June 30th, 2007 - Does anyone else feel like the nature of comic book reading in America is starting to change? I'm not talking about the larger trend of us losing readers to video games, internet downloading and about seven other visual mediums. I'm not talking about the declining rate of reading in general within this country. No, to me it's starting to feel like the tide is turning against the monthly title. Maybe I'm just having a brief "sky is falling" moment, but I think the 30 day waiting period for a new issue to arrive at your favorite store may be changing. First, I'm not sure how I feel about that and second, I'm not sure whether it's speeding up or slowing down.

What am I sure about? Over the last few years, graphic novel sales have grown. I tend to think they have become such a focal point of the industry that we're starting to see a change in the nature of story arcs within comics. In many titles, gone are the old school one-shot stories. Even more endangered are the twenty issue stories. As graphic novel sales continue to rise, it concerns me that stories are increasingly crafted for the shorter six issue arc to fit nicely into a final packaged product.

I've remained concerned that anything that homogenizes and boxes in the storytelling to a prescribed format is anything but a good thing for the industry. More of the same or more of something that looks similar isn't good as it limits the range of creative expression for the writer and the artist. If a story needs twenty issue and it's worth telling, I want it to have a place at Marvel and DC, not just the world of independents. We need diversity and creativity that surprises the reader month after month (or week after week) to maintain sales over the long haul.

Had you asked me a year ago (or maybe I should say 52 weeks ago), I would have said that we're witnessing the death of long form storytelling within comics. I would have railed against an industry that's packaging comics to fit the bookshelf of Barnes and Nobel's rather than your friendly neighborhood comic store. I would have pointed to Marvel's experimentation with doubling up their mainstay titles each summer as just another path to quicker graphic novels and quicker profits.

Now, I have to revise my working theory. What changed? Well, along comes DC's weekly 52, DC's weekly Countdown and the announcement that Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man will soon shift to three times a month production and the landscape shifted. Suddenly I needed to reassess my argument. Here, the long form story is alive and well. 52 presented several intertwined long form stories told over the course of a year and did it in a way that celebrated and invigorated several lesser known characters. I didn't see that coming and applaud the success.

Could we be witnessing the start of a move to weekly titles? Could this be the start of an accelerated pace that tells both a rich story and gets the graphic novel (though larger and more expensive) to the bookshelves that much quicker? I don't have the answer, but I'm interested to see what the future holds.

What I do know is that there's clearly change in the air or at least a testing of the water for change. Once the dust settles, I think we'll see a reduction in the number of multiple titles dedicated to a single character or group. I'm also betting we'll see an accelerated pace in the production of those titles.

I think this will be good for the industry and good for readership. If I owned a shop and I had a loyal Spider-Man reader, I wouldn't mind seeing him or her three times a month for that Amazing Spider-Man fix. I think that individual would be more likely to follow that path than to buy three separate Spidey titles. That said, let's hope that reader doesn't give up because they can't afford those three issues. For certain... only time will tell.

Oh, before I go... X-Men will go monthly. I in no way know if that's true, but I'm betting on it. If it turns out to be true, please remember that you heard it here first.

June 29th, 2007 - Everyone seems to be sporting those tiny, somewhat overexposed rubber band bracelets first made famous by the Lance Armstrong Foundation's very deserving Live Strong campaign [link]. It was a trend I didn't think would last, but as each month passed and the charities this fashion statement supported grew in number, I had to admit that it was a good thing and even, begrudgingly, found myself serving up a smile each time I saw one. They may be a fashion trend, but it's a trend with heart at it's core and that I can respect.

With that somewhat less than ringing endorsement, I will admit that my attitude changed even more when I was recently reminded that the good folks at the Hero Initiative [link] have their own charity bracelet specifically designed for the comic community. This I love... They have the Excelsior Wristband celebrating the long loved expression first made famous by Stan Lee. Selling at only $3 a pop [link] and endorsed by Stan, this is a great way to help a worthy charity.

What's the charity you may ask? We'll let the Hero Initiative explain their mission...

"In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

 

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $200,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

 

The Hero Initiative 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."

Excelsior baby! We here at Comic Related hope you open up your heart, follow with your pocketbook and give up one coffee at Starbucks to honor those legends who have gone before building the historical foundation for many of the stories we enjoy today while also helping future creators. Give just $3, wear the bracelet, tell a friend and know that you did some real good for a creator or family that could use your help. All proceeds from each sale go to assist this impressive charity!

Visit and please consider supporting the Hero Initiative at
www.heroinitiative.org

June 28th, 2007 - If you've picked up an issue of She-Hulk or Ms. Marvel, chances are that part of what sold you (at first glance) was the cover art of Greg Horn. Greg is well known for his somewhat painted art style, his amazing renditions of female Marvel characters and his intricately detailed light and color effects. Horn's art has an almost photo-realistic feel and seems alive with vitality. Whenever I see it, it just draws me right into the title.

While surfing around ComicSpace, I bumped into Greg's page [link]. I like when artists put some of their work on ComicSpace and Greg has taken advantage of this feature. While digging around, I enjoyed his Ms. Marvel [link] and Marvel Comic's Icons [link] galleries. The gallery that really surprised me was titled Advertising Stuff [link]. I didn't know that Greg has done work for Bacardi Rum, the Athens' US Olympic Basketball team, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Nike, Stratego, ESPN GameZone, Ringling Brothers, Pontiac and even the Splinter Cell series of novels. Well worth a look if you haven't been to his page. To see more of his art, you can check out his work at www.greghornjudge.com.

June 27th, 2007 - We all know that Neil Gaiman is a fairly amazing comic book writer having crafted such classics as the Sandman and Death series. Did you know his range of work has a lot more than that to offer? If you stopped following his career when he began working in ernest writing novels, you are missing out on some of his best work to date!

Out of the titles he's written, I highly recommend Neverwhere, American Gods and Anansi Boys with the Anansi Boys being my personal favorite. Anansi Boys has a sense of wonder and humor that proved a real treat for this reader. It made me laugh and introduced me to a fun mythology in a way that only Gaiman seems able to achieve regularly and successfully. In terms of Neverwhere, I liked it well enough that once I finished reading it, I put it down, I picked it back up and I ended up reading it a second time. American Gods was a travel book for me. I read it while crossing the country by plane a couple times in two weeks. Each proved an interesting treat.

Why am I mentioning this today? We just received notice from his publisher that he's unveiling two new books titled InterWorld and M is for Magic.

In InterWorld, Gaiman joins forces with award-winning science-fiction writer Michael Reaves to bring about a "dazzling tale of magic, science, and honor"....

Joey Harker doesn't know he's a hero. In fact, he's the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house. But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension. Joey's walk between the worlds makes him prey to terrible forces and, when he sees what these evil forces are capable of, Joey makes the only possible choice. He joins an army of his own, an army of versions of himself from different dimensions who all share his amazing power and are determined to fight to save the worlds.

M is for Magic is pure Neil Gaiman...

Magical, fantastical, and always surprising, M Is for Magic is Gaiman's first short-story collection specifically for young readers. It contains both never-before-seen and previously collected stories, all of which are peppered with the whimsical, spellbinding writing that made Coraline so popular. M Is for Magic also contains 10 full-page black-and-white illustrations from acclaimed artist Teddy Kristiansen.

Whether targeted for the young or mature reader, both books sounds like great reading for the dog days of summer!

June 26th, 2007 - If you're a regular reader of the Comic Related website, you may be surprised at how much we've changed over the last month. We'd like to take a moment to share a few of the improvements, explain what's happening to the site at this time and give a preview of what's coming up next. This is our brief "State of Comic Related" report...

Completed projects:

News [link]: Shifted news content from pointers to local hosted content (started today!)

Commentary [link]: Stepped up Related Recaps achieving daily updates

Media [link]: Finished adding current slate of film pages moving to daily news updates

Site Design [link]: Finished a long project changing the site's architecture (htm to html)

Projects underway at this time:

Sales [link]: We're working to launch our sales area (Targeted done: 7/08/07)

Link Validation [link]: We're clicking through and checking all our links (Targeted done: 7/15/07)

Future projects:

Convention Coverage: Wizard World Chicago and Mid-Ohio Con next

Creator Interviews: We're lining up a few new interviews even as this is written

Podcasting: In addition to tracking podcasts [link], we're planning to unveil one of our own

Every day we work to ensure...
"If it's comic related, you'll find it here!"

June 25th, 2007 - New York, independent comics and a beautiful weekend... What could be better?

Over the weekend, the annual MoCCA Art Festival took place in New York's Puck Building (293 Lafayette at Houston). The MoCCA Art Festival is a mini-con (though quickly growing) celebrating independent, alternative and small press comics in all shapes and sizes. The event is sponsored by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art and has really grown since it began in 2001. Just six years later, it has become a showcase for one of the largest, swankiest and coolest of indy gatherings. This year's festival included Bill Sienkiewicz, Alison Bechdel, Joe Staton, Charles Burns, Arthur Suydam, Bryan Lee O'Malley to name just a few.

If you missed the event, there's some great post-game coverage over on the Newsarama website. They've posted a full write-up of the event [link] and a great photo gallery [link] that made us feel like we were almost there. Oh well, there's always next year...

To learn more about the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art,

visit their official website at www.moccany.org!

June 24th, 2007 - We had you hooked with the title for today's update, didn't we? As you're about to learn, that title's talking about an item rather than an act. That said, we hope this Recap is still a fun read for you. Today, we ask... What was your first comic?

We would love to know what comic (specific issue if you know it) first captured your interest and got you hooked on collecting or simply reading comics? We're asking you to walk back through the years and tell us where comic fandom began for you? Send us your stories [email chuck@comicrelated.com] and we'll post them here in an upcoming Related Recap.

Since I don't have you sitting across the table sharing your tale, my only recourse is to share a few memories of my own while we wait for your e-mails to arrive.

Here's my story...

I grew up in a restaurant family. My parents ran a Frisches Big Boy in Portsmouth, Ohio, a little town (pictured right) nestled on the Ohio River. It was the kind of family run restaurant where everyone was pleasant and there was a great little candy counter as you checked out. Sometimes, when I was very young, my dad would take me with him when he picked up candy to restock that counter. We would visit a small, locally owned distributor just down the road that in my eyes could have put Willy Wonka to shame with the bevy of treats they had for sale. On one visit, I noticed they had small stacks of out of date comics tied together in blocks with thin rope. They were selling comics by the pound. No joke, they weighed them as you checked out to determine the final price. Since each stack was tied, you never knew what you would get until you made it to your car. I always loved discovering what new titles were in the mix and every so often, dad was good enough to treat me to a pound or two. I can still remember my excitement cutting the string and leafing through those covers. Who needed candy, I had comics!

My dad may get bragging rights for introducing me to comics, but it was my mom who takes the prize for making me a collector. She always had an eye for detail, style and encouraged my creativity. One day, while helping clean out an old attic with a friend she stumbled across a comic which she gave to me. I was maybe eight or nine at the time. I still have it to this day. It was a single issue of Fawcett Magazine's Captain Marvel Adventures. A very old copy of the February 1944 issue number 32 to be exact. That book, quite honestly, changed my life. It wasn't just the comic, but rather the mystery that it could be valuable that hit home with me. I've never parted ways with that issue, have no plans to ever sell it and never looked back from the dawn of a hobby I now love.

With all the respect I can offer a single comic, here's a cover scan (click it for the full size image) of the issue that made me a comic collector. Thank you Captain Marvel. Shazam, like my family, will always make me smile...

Please take a few minutes, drop us an e-mail and share your story. We'd love to hear it.

June 23rd, 2007 - Standing up for our first amendment rights isn't just something we take for granted in the world of comics. Here at Comic Related, we salute the dedicated work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund [link]. The good folks at the Fund are just about ready to go to trail on behalf of Gordon Lee, a Georgia comic book retailer. Below, we're proud to relay their latest press release giving you a look at the issues present in the case. Beware when the morality police come a calling...

Press Release

Gordon Lee Trial Date Set – CBLDF Needs Your Help!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund urgently needs your help. This August, the long-running case of Georgia v. Gordon Lee will finally go to trial, with court costs expected to hit $20,000.

For nearly three years the Fund has defended Georgia retailer Gordon Lee, seeing him through multiple arraignments and procedures, and racking up $80,000 in legal bills. The charges stem from a Halloween 2004 incident in which Lee handed out, among other free comics, an anthology featuring an excerpt from the critically acclaimed graphic novel The Salon. The segment depicted a historically accurate meeting between 20th Century art icons Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, the latter depicted in the nude. It was a harmless sequence, no more explicit than the nudity displayed in the award winning Watchmen. Yet because the title found its way into the hands of a minor, Floyd County prosecutors hit Lee with two felony counts and five misdemeanors. The Fund eventually knocked out most of the charges, but must now defeat the two remaining misdemeanor counts of Distribution of Harmful to Minors Material, each carrying a penalty of up to one year in prison and up to $1,000 in fines.

The case is slated to go to trial the week of August 13. We urgently need your support in order to wage the best defense possible against these remaining charges, and that means raising the $20,000 that the trial is expected to cost. Here’s how you can help:

Make A Monetary Donation: Every dollar counts, so please make a tax-deductible contribution [link] today. As a thank-you for making a donation of $30 or more, the Fund will give you a brand new t-shirt displaying the text of the First Amendment in the shape of an American flag. Show your commitment to free speech, and your support for this very important case.

Join The CBLDF: Now is the time to join or renew your membership [link] in the Fund. Your member dollars provide the baseline of support that we need to perform our casework, and defend your right to buy whatever comics you wish. If you join now with a basic membership of $25 you will receive a CBLDF Member Card, featuring new Groo art by the one-and-only Sergio Aragones, as well as a subscription to our news publication Busted!, and special admission to CBLDF events across the country. If you join at a level of $100 or more, you will also receive one of the new First Amendment t-shirts.

Donate Original Art & Collectibles: With summer conventions upon us, the Fund needs original art, high-grade comics, and other collectible items to make the most of our summer auctions. Please e-mail cbldf1@gmail.com for more information about how to donate to our auctions, or with a description of your intended donation. If your donation is accepted for our summer auctions, you will receive a letter of acknowledgment and a 2007 membership. To ensure that your donation is received safely, please do not send physical items until accepted by the CBLDF.

With Gordon Lee's freedom in the balance, the CBLDF needs everyone who values Free Expression in comic books to do his or her part to support this very important case. Please make your contribution today [link].

June 22nd, 2007 - A new 300 website [link] has emerged sporting a fun new contest designed to stir up anticipation for the film's July 31st DVD release. As part of the contest, fans compete on-line through mini-challenges working to collect 300 points in a series of Spartan-like tasks. From the pool of individuals scoring 300, two will be chosen to advance to the finals in San Diego.

What can you win? The final two (along with guests) will be flown to San Diego for this year's Comic-Con. While there, they will compete in one final secret task. The person who completes the final task successfully will win a visit to the set of 300 director Zack Snyder's next film Watchmen [more info]. Not a bad prize package to say the least.

June 21st, 2007 - As long as we're on the topic of living legends (yesterday [link] we discussed one of our favorite people... Frank Miller), we couldn't help noticing a new tribute in the works for Stan Lee. Hasbro [link] has announced that it plans to pay their respects to Stan in the form of a six inch tall action figure which will be part of its Marvel Legends line-up. He will be depicted in khaki's, a blue jacket and his signature glasses.

Speaking with the Associated Press, Eric Nyman (Hasbro's vice president of marketing) explained, "We feel it's long overdue that Stan Lee be immortalized as an action figure, much like the dozens of marvelous characters that he has created for years and years and it couldn't be more fitting than to create him as a Marvel Legends figure."

The limited-edition figure is set to retail for $14.99 and will be introduced next month at Comic-Con International San Diego.

June 20th, 2007 - Frank Miller has firmly entrenched himself in Hollywood and become a household name that carries real weight. We in the comic world have always known he was a bit of a legend, but it's nice to see the general public recognize his abilities both on the printed page and on the silver screen.

From Sin City to 300 to interpretations of his Dark Knight series to The Spirit to news of a Ronin adaptation, his work and adaptations of his work are proving both solid artistic interpretations of the comics and unprecedented film success stories.

Today, news has emerged that Miller will be taking on a new project. This time it's not really all that comic related, but it's right in line with his other work. Miller has been hired by Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment to adapt Raymond Chandler's novel Trouble Is My Business for the big screen. Sin City's own Clive Owen will star as private eye Philip Marlowe. Frank Miller and Philip Marlowe... that just reads like a match made in heaven.

Clive Owen, speaking with Variety [link], had the following to share:

"Frank Miller knows more about noir than anyone I have ever met, and clearly the writing of Raymond Chandler has been an enormous influence on his life and his work. Miller adapting Chandler seemed like a perfect match."

We couldn't agree more.

June 19th, 2007 - Over the last few days we've discussed changes to Amazing Spider-Man, Robot Chicken, Batman's new suit and the Fantastic Four film. Since we have a bit more to share on each of these topics, we felt today would be a good day for story follow-ups...

Amazing Spider-Man: Yesterday, we discussed [link] the shakedown taking place in Marvel's web crawler family of titles. Well, CBGXtra is reporting [link] that "Marvel's flagship title, Amazing Spider-Man has had its next three issues pushed a month and more later than originally scheduled." We have to ask, if Marvel's having trouble keeping it's monthly Amazing Spider-Man on track, how will they address a revamped version published three times a month?

Robot Chicken Star Wars: On Sunday, we posted a pointer [link] to that evening's Cartoon Network debut of Robot Chicken Star Wars. If you missed it, you can check it out online [link]. Not to be missed fun!

Dark Knight : On Saturday, we posted a pointer [link] to Batman's new outfit for the upcoming Dark Knight sequel to Batman Begins. Since that photo was unveiled by Entertainment Weekly Wizard offered fans a nice look at Batman's new ride [link]; the Batpod. This motorcycle is a "two-wheeled, built-for-speed vehicle with twin gun batteries and a steering mechanism that requires the Caped Crusader to actually lie down to drive". Two photos you should certain check out!

Fantastic Four: On Friday [link] and late last month [link], we took a look a couple off beat looks at the new Fantastic Four film, Rise of the Silver Surfer any it's proposed Surfer spin-off. Like it or hate it, this film was a success for Marvel. Yes, the numbers are in! The film debuted in the number one spot over the weekend with $57.4 million in sales. That slightly surpasses the $56.1 million opening of the first film two years ago (according to studio estimates). CNN has all the details [link].

June 18th, 2007 - Interesting news from the world of Spider-Man and Marvel Comics emerged out of Wizard World Philadelphia over the weekend. Each of the Spider-Man titles will soon collapse into one book... Amazing Spider-Man. This newly revamped Spider-Man series will be released 3 times a month charting the new adventures of everyone's favorite wall-crawler!

Could this be the start of Marvel testing the waters of weekly titles? Could this be the first phase of a new publishing strategy from the Marvel bullpin? Has the success of DC's 52 and Countdown heralded a publishing change over at Marvel? Only time (and title sales) will tell.

Personally, I never liked waiting for a monthly title. I've loved the move to weekly titles and find myself excited to see more series consolidate and move in that direction. I've always been one to hold books back and read a story arc at a time (or in some cases 30 to 40 issues of a series at a time). I guess I have always been a kind of trade paperback style reader. I just did with the monthly books rather than waiting for a combined edition.

I wish the new combined Spider-Man success and hope the X-titles learn from this series lesson. Less titles, more quality, more frequency... Sounds like a winning strategy to me.

June 17th, 2007 - Who doesn't enjoy the work of Seth Green? You know, if I were to pick an actor who I think it would be fun to have over for dinner, I think this guy would be the one to choose. He always comes across as very down to earth, completely geek centered (as we all should be) and he's had roles in (or been in charge of) quite a few things I've really enjoyed over the years.

Just to name a few, he played Oz in Buffy and Angel. Who could forget Scott Evil in the Austin Powers movies? He turned up as Joey in Pump Up the Volume (I know it's a Christian Slater movie, but I don't care... I liked it). There's his own creations; Greg the Bunny and Robot Chicken (which are outstanding). He was in a few episodes of That 70's Show. He's played himself on Entorage. He's even been on the X-Files (one episode anyway) and, of all places, he was caught up in a fake swat team gambling raid on Punked. The kid gets around.

Really, all he needed to do was to turn up on Northern Exposure, do a little cooking with Anthony Bourdain, find his way into a Doctor Who storyline and hang out at the West Wing and he would have covered most of my late high school and college years right with me.

Why am I mentioning Seth? Well, you do not want to miss the Robot Chicken Star Wars debut tonight on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Seth and Matthew Senreich are the creators and executive producers of this stop motion animated television series. This show is sketch comedy and flat out parody at it's pop culture best and should not be avoided. What else do you have to do on a Sunday night? There are a ton of previews over on the Cartoon Network site [link]. The show looks great!

Robot Chicken Star Wars
premieres June 17th at 10 PM on
Cartoon Network's Adult Swim

June 16th, 2007 - The sequel to Batman Begins is scheduled to hit theaters on July 18th, 2008. Filming continues in Chicago and we're pleased to see a few images emerge from that shoot. Unoffical shots which have been popping up around the web have been shut down by Warner Brothers but Entertainment Weekly has unveiled an official look at Batman's new suit. That shot is partially pictured to the left.

Costume designer Lindy Hemming gave Entertainment Weekly this first look and discussed the suits new features. Check out all the details on their site [link].

June 15th, 2007 - Over the last 24 hours, reviewers have had a chance to take a look at the new Fantastic Four film and the response hasn't been all that enthusiastic. Visiting Google news and searching on Fantastic Four [link], you can watch the reviews as they roll in and judge for yourself.

The creators of the new film have limited media access to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer only allowing critics to get hold of it one day before it sees its public release. They did the same thing with Ghost Rider and, in my opinion, that tends to mark the film as one the studio thinks will see success, but not at the hands of the reviewers. It looks like they felt this one may get panned by the press and it appears they won't be disappointed.

I love checking out the titles writers choose for these reviews. Sometimes they're more creative than then film they cover. Some of the best I've seen over the last few hours include Surfer wipes out [New Observer], Fantastic? Action is, story isn't [Charlotte Observer], When the bad guy's a surfer dude, you know it's a wipe out [New York Post], Four superheroes, one inconsequential film [Boston Globe], Silver Surfer rises to new low [Edmonton Sun] and my current favorite... Snore-by-four [Columbus Dispatch].

I'm not going to judge the film before I see it, but many feel the PG rating (rather than PG-13) marks the targeting of a younger audience and the death of any adult fan's dream of seeing the perfect adaptation of the Fantastic Four comic series. I would argue that a perfect adaptation (given the original Kirby/Lee take on the family) should be a PG take the film. To pull it off, It's important that writers not sacrifice the heart of the Fantastic Four for the benefit of humor. Sure Ben and Johnny's interactions are funny, but that isn't what makes the Fantastic Four Marvel's first family.

That said, the film hadn't even hit theaters when word emerged of a spin-off film focusing on the Silver Surfer. Author, television phenom and comic master J. Michael Straczynsk (pictured left), according to the LA Times [link], is set to pen the screenplay for the Surfer film. Quoting the article...

The article continues...

Maybe they can invite the Fantastic Four into the new Silver Surfer film, take it in that "darker direction" and allow we who fit into that "older demographic" to see the film we would love to be purchasing a ticket to see this weekend.

June 14th, 2007 - DC's Vertigo series Preacher (which ended back in 2000) was a series that broke a lot of ground in terms of what a mainstream comic can bring into a story. It opened a door that allowed a lot of different stories to be told and quickly became one of those titles that developed a cult-like following among it's fans. For me, the title had a style and irreverence that grabbed me from the start, took hold of my collar and threw me into the back of car for the full 75 issue ride. If you missed it's run, I consider it a historical "must read" series. The title even made our Clash of the Cancelled Comics list [link] representing titles we would love to see return. The series was raw and controversial and creator Garth Ennis shows no signs of letting up as he continues writing attitude, most recently seen in his work on The Boys.

As you've probably heard, Preacher is in the early stages of development for its own HBO series. Recently, the good folks at PopCultureShock [link] were able to talk with Garth Ennis and get all the latest on where the series stands in this brave new post-Sopranos HBO world. Here's that interview...

We have our fingers crossed that this series will make its way to the small screen in the not too distant future. For all the details as they become available, be sure to visit our Preacher page [link] within the Media section [link] of our site. We'll update that area anytime we hear anything new regarding the series.

June 13th, 2007 - Last month, we were pleased to share a rundown of the 2007 Joe Shuster Award nominees [link]. The Shuster awards are designed to honor, recognize and celebrate the achievements of Canadian comic creators... past, present and future. Over the weekend, those awards were presented and we're pleased to share the results:

Harry Kremer Retailer Awards - Happy Harbor Comics

Fan Favourite write-in categories for French and English creators:
English creator - Dan Kim (April & May & June, Penny Tibute, Kanami)
French creator - Michel Rabagliati (Paul a la Peche, published by La Pasteque)

Favourite International (non-Canadian) comic book creator - Brian K. Vaughan (Runaways, Y the Last Man, Ex Machina, Pride of Baghdad, Doctor Strange: The Oath).

Outstanding Web Comics Creator or Creative Team - Dan Kim

Outstanding Writer Award - Darwyn Cooke for his work on Superman Confidential.

Outstanding Artist Award - Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone for their work on Batman/The Spirit #1

Outstanding Cartoonist (writer/artist) Award - Darwyn Cooke for his work on The Spirit

Hall of Fame Inductees were Albert Chartier, Jacques Hurtubise, Gerry Lazare and Gene Day. Hurtubise and Lazare were both on hand to accept their induction into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame. The late Gene Day's brother David Day was on hand to accept for his brother.

To learn more about the awards, visit them on the web at joeshusterawards.com.

June 12th, 2007 - Over the last few days, we've been working to update the site and link together all the videos we've posted over the last two years. With this task complete, you will notice the following question now appears at the bottom each video page...

"Enjoy this video?
Check out our previous featured video."

By following that link on any video page, you'll jump back one video allowing you to click through our complete library taking in a wide mix of animation, humor, interviews, commentary and comic coverage. To start your tour, visit the Featured Video section of our media page [link]. All you have to do is pick a video that interests you and you've begun your trip back through our past posts!

June 11th, 2007 - Last week we were pleased to share a fan send-up to the Legion of Super-Heroes done with Simpsons action figures [link]. Today, we kick off our Related Recap week with the latest concept art for a new Muppet line of Star Wars action figure line.

The new figures were announced at Star Wars Celebration IV and will be sold as a boxed set. The set should include Beaker as C-3PO, Fozzie Bear as Chewbacca, Miss Piggy as Princess Leia, Kermit the Frog as Luke Skywalker, Gonzo the Great as Darth Vader (or Dearth Nadir as known in the Muppet-universe) and Rizzo the Rat as Yoda.

The boxed set is scheduled for release later this year and, initially, will be sold exclusively at Disney Theme park gift shops (associated with the Star Tours theme ride). Translation; they will mean they are available at the theme park at 8:00 AM and on Ebay by 8:05 AM.

Muppet Central News has additional details [link]. Here's a nice look at the concept art for the new action figure line...

June 10th, 2007 - Today was have a great new web tool to share. While surfing we ran into Ask Cerebra [link] a a search engine that indexes only comic book blogs.

Creator Kevin Church claims that “[t]his means it’s even easier to find out exactly what the zeitgeist is when it comes to such important topics as that Heroes for Hire Hentai-A-Go-Go Special cover and whether or not Jimmy Olsen is the devil.”

Don't ask us, we just report the news. In any event, it's a great new site to explore and, of course, it's powered by Google.

Our only question... How to we get our Related Recaps listed at the top of Ask Cerebra? It's important that we learn the answer to this question very soon.

June 9th, 2007 - File this one among the greatest not-to-be-missed online comic geek moments of 2007. Yes friends and neighbors, we are proud to point you (drum roll please) to the Legion of Simpsons Heroes!

As many of you may know, the Legion of Super-Heroes remains one of my favorite series. Bring back the Keith Giffen 10 year later Legion [link]!! Over the years I've spent a lot of time hunting obscure mini-series and back issues from each of the team's various titles. In many comic collector's opinion, the Legion isn't all that collectible which made the hunt even more fun for me. I remember many trips spent hunting certain issues as stores stores rarely carry complete runs of Legion titles. You know, half the fun of collecting for me has always been the hunt. It's easy to go and grab the missing titles on Ebay [link] or over at one of the on-line mega-stores link Mile High Comics [link], but that skips the thrill of digging through boxes of back issues and finding that one issue that's eluded you for years. That feeling is something I hope is never completely lost for new comic collectors.

Anyway, getting back to this story, when I saw this action figure series, I almost fell out of my seat laughing. My personal favorites have to be Bart, Millhouse and Martin...

A mysterious figure known only as "Dale" created these mods. You can get all the details (along with individual photos of each figure) in the Rant-Man's Notebook on the Monkey Spit web site [link].

June 8th, 2007 - Sometimes this Recap will stray from the world of comics just a bit into things like music, movies and pop culture. Today, I jump over to the world of film and have to take time out to say "shame on you Sean Connery" for sticking with your retirement and skipping out on Indiana Jones 4 (in production this year). Though not critical to the film, I would like to have seen Connery reprise his role as Indiana Jones' father.

Over on the official Indiana Jones website [link] they've posted a press release [link] within which Connery gives his thoughts on the project...

"I get asked the question so often, I thought it best to make an announcement. I thought long and hard about it and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film. I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun. I, do however, have one bit of advice for Junior: Demand that the critters be digital, the cliffs be low, and for goodness sake keep that whip by your side at all times in case you need to escape from the stunt coordinator! This is a remarkable cast, and I can only say, 'Break a leg, everyone.' I'll see you on May 22, 2008, at the theater!"

We may have no Sean Connery this time out, but I'll be running to a theater on May 22nd next year to catch the debut of the latest installment of the Indy series.

June 7th, 2007 - You couldn't get near the mainstream news web sites yesterday without hearing details of the deal between Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios under which Stan and his company will develop and produce all forms of entertainment for Disney. Commenting on the deal, Dick Cook (chairman of The Walt Disney Studios) had the following to share...

"His innate talent of tapping into the human qualities of his super hero characters has certainly struck a chord with generations of audiences and readers around the world. We are honored to be working with someone as formidable as Stan and his production company and welcome them to the Disney family." [link]

I'm going to sing my own praise here as POW! Entertainment's stock took at 466% jump yesterday (climbing as high as 500% at one point) following news of the deal. Loyal readers of Comic Related's Related Recap may remember a July, 2006 article [link] where I suggested buying POW! stock could be a good idea. Quoting that Recap...

"If you play the stock market at all, Lee's POW! Entertainment, in this comic fan's eyes, is a bit of a no brainer.  Who wouldn't want to invest in a comic legend while the company is still in it's infancy?  I would love to have had the opportunity to grab Marvel stock when it first went public (and I'm still kicking myself for not picking up shares when they stood on the verge of bankruptcy a decade or so back).  I'm certainly no expert in investing and I invite you to do your own research and make your own judgment, but based on the company's established ability to get products on the air and the long history of experience Stan and friends bring to the table, I'm stepping up to the plate to gamble that they will succeed and I'm putting a few dollars down to grab my own shares."

After writing that article, I went out and bought a nice chunk of POW! stock. Who wouldn't want to see this kind of jump when checking on their stock profile...

It's all a guessing game, but we hoped you were a true believer, joined Stan on his corporate quest and screamed Excelsior baby! when you made out like a bandit yesterday!

June 6th, 2007 - It's a tough time to be a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Mutants are about to hit the extension list and I can't help feeling just a little responsible for the current trend. Who knew when I called for a reduction in the mutant population (well before Decimation and House of M) back in December of 2004 [link] that Marvel would take me so seriously?

All sarcasm aside, I expressed surprise in December of 2005 [link] and took a hard look at the post House of M mutant world. At that point, I looked over what Marvel and done and simply said, "good work". For the first time in a long time, the mutant population had some significance and some individuality Gone were the days of cookie cutter characters best exemplified in Chris Claremont's 2004 Excalibur series [review].

After all the changes, only 198 mutants remained [list]. It was interesting to see the reactions of the characters to both the M-Day event and their subsequent loss. For me, it resonated with both themes of oppression and allegories to our own post 9-11 United States. Again... Good work!

Little did we know that once Marvel got started, the 198 wouldn't be the end of the great-mutant-reduction of 2005 to 2007. These days, the winds of comic woe tell us that mutants in the Marvel Universe are about to enter the endangered species list in a major way. Per Marvel's May 25th press release discussing the X-Men: Endangered Species one shot [details]...

"Mutants. They are on the verge of extinction. Since the end of House of M, there has not been a single mutant birth and each death brings the mutant population closer to zero. In June's X-Men: Endangered Species One-Shot, another mutant's name gets crossed off the list.

Written by X-Men scribe Mike Carey and featuring the vibrant art of Scot Eaton, this one-shot lays the foundation for everything to come in all the X-Men titles, including this fall's X-Men crossover event."

Looking at all the details released regarding the upcoming event, I have to admit that it may be time to say enough is enough for this mutant reduction trend. I'm hoping, following the endangered species series, we'll see a resurgence of the mutant titles as writers take stock of the characters still left and add creative detail to their existing stories. There are so many great tales to be told within the existing ranks of the mighty Marvel mutant bullpen that we don't really need to see a resurgence in their population count. That was the logic behind my original argument for reducing the mutant population [link] and I think over the last three years Marvel mutants are now half way home toward recapturing the magic once present within the X-titles. It's been long overdue.

June 5th, 2007 - If you were reading comics in the late 70's and early 80's, there's a better than average chance that you were a fan of Wendy and Richard Pini's Elfquest series. Many of us were (and still are) fans of the couple's fantasy creation and the world which grew out of the lives of each character. I remember anxiously awaiting those oversized comics each quarter as Cutter, Skywise and all the Wolfriders' adventure unfolded. Their stories are now legend and many can be found in collected volumes in your local public library or finer comic shop. Well worth reading if you missed it the first time.

We're pleased to share an early look at Dark Horse Comics new Elfquest bust series. These really do look nice (click the image for a larger version of the busts)...

For all the details on the series, visit Dark Horse's recent press release. [link]

June 2nd, 2007 - Over the last two days, several news sources have been reporting that a Harry Potter Theme Park will be headed to Florida's Universal Studios [link] very soon. "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," [link] will open in late 2009 in Orlando, officials said Thursday. Initial attraction areas will involve Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village. Fans of the series will now be able to explore Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts, the shops in Hogsmeade and much more!

Speaking with the Associated Press, author J.K. Rowling shared, "The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed." Rowling has been working with a creative team to make sure the park resembles the books and films The AP goes on to share that more than a dozen artists and designers lead by Stuart Craig, the production designer of the movies, have set up house in the studio where the movies are being filmed to make sure every detail is considered.

Exciting news if you are a fan of the series. Really, who isn't? As of today, June 2nd, there are only 39 days left until the new film debuts and 47 days until the final book in the series hits the streets. Our copies of the book are preordered and we'll have our nose to the page when July 21st arrives.

Here are some early artistic renderings of the promo poster and some of the planned scenes (click any image for the full size graphic) relating to the new theme park:

Continue back to May, 2007 | Return to the latest Related Recap