Current Transmissions
Welcome to the age of the Marvel Cinematic Crossover
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
What did you do last weekend? Nothing much, probably; no real reason to get excited. After all, it was just another awesome Marvel movie opening. Granted, “awesome” isn’t an objective description, and surely some people had a pretty miserable time. But judging from reviews, user ratings and my own anecdotal observations, odds are a significant majority of the approximately 11 million people who watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier enjoyed it.
The film has been thoroughly reviewed — you can read CBR’s take here — so I won’t get into a big assessment. (Suffice it to say, I liked it.) Instead ,what I want to talk about is the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how it hasn’t just successfully adapted stories and characters, but the very experience of the Marvel Comics Universe.
It is now well-documented that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is a big comics fan. The difference, however, is that he didn’t grow up with them, but schooled himself on Marvel’s stories while working under producer Lauren Shuler Donner on the first X-Men movie. That distinction might have given him the ability to view the characters and concepts without being hindered by nostalgia, and helped him to dissect how Marvel’s framework could be used for future movies. Hollywood is an even more collaborative business than comics, so it’s unlikely that credit rests solely with Feige. But he certainly was an advocate for leaning more faithfully into the source material.
‘Deadpool’ #27 sets Guinness record you didn’t know existed
Readers who have already stopped by their local comic store today may have noticed that the cover of Marvel’s Deadpool #27, the special wedding issue, includes a little something extra: a seal certifying it as a Guinness World Records record holder.
The wraparound cover by Scott Koblish and Val Staples, featuring 232 denizens of the Marvel Universe gathered for Wade Wilson’s wedding, has set the record for the most comic book characters on a single issue cover. Guinness found that 224 of those characters were publicly familiar enough to qualify for the recognition. Alas, there’s no mention of which eight didn’t make the cut.
Joe Quinones teases ‘Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell’
If you aren’t following the blog of artist Joe Quinones (FF, Wednesday Comics), then you’re missing out on some terrific glimpses of Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell, the long-awaited graphic novel written by Paul Dini.
Each Wednesday for the past month, Quinones has revealed one or two panels from the book, some more complete than others, as he counts down to the planned May 21 release.
‘Hate’ & ‘Meat Cake’ debut on comiXology (with free first issues)
To mark the digital debut of Peter Bagge’s Hate and Dame Darcy’s Meat Cake, Fantagraphics Books and comiXology are offering the first issues of both series for free for a limited time.
First published in 1990, Hate chronicles the life of Bagge’s longtime protagonist Buddy Bradley, a malcontent who comes of age in the Seattle grunge scene before moving back to suburban New Jersey and his dysfunctional family. One of the bestselling alternative comics of the ’90s, Hate ran for 30 issues; Bagge resurrected the title in 2000 for a series of Hate Annuals. A Hate follow-up, Buddy Buys a Dump, is planned for release in June.
Published by Fantagraphics since 1993, Darcy’s Meat Cake delves into a neo-Victorian world of humor, romance and frequently tragic fairy tales featuring such characters as Effluvia the Mermaid, the roguish roué Wax Wolf, Igpay the Pig-Latin pig and Stregapez, who speaks by dispensing Pez-like tablets through a hole in her throat.
“Debuting Hate and Meat Cake digitally on comiXology marks a new era for these historic Fantagraphics titles,” Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds said in a statement. “Although the trade paperbacks collecting these works are perennial classics, this marks the first time that the single issues of these generation-defining classics have been widely available in well over a decade. Now with comiXology’s help, readers around the world will be able to experience them anew and discover just what makes these books so timelessly great.”
Quote of the day | Timeless, and subversive, Riverdale
“I have a fleece that I wear that has an Archie patch on it, and everywhere I go people will stop me and say ‘Archie, I love Archie!’ I think the teen years are such a universal experience — people are either going through it, looking forward to going through it, not looking forward to going through it, went through hell in high school, loved their high school experience — and somehow Archie and his adventures capture all that. I went to an all-boys prep school and had a pretty good high school experience, I would say, but there’s always something about those stories where I always wished I went to Riverdale High. And I wish I was part of that kind of gang of friends. I don’t know why. But there was something really comforting about it. I also always thought there was something subversive about the brand. I always felt like there was stuff happening right to the right or the left of the panels, and I was always interested in what those stories were.”
– Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa,
on the enduring appeal of the Riverdale gang
‘Blue Estate’ rail shooter announced for PS4 and Xbox One
The “darkly funny” video game based on the crime comedy Blue Estate will also arrive for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Announced in September for PC, the rail shooter by French indie studio HeSaw and Focus Home Interactive is inspired by the 12-issue Image Comics series created by Viktor Kalvachev (now creative director of HeSaw), and featuring art by Kalvachev, Toby Cypress, Nathan Fox, Robert Valley and others.
Papercutz’s ‘Ninjago’ line passes 2 million in sales
It’s easy to become so wrapped up in the monthly direct market horse race that we overlook success stories in other channels. Oh, not the bookstore performances of The Walking Dead, Saga or Attack on Titan; we get regular reminders of that from BookScan. In this case we’re talking about Ninjago, the LEGO toy line turned animated TV series turned graphic novel line.
Although the debut of the latest book atop The New York Times bestseller list should’ve provided a clue to how well it’s doing, Papercutz has trumpeted that with the release of LEGO Ninjago, Vol. 9: Night of the Nindroids, the series has surpassed 2 million copies in sales.
“LEGO Ninjago titles have been a phenomenon for us,” Papercutz President Terry Nantier said in a statement. “We’ve been back to press numerous times and it seems like we’re always struggling to keep up with consumer demand. I’ve been in the graphic novel publishing business for quite some time and I’d be hard pressed to name a lot of other kids ‘series that have hit that level of sales.”
Things are going so well that the publisher, perhaps unsurprisingly, is expanding the line in May with a series of graphic novels based on Ninjago “Legends of Chima” LEGO sets.
Oni splits with vendor over ties to anti-marriage equality group
Oni Press has ended its business relationship with packaging supply company Uline over its CEO’s financial support of an Illinois group that went to “unseemly lengths” last year to try to block passage of that state’s marriage-equality bill.
In a letter signed by a dozen employees and posted Tuesday on its blog, the Portland, Oregon-based publisher explained that, “While our professional relationship with Uline has been a prosperous one, the fact that Family-PAC is funded in part by Uline’s CEO [Richard] Uihlein, is information we simply cannot abide or ignore.”
The Chicago-based Family-PAC, which describes itself as “the leading pro-family, anti-tax political action committee in Illinois,” was behind robocalls that targeted state Rep. Mike Smiddy for accepting $6,500 in donations from “Chicago homosexuals” and decried the alleged negative effects same-sex marriages have on children.
Comics A.M. | Cartoonist Jeff Pert passes away at age 55
Jeff Pert
Passings | Maine cartoonist Jeff Pert, best known for his cartoons and illustrations of lobsters and moose, died Friday on his way to the hospital with chest pains. He was 55. His cartoons adorned souvenir postcards and coffee cups, but he was also an active part of the local comics community in Brunswick, Maine, a regular at Casablanca Comics, and a participant in the Maine Comic Arts Festival. Pert created his first comic when he was in fifth grade and sold copies to local comic shops. “They probably gave us the money and then threw them in the garbage, but we were happy,” said his collaborator (and best friend) Jon Dumont. Pert was known for supporting other artists and even persuaded his local state representative, Maggie Daughtry, to start drawing her own comics: Daughtry knocked on Pert’s door when she was campaigning for office, and, she said, “Within an hour of meeting him, he literally changed my life.” When Daughtry told Pert that she had dreamed of being a cartoonist as a child, he encouraged her to start drawing again, which she did. [Portland Press Herald]
Osamu Tezuka exhibit added to Google Cultural Institute
Osamu Tezuka in 1959
The Google Cultural Institute has compiled images, videos and documents for an exhibit on Osamu Tezuka, marking the first time a manga artist has been featured in the digital historical archive.
Launched in 2011, the initiative is “an effort to make important cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to digitally preserve it to educate and inspire future generations.” With the participation of 40 institutions in 14 countries, the Google Cultural Institute offers free access to photographs, footage and documents from historical events and figures of the 20th century.
According to Asahi Shimbun, the Tezuka exhibit was added to the “Cultural Figures” section on Monday, the fiction birthday of Astro Boy. The collection consists of 172 images, video and text pieces from Tezuka Productions and the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum.
“Tezuka repeatedly expressed his opposition to war and discrimination and emphasized the preciousness of life through his works,” said Yoshihiro Shimizu, chief of the copyright business division of Tokyo-based Tezuka Productions. “I am happy that information concerning Tezuka is spread around the globe (through the site) and his ideas are shared.”
Batkid throws out first pitch at Giants home opener
Already off to a 5-2 start, the San Francisco Giants received an extra boost at their home opener Tuesday afternoon: SF’s own Batkid threw out the first pitch.
#PHOTO: here's a better pic of #BatKid throwing out the first pitch at #SFGOpeningDay pic.twitter.com/vgftPlL7VY
— KTVU (@KTVU) April 8, 2014
David Petersen’s take on Rocket Raccoon is, of course, amazing
Mouse Guard creator David Petersen is no stranger to Rocket Raccoon, having drawn him a couple of years ago for the online Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe REDUXE Edition; he’ll do so again for the variant cover of Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon #1, arriving in July. However, he also tackled the fan-favorite character in a pair of commissions for Emerald City Comicon, to predictably fantastic results.
He shares his process for both pieces on his blog, alongside Mouse Guard and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles illustrations.
Want Avengers Mansion? You’d have to assemble $113 million
Avengers Mansion, by Stuart Immonen
For decades, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes called home a city block-sized mansion at 890 Fifth Ave. in New York City that was initially occupied by the Stark family. Of course, the sprawling building underwent a few minor changes before it could become Avengers Mansion, with the third floor gutted to make way for a hangar deck and the three-level basement complex renovated to accommodate a combat simulation room, a robotics lab, cryogenics storage and a submarine pen. Y’know, the usual stuff.
So if you were a billionaire interested in picking up your own stylish superhero headquarters, how much might Avengers Mansion set you back? A cool $113 million, according to the real estate blog Movoto. Butler not included.
Glyph Comics Awards unveils 2014 nominees
The nominees have been announced for the 2014 Glyph Comics Awards, which recognize “the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year.” The winners will be announced May 16 at the 13th annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention in Philadelphia.
The nominees are:
Conan O’Brien heading to San Diego for Comic-Con 2015
While everyone else is trying to get a hotel room for this year’s Comic-Con International, Conan O’Brien is already planning for 2015.
TBS has announced he’ll head to San Diego July 2-8, 2015 for a week of shows, marking the first time a late-night talk show has broadcast from the annual event. Conan will set up at the historic Spreckels Theatre, just minutes away from the San Diego Convention Center.
