airing a Comic-Con preview show intermixed with their Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3) coverage. Hosted by regulars Blair Butler and Chris Gore, the show should rerun over this weekend so check your local listings for air times in your area.

According to the G4 web site's 2007 Comic-Con page [link] fans can expect "2 days of exclusive interviews, behind the scenes reporting and unparalleled access to the biggest pop culture event!" Offering more detail the site boasts...

"Comic-Con, the year's biggest comic book and pop culture event, hits San Diego once again. It's the events 38th year, and G4 will be there to cover it all. We'll break down all the hottest Comic-Con action in 2 days of live coverage, filled to the brim with in-depth comic news, behind the scenes interviews with directors and stars of the latest comic-based and sci-fi films, TV shows and more. You won't want to miss our unparalleled coverage of Comic-Con '07 Live, July 26th and 27th @ 7PM ET."

Hmm... They say behind the scenes interviews with directors and stars of the latest comic-based and sci-fi films, TV shows and more. Okay, that is one aspect of Comic-Con. I hope they realize that there's a lot more going on that the stars, toys and kids in costumes. To satisfy this fan we're hoping to see a little coverage of actual comics while they're there. Maybe they could do us a favor and send a film crew to a panel or two, break some news, talk to a few creators or simply try to do something beyond shooting for the humor card as has been the case in years past. Sure, I'll tune in, but we're hoping the coverage has stepped up a big notch from years past.

July 13th, 2007 - Who would ever think a Supreme Court ruling might have an impact on your comic folder and your relationship with your local comic store? Believe it or not, the Leegin vs. PSKS [link] case may hit you right where it hurts... the wallet.

Did the Supreme Court mandate you have to include a Spidey title in your folder? Nope. Did they mandate how many titles you have to have on your pull list? Nope. Did they take away your subscription discount? Possibly!

On the very last day of its term, the Supreme Court reversed a court ruling which stood for 96 years. Boiling the case down, they ruled that manufacturers and distributors can legally enforce a minimum retail price on retailers. For you and I, this means that distributors such as Diamond and Cold Cut can attempt to mandate a minimum price for which retailers can sell a product.

Across the country, comic stores typically offer customers who set up a pull folder a discount for the books they commit to buy. This is great for the store as it helps them estimate how many copies of a title they will need for their advance orders to the distributor. It also proves convenient for the customer as they know their titles will be there when they get to the store. They don't have to jockey for position when it comes to hot titles and potential sell-outs. For this mutual beneficial relationship, it's common for comic shops to offer a discount on the cover price of the titles.

In the case, Leegin Creative Leather Products cut off Texas retailer Kay's Kloset for its refusal to adhere to Leegin's no-discount policy. Kay's Kloset sued to keep their discount and lost. This overturned the flat ban on resale price agreements which has previously been seen as good for competition in the marketplace.

This ruling doesn't automatically open the door for limits on retailer discount programs, but it does make it more of a case-by-case decision process forcing litigation to rule on given markets.

Could this impact the comic world and your local comic store's discount program. Only time and the distributor's desire to control the market will tell. Given yesterday's the recent announcement that Cold Cut Distribution is up for sale [link], it's a funky moment in the world of comic book distribution. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

July 12th, 2007 - In the ever shrinking world of comic book distributors, a line from Highlander... There can be only one! ...comes to mind. Today, as Tom Petty's The Last DJ played eerily in the background (calling out "And there goes your freedom of choice, there goes the last human voice"), we read the news that Cold Cut Distribution [link] has put itself up for sale. They're not closing their doors, but in a prepared statement on their web site they explain...

"After thirteen years of distributing small-press and independent comic books, the owners of Cold Cut Distribution are offering the company for sale, including its inventory, equipment and all other assets.

Within the comics industry, Cold Cut holds a unique position, filling a niche that no other company services. In addition to offering wholesale distribution, Cold Cut could be expanded or repositioned in many ways, including retail mail order, pop culture items, internet sales or other areas. As an established business, Cold Cut has the necessary infrastructure to jump-start any enterprising venture, and can be easily relocated from its current Salinas, CA warehouse to anywhere in the United States.

Please note that Cold Cut Distribution is not closing. We will continue to operate on a normal schedule and process all orders as usual. We are not changing the discounts we offer, or our terms of sale.

Individuals or companies who are interested in Cold Cut should contact Mark Thompson at thompson@coldcut.com by email (preferred), 831-751-7300 by phone (leave a message for a call-back), or 831-751-1513 by fax. You may also arrange to meet with Mark Thompson in person at the upcoming Comic-Con International in San Diego."

Cold Cut Distribution is the only remaining direct-market competitor to Diamond. This may not be apocalyptic news for the industry as Diamond certainly remains a solid force within the industry, but it is a cause for concern for some small press publishers.

As an example, Simon Jones at Icarus Comics explains [link] his take on the situation...

"Some rather unexpected, and potentially headache/heartache-inducing, news for indy comics publishers tonight… Cold Cut, the re-order distributor that has been a small but solid part of the direct market, and the only real comic distributor alternative to Diamond since FM International disintegrated, is now up for sale. While the message promises that orders will continue to be fulfilled, there was no mention of whether vendors will continue to receive payment, or any indication of how outstanding debts at the time of sale would be handled. This turn of events is worrisome for smaller publishers, myself included, in part because no such intention was ever shared with publishers beforehand. There’s also no guarantee that Cold Cut would continue as a distributor even if it finds a buyer… the pitch openly suggests the possibility of converting the operation into a mail-order business."

Armando Milicevic adds more detail on Cold Cut at the Comic Reporter [link]...

"As someone who in the past has relied on Cold Cut in keeping perennial sellers like Blankets, Maus, or Persepolis on our shelves at all times, I now have to look elsewhere for those books, because Cold Cut isn't listing them anymore (also gone is a significant portion of Top Shelf's catalogue, not to mention several publishers who seem to have been removed completely).

 

According to the glossary of terms found on their web site, items not listed in their inventory

* have not yet been released, or have not yet arrived at Cold Cut, or
* are permanently out of print from the publisher, or
* are no longer offered by Cold Cut, or
* have not and will not be offered by Cold Cut, or
* do not exist

And a simple process of elimination, and the fact that there haven't been any notable additions to their inventory since May, lead me to believe that they may have already given up on meeting the demands of the marketplace. Which, of course, is really depressing, because who do I get my books from now? Oh, right..."

Having done a fair amount of business with Diamond in years past, my experiences have always been good but I do admit that I deplore any situation which could result in a single company gaining exclusive influence over any industry, not just comics. This news concerns us, especially in light of recent supreme court rulings... More on that tomorrow...

July 11th, 2007 - Lettering a comic by hand is a bit of a lost art these days. Computer lettering, from the comic industry's perspective, has moved to the forefront of comic design becoming standard practice.

Given that fact, we wondered what the more home grown comic creator does when creating a page by hand. We're guessing many may lack the software or, in some cases, the processor pounding resources to render the task digitally. We're betting many of these grass roots creators still opt to do it by hand.

With that in mind, we stumbled across a story pointer that just might help. It's a bit of a "how to" for hand lettering presented. Best of all, it's presented as a single comic page. The page can be found within Todd Klein's web site on a page titled Hand Lettering Basics [link]. There he breaks down the tools and techniques even providing links to places where supplies for the task can be ordered.

Todd Klein is well know for his work on Neil Gaiman's Sandman and other Vertigo comics. Todd has won twelve of the last thirteen Best Letterer/Lettering Eisner Awards. You can learn more about his work by visiting his official web site [link].

July 10th, 2007 - Are digital comics evolving into a solid cross-section of our comic industry's future? It's a question many comic companies seem to be toying with these days. Publishers have been kicking out official digital comics to promote certain flagship or under performing series on their web sites for some time. Behind the scenes, it's become increasingly common for creators or publishers to send out reviewer copies (usually digitally scaled down PDF's) so that web sites or media outlets can get advance look at their products before they hit the streets and kick up some buzz for the new title.

It seems clear that many companies have kicked off a shoe and stuck at least their big toe in the water to test the temperature of public opinion before jumping full out into the digital comic pool. This testing of the water seems at the heart of yesterday's announcement from DC Comics. They are opening up an arm of their company focused solely on digital comics which will have the added advantage of being a breeding ground for new talent.. We welcome DC's new Zudacomics.com [link] to the mix. What a cool idea.

Word of the October launch of their new web site first popped up in the New York Times [link] then Newsarama got all the details from DC Comics SVP-Creative Director, Richard Bruning [link].

Per the New York Times article...

The imprint, called Zudacomics.com, will permit aspiring cartoonists to register at its Web site and submit an eight-panel sample of their work. Starting in October and each month thereafter, editors at DC Comics will select 10 entries, post them for public view and invite people to vote for their favorite. Editors may also declare as many as six submissions to be instant winners during the calendar year.

 

“We’ve always found interesting stuff in submissions,” said Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics. “One of the problems that comics have today, I think, is that open door is much more closed. This creates a more open door.”

 

Most people who produce online comics do so as labors of love. Some post their work online free, hoping to catch a publisher’s eye or gain a following, but Zuda will offer a rare chance to become a paid professional.

We applaud the experiment and look forward to the new talent which may grow out of the site.

July 9th, 2007 - Everywhere you turn this week, it's a "More Than Meets The Eye" Transformers centered world as coverage of the premiere is far too difficult to avoid. Having grown up in the original Transformers cartoon era, I know all the back story but lack the personal excitement. Transformers was a fan trend never really hit home with me. I completely respect those who live and die with the memory of Optimus Prime, but it was never for me.

We here at Comic Related have followed the development of the film on the site sharing a news pointer from time to time, but never really got all that pumped to see the film. For me personally, if you're going to revisit an 80's theme, I would be much more likely to yell out "Go Joe" and hunt for Snake Eyes or Cobra Commander in a script. That said, this film does look pretty good from a special effects standpoint. Being that it's Michael Bay film, I do fear what the dialogue will sound like. This one will be one we'll watch from the comfort of a couch when the DVD is released.

Whether or not I was tail in seat this week (or even excited about the film) didn't make much of a difference with fans here in the US market. This film certainly pulled down the change taking in 67.6 million in ticket sales over the weekend according to studio estimates released yesterday [link].

On a related, but slightly unexpected Transformers note, one of the better stories relating to the film aired Sunday morning at about 9:40 AM. As we've mentioned previously [link], we're big fans of CBS News Sunday Morning. It just seems to make the transition into the last day of the weekend a little easier. Around our household, a tall cup of coffee and catching the show is a bit of a tradition that never fails to surprises as it typically rolls in some geek-friendly programming. This morning was no exception as they did a great extended story [link] on the sound effects from the Transformers film and how sound impacts a story.

"I mean, you watch a movie without sound or bad sound, it changes it, the whole kind of vibe," director Michael Bay told CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker. "Sounds are so important to making a realized picture. I mean, these robots are made out of thin air…but it's so realistic and what makes it so realistic is the sound."

Check out the entire story [link] over at the CBS News Sunday Morning web site
and give the show a try each. It's a great way to start your Sunday.

July 8th, 2007 - Are you enjoying our site? If you do, please consider visiting our band new On Sale page [link]. All it takes is a moment to purchase a great comic for your collection. You'll have it in your hands (pre-bagged and back boarded) just a few days later. We offer flat rate shipping [details] and volume purchase discounts [details]. It's an easy way for you to support our work here at Comic Related and get some cool new back issues for your collection.

Over the last week, we've worked round-the-clock to integrate our new shopping cart with both paypal and our site. We think you'll find it offers a smooth on-line shopping experience that allows you to purchase comics by credit card (no paypal account required) or through your existing paypal account.

So far, we've launched the page with just eight books. That will soon change. As has been the case with most areas of this site, we'll quickly ramp it up. We'll add a host of additional comics for you to dig through in the days and weeks ahead. Currently, we have a seventy long box inventory in off-site storage just begging to make its way onto the site.

Keep checking back for notices that new books have been added! You never know what Comic Related stuff you'll find on sale here at comicrelated.com.

July 7th, 2007 - There are clear highs in the world of comic collecting. Getting the next issue of a title you're dying to read... Finding that one back issue you've been hunting for years... Talking about a story with a comic creator you really respect... Enjoying that final countdown to a comic convention you plan to attend...

If I were pressed to put them in order, attending a comic convention would be somewhere near the top of that list. Thankfully, convention season is now well underway coast-to-coast and there are a lot of shows to enjoy. Our own links page [link] points you to many of the events out there this year. In the world of conventions though, there is one show that has to qualify as the official 900 pound gorilla of comic conventions. That would be San Diego's Comic-Con International [link]. Each year this show just gets bigger attracting more and more people form the comic industry, the gaming industry, the toy industry, the art world and Hollywood. I must admit that there really is nothing like it.

Can you believe we're just 18 days from Comic-Con's July 25th preview night? What's on tap for this year's show? The official web site offers up an Insider's Sneak Peek [link] with an early look at the line-up. Take a look, read away and drool at the massive list of panels, talent and fun to be had.

Sadly, we here at Comic Related will miss this year's Comic-Con. No, it's not due to a scheduling conflict or some other commitment. We just waited too long to get a room close to the convention center and decided to hold off until 2008. That said, we will be rolling out full coverage of the event scouring the internet to provide wall-to-wall content and story pointers striving to keep you in the heart of the action just in case you, like us, can't make this year's show.

We are very excited to be counting down the days to the next convention we are attending... Wizard World Chicago [link]. We are just 30 days away from hitting the highway and heading for Chicago. We'll be staying at the Sofitel Chicago O'Hare which is connected to the convention center getting to town the Wednesday before the show starts. We're already excited about hooking up with friends we haven't seen in some time and networking in support of our new business [details]. If you plan to attend the show, drop us an e-mail and let us know. We would love to meet you!

For Wizard World, we'll be doing live updates a couple times a day live from the convention covering breaking news announcements, behind the scenes stories and the latest word from the panels, We plan to share a ton of video and photos from the event. We're hoping to put on a show that will be the next best thing to actually being there. Join us for the show starting August 8th.

July 6th, 2007 - If you keep a regular eye on our news page [link], you know that Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Runaways, Astonishing X-Men, etc.) is auctioning off four seats to a private dinner with him in San Diego. Joss will be in San Diego attending Comic-Con International [link] in support of his various projects with Marvel and Dark Horse Comics. The auctions are set to benefit Equality Now, a charity which he supports and one whose creation his mother originally inspired. We carried the full press release for the auctions back on June 28th [link] sharing all the details.

Checking in on those auctions, they still have almost seven days to go and all five seats have been bid above the $4,000 level and four out of the five are now over $5,000. You can follow all the action over on ebay [link] where the seats and a host of other items are on being hotly contested in support of a good cause.

Curious about the charity?
Here's a speech Joss gave in support of it back in 2006...

The auctions end July 12th, 2007.

Click here to consider bidding!

July 5th, 2007 - Ever thought it might be interesting to see your favorite comics animated? I'm not talking full animation like we've seen with Justice League Unlimited or Hellboy: Sword of Storms, but rather a mix of the printed page and animation effects rendering motion while maintaining the look and feel of the original printed page. Along these lines, we have an interesting web site to share with you today.

Comflix Studios [link] stands on the verge of hitting the web and they've given this topic some real thought. For several titles (Dracula vs. King Arthur, Empty Chamber, Living In Infamy and Mark Grimm), they've taken the printed page and added motion, animation effects and voice over narration shifting the comic into a visual medium. This style is very reminiscent of some of the Marvel trailers like World War Hulk [link] only here they've taken the entire process to the next level adding a sense of life rather than relying on simple page captures and effects.

As I mentioned above, their full site isn't public yet. It's still locked behind a login and password. The company plans to open it's doors to the public on July 20th. Knowing our Comic Related fans might want an advance look, we contacted the studio and obtained their permission to share a sneak peek with you. Here's what you'll need to take a look around the Comflix Studios web site...

Go to www.comflix.net
The username is: comflix
The password is: superhero
All lowercase (case sensitive)

As a thank you from the company for those visiting the new site, anyone passing by will have an opportunity win an all expense paid trip to Los Angeles, hang out and have lunch with actor Doug Jones who is currently starring as the Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Doug also starred as Pan in Pan’s Labyrinth and will be playing the role of Abe Sapien in the upcoming Hellboy 2: The Golden Army film. Just look for the "sign me up" link in the lower right corner of the web site front page.

Well worth a look...

July 4th, 2007 - As we celebrate this 4th of July and everything that's great about this country, my mind wanders back to cartoonist Berkeley Breathed's Opus from a few week's back (Memorial Day Weekend to be specific). That strip made me think back to the height of Breathed's Bloom County days. It said so much with just one panel. I've presented it once again below as I think it makes a great point as we celebrate the 4th this year...

As we enjoy the cookouts, the fireworks, the parades and the patriotism of this holiday, we must always remember that freedom is never free. That said, we must also remain vigilant that the cause for which we pay that price of freedom is worth the cost to our nation. Too many good people have suffered loss over the last few years due to war. Please consider voting for a presidential candidate who will bring our troops home in 2008.

No matter your political background, have a very happy 4th of July!

July 3rd, 2007 - On July 2nd, 2007 we made it official. Yesterday afternoon we formed our own company allowing Comicrelated.com to evolve into Comics Related LLC. We couldn't be more pleased to have the paperwork finalized taking this great web site to the next level!

What does this mean? It means our already massive web site is going to get a little bigger. It's been our goal for a couple years to take the existing Comic Related site and grow one side of it into a business focused on connecting comic book collectors to the comics they want to see in their collection.

We'll begin this weekend taking a selection of books live in our On Sale area. Think of it as a "wet your appetite" mini-launch. You can expect some great kick-off specials and, in the weeks ahead, we'll expand that area sharing more and more great specials and a full inventory of back issues. Deep discounts, quick shipping and reasonable rates... Just what you want from a comic store.

In time, we'll unveil our full on-line store offering our own massive inventory working to build a significant sales following. On down the road, we plan to invite you to join us in this enterprise offering up a consignment service featuring almost non-existent commission rates and a full host of sales options. More on that in 2008.

What doesn't this mean? It doesn't mean that anything you've come to expect from Comic Related will change. Our primary focus is and always will be critical comment, comic industry news, insightful commentary, reviews and the full DAILY comic book coverage you've come to expect from Comicrelated.com. As we like to say...

"If it's comic related, you'll find it here!"

July 2nd, 2007 - Confidence in a film trilogy can be a good thing. In the case of Batman Begins, it appears to be an earned commodity at this point. The first film took in no less than $371.9 million worldwide so the good folks at Warner Brothers know they have a winning property on their hands. At this point they show no sign of stopping with next year's Dark Knight sequel.

Today we are about 16 days away from the one year mark and we can already feel the press machine gearing up for the countdown to the July 18th, 2008 release of the Dark Knight.

Will Dark Knight star Christian Bale sign on for the third film? It looks likely as he's already hinting at leaving room for another Bat-film in recent interviews. Speaking with the Star Ledger [link], Bale explained, "The script leaves room for a very interesting follow-up, too," Bale says of the potential for a third film. "I think we could take it somewhere else."

How has life changed (or not changed) for Bale after taking on the Batman series? "I still do all the things I've always done," Bale says. "I would never want to give up a life of just bumming around, and hanging out by the freeway, or cemeteries, or the parking lot of the 7/11. I would hate to give that up."

Dark humor seems an easy find for this Dark Knight star.

July 1st, 2007 - Today the Associated Press [link] is reporting on funeral plans for Captain America in a story titled Marvel Comics Buries Captain America [link]. Within the piece they explain...

"After 66 years of battling villains from Adolph Hitler to the Red Skull, Captain America will be laid to rest in the in the latest issue of Marvel Comics, which will hit the newstands on July 5, 2007."

The story is talking about this week's upcoming issue of Fallen Son: Death of Captain America.

Within the story, the AP speaks with Jeph Loeb regarding the story, the stages of grief and his own tragic loss of his son to cancer...

Writer Jeph Loeb has been busy working through the stages of grief in his most recent titles. A book centered on Wolverine dealt with denial; one with the Avengers covered anger; and Spider-Man battled depression.

 

With the story line so relevant to present-day politics, and the timing of the latest issue so precise, it's hard not to think the whole thing is one big slam on the government.

 

"Part of it grew out of the fact that we are a country that's at war, we are being perceived differently in the world," Loeb said. "He wears the flag and he is assassinated - it's impossible not to have it at least be a metaphor for the complications of present day."

 

But Loeb says he was working with more personal material: the death of his 17-year-old son from cancer.

 

"So many people have lost their sons and daughters over the years, for the greater good or to cancer or other horrible things," said Loeb, an executive producer for NBC's "Heroes." "I wanted this to be something people would identify with."

 

In the final frames of the book, the Falcon delivers a eulogy asking superheros old and young to stand up and honor Captain America. Loeb did a similar thing at his son's funeral.

 

"It was this moment where I realized that we were all different, but this boy, my son, made us all connected," he said. "It was powerful."

Our thoughts remain with Mr. Loeb and his family even to this day. When we here at Comic Related reflect on the death of Captain America, we can't help thinking of the words of Captain America co-creator Joe Simon from back in March when he said...

"It's a hell of a time for him to go. We really need him now."

Continue back to June 2007