What's Wrong With Comics - An Opinion

I just read a post by Steve over at KFR concerning the cancellation of Blue Beetle at the same time that the character is being heavily used over at Cartoon Network to promote the new Batman animated series, The Brave & the Bold. His post brought back some of the bile that I've been holding on to for about a year or so. Below is my way to detox my system of this mess:

DC (and Marvel, to a lesser extent) has lost its way as far as delivering compelling, character-driven books that are independent of the latest crossover du jour. It appears that both companies have been seduced by the retail successes of Identity Crisis and Civil War, respectively and are now basing their entire business model on this mode of creating these all-inclusive and ever-encompassing mega series that intertwines the majority of their individual titles under its publishing umbrella. Poor selling books (such as Blue Beetle and Manhunter) who are not vital cogs in this machine are left to fend for themselves and sit back to wait for their appointment on the chopping block. If things stay the same, the comic book industry will be back to the early 90s when multiple variant gimmick covers, millions of #1 issues (with zero possibility of a continuing series in their futures) and readership leaving in droves were the norm.

It's truly sad when you read stuff like Steve's or DJ Coffman stating that people who love comic books need to take back the industry due to the dumbing down of comics based on what creators think that they can sell to Hollywood. Personally, I can see why they're throwing their figurative hands in the air. I know that I have ceased buying new comics as I've become disenfranchised with how the business side of comics is driving what content is being created and how it is delivered to the readers. I definitely won't return unless it's for the purposes of buying collected editions of older comic books. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that I am not the only one.

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2008 Baltimore Comic-Con Exclusives

Sometimes, I do wish that I was back living in Northern Virginia; expecially when I receive something as simple as a PR from Marc Nathan announcing some recent additions to this weekend's Baltimore Comic-Con exclusive swag list (which are pictured above).

All of them look great but the gotta have item has to be the Jim Lee-drawn Batman tumbler from Popfun. If anyone is in the neighborhood and wants to do me a solid, I promise that I'll hook ya up.

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Aisle Seat's Mason Channels His Inner Howard Beale

Comicswaitingroom.com Edior-In-Chief Marc Mason posted a very raw and somewhat confusing essay for his Aisle Seat column titled "Comics Are For Kids?" Without reposting the entire thing, here's an excerpt from the last half which I think properly summarize the entire idea behind the column:

Then 2000 rolled around and it all went to shit. A stolen election. The next year, the worst terrorist act in history perpetrated against us. A phony war followed, thousands of my fellow citizens dead, hundreds of thousands of civilians in graves next to them. More election fraud loomed with Diebold. Our culture has devolved to the point of making stars out of the mediocre and talentless, while greatness flounders on the fringes, unable to find a toehold in the collective consciousness. A hurricane destroyed one of our greatest cities. A tsunami damned near wiped out an entire country. The global environment continues to rebel against our human presence as even more hurricanes have taken paths of super-destruction this very year. And now we have another election, featuring the senator from my state, who has already been relegated to second-class citizen on his own ticket because of the VP choice forced on him, and the first black man to have a chance to win the highest
office in the land.

And while I have no problem telling you that I am obviously a Democrat, I will also tell you this: I no longer contain the slightest bit of certainty that anything will ever be okay again. No matter who wins this election. I think human society, and the planet we live on, have become so fragile and broken, that we are past the point of no return on putting things back on the right path. Not without a MEGA reboot. Is that cynical? You bet your sweet ass.

So are comics for kids? No. They present such a warped picture of the world that they may just be as destructive as Wertham tried to tell the world, but for an entirely different reason. Why should we offer our children false hopes?

Now, I have worked alongside Mr. Mason back in the Movie Poop Shoot days but I do not know the man directly. After reading this missive, I discussed it with a few of the guys from KFR and here's what I wrote:

I understand things are getting rough for millions of people - especially lately. But if he took the tact that there are few quality All-ages superhero comics to allow guilt-free escapism like there were during the other rough patches in American history, I could totally get behind his cause. But to say that comics are bad for kids because they perpetuate the myth that good wins over evil (by whoever's definition) sounds not only obtuse but uninformed as well.

As you may or may not know, I am a parent of two grade-school kids and I feed them superheroic adventures in various forms by the bucketful. Right now, DVDs of Superfriends and Justice League Unlimited, TiVo'd airings of Spectacular Spider-Man and TMNT as well as action figures of JLU and animated Spidey rule their world.

Although, finding such material in print to supplement the cartoons is not the easiest. Marvel, for some strange and maddening reason, does not have a companion piece for its TV show. DC does have a good line of comics but as their TV shows die off, their print versions will do the same. But it doesn't stop there. Hobby stores (at least in my area) have little to none All-Ages capes-and-tights stuff. The only place that I can find a monthly mag is at a book superstore.

To me, all of these signs exhibit a complete deviation from what a business should do - expand and grow their customerbase. If tobacco companies had the same business sense as the Big Two that run the comic book industry, they would've been out of business years ago.

As humans find more and more ways to cover the world in a millions shades of gray, I've decided that grounding my kids in a Black and White world where superheroes do exist is the first building block in nurturing their ability to further their imagination while helping them make sound rational decisions. I know it sounds like I'm selling my kids a false bill of goods but when the alternative is to give them the world as it is now, I'll take my chances with the likes of Spidey versus Green Goblin every time.

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Wowio Update And Prize Whore News

It appears that there is more fallout from Wowio's slow payment news that includes its parent company, Paltinum Studios. Hero By Night creator and erstwhile Platinum employee DJ Coffman has taken issue with some of the comments that were posted on a financial message board by the COO of the company, Brian Altounian.

While Coffman does have some vitriol towards Platinum in regards to their business deal that went south after some lengthy non-payment problems, his words are not without merit. Altounian comes off as a minor league ambulance chaser trying to discredit anyone and everyone who doesn't substantiate his claim that the slow payment to Wowio creators is a mere bump in the Platinum's road to Hollywood gold.

Also, if I was the CFO of this company, I would be pissed that my COO has nothing better to do than post his views on a message board; especially one that is searchable by a Google crawlbot. There is a reason why there's a Public Relations division in most competent companies that handle this type of stuff in an official and diplomatic fashion. To me, this type of stuff are just further signs that Platinum is not meant to last longer than a year, tops.

In better news, I have made no effort to hide that I am a prize whore. And I would've posted more on this when it was first announced but I was a big winnah of a indie movie poster from the good folks over at NewsAskew.com. And while you may think that it would involve a Kevin Smith production, you would be wrong.

It's a poster for the direct-to-DVD movie Brutal Massacre, a spoof in the Spinal Tap vein of Slasher movies. it stars David Naughton (of American Werewolf in London and TV's Making It fame) and Brian O'Halloran (Dante and various other Hicks family characters in the View Askew movies).

What makes me the prize whore that I am is that I haven't seen the movie and really have no plans to actually view it (may Netflix if it's a slow week) but I still threw my name and address in the hopper for a chance to get the free stuff. Man, am I clinical or what? The poster is pictured below in case you're interested.

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Wowio Starts Its Death Knell By Stiffing Creators

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the website Wowio.com not less than glowing review. Well, it appears that their business model is not working out for Platinum Studios like they may have hoped when they purchased the flagging website this past July.

CBR has posted an insightful piece about how the page rates have changed for the company, how those changes have affected the creators and some creators are getting payments late. In case you are new to the whole comic book industry, the recognition of late payments to creators is usually one of the first signs that a publisher is headed for the comic book graveyard much like former mid-level players like CrossGen and Speakeasy.

This article also gives another black eye to Platinum Studios. There were rumors and gossip that the publisher was having problems with paying creators. These rumors became full-blown facts when its late payments and contract squabbles with DJ Coffman and his creation, Hero By Night. And although the Coffman incident has somewhat subsided, the company is not viewed with a very positive light, which can't be good for sales.

So, while the eventual demise of Wowio.com may not affect the overall health of Platinum Studios in the short term, they may not be long for this earthly plane. And I do find it ironic that the faux sunrise that Wowio uses for their logo may actually be the headlight of an oncoming train for its creators and its parent company.

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Real-life Jerry Maguire

Give the above video a watch. It seems that Kirkman stayed up for 48 hours creating his Comics manifesto. Not that his ideas aren't without merit but I swear that if Jerry Maguire was filmed in this century, he would've done his missive via YouTube instead of Kinko's.

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The Great American Review Week - Wowio.com

Within the past year or so, the ability to read regular print comics in a digital format has tried to go legit from its BitTorrent incarnation. Back in '06, I wrote about my inability to read comics on the computer and that digital comics is not going to kill the print format in an old column at Movie Poop Shoot (Dreams In Digital).

But, that hasn't stop the Internet from trying to find a successful business model for the delivery of digital comics. One site called Wowio is one of those sites. When it first debuted, all of the comics were free online with the ability to download a max of three free books per day. Sure, the majority of the books were real small press but there were some gems (Lone Star Press for example). So, I joined and started re-reading the colored version of Pantheon (a great mini-series, by the way).

But suddenly in mid July, Platinum Studios bought the site, images and interface included, and brought the site down for about a month then relaunched last week. And my reaction was mixed to say the least.

On the good side, my queue of comics to download was pulled over from the old regime, which was nice. And there was an offer of a free $0.99 comic download in the form of a gift which was courtesy of one of the site's sponsors. But that's about it.

One major complaint is that the site is the same as it was before. That may not sound like a gripe but when you consider that all the new owners added was their books and started charging for PDF downloads, it's a dead breaker for me. I don't know how much the percentage of the sales are going to the actual creators. But if you just look at the surface, it seems like the new charges for the books are just going directly to the coffers of Platinum, which is very uncool.

Another problem that I see is that you can save/download the individual comic pages via jpegs to your hard drive when reading the book online. So, what do you think users will do when they learn that news? It just means less money that goes to the creators of these books; another check mark in the uncool column.

Lastly, the search engine on Wowio has issues. Like I said previously, I'm a fan of Lone Star Press and Pantheon, in specific. So, I decided to search for all of the books under that imprint. The results that I received were less than stellar as not one book was returned. The only way that I could find the books is to go directly to the Comic Books & Graphic Novels sub-directory and seeing a rotating ad for LSP, which means that any trust in the results from the engine is lost.

Overall, while all existing users still have their data exported from the old site and that you might get a free comic every once in a while, to pay for download that was free a couple of months ago at the same site with no realized added benefit to the user with a terrible search engine just doesn't add up. Wowio doesn't wow me at all.

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The Fanatical Review - "The Apocalipstix (Oni Press)"

Title - The Apocalipstix

Publisher - Oni Press

Format - Digest-Sized; 144 pages

Cover Price - $11.95

What started out as a self-contained story in an anthology titled Rumble Royale from The Royal Academy of Illustration and Design and continued in a new story in 2007 Free Comic Day comic, The Apocalipstix finally gets its due in a digest-sized original graphic novel (or as the people who only speak in acronyms say, OGN) from Oni Press.

Hard rockers Mandy and the Mittens (Lead Singer Mandy, Drummer Megumi & Bassist Dot) were all set to make their big break when a strategically placed nukes rain down and practically wipe out the entire civilized world. Now, they have to travel cross-country to get to the big Battle of Bands concert. If they win, free gas to the next stop in the tour. But if they lose.. Well, let's just say that it's not pretty to say the least.

The Apocalipstix has something for everyone; lots of guns and exploding stuff for action fans, hot babes for the good girl fans, large ants for the sci-fi lover and even a love interest for the romance readers (you know who you are). The three-chapter book itself plays out like a breakneck Rock and Roll Mad Max road story with a slight dash of Xenozoic Tales for good measure. Ray Fawkes writes a mean action storyline with a decent cast of engaging characters with a fun dialog. And Cam Stewart outdoes himself by bringing his superb animation-flavored art and imbibing it with a sense of craziness. I was also impressed with Stewart's ability to draw each woman in the band differently; you'd be surprised how many artists in the industry fail to do that.

So, if you are tired of the latest in the cape-and-tights mega crossover or bored to death with those over-compressed six issues stories that should really only last three, you should definitely take The Apocalipstix for a ride.

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Hulk versus Wolverine trailer and Marvel Direct-To-DVD Announcement

Marvel is trying their best to keep the good vibe momentum from Iron Man (and to a lesser degree the new Hulk movie) by knocking out Direct-to-DVD animation movies like there is no tomorrow. And according to its released timetable (posted here), here is the latest info on the Hulk Vs. DVD.

Marvel.com has leaked out that Hulk Vs. DVD actually contains two movies - the undercard of Hulk versus Thor and the Main Event (and the one that will turn comic geeks to a puddle of mush) Hulk versus Wolverine. Also, Marvel.com has a quick trailer for the Banner versus Logan match.

The way I see it, this news is a strange mixture of odd pairings and possible pitfalls if done wrong. I'm not quite the comics historian but I don't really remember the Hulk versus Thor fight. I'm not saying that it won't be a good tale but the movie itself is going to greatly overshadowed by the comic anticipation that is Hulk vs. Wolvie.

As for the done wrong part, here's where I might be in the minority. I like my superheroes relatively proportionate. but if you look at the screencap above, it is simply not the case. Hulk has a huge body but has a head that resembles the head-shunked one from Beetlejuice. And what happened to Wolverine's nose? It's about the size of a fingernail. Maybe I am nitpicking but I'm not ready to get in line to buy this one like I am for the new Batman: Gotham Knight 2-disc'r.

Speaking of the trailer, here it is embedded below. give it a once over and let me know if I'm way off base with this one.

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DC Animation Seasons Available at iTunes

As I was importing some George Carlin concert mp4s onto the old iPod, I went to the store and saw the ad for new DC shows added (image below). Those shows (all 1st season episodes) are:

• Adventures of Superman (Live Action)


• Aquaman


• Batman Beyond


• Batman - The Animated Series


• Superfriends


• Superman - The Animated Series


• Superman - The Fleischer Cartoons

Once I clicked the link, I was immediately both happy and sad - happy for the fact that these shows are available for download and sad because I already have them all on the DVD. I mean, I wouldn't be a fanatic if I didn't.

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RIP Michael Turner (1971-2008)

It was announced over the weekend that artist Michael Turner, creator of such works as Fathom (pictured above) and founder of the publishing company Aspen MLT Inc, passed away from complications due to health complications. Here is the announcement that was posted on the Aspen website by EIC Vince Hernandez:

Hello all,

Unfortunately it's with great sadness that I must inform everyone that Michael Turner tragically passed away last night, June 27th at approximately 10:42 pm in Santa Monica, Ca. Turner had been dealing with recent health complications arisen in the past few weeks. More details concerning Turner's passing, and services, will be given shortly.

Anyone wishing to send their condolences to Michael Turner's family is encouraged to send to:

Aspen MLT, Inc.
C/O Michael Turner
5855 Green Valley Circle, Suite 111
Culver City, CA, 90230

Aspen also encourages anyone wishing to make a charitable donation to please send to Michael Turner's requested charities:

The American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

Or

The Make-A-Wish Foundation
http://www.wish.org/help?s_kwcid=make%20a%20wish|917760391

Official Contact: Vince Hernandez

This is truly sad news since the guy could draw superheroes like no one's business. But his tenacity and dedication to his own vision will be what makes his legacy at Aspen MLT last. CBR's Jonah Weiland posted a great In Memoriam story of Turner which gives not only the artist's history but a glimpse into his battles with cancer as well. Hernandez also provided a heartfelt send-off to his friend and business partner. If you don't tear up after reading it, you have no heart.

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2008 Harvey Awards Nominees Announced

The nominees for the 2008 Harvey Awards, the top honor in the comic book community, were announced earlier today. As I went through the list, I was having a hard time of not only handicapping the winners but trying to find ones that I outright did not lie. this year might be the most packed one yet. You can read the list below or click on this link for further details:

BEST WRITER
Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Marvel Comics
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Grant Morrison, All Star Superman, DC Comics
William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone
Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man, Vertigo/DC Comics

BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Marvel Comics
Guy Davis, BPRD, Dark Horse Comics
Frank Quitely, All Star Superman, DC Comics
William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST CARTOONIST
Darwyn Cooke, The Spirit, DC Comics
Matt Kindt, Super Spy, Top Shelf
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - ORIGINAL
The Arrival, Scholastic Books
Donald Duck: The Case of the Missing Mummy, Gemstone
Exit Wounds, Drawn & Quarterly
Laika, First Second
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
The Annotated Northwest Passage, Oni Press
Antiques, Volume 1, Gemstone
Captain America Omnibus, Volume 1, Marvel Comics
Damned, Volume 1, Oni Press
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Marvel Comics

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
Complete Peanuts, Fantagraphics Books
Complete Terry and the Pirates, IDW
EC Archives, Gemstone
Popeye, Fantagraphics Books
Walt and Skeezix, Drawn & Quarterly

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
Eduardo Risso's Tales of Terror, Dynamite Entertainment
Exit Wounds, Drawn & Quarterly
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Abrams
Moomin, Volume 2, Drawn & Quarterly
Witchblade Manga, Top Cow/Image

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR
Chris Eliopoulos, Franklin Richards series, Marvel Comics
Nicholas Gurewitch, Perry Bible Fellowship, www.pbfcomics.com
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST ON-LINE COMIC
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, www.wimpykid.com
EZ Street, Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, www.comicmix.com/title/ez-street/
Penny Arcade, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, www.penny-arcade.com
Perry Bible Fellowship, Nicholas Gurewitch, www.pbfcomics.com
Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo, Dwight L. Macpherson, Thomas Boatwright and Thomas Mauer, www.drunkduck.com/The_Surreal_Adventures_of_Edgar_Allan_Poo

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
The Annotated Northwest Passage, Scott Chantler, Oni Press
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, Amulet Books
EC Archives, Various, edited by John Clark, Gemstone
Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriguez, Villard
Super Spy, Matt Kindt, Top Shelf

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
Alice in Sunderland, Dark Horse Comics
All Star Superman # 8, DC Comics
Captain America # 25, Marvel Comics
Donald Duck: The Case of the Missing Mummy, Gemstone
I Killed Adolf Hitler, Fantagraphics Books
Immortal Iron Fist # 7, Marvel Comics
Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen # 1, Oni Press

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION
Blah Blah Blog, Tom Brevoort, http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Tom%20Brevoort/
The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth and Michael Dean, Fantagraphics Books
Meanwhile...Comics!, John, Jason and Scott, http://www.meanwhilecomics.com
The Naked Artist: Comic Book Legends, Bryan Talbot and Hunt Emerson, Moonstone Books
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, edited by J.C. Vaughn, Gemstone
Reading Comics: How Graphic Albums Work and What They Mean, Douglas Wolk, Da Capo Press

BEST COVER ARTIST
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Marvel Comics
Marko Djurdjevic, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
James Jean, Fables, Vertigo/DC Comics
Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics
William Van Horn, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST LETTERER
Chris Eliopoulos, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Jared K. Fletcher, The Spirit, DC Comics
Willie Schubert, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Gemstone
Douglas E. Sherwood, Local, Oni Books
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library, Acme Novelty

BEST COLORIST
Susan Daigle-Leach, Uncle Scrooge, Gemstone
Jamie Grant, All Star Superman, DC Comics
Matt Hollingsworth, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Matt Kindt, Super Spy, Top Shelf
Laura Martin, Thor, Marvel Comics

BEST INKER
Stefano Gaudiano, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Steve Leialoha, Fables, DC Comics
Mark Morales, Thor, Marvel Comics
Kevin Nowlan, Witchblade, Top Cow/Image

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau, Universal Press Syndicate
Get Fuzzy, Darby Conley, United Feature Syndicate
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, Self-Syndicated
The Mighty Motor-Sapiens, Mark Wheatley, Daniel Krall, Robert Tinnell, MJ Butler, Craig Taillerfer, Matthew Plog, and Jerry Carr, Self-Syndicated
Mutts, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
All Star Superman, DC Comics
Captain America, Marvel Comics
Damned, Oni Press
Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
Uncle Scrooge, Gemstone Comics

BEST NEW SERIES
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
The Order, Marvel Comics
Resurrection, Oni Press
Thor, Marvel Comics
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST NEW TALENT
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Jeff Lemire, Essex County, Top Shelf
Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
Robbi Rodriguez, Maintenance, Oni Press
Christian Slade, Korgi #1: Sprouting Wings, Top Shelf

BEST ANTHOLOGY
Flight Volume 4, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Ballantine Books
Mome Volume 8, edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books
Popgun Volume 1, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith, Image Books
Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriquez, Villard
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, edited by John Clark, Gemstone

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Michael George Trial gets the "Dateline" treatment

In case you missed it last night, the Michael George murder trial was the subject of a Dateline piece called (very unoriginal, I might add) The Comic Book Murder. The trial was covered here from the date of arrest to the trial's verdict but the rehash of the events leading up to the end was still a decent watch albeit somewhat sad to see how divided the families involved really are. The only problem that I have with correspondent Dennis Murphy's piece was the introductory sentence:

In the front of the mom-and-pop comic book shop were bins of the fantasies: Spidey, Hulk and X-Men.

Why does every non-comic book reader refer to the medium as fantasies? I know that it was to setup the grizzly details in the back of the store but he could've taken a better tact than that. Just like movies, TV and other entertainment mediums, comic books offer more than just fantasies. Hey, Murphy, get out and live in the real world a little. If you want to view the abbreviated version, click on the player below. If you're interested in the transcript of the entire show, click here.

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Your Random Facts for May 7

Trying to see through last night's funk that was Game 1 of the Cavs versus the Celts, here are your facts for today:

• Want to major in the GTA4 lifestyle? Go to SDSU and pledge Theta Chi.
• Marvel movies that are coming up - Iron Man 2 in April 2010, Thor in June 2010, First Avenger: Captain America in May 2011 and The Avengers in July 2011 so says Reuters.
• Lastly, there are no decent regular CDs released this week but if you're in the mood for some good music, you might want to check out Snack Time by the Barenaked Ladies. From what I've heard, it's really an all-ages listen.

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The Other Side of Harvey Dent from "The Dark Knight"

Editor's Note - It appears that the image has been removed from its source. If anyone has another copy, please let the link in the comments. Thx, Mgmt

Yes, this is the other side of scarred District Attorney Harvey Dent, otherwise known as Two Face from this summer's The Dark Knight movie. As you can see, this is definitely not your older brother's (or Joel Schumaker's) version from 12 years ago. But as is the case with much of Christopher Nolan's take on DC's Batmythos, the more realistic, the better.

The image above was posted originally on the supreme comic industry gossip site, Lying In the Gutters, but said image was removed by the columnist (Rich Johnson) due to a request by Warner Brothers. Fortunately, I found this image on a Batman board (1966 Batman Board).

But is everything as it seems? It may not be, according to Batman-On-Film.com:

It's real, however it's one of the very early concept designs (remember what I reported to you regarding the look of The Joker before that was public knowledge? This image of Two Face is from around the same period of early design tests). Just like the early concept design of The Joker largely informed the final look, it wasn't dead on (i.e. They decided to retain the purple suit rather than the raggedy, pieced together costume, etc), but certain elements carried through to the final screen version (The “Cut Smile“).

In the case of this particular design, it's closer to what you'll see than that early Joker design was, but it's not a good representation of what it looks like on camera (and, as I alluded to above, it's not *exactly* what the screen look is). It's not really what you'll see in the movie, but the general idea is still very much intact.

I don't mean to be overly cryptic, but I know that a lot of people are trying to retain the surprise of the Two-Face look, and this concept art doesn't properly represent what Aaron looks like onscreen.”

My take? I'm a fan of Christopher Nolan in general and of Batman Begins in particular and I like the look as it is. It stays true to the overall tone of Batman Begins without going all the way into the horror disfigurement. And let's be honest - when someone, even a well-to-do District Attorney, get acid thrown in the face, that person will not walk away looking like Tommy Lee Jones with green skin on one side of their face.

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Your 5 Random Facts for May 1

Still feeling the afterglow of a 25-point win by the Celts. Alright, on with the facts:

1. LeBron must be taking his King James moniker very seriously with this King of Pop-inspired wardrobe choice (photographic evidence shown above). Later in the post-game, Bron Bron stated that he had a certain fondness for the Home Alone series.


2. I hope that the judicial system will commute the rest of the sentence for that Detroit woman who's been on the run for 32 years. She's been married for 23 years with three kids so it should be safe to assume that she's a reformed citizen. And really, murders have gotten less time than what she did back in the day.


3. The cheesiest thing about the David Blaine breath holding stunt wasn't the fact that he did it on the Oprah show but the fact that when she asked Blaine what he was thinking when he was underwater, he plainly stated to her, "You." Uggh, all that Street Magic cred went down the drain right then.


4. Man, Iron Man must be setting records with the number of different tie-ins for one movie. The most recent one was for the LG cell phone that I caught was during Tuesday's episode of Deadliest Catch. The tie-in site (insidethesuit.com) has some decent online stuff as well as a contest to win a 16-carat gold phone so it's well worth the visit.


5. I might be the only one but the whole Anti-Venom character looks like a complete rip-off of the Reverse Flash and will be basically a one-off character.

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Your 5 Random Facts for April 29th

Tying up loose strings kinda day - eerily similar to the Hawks getting back to 2-2 against the heavily favored Celtics last night.

1. Being a comic book store owner in Michigan is kinda like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded, semi-automatic handgun. Not even six months after George Michael received a conviction sentence for killing his former comic store co-owner and wife by making the murder look like a robbery, another comic book store owner (Daniel Pirkola) in Grand Rapids was shot during a robbery of the store. iFanboy is taking donation to help this store owner pay for the hospital bills.


2. Here's one word that proves why Kobe Bryant should win the MVP award over his two competitiors, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett - sweep. Neither of the other two could help his team do that against lower seeded and supposedly weaker teams. Plus, Bryant came through in the clutch with the majority of his points for the game in the fourth quarter to close out the Nuggets. Wish the same could've been said of KG.


3. Def Leppard's CD, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, is released today and I'm still not convinced that they're a better group without "Mutt" Lange at the producer's helm based on the first single, Nine Lives.


4. In a reverse of last week's Nerds Need Love Too post, an Oakland programmer was convicted of killing his wife; even though her body or a murder weapon was never recovered.


5. I can understand the recycling of 80's music and 80's fashion. But what I don't see is going back to the 80's for a comic book mini-series; even if Millar is involved.

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Paramount bumps release date for Iron Man

Maybe in an effort to get as much money as possible as the first entrant into this summer of Superhero Blockbuster/Tentpole movies, Paramount has slightly bumped the release date for Iron Man from May 2nd to the night of May Day otherwise known as May 1st. So, while there will be reviews for this film by that night on the blogosphere, come back here on Friday night for the Fanatical Review of Iron Man.

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"The Spirit" Teaser trailer online

Here's the first teaser trailer for the Frank Miller-helmed The Spirit:

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

My random thoughts from the minute plus glimpse - Don't look like the Will Eisner's Spirit that I've read; color scheme looks off; While hard-boiled is an element in the comic book version, it's over-the-top here; If I didn't know any better (read non-comic reader), I would've said that this CGI/Green Screen-centric pic looks like a sequel to Sin City and that's not a compliment. Overall, I have a feeling that this movie will fall into this year's superhero cinematic reject pile with the likes of Wanted, the new Hulk movie and Speed Racer.

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The Fanatical Review - Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries

Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries #1 (of 4)

Writer: Christopher Mills
Penciler: Joe Staton
Inker: Horacio Ottolini
Colorist: Melissa Kaercher
Cover Artist: Joe Staton (Regular); Brian Bolland (Variant; shown above)
Publisher: Ape Entertainment

Book Synopsis: On the mean streets of Port Nocturne, justice is blonde. Join writer Christopher Mills and Eisner award-winning artist Joe Staton as they crack open the case files of crime fiction's most unusual sleuth in an attempt to unmask the mystery woman known only as… Femme Noir!

Review: It's a difficult task to make new crime/pulp comic books without coming off as dated or a rip-off of previous classic works. It's also hard to pull new readers in with a first issue of a new mini-series about a female protagonist. But the Femme Noir new mini-series from Ape Entertainment appears to have made the difficult seem easy.

This book is a quick read; but it is, by no means, an old recycled story. The story just pulls you in from the get-go with its rain and whiskey-soaked images and hard-boiled narrative. Mills pulls an interesting twist for the noir genre by using the male PI as more of a plot device to help advance the narrative forward from one scene to the next as a means to introduce each of the possible female suspects and their motivations behind possibly being the avenging vigilante. The dialogue and language used is pitch-perfect which only enhances the mood of the book.

Comic vet Staton bring his A game to this book. There is an Eisner-esque influence/vibe through out the book but there's no David Mack-like cut-and-paste job here. Yes, the three female leads are somewhat similar in looks and form and I think that it is intended. They aren't just the same figure with different hair colors and clothes. The city and backgrounds are solid and it actually seems to revel in its dark shadows. And my favorite scene is on page 6. When the assassin and his moniker are revealed, the book just reeks of classic 70's comics to me in a very good way.

Overall, Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries #1 takes a relatively underutilized genre in comics and makes it a viable one. The action is fast and the women look even faster. And while the story concludes without the big reveal of the title character, it does whet the appetite for the next issue, which is what any good introductory issue should do.

For those of you who are into the alternative cover thing, be on the look out for variants by Matt Haley on Issue #2, Phil Hester on Issue #3, and Mike Weiringo on Issue #4. This issue was solicited in April Previews Catalog and can be pre-ordered through your local comic book store by using Diamond Code #APR083545.

More information on the whole Femme Noir series and its webstrip incarnation can be found at its website, Femme-Noir.com.

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