Comic Con Kicks Off

This is the big one folks. Geek Mecca. The San Diego Comic Convention.

I have no doubt that big news from the comic, movie, television, and video game industries will flow over the next few days.

One thing you will hear about is how “this is the biggest Comic Con yet.” It’s impressive in that there are so many geeks who flock to the event. However, it’s not a huge accomplishment that this is the “biggest ever,” because every year in recent years is bigger than the previous one.

I will do my best on a busy weekend, to react to the news coming from the event that makes me geek out or hulk-out.

Google marks the start of Comic Con with a special banner from Artist Jim Lee

This copy of the banner is from the typically useless DC Comics blog.

That Made the New York Times Best Seller List?

I stumbled upon the New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller list and was really puzzled. Two of the books are reader-unfriendly piles of garbage that sold well due to marketing.

I never paid much attention to the Best Seller list in the past, but I always assumed that the books had to be somewhat decent, and not just sell well.

I guess I was wrong.  The two books in question are impossible to appreciate without a deep knowledge of the Marvel & DC Universes, and you had to read a number of other books for context on the main story.

3 FINAL CRISIS, by Grant Morrison, J. G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco and Doug Mahnke (DC Comics, $29.99) – The heroes of the DC Universe have their backs against the wall in this event storyline which features a much-publicized “death” and a surprising rebirth.

10 CIVIL WAR, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven (Marvel Entertainment, $39.99) – A government registration act pits the heroes of the Marvel heroes against each other.

Both of these books are written in the standard event comic tone:

Comics don’t need to make sense if they are bombastic, and a lot of important characters die, or are resurrected.

Final Crisis in particular made no sense, and the lasting impact of the book is barely felt except for the fact that they killed off Batman, and brought back Barry Allen, the Flash. Oops, guess that was a spoiler. That’s really all you need to know from this terrible story.

Civil War wasn’t as big a mess as Final Crisis, but it wasn’t really a standalone story, or a good representation of the power of the comic medium.

The rest of the list is much better. However, the presence of these two is strange, especially since I am presuming that if one is selecting their comic via the New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller list, they probably don’t have enough context to appreciate either of these stories.

The soft cover list included the horrid All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder among the mix of great and terrible books.

Don't read this book. I wish I hadn't.

3 ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER, by Frank Miller and Jim Lee (DC Comics, $19.99) – Two comic book industry legends set their sights on re-examining the Batman and Robin team with over-the-top violence and characterization. Is it intentional parody or bad comics? The debate rages on.

Let me answer that question they pose. It sucks. It might intentionally be bad, but that doesn’t make it enjoyable.

Standards people! Standards.

New Batman Arkham Asylum Trailer Looks Even Better!

This trailer looks even more impressive than the previous ones.

It seems that the release date has been bumped up to August 25th. I don’t have to tell you what my plans for that evening are do I?

Ryan Reynolds Cast as the Green Lantern

Over the weekend, Ryan Reynolds was officially cast as Hal Jordan, the (greatest) Green Lantern.

I’ve got to say I am a little disappointed. I could see Reynolds as Deadpool (although he was horribly misused in the Wolverine movie). I accepted him in Blade Trinity even though he was kind of annoying. I was excited about the prospect of Reynolds playing the Flash; I could totally see him as Wally West… but now he is going to be Hal Jordan.

At least they look alike

I’m a little bummed out by this because I see it as a loss on two fronts.

1. I don’t think he is right for the role of Hal Jordan. He’s not all wrong for the role, I just think there are better people for the job; Nathan Fillion comes to mind.
2. I can say with confidence that Reynolds won’t be the Flash. There is no way DC & Warner Brothers will allow the man to play two flagship characters. That’s sad because he would be perfect for that role.

All-in-all, I’m a bit disappointed, but will reserve judgment until it debuts in 2011.

Better comic/ movie news:

Geek icon Natalie Portman will play Jane Foster in Thor (2011). Now that is a good casting call.

The bright side?

Neither of these movies will be as dreadful as Transformers 2.

Lobo Comic Penned By Anthrax Guitarist Ian Scott

The man who’s signature guitar looks like this…

… is going to write a comic about Lobo.

He's the guy on the left in case there was any confusion.

Lobo is essentially a caricature of your typical comic book anti-hero (see Wolverine). He is super strong, has super sense, is immortal, and is a genius. He’s also a funny, nasty, and generally angry SOB.

I learned a long time ago that celebrity writers on comic books rarely work out well, but I have a good feeling about this one. Artist Sam Keith always does nice work; especially on dark and gritty books.

Then there is Ian Scott; guitarist from Anthrax.

I have no idea if the man can tell a story, but he his music is aggressive, and he was always funny on “I Love the 80’s” (my college roommate had that show on a continuous loop for about a year).

Aggressive, edgy, and funny are the basic ingredients for a Lobo story. Only time will tell on this one.

DC Comics Blog

I’ve got corporate blogging on my mind, and a stone in my hand.

So, I’m going to beam DC Comics with that stone.

About five months ago DC Comics launched its own blog. In an industry that is packed with rumors, art and controversy, the blog merely serves as a weak marketing tool.

I don’t want to see preview pages for new comics, I can find those on about a dozen other, better sites. There is so much more DC could be doing to engage their very active and enthuastic audience. They could spark debate, or use the blog to address real public image issues, but it seems that they would rather pretend that they never happened.

DC, your blog is a waste of bandwidth. Change it.

DC Fires McDuffie & Johnston Moves On

I just learned that Dwayne McDuffie has been fired from his position as writer for DC Comic’s Justice League of America series. The firing comes as a result of comments he made regarding “behind-the-scenes creative discussions” in response to fan questions on Rich Johnston’s column, Lying in the Gutter (More on that in a moment).

This makes me sad for a few reasons:

1. I have heard nothing but good things about McDuffie as a person from people who know him (and he always seems like a nice and honest guy in interviews).
2. I like his work when he isn’t excessively restrained.
3. It has been so clear that DC really did tie his hands on JLA with all of the damn event comics. As a consequence, the run has been weak (when he confirmed this on Lying in the Gutter it wasn’t even remotely shocking).
4. The circumstances of his termination seem harsh to me. The guy never had a regular artist, and wasn’t given control over his book. That is a pretty bad creative environment.

Books and their writers suffer when they are stuck writing supplementary content for someone else’s larger story. This is a problem that plagues a lot of Marvel and DC books because they force so many massive event stories.

I give McDuffie a lot of credit for his “Anansi” storyline. It was really cleaver of him to write a story arc about his lack of control over his own book.

In other news, Rich Johnston, the writer of the aforementioned comic industry gossip column Lying in the Gutter is calling it quits after seven years. Johnston’s column has been a staple read of mine for years. I will miss watching him start trouble and fan the flames within the comic industry.

I have no doubt that both McDuffie and Johnston will continue to provide great entertainment over the coming years. I wish them both the best of luck.

All Star Batman & Robin Take Two

Back in 2005 comic legends Frank Miller and Jim Lee teamed up to create All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.

This book was so hyped up, then it hit the shelves and it was a special kind of bad. I’m a fan of a lot of Frank Miller’s and Jim Lee’s work but All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder is a train wreck. The book is so bad, but I keep picking up the new issues (when they actually come out) to see what ridiculous thing they will do next.

A spectacular failure!

The book is bad on an epic level. It’s a masterpiece of terrible. It’s the Mona Lisa of crap… and i can’t seem to stop reading it [This is the toned down version. I couldn't bring myself to print one of the more graphic sentences that I wrote].

Miller & Lee have boldly created a funhouse mirror reflection of Batman and the DC Universe in what seems like an effort to just do something completely insane. Frank. Jim. If that was your goal I congratulate you on your success.

Moving on…

Today, Dan Didio announced that writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, the same team that has created the excellent book All Star Superman, will be writing a new series titled Batman & Robin. I hope the do the characters justice.

A page of Frank Quietly's art from the upcoming series "Batman & Robin"

“first, let’s get you into something that won’t get me arrested for solicitation…”

Last night, instead of doing things like writing any number of Geek Whisperer posts I’ve been promising to David, I watched the new Wonder Woman animated feature. I thought it was great. Uplifting. Powerful. Pulsating…? Getting an image in your head?  No, your other one.  I’m talking about the penis.  Oh, yes, because although it’s certainly an inspiration to little girls everywhere, what with the female empowerment and all, it’s also an inspiration to teenage boys’ genitals.

If only they drew it from the other side...

The only reason women wear layers is to taken them off

I know what you’re thinking.  You’re shocked that I’m using DC characters in a sexually explicit blog post.  But come on!  Here you have the new version of Wonder Woman, and yet she’s never been so close to her original character.  Remember David’s post about the perverse nature of her original arcs?

This movie really makes the innuendos for me…

Subtle innuendo?

I definitely recommend this movie for any fans and would be fans out there… but don’t show it to your 13 year old brother/nephew/son/etc. unless you want sticky socks in your washing machine.

****SPOILER****

This movie has zombie Amazons in it!  Added Bonus!

Don’t Give These to Your Kids!

Holy misperception Batman!

The comic industry has one of the worst image problems I have ever seen. It has been my observation that most people view comics as something “for kids.”

In no uncertain terms, they aren’t. The overwhelming number of comics published since the 1980 are for people in their late teens at the earliest. The plots and themes are mature in nature. They aren’t designed for a kid to read and then simulate with an action figure. 

I didn’t start reading comics until I was in college. I thought they were dumb kiddie books. Then my college roommate read them compulsively and kept telling me, “You should read these, they are really well-written and the art is great!” I begrudgingly read an issue because I had concluded that I couldn’t think something was stupid until I gave it a try. My roommate was right. Next thing I knew I was reading four different titles, then eight, and then 12.

Here’s the problem. People who read comics know that they aren’t for kids… but no one else does. When you work in a comic shop you see all sorts of different people come in and out of the store, male, female, young, old, wackos, and professionals in suits and ties. The age range is what is so interesting. There are so many lifelong readers. Yet there are so few new, young readers.

Wonder Woman painted by comic writer/artist Alex Ross.

In spite of the massive Hollywood success that comic-based movies have seen, the comics that these movies are based off of haven’t seen the gigantic influx of new readers that one would expect (This observation comes from things I’ve read and comic shop owners I have spoken with).

So, what’s the disconnect? The Dark Knight was a great movie, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to Batman at his best in the comics. The Spider-Man movies suck compared to some of the classic stories. V for Vendetta was a great movie, but it wasn’t even in the same league as the book. Sin City was basically a page-by-page remake of the comic. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a steaming pile of poo, but the original series was exceptional.

Here’s the problem. Comics have become completely inaccessible for new readers for two reasons:

1. Stigma – “Comics are for kids!” Adults who enjoy the movies and feel an attachment to the characters are deterred from reading comics because they are actually embarrassed to do so. It’s sad but true.

I know a lot of comic readers who walk into their local comic shop looking over their shoulder and don’t tell their friends where they are going like there are about to meet with a prostitute or buy drugs (now that I think about it, I think that the potheads I know are more open about their drug habit than most of the comic readers I know are regarding their penchant for superheroes).

Let me be clear. These books are good. They are intelligently written, and the characters are relatable.

Reading comics has helped me gain perspective, and improve my life, and I am not ashamed to say so. A few years ago, I had a really rough stretch and I couldn’t find happiness in my life until I read a conversation between Peter Parker and Aunt May (I’m not even a fan of Spider-man… I read that book because a friend insisted that I do so). That dialog literally helped me find my way back to happiness.

2. The stories are inaccessible for new readers – Most of the major titles from Marvel and DC have been woven into this very complex tapestry. The stories are all interrelated, and cross paths with each other. Not only that, but they have extensive histories to boot.

So let’s say you want to read Batman. If you picked up last weeks issue on a whim without knowing anything else about the current Batman series or the greater DC Comics Universe, you would be completely lost. The story that is about to wrap-up has been brewing for a couple of years! On top of that, it ties into the current overarching story (or event) for the DC Universe known as Final Crisis.

Final Crisis is an extremely extensive story that spans over countless titles, and it is the result of years and years of buildup from other event stories.

Basically, it’s become hard to just pickup a comic and read. That being said, if you are willing to go back and read this stuff from the beginning, it will be very rewarding. Give it a shot, read the graphic novel Identity Crisis (in my opinion, that book gave birth to the modern DC Universe). It is an extremely compelling crime drama.

Anyway, a comic creator named Robert Kirkman sparked debate about the future of the comic industry with his Kirkman Manifesto video.

He raises a lot of points, some I agree with, some I disagree with. If you want some counterpoint check out the debate between him and comic creator Brian Bendis.

What matters here is the point that most current comics aren’t for kids, and that the industry is supported by an aging readership. A way to start reading is to pickup some creator owned work. Over the coming weeks I am going to begin writing about some of the titles you could pick up if you want to give comics a shot, but don’t want to jump into a robust universe that will require homework and study to fully appreciate.

Batman vs. Superman… In bed!

Meet The Geek Whisperer’s newest contributor, Arielle, and enjoy her first post:
* * * * * 

It’s kind of like a messed up fortune cookie up there, isn’t it.

To many comic fans, there is an age old argument.  Batman.  Or Superman.  The Dark Knight.  Or the Big Blue Boy Scout.  For David and I, this argument goes back to at least middle school.  Back then, it was all about who was a bigger BAMF.  And obviously, Batman always won.  I mean, come on!  This argument is over before it begins!

However, as I’ve matured in life, or at least pretended too, my arguments for why Batman is way more totally awesome has changed.  As a female of this species (wow, could I be any more geeky?), I’ve come to the stark realization that if I had a choice, I would much prefer to bone Batman.  Alien species and Brody-esque dialogue aside, there’s just no way Clark Kent could ever hold a candle to the freakiness that one could expect to find and enjoy in Bruce Wayne’s boudoir.  It’s just completely inconceivable that the pleasure one could derive from a brooding, masochistic quasi-nihilist would be better served on a self-righteous Truth-Justice-and-the-American-Way platter.  No way.

We’re not factoring in Tom Welling of Smallville, but even if we were considering recent movie casting, Christian Bale still trumps Brandon Routh. Although I enjoy Tim Burton, I’m not going to get into some of the earlier Batman-franchise films. The mere mention of Bat-Nipples renders the later Joel Schumacher films completely inconsequential to any argument.

Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Frank Miller and Jeph Loeb all knew how to create a man with intelligence and grace that is so sexy and appealing to women that I cannot comprehend why merely destroying property value across Metropolis makes a man worthy of our erotic obsession.

Selina Kyle, she totally gets me on this one:

… Yet, there is something to be said about how a “Superman” never leaves his “Lois…”