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.

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!

And I have posted twice today. Nerd!

-Matt is doing what it takes to protect the city. But he’s going too far! But what choice does he have!
-The Kingpin is gone. Now he’s back! But he’s powerless. But he’s secretly pulling all the all the strings!
-Matt needs a personal life or he’ll go crazy. But being daredevil is putting them all in danger! But if he dosen’t have a personal life he is not a person! But they’re all going to die!

I read the first issue of Andy Diggle’s run, and it looks like more of the same.

Sorry DD it’s over. Call me if you get a fresh perspective.

This link is definitely NSFW, and the site is >18yrs.

Marty, Florence, Mike, Jason and Susie wax your ears off with unquestionable eloquence, only straying satirically from the subject for brief but satisfying interludes. (We’re segue savants, so of course you probably won’t even notice.) This episode is best enjoyed in the company of a well trained room full of monkeys with typewriters.

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #039 (27 MB, 58 minutes)

I have known about and avoiding this manga sequel from TokyoPop to the classic Jim Henson movie the Labyrinth, for a few years now.  The Labyrinth is one of those special movies that I have watched many times since I was a child, and treasure as much now as then.  So when, around  five years ago I stumbled across the listing on Amazon for the first volume, I was taken aback.  I could not help but be worried that the people producing this series would miss the charm and wonder of the original.  I did not even want to take the chance that it would disappoint, so I left it alone.  I am not sure what made me check if the library had them now, but I am glad I did.  No, author Jake T. Forbes has not quite created a story as brilliant as the movie.  He has crafted a narrative that pays homage to the original, while cutting it’s own path through the Labyrinth. This time it is Toby, whom you may remember as the baby that heroine Sarah had to rescue from the Goblin King, who is the teenage hero. He finds himself pulled into the Labyrinth and makes friends both new to the audience as well as familiar ones.  His adventures in the first volume while not boring, do feel a little like a retread. However  it is as the story progresses and we learn of King Jareth’s designs for Toby and his motives and also as we get a broader view of the world he inhabits that I found my self truly invested in the story.  Volume 3 took the plot in a direction I was not expecting, and of course left us with quite the cliffhanger.  There is one more volume  in the works however it looks like the books have been released at least two years apart and number three  just came out last May, so I will be waiting for the conclusion for a while.  I especially appreciated that the author planted references to other Jim Henson fantasy works, such as the Dark Crystal, Fraggle Rock and the Story Teller.  Jim Henson’s work from the Muppets and beyond, was my very first fandom and it is still my most favorite.  Sorry Joss, I love you too!  I am really glad my fears for this project were completely unfounded.  If I have a small complaint, it is that the creatures that were created just for the manga don’t look like they were created by the same person who created the creatures for the film.  And of course they weren’t, Brian Froud designed the firies, Ludo, and Hoggle for the film, while Chris Lie is the artist on the manga.  It also would be nice if the series was in color, but then it would take even longer to be published.  The series has it’s own website and forums at goblin.net.

Echo is his latest creation, but I have been a fan of Terry Moore’s earlier series, Strangers in Paradise, since college.  I am looking forward to hearing everyone else’s opinion about how this new story plays out from the beginning.

We’ll meet on Sunday, September 20th* at 3PM at Florence & Marty’s apartment.

*We are postponing from the 13th to the 20th to protect visitors from our flu.

Update: The full interview has been posted, so you should go over there and read it!

…and…

I, for one, cannot wait to read the entire interview.

Oh, and in related news, there is now a Blank It Comic Reader App available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. And what’s more, it’s free!

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #038 (24 MB, 52 minutes)

“Can’t Stop The Serenity is the annual global browncoat event featuring Serenity on the big screen with all proceeds to benefit Equality Now, Joss Whedon’s favorite charity. Equality Now is an international non profit organization working to end violence and descrimination against women and girls around the world. The now-annual event began in 2006 when over 40 locations around the globe raised over $60,000 for Equality Now! The 2007 global events topped that with gusto by raising over $100,000 for Equality Now! Minnesota’s participation provided over $2,000 in 2006, and tripled that amount in 2007 by raising $6,160! We raised over $7,200 in 2008!”

More information is available at mnfirefly.com

Also in my inbox this morning, (or, perhaps in my twitter stream) was a link to Opertoon’s iPhone/iPod Touch app Ruben & Lullaby, which is a self-described: “digital comic/game (we call it an “opertoon”) that lets you shape the emotions of a quarreling couple with a touch”. I haven’t downloaded this yet, but I will be checking it out sometime in the near future. It looks quite interesting.

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #037 (21.1 MB, 46 minutes)

In related Emmy news, Dr. Horrible Star Neil Patrick Harris was nominated for his supporting role in How I Met Your Mother. He’s also hosting the show! Yay!

Zack Snyder confirmed again that there will be a limited theatrical release of an extended director’s cut of Watchmen in July, and revealed that the opening title montage featured two deleted shots

Apparently one of the scenes depicts the brutal murder of the original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason. If you can’t make it to the theater this weekend see it on YouTube, or wait for the director’s cut release on DVD and Blu-Ray July 21st.

Essentially, Dr. Seuss was the editorial cartoonist for a New York political magazine called PM, for two years from 1941 to 1943. In that time, he was incredibly prolific, and wrote/drew over 400 cartoons.

One thing I took away from this book was the evidence that Dr. Seuss was unfortunately, not immune to the plague of racism that he himself rallied so strongly against. His treatment of the Japanese, even before the bombing of Pearl Harbor was pretty despicable, (although some might argue justified given the circumstances, I would tend to disagree). However, to his credit, and at least partial redemption in my eyes, he actually visited Japan in 1953, and subsequently wrote Horton Hears a Who.

This book is a must read for fans of Dr. Seuss, and I think it’s also a very handy history lesson (from the perspective of someone who has never successfully completed an American History course). If you want to just read the cartoons, or supplement the book material, the University of California San Diego’s website hosts an awesome archive of all 400 of Dr. Seuss’s political cartoons. (Only 200 are reprinted in the book.) I wish they’d been scanned (or made available) at a higher resolution, since the details really are what makes this work stand out, but nonetheless it’s an awesome archive of an absolute master of the art.

Susie has picked American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, and The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang, and Derek Kirk Kim. We will be discussing them on August 16 at 2 pm

Listen to ReadComics.org Podcast Episode #036 (36.1 MB, 78 minutes)

So I have two questions for you. The first is, what comic themed mural assuming you had the space and property would you want?   Second, what comic or cartoon themed mural would your eight year old self want?  Now I think I would go for Fray in free fall surrounded by flying cars. At eight it would have been either Gem and the Holograms in concert, or the Thundercats in a group pose.   And you?