May 30th, 2007 - Marvel Entertainment Group has been pouring new content into it's official Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer website [link]. On the site you'll find it's now loaded up with trailers, wallpapers, film information and more more. As of today, we're just over 15 days away from the official debut of Marvel's latest run toward the silver screen. In anticipation of that red carpet event, we here at Comic Related have launch our own Media Page dedicated to the film [link]. As the debut approaches, we'll be pumping our page full of all the latest news, box office results and tidbits regarding the premiere.

I guess, this time out, the screen will truly be silver as the Silver Surfer takes center stage. Here's hoping his addition to the franchise improves upon the team's original film debut. The first film in this series (not the 1994 Roger Corman film, but rather the 2005 summer blockbuster) may have been a hit at the box office, but it wasn't really a Fantastic Four comic fan's dream come true. It fell short in it's interpretation of everyone's favorite villain, Dr. Doom, and proved a bit thin especially when compared to the jaw-droppingly-good Spiderman or Dark Knight films of that same period.

Hopes have been raised though as trailers from this film have proven pretty spectacular [link] and in interviews, director Tim Story seems to honestly get the whole comic-film-making thing when referring to what fans want to see and how this second film is different from the first. He's referenced more than once his effort to get closer to the true comic interpretation of Marvel's first family. Here's hoping he succeeds!

While talking all things Fantastic, here are a few other
things which should be on any Fantastic Four fans radar...

The Fantastic Four animated series returns to Cartoon Network on June 16, with the first DVD in stores now. Click here for more on the animated series.

As with all comic films, toys are flooding the market. Click here to check out the latest offerings from Hasbro including a limited edition Silver Surfer and the Fatasticar.

Never let a new comic film be unveiled without a video game to follow. Click here for all the details on the new Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game.

Found one of those ultra rare Silver Surfer quarters? Don't let the US Treasury Department catch you like they did 20th Century Fox. Click here for all the details.

Looking for the latest on the Fantastic Four family of titles? Don't miss a beat while clicking here for all the details.

A long, long time ago...

May 25th, 2007 - Thirty years ago today Star Wars was unveiled on a very unsuspecting public changing the imagination of a generation. It was one of those rare movies where, once you saw it, you knew that everything was somehow just a little different. For this fan, I clearly remember seeing it in a theater with my father while taking a break from the highway during a road trip in late '77 or early '78. Many of my friends had already seen the film by that point, but even months after it's initial release the theater was still packed.

Star Wars was originally released on May 25th, 1977. I was roughly eight years old. It had a profound impact on me and my taste for entertainment, media, comics and just about everything else. Yes, it was a long, long time ago in theater far, far away (actually only 32 theaters saw the initial release of the film). It challenged many to dream, it introduced me to science fiction and, in the end, led to hours of action figure recreations of the fall of the Death Star. Good times!

Interesting links related to the anniversary:

CNN coverage | Star Wars Celebration IV | Blog from the event | Official Website

For your enjoyment, we present the original Star Wars trailer

And now for a little celebration fun!

To really get into the spirit of the anniversary, turn down the audio on
the top video, crank up the audio on the bottom video and play both!

May 24th, 2007 - A couple months back we posted a Related Recap [link] discussing the new NBC series Heroes and the show that followed each Monday, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Looking back, I stand by my claim that both shows were outstanding and Studio 60 was the best new show of 2007. Well, I have a bit more to share on both with today's Recap.

First, I would like to shamelessly quote some interesting Heroes news garnered from Zap2It.com [link] earlier today regarding Season two of Heroes....

"After ending its first season as the highest-rated new drama on TV, NBC's 'Heroes' won't be standing pat when it returns in the fall.

Though the show won't go back into production for another couple of months, it's already putting feelers out for several new characters who will pop up on the show next season. Most of them are said to be recurring roles and not cast regulars, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The possible "Heroes" include an attractive Latina and an Irish mobster, according to casting breakdowns obtained by the HR. The show is also searching for an actor to play Claire's (Hayden Panettiere) boyfriend and for an African-American woman who was a surrogate for Niki's (Ali Larter) son Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey).

Just how those characters will fit into the show's story is anyone's guess at the moment."

Thankfully, once we survive this rerun break, Heroes will expand significantly. Again from Zap2It.com [link]...

"The network [NBC] has hit upon a way to keep the show repeat for nearly the entire season, ordering more episodes of the show and embarking on a quasi-spinoff called 'Heroes: Origins.' Combined, the shows will account for 30 original episodes next season.

The 'Origins' series will consist of six stand-alone episodes, with each one introducing a new character and telling his or her back story. They'll take place within the 'Heroes' universe but won't be tied into the main arc of the series, although one or two regular characters may pop up. "

Great news as we begin counting down the days until Heroes returns as an anchor show for NBC's fall schedule!

While talking television, I can't let you forget that Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip returns to NBC tonight at 10:00 PM. The bell may be tolling for this, my favoriate show of 2007, but it's not gone yet. Tonight the network begins burning off the remaining episodes they have in the cue. I believe it's set to run for the next six weeks.

Given how badly The Black Donnellys and The Real Wedding Crashers tanked in the ratings trying to fill the whole left when Studio 60 went into hiatus, NBC just might recognize the value of show and give it a chance if viewers tune in over the next few weeks. I'm not holding my breath, but a fan can hope...

May 23rd, 2007 - Bold statement alert... If you are only reading the big two (Marvel and DC), you're missing some of the best stories and art that the comic industry has to offer! That said, I'm not writing today to put down our two primary publishing powerhouses but rather to state, quite openly, an idea that runs through much of what I write... It's a great time to be reading comics!

It's been a long time since a comic fan's dollar was so genuinely valuable and found itself in legitimate demand from so many different directions. What do I mean? There are so many outstanding options when building your monthly "must read" list that it's hard to narrow the field to just a few. Increasingly, my monthly reading list has had to make room (or grow) for a host of third party titles from a wave of companies that clearly deserve to be read. I think these titles can compete with the big boys when it comes to story, art, style and, ultimately, collectibility.

Out of the top 100 comics solid in April, 2007 [link], eight titles were from companies outside Marvel and DC and one, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #2 from Dark Horse Comics, is staking it's way up the charts toward the top ten. Out of all comic sales, third tier companies represent a little over 25% of the total sales market in dollar share and over 27% of the total units sold. It's not really a revolution yet, but people are voting with their wallets and those of you only reading Marvel and DC should take note that there really is more out there which I'm betting you will enjoy.

Why is it such an amazing time? With the current onslaught of event titles [more on event titles], the outstanding storytelling taking place, the ever growing number of comic movies [link], the move of mainstream literary writers to comics [link] and the exploding press coverage generated by each of these phenomena, it really feels like we're quietly walking into a new golden age of comics. Now more than ever, geek is sheik baby and don't you forget it!

Michael Chabon, author of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" [info], put it best in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly [link] when he discussed embracing genera in his writing...

"Going through the process of writing Kavalier & Clay made me aware I loved this stuff, and I didn't have to be ashamed. The world is full of great literature that's also genre. There's nothing that says you can't have it all in one book.''

From mainstream literature to film, television and animation, you can begin to see comics creeping into every corner of media these days. For the first time in a long time, the comic industry is not only being taken seriously as a literary form and creative fountain, but is increasingly seen as an influential power player.

Just this year we have Joss Whedon producing Season 8 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in comic form, Heroes taking it's place among the biggest of the big as a television ratings powerhouse, Spider-Man 3 redefining what it means to say summer blockbuster, Stephen King taking his Dark Tower series to the comic page and Civil War unveiling events seen not just as comic news but breaking news for CNN, MSNBC and a host of other networks. Don't even get me started on the bevy of comic legends moving to television and film... Frank Miller and Brian K. Vaughan to name just a few. It really is an amazing time to be a comic fan and every day I wake up excited to see what's coming next.

I predict that the fiendishly fantastic rise of the independents will be the next big thing in comics. As mainstream media explores our world a little deeper, I see a host of talented people and comic titles smiling... waiting... quietly saying to themselves... "Wait until the world gets a load of me!"

Add to this mix the fact that the internet is giving new voice to so many creators who had trouble being heard in decades past and you have a powder keg of creativity just waiting to explode. I'll say it just one more time... It's a great time to be reading comics!

Interested in taking a look at some of this great stuff? Interested in stepping outside your normal comfort zone? Curious where to start? We have a couple resources where you can begin...

Visit the Comic Related web site for new creator interviews

Visit our links page [link] and check out the company section

Visit any of these great web sites

Visit any of these great stores

Check out any of these great titles (outstanding places to start)

May 17th, 2007 - Have you stopped by the Wizard Entertainment website today? If not, you're in for a bit of a surprise over at wizarduniverse.com.

While doing my daily dig around the web for news stories these last few months, I've observed that the Wizard website has been working hard to ramp up it's web-based comic coverage. They've always had a strong publication arm, but their web work has come into its own sharing a fresh, regular commentary I've come to enjoy reading. It's clear they've made web deployment a focus for pushing out their product and I think the end result we're seeing today is good for fans.

The site itself has been up and down and a little slow today, but they have managed to successfully unveiled and deploy an entirely new design. Right off the bat, you'll notice in your face video (though they should have led with the Hellboy ad rather than Baywatch and the IFL), featured news and much more. Overall, it strikes me as a fresh update for a site that wasn't even all that tired before today. As their server let me in to explore, I began bumping into some interesting features. It looks like an ambitious advance for their site and I'm looking forward to more exploration.

Update, May 21st, 2007 - Over the weekend, the new site disappeared and was replaced with the previous design. I guess last week's look (pictured above) was just a quick glace at changes to come.

May 16th, 2007 - An organization has been founded to study and promote comic books as a legitimate artform: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization.

"While comic books and graphic novels have increasingly been taken seriously in recent years," according to organization founder Julian Darius, "we still have a long way to go. To many people, comics are still silly kids' stuff or something that spurs hit movies. This organization intends to study the medium and make it accessible to new readers."

The organization maintains its extensive website, Sequart.org, and will be launching a line of books on comics in the coming months.

The organization, based in Edwardsville, Illinois, is the successor to Sequart.com, a popular website devoted to the study of comic books. That website expanded into printed books and has been represented at several comic book conventions. The organization's initial Board of Directors consists of Julian Darius, Mike Phillips, and Peter Bukalski.

May 14th, 2007 - Last week I posted a review [link] of Skipper Martin’s new Ape Entertainment title, Bizarre New World.  Skipper (pictured right) is brand new to the comics business, but if his current series is any indication we'll be hearing a lot more from him in the days ahead.  His day job is in television post production as a Dailies Telecine Colorist for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" at Universal Studios.  Last week he was good enough to take some time out and answer a few of our questions.  Enjoy! 

Comic Related: Could you tell me a little about your series “Bizarre New World”?

Skipper Martin: Here's the skinny... My new 3 issue mini-series from Ape Entertainment hits stores in May, June, July.  The book itself is about a regular schmoe who learns he can fly. . I first pondered the “Bizarre" world of flight back in 1999, 8 years later Paul will be unleashed on the public.  In Bizarre New World you find no super-heroes, no super villains, just a fun tale about how a normal human being would deal with being the first person on the planet to actually defy gravity. How would a guy deal with something like this? What would he do with this ability? How would the world react to him?

CR: How did you make the move from idea to seeing Bizarre New World in print?

SM: I think the core of the whole thing is that I honestly believed in the idea. I knew I was trying to do something fun and original, something I hadn't seen before, but more importantly something I myself wanted to see. I didn't just believe in the concept, it was something I actually had a personal interest in, but on another level I believed I was tapping into something most people could get behind. Who hasn't dreamed of flying, or at least thought about it?

I wanted to strip away all the stuff we've seen before, and tell it from it's most basic personal point of view. No over the top fantasy, no heroes or villains, just get a normal guy into the air and watch him deal with it. Once I had the story fully plotted, I set about my task of getting the ball rolling.

I was pretty impulsive about the whole thing. With the guidance of Tone Rodriguez I just blindly started launching forward into production. Tone led me to Wes Dzioba & Christopher Provencher, I hired them to work on the first story arc (which later became the 3 issue mini-series), and we just started trucking along. No big plan, no safety net, on blind faith we just hit the ground running. We had no way of knowing if it would ever see print, but I simply believed we were doing good work on a story I believed in. Then the TV show "Heroes" came along, and I really panicked. I had already invested in the project, and I had no idea if we were covering the same ground. All I knew was they were doing a story about "ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities," and one of them was a guy that flies. Luckily the stories turned out to be nothing alike. Then Tone (with Will Wilson) took me to Ape Entertainment, and fortunately they liked what they saw!

CR: How has it been working with Ape Entertainment?

SM: Bunch of hacks, but they have good taste don't you think? Actually they've been great, but don't tell them I said that. Have you ever seen an ape with a big head? Definitely not pretty. David Hedgecock on the other hand, very pretty. Wait, don't print that either.

CR: Is the series to be ongoing with Ape?

SM: Not an ongoing, no. In regards to the main narrative, the next BNW will be a double issue one shot. I want to get that out as soon as possible. It picks up right where the first series leaves off, and it really pushes the envelope in so many ways. It'll be quite a ride. Then one more mini-series after that to wrap up the entire story.

CR: Any future projects in the works?

SM: I've been approached to turn BNW into a feature film by producers Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter, the guys behind the upcoming film "Hitman." We'll see if that bears fruit, and if I'm needed to help on that. They're really big on keeping the creator involved, and of course I have high hopes for even the possibility of seeing Paul Krutcher fly on the big screen! But in the meantime on the side I'm working with some amazing talent to produce some short stories based on the BNW concept. Those will be available as webcomics on my main website www.bizarrenewworld.com very soon. These are incredible pieces of work in their own right, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be working with different artists and tastes. I'm also collaborating on a very fun project with the guys from Ape Entertainment's "White Picket Fences." We've decided to do a fun little experiment where we're swapping properties! The BNW boys are doing a WPF small story, and the talented WPF lads are doing a BNW short tale. It's a ton of fun to bring such new perspectives and styles to each other's worlds. We're having an absolute blast, and the early work has been a joy to see come together.

Then I'm working on a project with my brother Scotty called "Reverend Red & The Brother Bobby Band." It's an odd tale that I'm looking forward to seeing come to fruition.

Be sure to visit Skipper Martin and Bizarre New World on the
web at www.bizarrenewworld.com. You can check out other great
new Ape Entertainment titles at www.apecomics.com.

May 11th, 2007 - From coast to coast, Canada is home to many of the comic book industry's top talents. The Joe Shuster Awards, founded in 2005, were created as a way to honor, recognize and celebrate the achievements of Canadian creators... past, present and future. The Joe Shuster Awards are named in honor of Joe Shuster, the Canadian-born co-creator of Superman (1914 - 1992). The 2007 Joe Shuster Awards will be presented in Toronto on the evening of Saturday, June 9th, 2007 (starting at 8:00 pm) at the King 1 Ballroom of the Holiday Inn on King, 370 King Street West.

Note: Attendees of the Paradise Toronto Comicon get in free with proof of admission (badge or pass), non-Comicon attendees are encouraged to make a suggested donation of $2 or more to the Joe Shuster Awards at the door.

The Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association has announced the four additional inductees to the Hall of Fame, to be presented at the Joe Shuster Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9th, 2007. These four creators join the already inducted Hal Foster, Leo Bachle, Adrian Dingle, Ed Furness, Rand Holmes, Owen McCarron, Win Mortimer, Dave Sim and Joe Shuster, for whom the awards are named. The 2007 Inductees are:

Albert Chartier (1912-2004)
Albert Chartier was one of the best Canadian comics artists. He turned to comics after studying fine arts. His first comic was the daily 'Bouboule', which appeared in La Patrie from 1930. Ten years later, he moved to New York, where he worked as a humorous illustrator for Columba Comics Corporation. During World War II, Chartier was a staff artist at the information office of Ottawa. Albert Chartier created his most popular character in Le Bulletin des Agriculteurs du Québec: 'Onésime'. For the same magazine, Chartier produced the 'Séraphin' series from 1950 to 1968. From 1968, he drew 'Les Canadiens' for the Toronto Telegram News Service. At the same time, Chartier worked as an illustrator for several magazines and promotional campagnes.

Gerald Lazare (1927-)
Gerald Lazare was born in Toronto in 1927 and left school at age sixteen to draw comic strips for Canada’s Golden Age comic publisher, Bell Features. At Bell he created such strips as Nitro; the Wing; the Dreamer; Drummy Young; Air Woman and others and acknowledges that Alex Raymond was his greatest influence for his comic book work. He went on to work as an illustrator for Saturday Night Press, Bomac Engravers, Clement Salias Inc. and Art Associates. Along the way he took the Famous Artists Course and studied for a year in Europe, before returning to Bomac as a senior illustrator. In 1956 Lazare started his freelance career working for magazines, books and television in Canada. In the United States he created historical paintings and murals for museums and governments. Lazare joined the faculty of the Ontario College of Art in 1966 and returned to gallery painting in 1974.

Gerald has been widely published and exhibited. Collections and commissions include; Confederation Life, Bank of Montreal, MacLean Hunter, McLelland and Stewart, City of Toronto Archives, The Hudson Bay Company, Metro Toronto Library, Museum of Man and the Cartier Museum.

As a cartoonist, illustrator, teacher and fine artist, Gerald Lazare fills a sizeable chapter in the history of Canadian Art.

Jacques Hurtubise aka ZYX (1958-)
Jacques Hurtubise, who uses the pseudonym Zyx, founded the Coopérative des Petits Dessins in 1972 a group of young Canadian comic strip artists who offered daily strips to French Canadian dailies in the seventies. Le Jour, a political daily published his strip about the bad guy 'Sombre Vilain until the paper folded in 1976. This series was later continued in the popular satirical monthly magazine Croc (1979-1995), which Hurtubise founded with Hélène Fleury and Roch Côté in 1979. Several other «Bandes Dessinées» magazines and albums were published during the eighties by Hurtubise ( Titanic, Anormal, Mad Quebec, Red Ketchup) but they never reached the popularity of Croc.

Because of his talents in graphics and because of his entrepreneurial exploits, Zyx was on of the driving force of the Canadian «Bandes dessinées » movement and one of the big names among Canadian artists of the 1970-1990 period.

Gene Day (1951-1982)
Gene Day began his career in the Canadian alternative comix scene. In 1974, he published the short-lived underground comic Out of the Depths. He cooperated with Dave Sim on Oktoberfest Comics #1, published by Now and Then Publications in 1976. Day drew for the Skywald magazines Psycho and Nightmare from 1974, as well as Mike Friedrich's independent comics company Star Reach, contributing to Star Reach anthology, Image and Quack. Day did illustrations for fantasy role-playing games and published his own graphic novel, 'Future Day', in 1979.

He was a longtime inker on Marvel's 'Master of Kung Fu' title by Mike Zeck, starting in 1976. He also inked on the licensed 'Star Wars' series, pencilled by Carmine Infantino, as well as 'The Mighty Thor' and 'Marvel Two-in-One' featuring 'The Thing'. From 1985 to 1986, Renegade Press published four issues of Gene Day's 'Black Zeppelin', an anthology series primarily featuring stories and painted covers Day completed before his death, as well new contributions by Sim, Bruce Conklin, Augustine Funnell, and Charles Vess. More of his work appeared posthumously in Caliber Comics' anthology series Day Brothers Presents, which also featured the work of Day's artist brothers, David Day and Dan Day.

To learn more about the awards,
visit their official website at www.joeshusterawards.com.

Sunday, May 6th, 2007 - Everywhere you turn these days, politics has taken center stage as the field of Democrats, Republicans and possible third party candidates begin to gear up for the 2008 Presidential Election. With politics domination so much of the national media, we ask why should the world of comics not weigh in on the topic...

Please remember to vote in 2008 and be sure to take time to get to know what a candidate stands for before casting that vote. As we've seen with the war in Iraq, a single wrong decision made in haste can cost far too much in the way of human life.

A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of hearing a former US President be interviewed by Larry King. It was both amazing and refreshing to hear this individual speak publicly, quite off the cuff, and have that conversation be both thoughtful, intelligence and relevant. It served to underscore just how far we've fallen in our expectations for leadership over the last eight years.

All rhetoric aside, for more on the creators of this far too fun video, check out their full website at

www.challengeofthesuperduperfriends.com.

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 - If you haven't been watching our Media page [link], you're missing one of the fastest growing sections of the Comic Related website. I'm writing today to persuade you to take a look around while also offering up a guided tour of the page. Pardon me if I get a bit excited along the way. Within this one page you will find a vast weath of daily content covering upcoming comic films, television shows and animated features.

What, that isn't enough to hold your interest? Okay... Fine... We didn't stop there! Just scroll down the page and and you'll see that we've made sure to hook you up with the latest comic related viral videos from YouTube in our Featured Video section [link].

Think that's enough? We don't think so either! Just scroll down a little further [link] and we have a section that will key you into all the latest video and audio podcasts relating to the world of comics. From this one jump off point alone you can access hours (actually it's more like days) of comic chatter and fan frenzy and it's all just a mouse click away! We surf all the sites linking in the latest so you don't have to burn up your time.

Jumping back to the top of the page [link], so far we've launch 38 individual film/television/animation pages covering everying from the SciFi Channel's Painkiller Jane series to the upcoming Superman / Doomsday animated film to a tidal wave of 33 individual announced films (and more are on the way). On each page you will find studio info, series or film related websites, video clips (when we can located them), news story pointers, the latest official word from the developers and even casting information. If the info is out there to be found, we'll do our very best to sum it up in a one nice, tight area for you to enjoy.

Our content on these pages isn't static either. As news stories break, we're updating that individual page with new pointers to keep you locked into all the latest details. Have a film or show your curious about? Feel free bookmark that page and check back for updates. Each page's address will serve as a permalink for that film, show or animated feature.

It's an exciting time as the comic book industry has taken the big screen and the small screen by storm. Shows like Heroes, Smallville and others continue to pave the way for new comic tales to make their way to the small screen. At the same time, movies like Spider-Man, X-Men, Sin City, Batman, 300 and Superman prove time and again that geek is good when it comes to development deals in Hollywood and box office bonanzas.

We think you will find that our Media page is a great one stop shop for all those comic related tibits that come out in some format other than our old friend, the sequential art laiden, printed comic page. Our media page isn't an all inclusive list yet, but we're getting there by leaps and bounds. When new content arises, the page adapts. For example, just today, the Ronin film was hit the news sites and, yes, we already have a page up [link] with all the details. If you consider that this area of the site only launched on February 25th, you can see that we're just getting warmed up!

Yes, our media area is a wild ride but it's just one aspect of the Comic Related website. Add to this to the news, the links, the cover galleries, the commentary, the forums, the hot shots, the quotes, the convention coverage, the industry information and so very much more and we're feeling pretty good about the fact that we offer you a great little home for all things Comic Related.

All we ask in return is that you bookmark www.comicrelated.com because we're certain we've got just the metaphorical motorcycle side car you need to jump into. Yes friends, just sit back... There's room for everyone... We'll drive... All you have to do is take in the sights along the way!

On a related note...

As long as we're talking site stuff today, let's talk about me putting my fingers to the keyboard and writing content for the site. As you've seen above, we've been reallly solid when it comes to flowing all the latest comic information to you. Content is jumping to the page faster and faster with each passing day (most days seeing three or more site updates). That said, my time to write has been limited (believe it or not I am a solo act putting out all the info you see). That's starting to change, but in my own defense I did just get married a short time back and I've been enjoying life with my lovely new wife quite a bit. That smile on my face won't change, but things are slowing down a little allowing me to get back into the grove of a regular writing pattern. Wish me luck, if all goes as planned our comic reviews and related recaps will once again flow freely to the digital page.

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