Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Zadzooks on Halo videogame

Not comics for the most part, but you can view this as animation - "Zadzooks: Halo Wars review: Microsoft Game Studios latest a fans' epic," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Wednesday, March 11, 2009.

"Bennett's Best for the week of March 1," By Greg Bennett, Zadzooks Blog March 09 2009 recommends a couple of Marvel titles.

"Zadzooks: Watchmen movie versus comic books," BY JOE SZADKOWSKI, Zadzooks Blog March 13 2009.

Washington Times reporters Sonny Bunch and Joseph Szadkowski compare Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie to the Watchmen comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

"Where can I get the President Obama meets Spider-Man comic book?"


People who know I collect comics have been asking me about getting copies of Amazing Spider-Man 583, the President Obama meets Spider-Man issue, coming out this Wednesday. The issue will have two covers - one of which features Obama (pictured on right) and one regular issue which does not (pictured below). All of the stores listed here will have gotten the regular issue as part of their normal ordering process and should have copies of that for sale. Marvel Comics made getting the Obama cover more difficult by first not telling retailers that it would be a special issue, and then offering the two covers and requiring retailers to buy a certain amount of the standard cover before they could order the Obama cover.

Marvel's website has a story on the comic - "Marvel Team-Up: Spidey/Obama Spider-Man editor Steve Wacker talks about the Webhead’s historic meeting with president-elect Barack Obama" By Matt Powell, 2009-01-09.

In my first real act of reporting, I've called some local stores to see if they'll have the Obama meets Spider-Man cover.

Laughing Ogre stores in Lansdowne and Fairfax (near Burke) are going to be your best bet. One of the clerks, Frazier says, "We're taking reservations, but will only have so many." Drew, the assistant manager, told me, "We're limiting people to two copies at first to make sure that everyone who wants a copy will get one. It was a special order thing so you had to be on top of it."

Alliance Comics is in Silver Spring (the store that used to be Geppi's back in the day) and Bowie, MD. Troy Allen of the Silver Spring store says "Marvel dropped this on people at the last minute and our orders had already been placed so we're hoping to have enough to get through the day and then they'll probably fast-track the reprint, if the Death of Captain America is any indication." Some of the people in the store are working on their own comic book as well, so check back for more details.

Big Monkey Comics has been reserving comics for people who have been calling in and hopes to have some to sell on the rack - Assistant Manager of the DC store James Rambo says, "We've been reserving copies and have gotten a ton of reserves. We're definitely going to have to get extra copies in."

Beyond Comics of Frederick and Gaithersburg, MD has enough to cover to their subscribers and a couple of extra copies because "Marvel didn't release news about what would be in the issue until the after the initial order, and then had a very short reorder period" during the week before Christmas.

Joel Pollack of Big Planet Comics's Bethesda store said, "Marvel, in their infinite wisdom, made it impossible for us to get a reasonable number of copies of the Obama cover. We will try to fulfill subs with the Obama cover, but cannot guarantee it. We will be getting the Obama cover second-prints, hopefully on January 21."

Fantom Comics in Tenleytown and Union Station will have just the regular Spider-man issue, which still has the story featuring Obama, and hopes to have enough copies for people to drop in and buy them.

Barbarian Book Store is in the Wheaton Triangle, but does not appear to have a functioning website and the telephone number I found on the web goes to a payphone.

Any other stores in the area who would like to let me know about their plans is welcome to write in: mrhode@gmail.com

For those who like to collect this type of comic, Obama met Savage Dragon last fall and also appeared before the election in a biographical comic book. And as Randy noted last week, the free alternative comics Bash Magazine that's on the streets now has an Obama caricature by Halbert as the cover.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Pentagon and Marvel propaganda comic books program questioned


"Exclusive: Pentagon Pro-Troop Group Misspent Millions, Report Says," By Noah Shachtman, December 12, 2008. These comics, credited to AAFES, are sometimes available at Walter Reed. They're not good. As I read this article, the comics in particular are not a problem, and it's the whole program instead.

Thanks to Tim for the tip.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Comic advertisements - a few old snapshots

Here's some more advertisements using comics motifs.

Dick Tracy Franklin Bookman standup - Crown Books 199803
Dick Tracy advertisement for Franklin Bookman standup - Crown Books March 1998.

Spider-Man - Hardees 199905
Spider-Man advertisement - Hardees May 1999 (in Kentucky, I think).

Thing - Dodge Caravan ad - NJ Turnpike 199909
Thing from Fantastic Four - Dodge Caravan advertisement - NJ Turnpike September 1999.

Spider-Man - Got Milk Metrobus 199908
Spider-Man - Got Milk Metrobus advertisement, August 1999, Washington, DC.

Disneyland ashtray 2
Disneyland ashtray.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Comic Riffs breaks news of Black Panther's breast implants

David Betancourt and Michael Cavna have broken the story of Marvel's new female Black Panther. They write, "The first modern black superhero is about to get a serious facelift -- even if we can't yet see under the mask" but I believe they've gotten the type of plastic surgery wrong, since they follow that up with "Black Panther will now be a woman warrior."

The comments are hot and heavy though - proving something about comic book readers perhaps.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Marvel bibliographer Rob Weiner interview

Rob Weiner, author of Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications: An Annotated Guide to Comics, Prose Novels, Children's Books, Articles, Criticism and Reference Works, 1965-2005, answered some questions about his 400-page book and his future projects.

How about some background? You're a librarian?

I have a BA in history and an MA in History from Texas Tech with a focus in American History and American Popular culture. While I was working on my MA in history, I was always in the library. People started asking me where things were as though I worked there. I thought I should probably get paid for doing that so I applied for a job and worked as a paraprofessional for a few years. Then I went and received my MS in Library Science at University of North Texas. I worked in a public library for 12 years and most recently took a position at Texas Tech as Humanities Librarian. I worked in the local music industry for about 10 years in Lubbock while going to college. I’ve always appreciated the “artsy” side of life so my position now is a real good fit.

Bibliography is kinda in my blood. I co-authored a bibliography on the Grateful Dead, I’ve published a filmographic essay on Johnny Cash, the Marvel Guide, and in my forthcoming book on Captain America, I co-authored Filmographic and Scholarly Bibliographic pieces. I don’t do just lists however; I have to read, or watch the piece and then annotate or critically judge it.

Why comic books?

Well, when I a little boy growing up in Michigan I remember certain images... I remember the image from Silver Surfer 1 and Tales of Suspense 39 (with the gray Iron Man)! I was mesmerized by those images. They stick with me today. I can’t say where I first saw them or how I started to read comics, but I remember those two covers specifically. I also remember I had a Batman bow tie that I was very proud to wear around at events. By the time I was around 10 or so I started actually collecting and reading comics. I was fascinated by characters like the Human Fly (I wish Marvel would do an Essential collection), 3-D Man (one of my ALL TIME favorites and one of the coolest characters Roy Thomas ever created), The Beast fascinated me (just his look), Nova the Human Rocket, Moon Knight, the Black Panther. It was these “secondary” characters that caught my eye more than the Big Guns (like Spidey / Thor / even Cap) at first. I was also fascinated by the Legion of Superheroes and those early adventures of Superboy. You know how a lot of people remember the "Death of Gwen Stacy" (which was a BIG BIG deal when it came out), for me it was the death of Chemical Boy. I cried and cried over that. (I loved Bouncing Boy also,) I have not read those 1970s Legion stories SINCE I was a kid. I would love to re-read them. I also went through a period of rediscovery when the first Tim Burton Batman movie came out and started collecting again, but then life / school / marriage got me busy again and I got out of the comic world for awhile.

It was in the late 1990s while working at the public library that I started to rekindle my love for comics through reading Graphic Novels. It occurred to me that perhaps we should try ordering some Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman books for the Public Library. I asked my library director about this and she said sure, let’s give it try. Well, that inspired ten years of collecting graphic novels for the Lubbock Public Library System. I helped build one of the best graphic novels collections in the country. There was some resistance to this as some people (on staff) did not want that sh**t in the library, but the director was always like “Do they circulate?” If they do, then let’s get more. Adults, kids, teens, all loved these books so we just kept buying more and more and built a great collection of over 4,000 items. At first, I tried reading EVERYTHING that I ordered or came in. This proved to be too daunting after awhile. There is a TON of stuff and more all the time being produced, so one has to pick their favorites and stick with them, occasionally reading something new and critically acclaimed of course.

Why Marvel?

I’ve always loved the Marvel characters. After reading Alex Ross’s Marvels I just became inspired. I realized that one could tell a story with Spider-Man that was equal to Shakespeare / Tolstoy etc. Although I had previously read The Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, and the Crow, it just did not “hit” me until I read Marvels. The combination between the awesome art and the great storytelling just changed me (I was also highly impressed with DeFalco’s Spider-Girl). I thought wow, I should try to do something like the Grateful Dead bibliography with Marvel Graphic Novels and document and annotate them. Although some critics have pointed out that much of the info in my book is online, my book as “value added” material in that the annotations are fun to read and they provide at times a critical perspective to certain works. Frankly, I do document material that is not documented in quite the same way elsewhere, including online. Although Marvel Graphic Novels is a reference work, it is a fun book that anyone including fans, scholars, historians, librarians, should get something out of that they cannot get out of websites. For example did you know Marvel published a guide to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, or about all those weird children’s books they published in the 1980s? None of that is documented in all one place. Are there things I missed? Of course. Is the book perfect? No, of course not. I find mistakes all the time, but I hope that it provides a great service to the sequential art community as a whole.

It took me six years to read and annotate all this material which is why it stops at 2005. Working full time, teaching, and trying to have a life is very difficult, but McFarland never gave up on me. I also have a second book, an edited collection on Captain America (my all time favorite character), coming out soon and that is in the can. Two more books are forthcoming as well. One is an edited collection looking at how Graphic Novels have affected libraries and archives and another documents Marvel on Film/Video.

Do you anticipate updating your Marvel book? Perhaps online for collectors of Marvel?

At this point no, I have no plans for that. I suppose in a few years I could do a sequel and update the book with all the items that have been published since then and perhaps have an annotated list of Marvel-related websites as well. There are some things I missed too that I could add. I wish someone actually associated with Marvel would see and appreciate this. That would be great. I know some reviews have lamented the fact that I stop at 2004-2005, and it just got published in 2008, but I just could not read and annotate everything. Much of the recent material is online (such as the Trade Paperback website and so forth), but again not all of it. Keep in mind too that it is also available as an e-book which you can download to your device. So I think this shows that reference books are not just dry and boring, but can provide something useful for the fan, scholar, professional, artist etc.

Can you talk more about the new books you've mentioned?

I have an edited collection on Captain America coming out soon. It is called Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays which should be out soon. Cap is my favorite character and after they killed Steve Rogers, I wanted to do something to honor Cap. Since similar collections like Batman and Philosophy , Man from Krypton, and Unauthorized X-Men are all edited collections, I wanted to do the same for Cap. The difference is that scholarship in my book is all over the map, from fields as diverse as Geography, History, Cultural Studies, Psychology, etc. The scholarship is a little more intense in my book than in most books I’ve seen about particular characters. The book also has some well-known scholars in the field of comic book/sequential art studies including Jason Dimitter, Cord Scott, Mark McDermott, John Moser and Mike Dubose among others. They all have a previous publishing track record, but there are those getting published for the first time in the book as well. I hope that it won’t be so deep that regular Cap fans will be put off by the book and there is a wide variety of ideas (not all of which I agree with). But I hope it will provide a good solid example of the various ways in which one can produce sequential art scholarship. I have no idea how the critics are going to view the book. The only thing missing is a detailed look at the late forties Cap comics when he got rid of Bucky and had a girl sidekick and the “commie smasher” version. Apparently those three comics published in the 1950s are nowhere to be found. I hope they turn up someday as Marvel really needs to reprint those as Atlas Era Captain America Masterworks (along with that single issue of Captain America Weird Tales which did not have a Cap story. For historical and cultural value those books are priceless.

As a librarian and someone who help build a big collection of Graphic Novels when I worked at the public library, I want to give something back to the profession. So I am also in the coming year going to be working on a book of collected essays that shows with how libraries and archives have dealt with Graphic Novels in their collections. I think this would be a very good book for professionals in the library and archival fields to have and use. I even talk about Digital Comics and the changing of the industry as well. I mean it really has been only in the last 10 years that libraries have taken note of graphic novels as a way to get folks to read and not poo-pooed it. There have been libraries that have collected comics (such as Michigan State and Randall Scott for years), but they are the exception. I went through some growing pains with my library as well, with folks skeptical about having them in the collection. I think there is less and less of that because, just like the Internet, patrons demand graphic novels in their libraries. I mean graphic storytelling is as old as humanity! Nothing to be ashamed of in that. BTW your comics’ web bibliography is an amazing resource, as is your comic to film adaptations book! Speaking of which, I am also going to do a project documenting Marvel on Film and video etc., all in one place which will be pretty cool. And I am trying to finish and editing volume on Exploitation/Horror/Grindhouse/Arthouse cinema. I am working on with a PhD student at University of Texas and I have my regular job duties at the University, so I have my hands full for at least the next few years and beyond.

[9/26/08, 5:21 pm - copy edited after initial posting - MR]

Monday, August 25, 2008

Marvel attempting manga... again

For their current effort, see "Superheroes to Be Recast for Japan," By GEORGE GUSTINES, New York Times August 25, 2008. This is by no means new though - both Spider-Man and the X-Men were produced in Japan and reprinted in America, and there was a Hulk series not seen in the US. There's a nice big book on Batman manga coming out from Chip Kidd soon. Marvel also took a shot at putting Spider-Man in India recently.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Make Mine Marvel - 1968!


I bought an interesting book today at the local con - The Full-Color Guide to Marvel Silver AGe Collectibles from M.M.M.S. to Marvelmania by J. Ballman (Totalmojo Productions, 2007, $29.95). I just love books like this that list the little-known byways of our hobby. As the title promises, this is full of color photographs of all the tchotchkes and merchandising Marvel did in the 1960s. There's stuff in here I never knew existed. Comics have never existed independently of merchandising, and this is a nice overview of Marvel's early modern years.

J. Ballman's from Maryland and is working on a 2nd edition of this book, but I'm glad I noticed and picked up this one. I'd recommend it to any Marvel or merchandising fan. I don't know if he goes to the Dunn Loring CapCon show regularly, but you can probably catch him there and check out some of the neat Marvel toys at his table too.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Comic Riffs interviews Marvel EiC Joe Quesada

The Comic Riffs blog third interview (after Trudeau and McGruder) is a comic book one - "The Interview: Marvel Comics' Joe Quesada," by David Betancourt. The blog has otherwise been doing a lot of reading of the day's comics and commenting on them.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Marvel business story in Wash Post? Nah.

Dirk Deppey over at Journalista had linked to what he said was a Washington Post story, which made me wonder how I missed it. Actually, it's a wire story on the Post's site - "Marvel Entertainment: Super Hero Stock?" Anne Kates Smith, Senior Associate Editor, Kiplinger.com, Thursday, May 15, 2008. We'll note it here for posterity.

Also this story was in the paper today, although I can't decide if it's comics or not: "Kid e-Land: Disney's DGamer Enters the Crowded Virtual World," By Mike Musgrove, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 16, 2008; D01.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Quesada appearance on Post chat wildly uninteresting

I guess I should have thought of some question, any question, that didn't have to do with Marvel's forthcoming movie slate. This wasn't Joe Quesada's fault - the participant's questions had nothing to do with running (and perhaps resurrecting - one can argue the point) a comic book company, and everything to do with one new hit movie. Here's the chat so you can judge for yourself:

Talking With Joe Quesada, Editor in Chief, Marvel Comics, Tuesday, May 6, 2008; 12:00 PM

Monday, May 05, 2008

May 6: Marvel EiC Joe Quesada on Post chat

Oddly enough, I really can't think of anything I want to ask him...

Tuesday, May 6 at Noon ET
Talking With Joe Quesada
Editor in Chief, Marvel Comics
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; 12:00 PM

It was a good weekend for Joe Quesada. The editor in chief of Marvel Comics saw the movie "Iron Man," an adaptation of one of his company's comics, soar to the top of the box office. Next month, a new version of "The Incredible Hulk" also arrives in theaters.

Quesada will be online Tuesday, May 6 at noon ET to discuss both of those projects, Marvel's venture into producing its own films and anything else related to the comic book world.

Submit questions before or during the discussion.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Post's Style and Arts section goes to the cartoons

Three! articles in one section on comics:

1. Reggie Hudlin and BET with glances at Boondocks and Black Panther - "Channel Changer: Three Years Ago, Reggie Hudlin Came To Save a Troubled BET. But Has He?" By Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, May 4, 2008; M01.

2. A glance at Oliphant's sculpture of Rumsfeld on display in Woodley Park - "Capturing a Hero for Posterity," by John Pancake, Washington Post May 4, 2008

3. Quesada on Marvel - "Now here we are. We're going to be producing our own stuff.": There's Nothing Mild-Mannered About Joe Quesada's Marvel Comics," by David Betancourt, Washington Post Sunday, May 4, 2008; M02.

and not on comics, but on visual art is this fascinating piece on the true colors of ancient statuary - "Correcting a Colorblind View of the Treasures of Antiquity," By Blake Gopnik, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, May 4, 2008; Page M01.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

OT: New Marvel book by buddy

Rob Weiner who I've corresponded with off and on for years has a specialized book for librarians coming out that may also appeal to the hardcore Marvel fan. Here's the details.

Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications
An Annotated Guide to Comics, Prose Novels, Children's Books,
Articles, Criticism and Reference Works, 1965–2005
Robert G. Weiner
Foreword by John Rhett Thomas

ISBN 978-0-7864-2500-6
appendices, bibliography, indexes
399pp. hardcover (7 x 10) 2008

$49.95
Available for immediate shipment

Description
This work provides an extensive guide for students, fans, and
collectors of Marvel Comics. Focusing on Marvel's mainstream comics,
the author provides a detailed description of each comic along with a
bibliographic citation listing the publication's title,
writers/artists, publisher, ISBN (if available), and a plot synopsis.
One appendix provides a comprehensive alphabetical index of Marvel and
Marvel–related publications to 2005, while two other appendices
provide selected lists of Marvel–related game books and unpublished
Marvel titles.

About the Author
Robert G. Weiner is a reference librarian at the Mahon Library in
Lubbock, Texas. His works have been published in the following
journals: Journal of Popular Culture, Public Library Quarterly,
Journal of American Culture and Popular Music and Society. He lives in
Lubbock.


Table of Contents


Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by John Rhett Thomas 1
Preface 3

Section I. Background Highlights
1. Graphic Novels and Literature, Then and Now 5
2. Marvel Comics, Then and Now 11

Section II. Marvel's Superheroes
3. Major Characters, Teams, and Team-Ups
Avengers, Black Panther/Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hercules, Thunderbolts,
and Ultimates 19
Captain America, Fury, Human Torch, Namor, and Golden-Age Characters
27
Conan/Kull 34
Cosmic Heroes and Supernaturals/Blade, Captain Marvel, Dr. Strange,
Dracula, Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, Thanos, et al. 37
Daredevil and Elektra 44
Fantastic Four/Dr. Doom and Inhumans 50
Hulk and She-Hulk 55
Iron Man and War Machine 60
Punisher, Shadowmasters, and The 'Nam 62
Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl, Venom, and Carnage 67
Thor 86
Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Death's Head 90
Wolverine, Deadpool, Sabretooth, and Weapon X 96
X-Men/Mutants and Related 104
4. Minor Characters and Minor Character Combos
Minor Characters 131
Minor Character Combos 143

Section III. Special Volumes and Series
5. Special Hardbacks and Marvel Masterworks
Special Hardbacks 151
Marvel Masterworks 168
6. Marvel's Essential Series
Avengers, Ant-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor 180
Daredevil 184
Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, Human Torch, and Inhumans 185
Hulk 187
Spider-Man 187
Wolverine 189
X-Men 191
Essential Monsters 193
Other Essentials 194
7. Epic Comics Graphic Novels 197
8. Marvel and Marvel-Related Paperbacks 215

Section IV. Selected Marvel Publications
9. Marvel/DC Crossovers 227
10. Children's Books 232
11. Movies and Television 245
12. Classical, Esoteric, Historical, Music-Related, and Religious
Works 252

Section V. Selected Marvel-Related Publications
13. Prose Novels
Avengers 257
Blade 257
Captain America 258
Daredevil and Elektra 258
Fantastic Four 259
Hulk 260
Iron Man 262
Spider-Man 262
X-Men/Wolverine and Related 268
Team-Ups 276
Other Characters and Novels 279
14. Articles, Books, Guides, and Indexes
Articles and Books 282
Guides and Indexes 298
15. Children's Books 305
16. Scholarly Publications 311

Appendix 1. Marvel and Marvel-Related Publications, 2005 325
Appendix 2. Selected Marvel-Related Game Books 332
Appendix 3. Unpublished Books 335
Title Index 337
Artist and Author Index 354
Subject Index 364

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

April 21: Stan Lee at National Press Club POSTPONED

In spite of these flyers, Stan Lee will NOT be appearing at the National Press Club on Monday April 21st. Hopefully he'll be able to reschedule.

100_4838

100_4835

Monday, December 10, 2007

Marvel might have an image problem

Every once in a while, a Washington Times comes to hand and I read the comics and editorial cartoons. Here's one by Combs of Tribune Media Services that struck me today.
Perhaps most people wouldn't notice it, but as you can see the skull on the kid's shirt is clearly the Punisher's emblem.
The average non-comics reader would probably have heard of the two failed movies, the second with John Travolta, but the Punisher's been around since the early 1970s. He's from the time when Dirty Harry was in the theaters and The Destoyer and The Executioner were in men's novels.

I have no idea if this is drawn from life and some mass murderer really wore a Punisher t-shirt, or if the artist just liked the image, or what, but it seems like Marvel might end up with some image problems if cartoons like this one continue.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Latest Marvel comic for the military


I was able to pick up a copy of this at work. I find these all mawkish, rather than inspiring. And silly. The plot to this makes no sense at all. AIM devotes millions of dollars to keeping a brother and sister in the military from communicating with each other?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Washington Post on Marvel's digital comics subscription

See "Superheroes on Demand: Marvel Goes After New Fans With Subscription Site," by Mike Musgrove, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, November 14, 2007; Page D01.

Most of this article comes out of Marvel's press release from yesterday, but author Mike Musgrove did get a comment from Joel Pollack - "Some of my fellow retailers are kind of upset, but I think you can't turn back the hands of time and it's inevitable," he said. "If it hurts the sale of Marvel Comics, it's more self-destructive of Marvel . . . than anything else. . . . I don't know if it's going to have any impact on my business or not."

This isn't going to hurt anyone because Marvel is charging $10 a month for six-month-old comics that you can't download and take with you, but only read on their website. Why would anyone pay them for this? Nobody else has been able to make this model work - not the New York Times, nobody. And most publishers don't have scanners making the material available almost immediately (which I'm not condoning, just noting. I prefer my comics as paper). And none of their comics are hard to find - certainly not the ones they listed as being available online - unless you live in Nepal maybe, and then you're going to have internet connectivity issues anyway.

Also note that Fantom Comics is opening in Union Station - I wish them the best, but I think that's a high-risk move unless they're getting a super deal in rent.