August 2009 News Posts (33)

Disney Buys Marvel Comics!

It's The Mouse that roared. Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story. Disney Inc. is in the process of buying Marvel Entertainment for a reported $4 billion.

It's too early to say what this will mean -- heck, it's such big news I think my brain just short-circuited -- but some obvious questions jump to the fore.

This creates some obvious conflicts with other big players like Sony (which has the Spider-Man movie franchise) and Twentieth Century Fox (X-Men).…

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Added by Captain Comics on August 31, 2009 at 2:30pm — 33 Comments

My Crazy Blog 8/30/09

I happened to stumble across Wonder Woman #216 yesterday, because that's the sort of thing you find lying around our house.(In case you didn't know, the famous Captain Comics is my husband and our house doubles as the Comics Cave. We have anywhere from 50,000-60,000 comics in our house--even the Captain isn't sure of the exact number.)

So Wonder Woman #216 from 1975 is lying out in the open as a consequence of the Captain's current re-boxing and re-boarding obsession. In… Continue

Added by Joan Carr on August 30, 2009 at 12:30pm — 12 Comments

I Like Ham 6: The Squared Circle

Well, Steve, it's another rainy weekend here on the Island. Been watching some wrestling disks. I used to be a huge wrestling fan back in the day. I started watching back when I was in college, and watched for about twenty years before I started to lose interest - in the new product, at least. One of the few good things that came out of Vince McMahon running WCW and ECW out of business and buying up their tape libraries was that the possibility arose for the WWE to release compilations of lots… Continue

Added by The Baron on August 29, 2009 at 5:16pm — 22 Comments

Naturally Enhanced- The Best of the Hologram, Die-Cut, Glow-in-the-Dark Covers

Jim Shooter said it best in an editorial for Valiant Comics. He bemoaned the excess of the industry in the early ‘90s when it seemed like all you needed was a cool cover to sell a crappy comic. He promised his readers that Valiant would never do that.…

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Added by Chris Fluit on August 28, 2009 at 1:15pm — 10 Comments

Comics for September 2

Hot off the presses from ComicList.com:

ANKAMA

CFSL.NET Artbook TP Vol 1, $59.95

APE ENTERTAINMENT

Trouble With Katie Rogers GN Vol 1, $16.95

Wind Raider #3 (of 3)(Cover A Gabriel Hardman), $3.50

Wind Raider #3 (of 3)(Cover B Joe Suitor), $3.50

Wind Raider TP Vol 1, $14.95

ARCHIE COMICS

Betty & Veronica Digest #197, $2.69

Veronica #196, $2.50

ARIEL PRESS

Harker #7 (Release not… Continue

Added by Alan M. on August 27, 2009 at 11:24pm — 15 Comments

Reviews: Vikings, time-traveling mice and Boris Karloff

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Aug. 25, 2009 -- I love Vikings. And the existence of Northlanders, a series from DC’s mature-reader Vertigo line, tells me I’m not alone.

Northlanders doesn’t have a continuing storyline or characters. It’s just a series of disparate stories set during the Viking era, all written by Brian Wood (DMZ) and each drawn by a different artist.

The first Northlanders story was… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on August 27, 2009 at 11:30am — 17 Comments

Deck Log Entry # 89 The Cop and the Crimefighter

Batman fans have discussed this for decades. Since his debut in 1939, Bruce Wayne has not lacked for love interests, but who was the girl, the lady somebody should have smacked the millionaire playboy in the head and said, “She’s the one, stupid!”?

Golden-Age veterans usually opt for either Julie Madison or Linda Page. Society deb Julie actually made it as far as becoming Bruce’s fiancée before she broke… Continue

Added by Commander Benson on August 25, 2009 at 4:30am — 8 Comments

Iron Man: Comeuppance?

For everyone who developed a grudge against Tony Stark in "Civil War," it looks like they're getting their wish to see him humbled. Not only has he lost everything -- his company, leadership of SHIELD, the Avengers -- he's erasing his own mind so that Norman Osborn can't extract the secret IDs of every superhero on earth. In the last few issues, during the "World's Most Wanted" storyline, he's been getting dumber and dumber, as he runs from safehouse to safehouse just ahead of Osborn, going… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on August 24, 2009 at 5:30pm — 41 Comments

I Like Ham 5: Favorite Fictions - "Smith! 6079 Smith W!"

From Hamlet, the man who didn't act when it might've done him some good, we go to Winston Smith, the man who acted but it didn't do him any good.

1984, by George Orwell, was one of those books that I first read in high schoool, and which I still re-read regularly 30 years later. It was always my favorite of the two great dystopias that I read back in those days, beating out Brave New World by Aldous Huxley by a large margin.

The protagonist of Orwell's book… Continue

Added by The Baron on August 23, 2009 at 8:06pm — 5 Comments

Comics for August 26

As always, list via ComicList.com.

AARDVARK VANAHEIM

Cerebus Archive #3, $3.00

ABRAMS

Manga Kamishibal HC, $35.00

ANTARCTIC PRESS

Bad Kids Go To Hell #3 (Of 4), $3.50

Cybertronian Transformers Guide Pocket Manga Vol 1, $24.95

Gold Digger Tech Manual #7, $3.99

How To Draw Superpowered Heroes Supersize TP, $24.95

ARCHIE COMICS

Betty & Veronica #243, $2.50

Jugheads Double Digest #153, $3.99

Sonic Universe… Continue

Added by Alan M. on August 21, 2009 at 1:22pm — 15 Comments

Titans in the Spotlight

The New Teen Titans is the book that made me fall in love with superhero comics- rivaled only by the Uncanny X-Men. I loved the art and the stories. I loved the blend of characters. I loved the relationships: the friendships, the romances and the subtle rivalries. I…

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Added by Chris Fluit on August 20, 2009 at 8:17pm — 10 Comments

Maggie, Jiggs and myths about our myths

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Aug. 18, 2009 -- Occasionally I recommend a book without pictures, and such is the case with Brian Cronin’s Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed! (Plume, $14).

Cronin began writing an online column in 2005 exploring the myths and legends surrounding comic books. I’ve been reading it off and on, because as a newspaperman I can say his research and sourcing are generally excellent.… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on August 20, 2009 at 2:19pm — 16 Comments

Bugs Bunny, the greatest baseball player ever

I just ran across this sportswriter's analysis of "Baseball Bugs," the classic Looney Tunes short in which Bugs Bunny takes on the Gas House Gorillas all by himself -- starting in the fourth inning of a game in which the Gorillas are leading the Tea Totallers 54-0 -- and wins 96-95. It's funny because it's so, so serious ... "Bugs Bunny, Greatest Banned Player Ever"

Added by ClarkKent_DC on August 18, 2009 at 2:49pm — 3 Comments

My Crazy Blog 8/16/09

Yesterday I had one of those weird conversations white Southerners sometimes find themselves drawn into. I was talking to one of our older white neighbors, who is maybe in his 70's. He was doing me a favor by telling me about an affordable tree-trimming service, which we badly need to get rid of the tree that has taken our electricity and/or cable out 3 times in the past few years. He took the opportunity to ask me if I knew whether the people who bought the house across the street from us were… Continue

Added by Joan Carr on August 16, 2009 at 4:06pm — 38 Comments

I Like Ham 4: Favorite Fictions - I Like Hamlet

Well, Steve, it's time for another one of my favorite fictional characters. We begin with an excerpt from the Handbook of the Shakespeare Universe:

Real name: Hamlet, son of Hamlet

First Appearance: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Occupations: Prince of Denmark, student

Bases of Operations: Elsinore Castle, the University of Wittenberg

Place of Birth: Elsinore Castle, Denmark

Group Affiliation:… Continue

Added by The Baron on August 15, 2009 at 4:40pm — 2 Comments

Assorted Batman Stories from the Past 28 Years

Last month, I looked at my collection of Superman comics. I had so much fun writing about the not-quite random assortment of Superman stories and titles that I thought I’d do it again with Batman.…

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Added by Chris Fluit on August 14, 2009 at 9:12pm — 8 Comments

Comics I Bought Today: At the mercy of ... the Electrician!

I liked my "Utterli" version of Comics I Bought Today, so I'm keeping it. Why not go ahead and listen to my latest comments on my recent purchases ... and my electrician, a vile man who says he doesn't want my house to burn down, but I don't buy that for a second.

Hear all about it… Continue

Added by Lumbering Jack (M'odd-R8-Tr) on August 14, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Comics for August 19

Per ComicList.com:

AMAZE INK/SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS

Gargoyles Bad Guys TP Vol 1, $17.95

Gargoyles Clan Building TP Vol 2, $19.95

Ubu Bubu TP Vol 1 Filth, $12.95

ANTARCTIC PRESS

Gold Digger Tiffany & Charlotte Pocket Manga TP Vol 1, $15.95

ARCANA STUDIO

Ultima Thula GN, $19.95

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS

Days Missing #1 (Of 5)(Cover A Dale Keown), $0.99

Days Missing #1 (Of 5)(Cover B Frazer… Continue

Added by Alan M. on August 14, 2009 at 2:14pm — 10 Comments

From PreviewsWorld: The Dog Days of Summer

I'm lucky enough to occasionally be asked by Diamond Comic Distributors to write an article for their monthly catalog, PREVIEWS.

Well, in this month's edition I have one such article. It's called the Dog Days of Summer.

In case you don't get PREVIEWS from your comics retailer, you can read it…

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Added by Lumbering Jack (M'odd-R8-Tr) on August 13, 2009 at 3:33pm — No Comments

Vertigo's new crime line is arrestingly good

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Aug. 11, 2009 -- I was working the night shift when two gorgeous lookers appeared at my desk. They looked like trouble, but as Sam Spade said, “I don’t mind a reasonable amount of trouble.”

These tomatoes weren’t dames; they were the first two graphic novels in DC’s new Vertigo Crime line. Filthy Rich and Dark Entries ($19.99 each) are roughly digest-sized, B&W hardbacks due Aug. 19 (in… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on August 13, 2009 at 1:38pm — 1 Comment