Smatterday 06/23/2012

Kid's Kickstarter Convention

This shit makes me so happy. Everett Watford, a 17-year-old comicbook fan who's worked in the industry in various capacities already, is kicking off his very own independent convention today called Vert Con. This project is essentially five years in the making, which, I mean...when I was twelve, I could barely stay on top of following the few monthly series I liked. This guy was planning a damn convention and already making the connections he needed to pull it off. So, truly impressive stuff, and while I'm bummed I couldn't make it to Chicago for the con's first year, I hope it kicks ass and everybody has a wonderful time, especially Watford. 

Stan Lee Keeps Doing Stuff

Fresh off his POW! Entertainment settlement, Stan Lee is back in the news this week for "The Annihilator," a new Chinese superhero movie he's developing. While Lee and others involved in the project are intensely enthusiastic about its potential, there's already a fair amount of skepticism and downright naysaying going on. Stan's recent track record is certainly less than impressive, and I don't exactly think of him as an expert on Chinese culture, but who knows? I'm hesitant to dismiss this too early on, even though my gut says it'll most likely be a train wreck, because I think it'd be really cool if it worked out. The world of superheroes continues to struggle against (correct) impressions that it lacks diversity, so it might be beneficial if a legitimately good, high-profile, brand new Chinese hero came on the scene. Not holding my breath, just kind of quietly rooting for it.

Matt Groening Stops Doing Stuff

Creator of The Simpsons and Futurama, Matt Groening probably hasn't had any specific need to keep producing his 32-year-old comicstrip "Life in Hell" for ages. But he's been steadily doing so nevertheless all this time, until, last week, when he finally decided to end it. I'm not a regular reader of the series, which evidently had 1,669 installments over the years, but I've certainly seen numerous strips in my lifetime and have been a fan of Groening's work since well before I knew his name. Obviously it's sad to see such a hilarious, unusual piece of comic awesomeness come to a close, but Groening is a brilliant and talented guy, so whatever he feels is right for him probably is. Adios, "Life in Hell." You had a longer life, in Hell or otherwise, than any number of your colleagues. 

Smatterday 06/16/2012

New 52 Still New, Still 52
So DC has announced another round of cancellations and replacement titles for September. Only four series total are getting the axe this time, including the already-announced Justice League International, and it's all tied into the fact that in September, all of DC's titles will come out with a "zero issue" that takes place before the events of their debuts. It's been interesting to watch the ongoing publishing strategies of the company since the universe-wide reboot last year, and even though I don't fully understand their devotion to the number 52, I actually quite enjoy the idea that any cancellation means a new series begins and vice versa. The practice of regularly bringing in new blood and sweeping up the ideas which aren't working is a good one, and in my mind right now it's the largest difference between Marvel and DC. The specific titles launching in September don't really thrill me, although I'm definitely going to read Sword of Sorcery #0 and see what an updated Amethyst is like. And I think it's too bad Resurrection Man is going away, but I'm sure the character will show up elsewhere. Conceptually, though, I support the whole mess. Well...I do not support numbering the issues with #0, since that's just one more example of the Big Two's incessant campaign to render issue numbers entirely meaningless.

Legal Battles End & Begin
Yesterday, the news came out that Stan Lee had settled one of the several lawsuits he was involved in, the one over control of POW! Entertainment. So that's one down for Stan the Man, who's been embroiled in various legal troubles for years.

Meanwhile, cartoonist Matthew Inman, creator of TheOatmeal.com, was recently threatened with a defamation lawsuit by Funnyjunk.com for his (correct) claims that they had posted his material without his permission or giving him credit. Inman's awesome, hilarious response to this threat was to raise a whole bunch of money for other, better causes and rub it in Funnyjunk's face. Also there's a drawing of Funnyjunk's owner's mom making love to a bear involved. It all seems pretty silly to me, and Inman obviously has the approach of highlighting that silliness, but sadly Funnyjunk's lawyer isn't so amused. So this may well not be the end of this bizarre story, though I'd honestly be surprised if there was much more anyone could do about the situation at this point.

Seriously, Too Many Deaths This Year
So, this week, two great men died, adding to the ever-increasing list of incredible artists we've lost this year. Although not really a comicbook creator, Ray Bradbury's death is a huge blow to creativity and fiction in general, so I wanted to take a moment to pay my respects to him on this site. Others have already said more about him than I ever could, but his influence on science fiction and, truthfully, on the world at large cannot be denied and should never be forgotten. Most writers struggle their entire careers to put something together as powerful, timeless, and intelligent as Fahrenheit 451, but for Bradbury that book is just the largest of many such triumphs.

Robert L. Washington, III, co-creator of Static, one of the best, coolest, most important comicbook characters of the past twenty years, also died this week. There has been an outpouring of sadness and respect for this talented creator, who had seen some incredibly hard times even while alive. I especially want to mention the really great donation program set up by Hero Initiative to raise money for a proper burial. Static was the most popular character of an excellent, admirable comicbook company, Milestone, and being a part of his creation is no small accomplishment. Washington and Bradbury both deserve our reverence, and even in the wake of their deaths, their work's lasting impact and importance is clear.

Smatterday 05/05/2012

Happy Free Comic Book Day!
So today is Free Comic Book Day, which is always tons of fun. Every publisher on the planet puts something out for free, in the hopes of getting us all to buy more of their stuff throughout the year. Comicbook fans all over the country get to be the belle of the ball, with new suitors on all sides vying for our attention. I love it. Plus this year it's just one day after Star Wars Day, which is total gravy. Personally, I've got two different shops to hit up today, and I can't wait.

The Ghost of FCBD Past
The other thing that's so nice about FCBD, now, is it's been going on for years. To me, it feels like a legitimate holiday, partly because FCBD played a pretty big role in my own comicbook fandom. Though I've been reading comics off-and-on since I was just a wee lad, it was actually Blackest Night #0 that pulled me back into the world of serious, weekly collecting. Which, of course, is precisely what it wanted to do. I no longer follow the Green Lantern family of titles, but I did for a while there, and I've been an avid and consistent consumer of comicbooks ever since.

Stan, Stan the Lawsuit Man
So Stan Lee finds himself embroiled in a lawsuit over POW! Entertainment. The man is a lawsuit magnet, apparently, which is just a bummer. I mean, the guy's a living legend, and so many people owe him so much...can't we let him put out the few comicbooks he's still involved with in peace? I don't pretend to understand the details, so maybe Lee deserves all this, but I choose to believe he's a kind, aging genius whom the world has decided to take advantage of. I'm probably way off, but I don't care. You get 'em, Stan!

Avengers Review Round-Up
I haven't seen The Avengers yet, but everybody else has, so I've read a whole helluva lotta reviews of it. Won't you join me?
MTV
Vancouver Sun
CarlsbadPatch
New Yorker-This one feels particularly stupid. To me, anyhow.
CBC News
LA Times
Examiner
CNN
CinemaBlend
DeadSpin
Comic Book Movie
Tim Hanley
CBR
People
Rotten Tomatoes