Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #047 (18 MB, 40 minutes)

Susie also shares her list of ten nine black and white movies that Marty should watch, and Jason finds and shares a recipe for Tequila Mockingbird.

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #046 (25 MB, 55 minutes)

Angela and Marty also share their experience seeing a very sneak preview of the movie RED, which is based on a short comic series by the same name written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner.

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #045 (105 MB, 114 minutes)

We also decided on our next book club, when we’ll be discussing Hellboy, the 1st TPB, by Mike Mignola.

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #044 (36 MB, 78 minutes)

The two standouts from my pull this week, both featured redheads on the covers.  In fact the covers were so similarly composed, that I kept mistaking one for the other, when flipping through my stack.  I had a brief moment of shock when I realized Fables has been running for over eight years.  I need to give it some props, because in that time it has rarely dipped in quality.  I think people have basically come to expect that it will be excellent, and therefore have stopped writing about when it is.  I am really enjoying the current arc, it is focusing on the relationship between Rose Red and Snow White, and clarifying how Snow White went from the happy young peasant girl, with a loving mother and sister, to the orphaned only child princess, with an evil stepmother.  It also shows what caused the rift between Rose and Snow, something that has been alluded to since issue one.  I’ve seen some complaints, that these issues have drawn the the focus from, (and have very little to do with) the overarching plot of the dark being that has taken over Fabletown.  That is entirely true, but I don’t mind really.  I am just as interested in the dynamics of these two sisters, that are essentially the heart of the series.  I trust that Willingham will take us back to the main plot, in his own time, and perhaps by the conclusion of the interlude, it won’t turn out to be as disconnected as it may now seem.

Scarlet is the new creator owned series by Brian Michael Bendis, and Alex Maleev, who previously teamed up for Daredevil.  I picked it up partially because I had really liked their run on Daredevil (I know I was harsh the last time I wrote about Daredevil, but that was because I felt it had gotten repetitive), but mainly because I really liked Bendis’ last series starring a female protagonist, Alias.  So far the heroine of Scarlet (who is named Scarlet) seems to have almost as much of a messed up past Jessica Jones, but it has put her on a more proactive path, than Jess.  She gets violent, where Jess just got drunk.  Scarlet’s story is told by Scarlet, and she breaks the fourth wall by talking right to the audience.  In fact it is almost unfair to say the fourth wall gets broken, because it never really seems to exist at all.  She is speaking to us nearly the entire issue.  It is an intriguing first issue, the character is instantly compelling, and the art is gorgeous.  I am looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

Keynote Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese, the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award, will lead the way through this one-day conference.

Registration opens Saturday, May 22nd, online at: www.hclib.org

You may also register by phone on or after May 22nd at 952-847-8800.

Sessions will include:

• Craft talks on illustration and writing
• Breaking into graphic novels and comic books
• Zines, self-publication and promotion

When you register (it’s FREE through some deal with the library), you get to specify which sessions you’re interested in. Aside from the keynote, of course, I’m particularly excited for “Writing for Comic Books & Graphic Novels with Zander Cannon”. I’m signed up, anyone else want to join me? (Thanks to my co-worker Michael for the heads up on this!)

Marty and I (and baby Colleen) joined in on Jason’s other podcast this week and had a great time!

Film Confessional podcast Episode 9.1 includes a spoilery review of the new Iron Man movie. Episode 9.2 will be posted soon- stay tuned to the end for our discussion of favorite superhero movies!

Crazy Sexy Geeks 2

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #043 (25 MB, 52 minutes)

It just goes to show that free comic book day comics can be really good! Love and Capes has been one of my favorite comics since back in 2007, when I picked up issue #4 in a stack with all the other Free Comic Book Day comics. I’m not sure, but I think there may have been a L&C issue in every free comic book day since then. ReadComics.org interviewed Zahler for our first — and so far only — creator interview. If you haven’t read any Love and Capes, I highly recommend picking up the first couple trade paperbacks. (You probably don’t have to read them from the beginning, but it is a continuous story, so not only would you be spoiled, but you’ll definitely enjoy them more if you do.)

Anyway, after I got back home from braving the lines of comic book fanatics at The Source this morning, I devoured issue #13, laughing out loud every other page, and biting my tongue so as not to read every punchline out loud to Florence and Susie. When I finished the comic, I was excited to read in the back of this issue that Zahler is finally getting a chance to give Love and Capes the dedication and regular attention that it deserves (13 issues in how many years?) with the announcement that IDW will be picking up L&C for a monthly five-part miniseries! But that announcement also came with some bad news, as apparently Zahler is going to “take a break” from L&C for a bit after that. I hope to be reading L&C long into the future, at least until Mark and Abby become empty-nesters. Here’s to another fantastic issue of Love and Capes.

The usual location (Marty & Florence’s place), probably around the usual time (say 3 PM?) on Sunday, May 2nd.

That’s only a week and a couple of days to get your eyes on this comic.

We’ve talked a lot about Kick Ass here on readcomics. I posted a trailer a while ago (there are more over at apple). Jason reviewed the first issue back in March of 2008, a little over two years ago. (That’s right, comic to movie in two years.) I gave my impressions of the first two issues the next month, and formalized our protest of the comic because it used gay labels in a negative context. We also talked about the comic in various podcasts, but I’m not sure which ones. Definitely in episode #27.

Even though I said I wasn’t going to buy any more Kick-Ass (I didn’t!), I still ended up reading the whole series before seeing the movie. And thankfully, I can feel good about writing a positive review, because the gay-bashing found in the comic did not appear in the movie. Those who have read the comic will know there is one other gay-themed plot point, and if you found that offensive in the book, you’ll probably also find it offensive in the movie, but I actually felt it was handled rather well. Without giving too much away, it’s one of those “it’s supposed to be funny because people think he’s gay even though he’s not” situations. Not necessarily original or good writing, but it certainly could have been worse.

On the topic of writing, you can’t deny that the comic was a page-turner. It was hard to put down, and I felt like that sense of urgency carried over into the movie. There were several great quips and one-liners, perhaps the most notable was: “With no power comes no responsibility.”

We talked after the movie about the acting, and while I don’t consider myself to be a great judge of it, nobody I spoke with was disappointed. I thought Chloe Moretz stole the show as Hit Girl, with her foul mouth and adult demeanor. And lets just say that this was one of the better roles for Nicolas Cage in the last few years.

There were several notable differences from comic to movie, but they were actually rather minor, and didn’t mess with the overall plot too much. (Only one really pissed me off. Lets just say they really hollywood-ized the love story.) I also think they gave the comic-book-readers in the audience a couple of curveballs intentionally so we had some real surprises, especially one big reveal toward the end of the movie.

Overall, this Kick-Ass was a great movie!!! Easily a must-see for fans of the comic book, and also equally enjoyable by those who haven’t read it at all. It makes a great addition to more cerebral superhero movie genre, but had plenty of action for those who just want to see some kick-ass fight scenes. Highly recommended.

eBooks are cool, but lets face it, this thing is going to make digital comic books look gorgeous. It’s so obvious that Marvel and IDW already have iPad optimized versions of their libraries available for download. (The aptly named Comics app looks to be another good one, offering Marvel, Image, Red 5 and Zenoscope titles.) All of these apps offer comics for purchase. Looks like pricing is one or two dollars per comic.

Speaking of libraries though, lets say you have some comics on your hard drive in .cbr or .cbz format. (Or even in .pdf or .zip!) You already have two choices at launch for viewing them on your iPad:

The first is Mobi Reader, which I think looks to be the stronger of the two contenders. It’s got .cbr, .cbz, .zip, .rar, and .pdf support, right out of the proverbial box. All you need to do is transfer those files to your iPad somehow. (The app’s description says the syncing tool is not yet available on the iPad version. Boo!) This is also the more expensive option, at $14.99.

Your second choice is Comic Zeal, weighing in with a pricetag of $7.99. Comic Zeal doesn’t support all those fancy file formats, but there’s a desktop app you use that does read them, and presumably also manages the syncing to the iPad.

I’ll probably try out both of these apps in the next few days and hopefully report back with my findings. Let me know if you have any tips or suggestions in the comments!

The Books of Magic

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #042 (32 MB, 70 minutes)

(Via io9.)

1) Grandma Ben, from Jeff Smith’s Bone

though her granddaughter Thorn is pretty special too, Grandma Ben is awesome, and unique.   When was the last time, any medium introduced, a female character with a Popeye-esque build, and gray hair, let alone one that could slay a dragon?   Grandma is tough as nails, a champion cow racer, and incredibly strong.   She is also a loving guardian for Thorn.   Grandma rules!

2) Death & Delirium, from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman

Sandman introduced some amazing female characters: Mazikeen, Nuala, and Titania among them. These two are my favorite. I don’t think I’m alone in finding the idea of death as a perky,  sensible, Mary Poppins quoting, goth chick, very comforting.  She is someone you’d want to hang out with, except you would have to die to do it.

As for Delirium, well I’m a sucker for the damaged, quirky, somewhat dangerous, yet fragile girls.   See also: River from Firefly, Drusilla from Buffy, Cassie from Skins, and Arkady from Freak Angels.   Del is the quintessential example of this kind of character, since she is the physical embodiment of insanity.  She is so vulnerable, that your heart aches for her.  She can also be charmingly innocent, and then turn on a dime and be scarily prescient. I love her, that is all.

3) All of the women of Strangers in Paradise, form Terry Moore’s Strangers In Paradise

While Katchoo and Francine are the female leads, every last character with two x chromosomes (and the ones with a y as well) is an completely fleshed out person.  From shallow bimbo Casey (who some how evolved over the course of the series into one of the most lovable characters), to Francine’s overbearing mother, to Tambi, Katchoo’s  hard-ass mafia connected half sister, had nuances and depth, that made them entirely believable.  I can’t single any of them out, they are some of the best written women I have every read.  They are also some the best  (if not just the best) drawn as well.  None of them looked the same (except Tambi, and Bambi, who are twins and even they had their differences), and that is remarkable in an industry where so often an artist just has one, totally unrealistic female boy that they draw, and just changes out the clothes, face and hair, to differentiate them.  All the women in SIP have different, and very real looking bodies, as well as faces.  Something that Terry Moore has continued into his new series Echo.  Well done Terry!

4) Buffy Summers, from Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Okay, Buffy  is not a character that originated in comics, but this is a list of my favorite female characters, and Buffy Summers has to be on this list.   Because she is Buffy freaking Summers!  In the Buffy season eight comics, Joss and his team have continued the growth of the character, that started in the tv series.  She is still struggling with her place as a hero and leader as it evolves, without it feeling like a retread of what has already been done with the character.  And she has her flaws as well as strengths, that makes her feel like a real person.  I am so glad we got more Buffy, regardless of the medium, but I think she is a great addition to comics’ pantheon of heroes.

5) Elaine Belloc, from Mike Carey’s Lucifer

I nearly put Mazikeen onto this list, and if it was a list of great bad asses she would be on it, but it’sa list of my favorite, and while Mazikeen is close, I am going with Elaine.  Elaine started as a little girl trying to get Lucifer to help her get revenge for her dead friend Mona.  She ended the run as a powerful, deity, in contril of her own universe.  In a way Elaine became as much of a main character, as Lucifer.  Probably because Lucifer, as interesting as he is, is not very relatable.  Elaine on the other hand was both relatable, and infinitely likable.  She was a plucky and clever, girl who could both stand up, to and for the devil.

6) Molly O’Reilly, from John Ney Reiber’s Books of Magic

Though the Books of Magic, was created by Neil Gaiman, the majority of it’s run was written by John Ney Rieber, and he is the one who introduced Molly.  When he left the series, he took Molly with him.  Like Elaine, she is character, that came to rival her series’ main character, in popularity.  Once she feel in love with Tim Hunter, poor Molly did not have it easy.   She got kidnapped, by an obsessed, evil, future version Tim, and stranded in the hostile realm of Faerie.  All the way I was rooting for her, she managed to stick up for herself, and survive.  While I was convinced she and Tim, were soul mates, I was never prouder of her, than when she told him off for treating her badly, and cut ties for good.  I would love to see a return of Molly at some point.

7) Harley Quinn from various Batman comics

Like Buffy, Harley originated on tv, in the animated Batman series, and she was so popular, she was added into the official Batman continuity.  When you try to describe her, she comes across as a character I just should not like.  She is obsessed with the Joker, and is happy to let him walk all over her, and treat her like crap.   She has a very shaky moral center, and will probably betray her friends, if it will get her into the Joker’s good graces (she is getting a little better about that).  Yet I love her.  There is something that is so charming about her.  She makes me laugh any time she is involved in a story.  I like her best, when she is being written by her creator Paul Dini, as she is in the current Gotham City Sirens series.  It helps that in comics, we don’t hear her grating, over the top, (Brooklyn?) accent.

Gert Yorkes, from Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways

Runaways is another series that has a lot of good female characters to choose from.  I love Gert for many reasons, one of them being that she is a teenage female comic character, that does not have a supermodel body (and she still got a hot boyfriend).  She also is smart, sardonic, and brave.  Plus she has purple hair and a pet dinosaur!

9) Agent 355, from Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man

This is the character that would top the list of all time bad asses (along with Mazikeen, Tambi, and Grandma Ben).  In a series that has just one male character, 355 is the standout female.  She is a tower of strength.  She does her job, no matter what.  Somehow Vaughn managed to show her more vulnerable side, without diminishing her toughness.

10) Jessica Jones, from Brian Micheal Bendis’ Alias and the Pulse

Jess started the series as a bit of a self destructive mess.  As the series progressed we got to see the very justifiable reasons for it, and also see her grow past it.  Now Jessica Jones, may not be the greatest super powered person in the Marvel universe, but she rivals Spider-man for me as the most human.

11) Babara Gordon, from Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey

Barbara has been part of the DC universe since the silver age, first as Batgirl, then as Oracle.  However it was Gail Simone’s run on Bird’s of Prey, that really sold me on the character.  After all, she is a hero for the simple reason that she is very very smart.  She is also a very capable fighter, despite not having the use of her legs, and a good mentor to younger female heroes.  Plus, she is a hot red head with glasses.

12) Kabuki, from David Mack’s Kabuki

Kabuki is an amazing comic, and Kabuk is herself is at the center of it.  She is a touch crazy, and for good reasons.  Watching her story evolve from a simple revenge tale, to an in depth examination of her damaged psyche, has been fascinating.  The art is gorgeous, as well.

13) Knives Chau, from Bryan Lee O Malley’s Scott Pilgrim

Of the three main girls in Scott Pilgrim, Ramona is still too much of an enigma, for me to relate to.  And Kim, is funny, but not given much to do.  Knives however, I get.  Probably way too well.  She is a teenager, who has fixated on an older guy, who just never actually cared about her that much.   Her flailing attempts to get him to notice her, and later to just be in his circle, seemed very authentic.  Besides, she can do kung fu, that is cool!

14) Lois, from Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For

There are countless, realisticly portrayed women, over the course of this twenty some year strip.  I chose Lois because, she seems like the one who’d be most fun to spend an afternoon with.  The rest have too many neroses, and issues, which makes them feel very real, but might make spending time with them a bit stressful.

Couldn’t find a picture of  Lois:(

15) Marlys, from Lynda Barry’s Ernie Pook’s Comeek

Marlys, is just the greatest!  She will tell you so herself.  She is also a wonderful spaz.  Totally upbeat, in the face of adversity, and creative to a fault.  She makes me happy.  And she is a hell of a dancer!

Okay, were there any glaring omissions?  Let me know.

Since most of our regulars have probably already read this, I’ll encourage everyone to read as much as possible of the series, so we can discuss more than just the first TPB, but we’ll probably focus on that as a starting point.

I propose we meet near the end of this month–Sunday, March 28th at 2PM. We have plenty of time to reschedule before then.

The Unwritten

Thursday Next

Fables

The Magicians

Harry Potter

Books of Magic

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #041 (37 MB, 120 minutes)

Apparently Neil Gaiman attended for Coraline (which lost to Up in the Best Animated film category).  Despite his nominee status, he was upstaged by his date and recent fiancee, musician Amanda Palmer.  Thanks to Neil’s blog soliciting votes from avid fans, this series of photos of Amanda undressing for photographers after the ceremony has won both Best and Worst dressed on Go Fug Yourself.  He briefly explains the context in his blog.

I have been meaning to repost this Jezebel commentary and join the conversation started in this list of 10 Great Female Comic Book Characters Of The Decade.  Be warned that there are spoilers in this link (though not in my post below), particularly for the wonderfully badass selections of 355 from Y the Last Man (#3) and Michonne from Walking Dead (#2).

I really enjoyed the post, and I’m interested in reading more of Kelly Thompson’s She Has no Head posts in Comics Should be Good now. I am familiar with most of the women on the list.  I love the inclusion of Frau Totenkinder (#10), though it does seem wrong for me to root for a child-eating witch when I’m on the verge of having a baby.  I really didn’t connect with Promethea (#9), but I can reluctantly respect her inclusion on the list, and the post itself echoes many of my criticisms about the abstract turn the story took.

I love the inclusion of Jessica Jones from Alias (#5).  Despite my terrible memory, which prohibits me from saying anything about the characters listed from Powers (#7) or Planetary (#6), despite having read both, Alias definitely stands out for me as one of my favorite titles/ new characters of the last decade.

There were three characters listed that I have never seen; Tara Chace from Queen & Country (#8), Cass Cain as Batgirl (#4), and Kate Kane as Batwoman (#1).  I will probably continue to skip Queen & Country, since it seems to have a miliary focus that totally puts me off, but these incarnations of Batgirl & Batwoman sounds fascinating. I may have to check the library, since I don’t think I know anyone who collects these DC comics (speak up if I’m wrong).

I was initially indignant about the absence of Strangers in Paradise, Buffy, and Sandman, whose female characters shaped and fueled my fandom, but I can understand them being excluded as characters who appeared in comics after 2000, but who were created in the 90s.  You could still make a case for Joss Whedon’s Fray, since it debuted in 2001.

Any suggestions of other missing characters who should have been eligible?

Graphical memoirs are definitely big right now, with Persepolis and Fun Home being a few of the more prominent examples. The voice that I hear when I read them is a different kind of voice. Usually a little subdued, as past events are related to me, even when something exciting or dramatic happens. It’s almost like there’s a kind of detachment that happens when I read these books, as if I feel like I’m the character in the book, but since the history is not mine, I can’t completely feel the emotions that the author may be trying to relate. I am fascinated by the memoirs, though. I’ve never read non-graphical memoirs that I can remember. I wonder if I’d enjoy them as much as I’m enjoying these.

Any recommendations for other graphical memoirs?

I don’t really know where this came from, but I think it’s way more interesting than the official trailer, personally.

This is actually only fifteen minutes of podcast #40, and the rest is podcast #41, since we lost everything of the first podcast after a hard-drive write-error. Mike, Jason, Susie, Florence and Marty all read and discussed the recent Marvel adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by Eric Shanower and drawn by Skottie Young.

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #040 (35 MB, 77 minutes)

This is the type of thing I’ve been waiting for for awhile. Not just for comics, but for all sorts of magazines, but it’s going to be especially nice for comics. That is, if the publishers get on board, of course. I’ve been reading stuff on Marvel’s Digital site for awhile, plus webcomics for years now, not to mention Zuda, and cd collections. I really don’t have any problem reading comics on a computer screen. And imagine this: you’re on a trans-oceanic flight, and don’t want to read the latest Michael Crichton or Dan Brown. Depending on capacity for the device, you can have hundreds of issues of comics in your lap for reading during the flight. Sure, you could use a laptop, but then, you could use a laptop for a music player as well.

I’d like to see some more details soon, like a price point, capacity, what kind of format the comics and magazines are going to be in, not to mention how much it’ll cost for the comics. But unless there are some outrageous drawbacks, this is going on my list of things to save up for.

Let’s start with the basics – what is a motion comic anyway?  Let’s say it falls somewhere in between a typical digital comic, which you read like a regular comic except it’s on your computer screen, and a cartoon.  It takes the (usually) hand-drawn art from the comics page, adds a little bit of digital magic to remove word balloons and make nifty effects, and adds a voice over so that you listen instead of read along.  Sounds neat, but is it any better or worse than the original comic?  To be honest, I’m a bit biased in this regard.  There’s a reason I have 13 long boxes filed with comics that I refuse to ever get rid of.   I have the same opinions of traditional books vs. audio books, but that’s beside the point.  To me, nothing can ever replace the ink-on-paper comic book.  But I’m not really the target of this new genre.  For years, the comics industry has been struggling with ways to bring comics into the 21st century.  They face shrinking audinces, a fan base that isn’t getting any younger (or healthier), the prevailing notion of comics being “nerdy,” and the frustration of hit movies that haven’t translated to a surge of new readers.  Are new fans going to go for this over regular comics?  I really don’t think so.  I can’t imagine that this will capture enough fans that they can make a strong enough business case to make a whole lot of these.  I imagine that at this point, the cost to produce them outweighs the potential profit that can be made from them.  I think for any new digital comic initiative, you need to get the core comics audience to adapt to it as well as try new initiatives to bring in audiences.  And since motion comics from Marvel and DC have focused on existing comic stories, I don’t see a lot of people giving up buying the comic in exchange for getting the motion comic.  Marvel has promised that there will be differences between the comic book and the motion comic.  Bendis said that there is art found in the motion comic that’s not in the printed comic, and vice versa.   Also, it’s said that the printed comic is more “literate,” that we’re inside Jessica’s head more than in the motion comic.  Will the promise of extra content bring fans of the comic to the motion comic, or vice versa?  I’m intrigued, but not enough to spend money on the entire series of motion comics.  (You think I can write off these as an expense on my taxes?)

Let’s look at some pros and cons of the motion comic genre.  On the plus side, motion comics don’t kill trees.  They’re sustainable, they won’t deteriorate when they get wet (though your iPhone might), they don’t take up most of your basement.  Also, they’re currently cheaper – Spider-Woman the comic book costs $2.99 on paper vs. $1.99 on iTunes.  And the first five issues (I mean, episodes) are currently available as opposed to having to wait one month at a time.  On the flip side, if this were to take off it would spell bad news for retailers, and I don’t see much support coming from them.  Distribution is a problem – currently iTunes are the preferred format, but does everyone want to be beholden to Apple?  Also, the publishers are using third parties to create the page-to-screen conversion, which will cut into their profits and mean less money for creators in the long run.  Finally, they’re simply not as interesting as a real comic book, or a real cartoon for that matter.  Having watched Spider-Woman #1 and Watchmen #1 on motion comics, I can say that there is definitely something lost in the translation.

To be fair, Marvel and DC are not the only ones that have gotten into the motion comic gig.  At least one motion comic based off of original material is out there, and on your TV screens no less.  Recently the SyFy channel has started airing new shows of Voltron and Street Fighter using the “motion comic” style.  I haven’t seen them at all, but early reviews haven’t been good.  They beg the question – why didn’t they make a cartoon of these shows?  Are kids going to sit through a series of still images on their TV as someone reads to them?  And I think this is the number one argument why motion comics aren’t going to be around for very long – they’re no substitute for real comics, and they won’t appeal to the audience a cartoon would.  So nice try, but I’ll stick to the paper comics.

So that’s my brief Gaylaxicon recap. Next year it’s held in Montreal over Halloween weekend…I’m really interested in going!