Written by
Alan Moore
Art and Cover by Kevin O'Neill
THE BLACK DOSSIER is an elaborately designed, cutting-edge
volume that includes a "Tijuana Bible" insert and a
3-D section complete with custom glasses, as well as
additional text pieces, maps, and a stunning cutaway
double-page spread of Captain Nemo's Nautilus submarine
by Kevin O'Neill. Don't miss what's sure to be one of
the most talked-about books of the year!
Couldn't miss this one !! Still not convinced, surf
on the web and discover why !!
Written by
Steve Niles
Art and Cover by
Bernie Wrightson
Stosh Bludowski is a killer, born with
the capacity for no apparent human emotion other than
rage. Killing comes easy for Blud, and he makes a good
living doing what's easy-until the day he meets two
jobs in an alley who just won't die, and a grotesque
mystery unfolds right in front of him. Soon, the remorseless
killer is confronted by a reality he could never imagine,
and he will be invited to make a decision once and for
all . . . is he human, or is he Other?
Both writer and artist are true masters
of Horror. Nuff said.
Indiana Jones is back in this massive
volume recounting three of the most important discoveries
in the career of the twentieth century's most adventurous
archaeologist! Containing the long-out-of-print stories,
'Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis,' 'Thunder in
the Orient,' and 'Indiana Jones and the Arms of Gold,'
this substantial tome follows the intrepid Dr. Jones
as he travels from Africa to Asia and nearly everywhere
in between in a race against the Nazis for the world's
greatest treasures. From lost cities, to ancient temples,
to artifacts of legendary power, Indy will stop at nothing
to preserve these prizes from the grasp of Adolf Hitler's
evil minions.
Right on time for a new movie !! Pure
nostalgia !!
Written by
PETER DAVID Penciled by
PABLO RAIMONDI Cover by
GLENN FABRY
A DIVIDED WE STAND tie-in! Following the events of MESSIAH
COMPLEX, X-Factor Investigations is in shambles. Jamie
is a basketcase from his trip to a nightmarish future,
Layla's fate is completely in the air, and Wolfsbane
has to leave the team to join X-FORCE, though none of
her friends can know about it. What will Wolfsbane tell
the X-Factor team? What are they going to do about Layla?
How is Jamie coping with his guilt? Get onboard here
for X-Factor's brand-new direction!
Certainly the best X-serie in the last
years !!
Go Peter go !!
The comic industry can be very fickle and unpredictable.
It can often be difficult to get fans to buy a new book and
then hold their interest in the title. So it is certainly
an accomplishment when a creator owned book, without super
heroes in it last for 60 issues. That is exactly what Y: The
Last Man creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra have done.
Y: The Last man fits nicely next to other significant Vertigo
works such as Sandman, Preacher and Transmetropolitan.
...
I am going to miss this book terribly. Even though there were
points in the run where things got a bit slow, it was a consistently
good read and always found its way to the top of my weekly
stack. My Y: The Last Man trades are still my most often lent
trades, giving them to people who are already into comics,
and to those who have never walked into a comic shop. I grew
to love Yorick and his ilk, and as Vaughan told CNN, "It'll
be a drag not to get to spend more time with these characters."
Hats of to Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra.
Springing from the pages of the Messiah CompleX comes a brand
new X-Force series. But this one isnt your fathers (well,
actually, older brothers) X-Force. This team is even grimmer
and grittier than ever before.
Cyclops has decided that there are some threats that must
be dealt withpermanently. So he gathers the best trackers
the X-Men have to offerWarpath, Wolverine, X-23, and Wolfsbaneand
forms his own dark ops group. They do the dirty jobs no one
else can do, and the ones no one else can know about.
The tactic of putting the X into exterminate is sure to be
a controversial change to the X-Men mythos. Only question
I have is how long it will take before Kyle and Yost build
up the same body count they had in New X-Men.
Four Plus Two.
Column by William Gatevackes, 2008.
This week, Marvel is starting a new era on the title that
could very well bring the Fantastic Four back into the limelight.
This is the week when superstar creators Mark Millar and Bryan
Hitch take over the series.
When it came time for Marvel to do a version of the Avengers
for their burgeoning Ultimates line, they tapped the team
of Hitch and Millar. Im sure the creators work on two separate
arcs of Wildstorms The Authority had something to do with
it. Perhaps Marvel thought that Hitchs panoramic, widescreen
style from the first twelve issues of that series would mix
well with the bombastic, over-the-top style of Millars writing
on issue 13 and on.
The duo combined to make The Ultimates the comic book equivalent
of a summer blockbuster. The book was an action-packed extravaganza
with just a hint of subversive and shocking content which
captured the fans fancy. It quickly became the one of the
lines best selling books.
Ik hou wel van zo van die rare boekjes ... ' ' ALBERT & THE OTHERS is zo een lekker tussendoortje. Een luchtige snack, zoals een stukje brood tussen het wijnproeven door of voor spannende momenten in het kleinste kamertje. Met momenten echt superleuk, maar met momenten toch wat veel van hetzelfde.
Op RAW stond het in ieder geval bij de aanraders van deze maand, moet toch wel iets zeggen ... ? Samen met de site van Paul Gravet is RAW (trouwens een tip van Spiff) mijn referentie voor "Rare Boekskes".
Alvast een previewke om zelf een oordeel te vellen.
Jongens jongens, Dat ik dit nu al via mijn mailbox moet ontdekken ... Of is dit nu al door iedereen geweten en loop ik hard achter ... ??? Anyway,
Enjoy !!
Will EisnersTHE SPIRIT
Action/adventureFeb. 4th , 2009
Adapted from the legendary graphic novels, WILL EISNERS THE SPIRIT is a classic action-adventure-romance told by genre-twister FRANK MILLER (creator of 300 and SIN CITY).
It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the SPIRIT (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime and shoadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the OCTOPUS (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: hes going to wipe out Spirits beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central Citys rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront all the while facing a bevy of beautiful woman who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader.
Surrounding him at every turn are ELLEN DOLAN (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; SILKEN FLOSS (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen, PLASTER OF PARIS (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; LORELEI (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and MORGENSTERN (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop.
Then of course, theres a SAND SAREF (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. Shes the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him ?
In the vein of BATMAN BEGINS and SIN CITY, THE SPIRIT takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.
Directed by:
Frank Miller
Cast:
Gabriel Macht
Samuel L. Jackson
Scarlet Johansson
Eva Mendes
Paz Vega
Sarah Paulson
Jaime King
Stana Katic
Mocht ik dit gelezen hebben alvorens te starten ...
Om al mijn concurrenten in spe alvast te ontmoedigen, alvast een voorproefje:
To all those
fanboys who have stayed awake in the dead of night, sweating,
wriggling, and giggling at the fanciful thought of owning a comic book
store, this essay is dedicated.
Considering only 99% of you would only harm yourselves and the
profession if you got your clammy mitts on a storefront, I hope this
proves to be a highly discouraging read. To that 1% who would bring
love and guts to the endeavor, I salute you, and I hope my own lessons
learned help you avoid many of my costly mistakes. ...
Firstly, there are two fundamental, cardinal rules one must follow if they are to retain their sanity and any kind of financial solvency:
Rule #1 - If you are responsible for a family, DO NOT open a comic book store. Now, that will disqualify many of you right off the bat, and believe you me, Im giving you one of the best pieces of advice youll ever receive. Why is that? Well, my answer to that query is best addressed by
Rule #2 -The comic book retail business is a brutal, merciless, unforgiving struggle for survival that demands absolute commitment, especially in the early years. If you have to divide your time between running a shop and tending to a family, you will fail utterly, and perhaps in both areas (the former one can get past; the latter will dog you for the rest of your life). In any new business, it often takes at least a few years to turn a regular profit, and this is especially the case in this industry (reasons why to be addressed shortly). In addition to running my storefront, I have a regular, full time job, and Im finally just beginning to catch up with debt. If you dont have the fanatical will and dedication necessary to endure the inevitable struggles and setbacks, then dont bother. Running a store well requires love, imagination, and a sense of fun; the comic book retail business is too hard to do it for any other reason. Yes, I firmly believe money can be made, but it takes years. Keep in mind that people dont need comics like they need food, clothes, transportation, shelter, etc. (although some of the more colorfully dysfunctional enthusiasts of the hobby may stir themselves from couch and console to disagree). Hence, you cant expect the kind of traffic flow youd see in a supermarket or a clothing store (unless were referring to one of the mega-sized city comic book stores, of which there are only a handful, and if youre reading this, then chances are you dont have the capital necessary for such a colossal venture). Loving the product, and letting that show in your stores appearance, displays, discounts, reading recommendations, and general attitude will carry you through (with a whole heap of luck to boot), but it will take time, with many ups and downs along the way. Stores short on that love, and long on sleaze, greed, and sterility are what give this field a bad image. There are still way too many of them out there.
Jawadde ... en zo gaat hij maar door. Een mens vraagt zich soms af.
Written by Brian Azzarello Art by Danijel
Zezelj Cover by Tim Sale Collecting the hard-hitting
Western miniseries by Eisner Award-winning writer Brian
Azzarello (100 BULLETS, LOVELESS) and artist Danijel
Zezelj (LOVLESS). Small-town sheriff Moses Stone is
running from his past, and from something even worse:
the legendary El Diablo, a relentless, violent gunman
who has unearthed the skeletons in Stone's closet. Is
El Diablo a man on a mission, or is he a spirit of atonement
avenging the ghosts of the past?
Written by Ed Brubaker Art by Doug Mahnke,
Patrick Zircher, Aaron Sowd and Steve Bird Cover by
Mahnke Witness Batman's first encounter with The Joker
in this hardcover volume collecting the graphic novel
BATMAN: THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, by Ed Brubaker and Doug
Mahnke! This collection also includes DETECTIVE COMICS
#784-786, a murder-mystery tale guest-starring Green
Lantern Alan Scott!
Written by Grant Morrison Art by Tony
Daniel & Jonathan Glapion Cover by Daniel In the wake
of Ra's al Ghul's recent resurrection, Batman's body
lies near death in a heart-stopped coma. Meanwhile,
his delirious mind travels back to a defining adventure
in the life of young Bruce Wayne the hunt for his parents'
killer! This special flashback tale also revisits Batman's
life-changing Thogal ritual in the caves of Nanda Parbat!
On sale January 30
Written by Ed Brubaker Penciled by Michael
Lark Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC Can Matt Murdock balance
the scales of justice and save his wife? Can Daredevil
bring peace to the streets of Hell's Kitchen, which
are caught in a super-powered gang war? And what is
the terrible secret Mr. Fear is hiding? By Brubaker
and Lark.
Legion of Super-Heroes #38
by Chris Tinkler, 2008.
Jim Shooters return continues to bring the magic back to
the Legion of Super-Heroes whatever that means.
Now, this is a comic book! Growing up a Marvel kid, Id only
heard stories about the Legion. Id never *gotten* the "magic"
that the Legion of Super-Heroes fans saw. The characters appeared
generic, and lacked any kind of personality that would normally
draw me into a series. Too many characters, not enough character.
A common complaint when it comes to larger team-oriented books,
to be sure... the Legion, especially, what with their interchangeable
roster and simple (in my opinion, at the time) character design.
Jim Shooters heralded return was what led me to giving the
Legion of Super-Heroes another chance, and Im sure glad I
did. Each page is packed with incredibly detailed characterization,
which is aided perfectly by Francis Manapuls beautiful pencils.
My introduction to Manapul was through Aspens Iron and the
Maiden, in which I felt that he was more interested in aping
Joe Madureira rather than using his own style (which, if his
work on Legion is any indication has more of a Pasqual Ferry-feel
to it).
Cap
Is Dead. Long Live Cap! William Gatevackes - 2008
Outrage does not begin to describe what I felt when I heard
that Marvel was going to kill off Captain America. Not only
do I think that death is too often used to for cheap shock
value, but Captain America is my second favorite Marvel character
(right behind The Beast). I have almost every comic he appeared
in since the late 1960s. And I am guilty of what most comic
fans are guilty ofbeing perhaps too personally attached to
their favorite characters.
I found out about the events of Captain America #25 like
most of the comics fans did, by reading the news that morning.
Blessed with a slow news day, Marvel received nationwide mainstream
attention for the story the day the comic hit the stands.
The contents of the issue were revealed before many comic
stores even opened for business.
Very Short Notes on the Industry.
Beth Davies-Stofka, 2008.
The Times Online published
a quick look at the recent trend to recruit bestselling
novelists to write comics. I was interested to read Ian Rankin's
comment that most of the work involves writing instructions
to the artist. I wonder why novelists couldn't leave more
of the visualization in the artist's hands. Are they instructed
by their editors to imitate Alan Moore, or are they just too
far away from the artists, or too disinclined to use the internet,
to engage in a deeper collaboration?
Time will tell if this trend leaves a mark on comics. Jodi
Picoult's run on Wonder Woman is as forgettable as every other
writer's to date on the 2007 relaunch, while Michael Chabon
has done wonderful things with The Escapist (his own character).
Meanwhile, the growing bond between comics and the Hollywood
entertainment complex has left some analysts alarmed, but
I'm puzzled by the concern. Isn't the search for new markets
on page one of the capitalist's handbook?
PATH GN (COM.X EDITION) by Gregory S. Baldwin
The first release from Com.x in three-and-a-half years! In a harsh,
desolate landscape, Doppler, a lone rabbit, narrowly escapes his
imminent demise when near-sighted elephant Dodge falls from his foiled
cliff-side climb onto Doppler's assailants. Dodge and Doppler agree to
unite in their quest to escape their inhospitable surroundings, thus
embarking on the adventure of their lives! $12.95
Interesse ?? Mail ons volgende code via de link door: JAN083499
Writing partners Geoff Johns and Jeff
Katz have proven with this series that you really can
breathe new life into an old series without destroying
what has come before. Building on the character Booster
Gold they have crafted a series that embraces the past
and explores the future and after all, isnt that what
a comic book about a time traveling hero should do?
Thus Marjane Satrapis animated film
on a childhood growing up in Revolutionary Iran and
then in exile is in competition once again after making
headlines for its critically acclaimed Cannes Jury Prize
Film that received a rare 20 minutes Standing Ovation
during its first screening at Cannes. It may also represent
France in several categories including best animation
in the upcoming 80th annual Oscars ceremony that will
take place in 2008.
"This title just keeps improving. The
big ideas just keep coming, issue after issue and the
pencil work of Norm Breyfogle make the visual feast
complete. Top notch."
The Young Adult Library Services Association
(YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American
Library Association, has just announced the winners
of the 2008 Alex Awards, ten adult books with specific
teen appeal. The awards, sponsored by Booklist, were
just announced at the 2008 ALA Midwinter Meeting in
Philadelphia, and Jeff Lemire's ESSEX COUNTY (VOL 1):
TALES FROM THE FARM was one of the ten winners! And
to put this in perspective, the last graphic novel to
make this list was Persepolis, and that was five years
ago.
D2Comics Digital Comics Digitally Debut
by Dave Baxter, 2008.
D2Comics claims their new product digital video comics
to be the evolution of comics. And they just might be,
though as we all know, evolution is a long, loooooong process.
What precisely are digital video comics? The first things
the phrase brings to mind are preview trailers for upcoming
comics, those videos that populate the Big Two webspaces and
the more universal sites like YouTube and Vimeo. These tend
to be intriguing little ditties, though little else besides.
They splice together static images, panels and promotional
pin-ups that scroll and shake and zoom about, accompanied
by music tracks and folied-in sound SFX. Personally (being
a touch dated, like balsamic vinaigrette), I thought of Crossgens
2003 DVD compilations: discs that offered six or seven issues
of their then-current titles, which, in CGs own words, brought
comic books to life with amazing voice-overs and colorful
images!
One of the most popular avenues for story telling lies in
the idea that the world is secretly controlled by shadowy
cabals of powerful men and women. This idea served as inspiration
for tales from The DaVinci Code to New Avengers: Illuminatti.
Comics once again tap this well spring with this miniseries.
The plot revolves around The Lonely Ones, a group of people
on a mission to seek the truth to lifes mysteries and use
it to awaken the citizens of the Earth to reach their true
potential for greatness and move away from a path of self-destruction.
Will they succeed? They must, because the survival of the
world depends on it.
Gustavo Higuera (W), Giuseppe De Luca (A), Image Comics, $3.50.
Ongoing Series.
Ambrosia Publishing and BF have teamed up to offer the first
half of Smuggling Spirits: Book One as a free download, including
bonus material. The PDF file can be retrieved here.
SMUGGLING SPIRITS: BOOK ONE
For fans of HELLBOY and THE WALKING DEAD comes SMUGGLING
SPIRITS: BOOK ONE! Set in an alternate vision of the Prohibition-era,
SMUGGLING SPIRITS: BOOK ONE introduces Al Stone, a bootlegger
who himself on the run from an unrelenting horde of creatures
that believes he holds the key to their destruction.
Writer: Ben Fisher Artist: Mike Henderson Retail Price: $6.95
Dimensions: 6 x 9 Page Count: 80 black and white pages including
20 bonus material pages
Available for pre-order in the December PREVIEWS catalog
for March delivery. Diamond order code: DEC073357. Just send
us an e-mail.
Neen, mensen dit is geen grap. Spijtig genoeg niet !!
Vandaag werd Brokeback Mountain's superster Heath Ledger dood in zijn appartement in New York gevonden. Er zijn duidelijke vermoedens dat zijn dood het gevolg is van een overdosis drugs (of slaappillen). Heath Ledger zou in de nieuwe Batman, Dark Knight movie de rol van de joker op zich nemen.
De ironie wil nu, dat het juist Jack Nicholson is, die hem waarschuwde voor zijn drugsgebruik. Hij had beter andere woorden gebruikt dan "Do I look like I'm joking ...?"
Ik wens alvast mijn diepste sympathie en medeleven te uiten aan zijn familie, vrouw en 2-jarig dochter Matilda.
Haughton Mifflin published an annual collection
of The Best American Comics, the most recent selected
by Chris Ware, and last year published Alison Bechdel's
Fun Home.
They seem to be a real player in the graphic
novel market. If they have a house style, I can't see
it. However, as they publish more, I wonder if they
will develop loyal fans, such as those earned by Drawn
& Quarterly, Top Shelf and Fantagraphics.
Come on let's screw it One More Time euh Day & let's do it
all over again with "A brand new Day".
I don't know what they are doing? But
I'm giving up. We had the Clone stuff, May & Mary-Jane
died, fake parents and now ... ???
What Straczynski was doing, was great.
Certainly at the beginning. But now ...
Falling into a trap by the SS in Nazi Germany, twelve superheroes
are frozen to become lab animals, to be dissected at the hands
of German scientists. But the World War ends in defeat for
Hitler and twelve heroes remain trapped in their frozen states
until they are recovered in the morally gray world of the
21st century.
The Twelve is told from the perspective of the Phantom Reporter,
one of the heroes without power except for true grit and determination.
It is a tried and tested method for telling a story and it
is one Straczynski relies on a lot. The first person narration
lets us glimpse inside the heroes world and the way they
relate to each other. It all stays very descriptive though
and beyond some general characterizations, we learn nothing
much about any of these characters, the backstory takes precedence.
Hopefully this will change into a more character driven storyline
because that seems to be where the real story could lay. However
this is a first issue and things need to be put in place before
we can start the real story of this twelve issue miniseries.
Broken Frontier presents the nominees for our fourth annual
Broken Frontier Awards, compiled by the entire BF staff and
honoring the cream of the crop in the comics industry throughout
2007. The award winners will be announced soon.
The BF awards are split up into two main categories: the
Creator Awards, honoring the top creators, and the Paper Screen
Gems, the awards for the best projects released over the course
of the year.
Sodacomics Selection:
Creator Awards:
- Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal, Daredevil, Iron
Fist, Uncanny X-Men)
- Geoff Johns (Action Comics, Green Lantern, Justice Society
of America)
- Dan Slott (Avengers: The Initiative, She-Hulk)
- Brian K. Vaughan (Doctor Strange: The Oath, Ex Machina,
Runaways, Y: The Last Man)
- Adrian Tomine (Shortcomings)
- Steve Epting (Captain America)
- Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy: Darkness Calls)
Paper Screen Gem Awards:
- The Irredeemable Ant Man (Marvel)
- Fables (DC/Vertigo)
- The Walking Dead (Image)
- 100 Bullets (DC/Vertigo)
- Black Summer (Avatar)
- Punisher Max (Marvel)
- Scalped (DC/Vertigo)
- Captain America (Marvel)
- Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite (Dark Horse)
What, really, can be said about The Boys? The title continues
on its well laid out path of violence, sex, and political
corruption. There are more than a few funny bits here such
as Vass superhero name and the way Ennis uses the character
to turn the comic book staple of sexualizing female characters
on its head but Enniss tale is still violent, gritty and
cynical. One redeeming factor is that readers once again get
to see Hughie as probably the most balanced member of the
team. He is not violent for its own sake and takes no pleasure
in being a figure of terror. With the political complexity
of this entire story arc, however, unless you have been reading
this from the start then you will likely find yourself completely
lost.
The art by Darick Robertson is also of the comic book realism
style, which renders some of the more violent scenes well
violent. He obviously, however, has a ball depicting all of
the different characters with their vast range of faces, body
types, and characteristics.
The humor here ranges from dark to sophomoric, the tone is
bitterly cynical, and "justice" depends on your point of view
and level of violence. While The Boys has its place and its
voice in the comic medium it is an acquired taste. For those
who like their heroes on the anti-heroic side and for those
who enjoy humor that has a bit of a knife thrust to it then
there will be something here for them.
Het wereldwijde web is voor sommige zaken vaak allesbehalve wereldwijd.
Zo zenden de grote Amerikaanse tv-netwerken hun populaire series sinds
kort ook via het internet uit, maar kunnen ze de dienst niet aan
Europese kijkers aanbieden omdat ze alleen over de uitzendrechten voor
de VS beschikken. Wie als Belg probeert te kijken krijgt dus al snel
het deksel op de neus. Tenzij u zich met een programma als Hotspot Shield virtueel naar de VS verplaatst.
Dat u met Hotspot Shield een Amerikaans IP adres krijgt en dus als
Amerikaanse surfer beschouwd wordt, is eerder een prettig
bijverschijnsel van de kerntaak van de software. Het programma dient
immers om een beveiligde omgeving te scheppen wanneer u gebruik maakt
van een internet-hotspot. Door uw verbinding via een zogenaamd Virtual
Private Network (VPN) om te leiden en te coderen voorkomt de software
dat hackers uw mail, wachtwoorden en kredietkaartgegevens kunnen
onderscheppen. Die omleiding loopt echter steeds via de VS.
Zodra u het programma start belandt u op een website waar u op de
groene knop Run Hotspot Shield klikt. Enkele tellen later bent u de
bezitter van een nieuw VPN IP-adres en kunt u net als iedere
Amerikaan moeiteloos de nieuwste series bekijken op videosites als Fancast, Innertube en OPENhulu.com. Ook de muzieksite Pandora.com - die belooft alleen uw smaak te spelen - gaat plots opnieuw open. Hotspot Shield is beschikbaar voor Windows en Mac OS X.
Al een tijdje volg ik onbewust het werk van schrijfster Gail Simone.
Het begon allemaal met de tv-serie "Birds of Prey". Het was toen nog in mijn soap-junk-periode, toen ik via allerlei download pragramma's massaal tv-series binnenhaalde en ze één voor één verorberde. Lang heeft de serie het niet vol gehouden. Ze werd na één season al gecancelled. Een beetje onterecht, there's worse shit on the telly, maar ja ...
Op die manier ben ik de comic-reeks "Birds of Prey" beginnen te volgen en zodoende leerde ik het werk van Gail Simone kennen. Het is een leuke en entertainende run met de gebruikelijke hoogtes en laagtes. Niets echt speciaal. Zelfs haar ander werk zoals Gen13, zijn leuke series maar nooit echt om het van de daken te roepen. (Q = 65%) Het feit dat een vrouw, spandex avonturen voor een dominerend mannelijk publiek, vind ik bewonderingswaardig en een plaatsje op mijn bescheiden blog waard. Opletten met sexisme & wat ik zeg is de boodschap want ze heeft een hele hoop stevige en trouwe fans. Bij deze behoed ik me al voor een mail-box vol verscheurde BH's (ipv boze nootjes, is al wat leuker om te krijgen, me dunkt) ;o)
Nu echter: Welcome to Tranquility steekt er met kop en schoulders boven uit. Ook al had ik in het begin het gevoel dat Gail met enthousiasme de reeks "Eureka" gezien had, geen enkel moment hield het me tegen met verder lezen. Tanquility, een stad vol met bejaarde superhelden, wiens ontstaan eigenlijk de clue vormt van het eerste deel. Een ganse hoop nostalgie, typische american sub-urb setting (Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky..., and they all look the same - Malvina Reynolds), een uitgebreide waaier van hedendaagse en golden-age superheroes, een moord & een pak intriges ... meer moet een mens niet hebben.
Volgens mij een dikke aanrader !!
Who-the-f...k-is-...: "Gail Simone is an American writer of comic books. Best known for penning DC's Birds of Prey, she is the writer of Welcome to Tranquility and All-New Atom and recently became the first female ongoing writer for Wonder Woman. Simone is also the writer of DC's 2005 Villains United limited series (part of the lead-in to Infinite Crisis), and its spin-off, the limited series Secret Six. Other work by Simone includes a run on the Superman title Action Comics, a brief stint on The Legion, and a Rose and Thorn limited series at DC Comics. For Oni Press, Simone wrote Killer Princesses with co-creator and artist Lea Hernandez, Gus Beezer specials for Marvel Comics, and a recently-announced revival of Gen¹³ for Wildstorm."
Chris Ware stays top of the bill, not
only with his deep writings but certainly for his astounding
art.
Set in a Chicago apartment building more
or less in the year 2000, the stories move from the
straightforward to the complex, invading character's
memories and personal ambitions with a text point size
likely unreadable to human beings over the age of 45.
One of the unknown revelations in 2007.
It reminded me of the television series Eureka combined
with a nicely done who-dunnit.
Tranquility is a small town like any other,
except for one difference: It's the place where super-powered
beings go to retire from crimefighting. But when the
town is turned upside down by a murder, it becomes evident
that everything isn't as quaint as it seems!
This one-shot trade / graphic novel needs
to be in every comic collection for those rainy sundays
!!
In documenting the plight of the lions,
PRIDE OF BAGHDAD raises questions about the true meaning
of liberation - can it be given, or is it earned only
through self-determination and sacrifice? And in the
end, is it truly better to die free than to live in
captivity?
Deze week komt de horrorfilm 30 Days
Of Night in de vlaamse bioscopen. Naar aanleiding hiervan
een bespreking van het boek dat hiervoor de basis vormde.
Oorspronkelijk was het een nooit verkocht filmscript
maar als strip werd dit de doorbraak van Steve Niles
alsook voor tekenaar Ben Templesmith. Uiteindelijk kregen
ze een miljoen dollar voor de filmrechten.
Talking to My Boy, Olivier Schrauwen
Column by Bart Croonenborghs, 2007.
Every two years in Belgium, the largest Belgian comics festival
takes place in the tiny city of Turnhout. Broken Frontier
was there and spoke to Olivier Schrauwen, famed creator of
My boy who received the price for Best Debut. Graduated at
the Academy of Art in Ghent, he has reached the ripe old age
of thirty and displays a very sober outlook on life, displaying
a keen eye for human behaviour, very apparent in his comics.
Broken Frontier: A nomination at one of the worlds largest
comic festivals,, the price for Best Debut at the largest
Belgian comic festival, Strip Turnhout, numerous praise in
the international press. They are all very fine accolades
from the comics world but does it also open new doors for
you?
Olivier Schrauwen: I laboured a long time on My boy and the
only thing that kept me busy during that period was finishing
my comic. What would come after the finalisation of that project
never crossed my mind. The fact that the comic is receiced
in such a grand manor totally flabbergasted me and the for
my norms, anyway out-of-proportion attention it accumulates
in the media, I find that to be very funny.
Remember earlier when there was more leeway when it came
to sales on Vertigo titles? This is true but they are not
immune from cancellation. This series is selling about as
much as the recently cancelled American Virgin and more than
the about-to-be-restarted-at-a-new-number-one Army @ Love.
So Scalped is definitely on the chopping block, and it really
doesnt deserve to be. It is one of the best books to ever
wear the Vertigo imprint, and that is saying a lot.
It tells the story of Dashiell Red Horse, a bad seed who
returns to the Indian reservation where he was born looking
for trouble. He hooks up with Chief Lincoln Red Crow, the
man who controls almost everything in the reservation. He
places Red Horse on the tribal police force to act as his
personal enforcer in order to help clean up the reservation
in preparation for the opening of a brand new casino. But
Red Horse is secretly an undercover FBI agent, set to bring
Red Crow to justice for killing two FBI agents 30 years in
the past.
The comic is equal parts Sopranos, Wiseguy and The Departed.
There is a reason why Scalped writer Jason Aaron is getting
high-profile work at Marvel and Top Cow. Because Joe Quesada
and Mark Silvestri know how great a writer he is. You should
pick up this series and find out for yourself.
Comics are dominating Hollywood & his writers.
Column by Jason M. Burns, 2007.
As a writer I am repped by one of the major talent agencies
in the film/TV industry. Outside of my work as a comic writer,
I also develop television and film projects in both the scripted
and reality universes. This was my dream as a kid growing
up in my small Massachusetts town and I still need to pinch
myself on a regular basis to make sure Im not asleep, or
worse yet, dead. Whats interesting to me now however is the
way the comic industry is affecting the entertainment industry
as a whole. The more popular it becomes the more Hollywood
tries to adapt to cater to it.
Nowadays screenplay writers are being pushed by their representation
to turn their ideas into graphic novels as opposed to going
straight to script. In the last two weeks alone I have met
with more than a dozen established industry writers who have
worked on everything from Seinfeld to major motion pictures
simply because their agents and managers can sell their ideas
more easily if they have the visual to go along with it. This
is the new Hollywood standard package an intellectual property
in book form and reap the benefits on the backend. Its become
so popular, that talent agencies across the board are establishing
comic book/graphic novel divisions at their firms.
Bij deze denk ik dat ik mijn reputatie, al dan niet goed of slecht, regelrecht de grond ga in boren maar ... Het moet toch echt van lippen, ik vond die run van Greg Rucka on Wonder Woman echt goed !
In gans mijn comic-carrière die reeds vroeg startte, ben ik nooit verder geraakt dan 3 issues van John Byrne. Heb ik al acht keer de run van George Pérez willen starten, heb ik als 10-jarige misschien 1 aflevering gezien op tv, maar nooit echt in de ban geraakt tot ... nu. Was het nu omdat wij op oudejaarsavond zot gedraaid op ons werk rustig naar de cinema wilden. Toen bleek zowel de Metropolis als UGC tot onze grote spijt gesloten te zijn. Bij gebrek aan iets deftig op de tv, besloot ik om WW eens te kans te geven. De doorslag was eerder Greg Rucka, na Checkmate. Soit, ik ben er nog altijd niet uit. Desalniettemin ben ik erin geslaagd om de 5 trades in één ruk uit te lezen. En ja, ik zit er helemaal in.
Wat een lijf heeft dat Wonder Wijf, hahaha ;)
Wat was er nu zo leuk ???
- Het feit dat WW over diezelfde (fl)air beschikt als Thor, maar toch iets moderner spreekt ?
- Dat met haar ambassade, er een stukje "West Wing" is ingekropen? - Dat womenizer Zeus een schop onder zijn kl...ten krijgt van een vrouw? - Het gekraak van een gebroken nek? - Dat die Amazones, lekkere wijven zijn? - K3 vermomd als Wonder Woman, Athena en Artemis? - Al die intriges, geouwehoer, incest ("Sister-wive" ?? ) en zo van die toestanden. - Dat WW echt van haar pied-de-stalleke valt (fall from grace). Het is altijd leuk om een hero te zien wegglijden in de miserie. - Dat het recht altijd zege viert ... (Eigenlijk te Amerikaans, liever een slecht einde maar dat is persoonlijke smaak).
Of dat Greg Rucka gewoonweg beestig kan schrijven en hopelijk eens de kans krijgt om een top reeks te schrijven voor Marvel of DC. Het liefst van al, wens ik hem en al zijn fans voor 2008 een killer reeks bij Vertigo toe !!
Voor de SM-fans, de trade voor eenzame winteravonden, WONDER WOMAN THE HIKETEIA SC Laat de cover tot U spreken ...
het is al alweer een tijdje geleden, de
Antwerpse boekenbeurs.
Toch wil ik jullie volgende anecdote niet
onthouden.
Zoals veel verzamelaars trek ik naar de
boekenbeurs met maar één doel voor ogen:
striptekenaars strikken voor een
tekeningetje. Of nog beter:
een uitgebreide tekening met alle
hoofdpersonages. In kleur. Op groot formaat.
Per slot van rekening leven al die
verwaande kwasten dankzij onze portemonee . Die van de
verzamelaars.
Dus ze mogen wel wat terug
doen.
Nu moet ik zeggen dat ik geen hoge pet
opheb van de 'Vloamsche' tekenaartjes.
Het zijn allemaal , stuk voor stuk,
broodtekenaartjes met weinig talent en
een ego van hier tot in Wallonie. (Maar
daar raken ze wel niet gepubliceerd)
Maar goed, ik dan maar aanschuiven bij de
minst slechte, Jan Bosschaert.
'Jaguar' was niet echt slecht getekend.
Ik snap er geen bal van, maar kom, er zijn slechter getekende
strips.
Ik sta dus anderhalf uur aan te schuiven.
Want Bosch neemt er zijn tijd van. Vooral als er mooie jonge deernes
aanschuiven.
Gelukkig zijn dat er niet veel. Qua
uiterlijk lijkt Bosschaert immers meer op Joop Klepzeiker dan op
Tarzan.
Goed, ik maar wachten...Staat er daar ene
voor mij met een seksboekje. Of Bosch 'Sam' in dezelfde houding wil
tekenen zoals dit meisje in de 'Mayfair'.
Bosch weigert. De man wordt lichtjes boos
en zegt dat Bosch zijn 'Verfrommelingskes' vol met blote wijven
staan.
Waarom Sam dan niet in haar blote
kont?
Zegt Bosch ernstig: 'Meneer, Sam is mijn
dochter. Die teken ik niet naakt.'
'Uw dochter? Jij hebt helemaal geen
dochter!' weerlegt de ander.
'Mijn papieren dochter' zegt
Bosch.
De man druipt woedend af.
En dan was het dus aan mij. 'Sam graag'
zeg ik.
'Met kleren aan' gooi ik er voorzichtig
achteraan.
Ik moet zeggen dan meneer Bosschaert zijn
uiterste best heeft gedaan voor mij. Een bijzonder mooie tekening.
Hij heeft er werk van gemaakt.
Het kan ook komen omdat er niemand meer
achter mij stond. Al de andere aanschuivenden waren gevlucht omdat ze dachten
dat er ging gevochten worden toen mijn voorganger aan de beurt was.
Goed... De oogst was binnen...Tijd voor
een paar Duveltjes.
En daarna dus naar het toilet.
40 cent kost dat dus. Ik met tegenzin
betaald, voor een kleine boodschap vind ik dat duur.
Ik heb altijd al gevonden dat die
toiletdames een onderscheid zouden moeten maken tussen kleine en grote
boodschappen. Maar goed, we dwalen af.
Plots zie ik Mark Eyskens de toiletten
binnenwandelen.
Hij wil betalen, zoals het hoort. Maar de
toiletdame zegt dat het niet nodig is.
'Het is een eer om u te mogen ontvangen
in mijn bescheiden toilet' zegt ze, terwijl ze een lichte buiging
maakt.
En waarempel, ze neemt ook nog een
welriekende spuitbus en spuit even boven de pisbak waar Eyskens
plaatsneemt.
Ik stel me te plassen naast hem. Het valt
me op dat meneer Eyskens staat te fluiten terwijl hij plast.
En, hoe gaat het, meneer Eyskens?' zeg
ik.
'Ach, weet je, mijn
prostaat...'
'Nee, dat bedoel ik niet, kunt u zich een
beetje amuseren op de boekenbeurs, meneer Eyskens?'
'Ik zie dit bezoek meer als een
verplichting' antwoordt hij.
'Leest u ook strips?' wil ik
weten.
'Ja, Dinges,... Kiekeboe lees ik wel
eens. Die Leemans maakt er wel wat van'.
Het is me meteen duidelijk dat ik niet
moet beginnen over Miller, Gaiman, Crumb of Alan Moore. Eyskens heeft daar nog nooit
van gehoord en het interesseert hem ook niet. Maar
soms leest hij Kiekeboe. Van Leemans dus. Zucht...
Nu weet iedereen, dat de pisbakken van de
boekenbeurs niet deugen. Ik heb het altijd al vervelend gevonden dat
die tussenschutten veel te laag zijn. Ik vind
het niet leuk dat mijn buurman kan zien hoe ik geschapen ben.
Anderzijds was dit voor mij een unieke
kans om even iets 'meer' te zien van deze populaire politicus... Iets 'meer' dan
de doorsnee toeschouwer te zien
krijgt.
Maar goed, hierover wil ik niet verder
uitwijden. Ik heb teveel respect voor Mark Eyskens om verder te vertellen over
dit , toch wel, delicate onderwerp. Wat ik gezien heb hou ik voor mezelf. Want
ik vind Mark Eyskens een GROOT man. Een ZEER GROOT man.
Ondertussen was Jan Bosschaert de
toiletten binnengestapt. Grote boodschap. Ik vind het niet eerlijk dat ook hij
maar 40 cent moest betalen. Ik moest 40 cent betalen voor een KLEINE boodschap.
Sommigen hebben ALLE geluk!
Maar goed, Bosch stapt het toilet binnen.
Heel voorzichtig komt de viespeuk van het seksboekje hem achterna.
De man heeft een GSM-filmcameraatje in de
hand.
Hij staat buiten het toilet te filmen
waar Bosschaert inzit.
Een paar minuten later stapt die dus
nietsvermoedend buiten en hij heeft niet eens gemerkt dat hij gefilmd
werd.
'Hahaha! Ik heb hem!' Zegt de pervert
'Vanavond staat hij op YouTube!'
'Kun je je voorstellen hoe de fans gaan
opkijken? Eerst zien ze een toilet langs buiten... Ze horen duidelijk dat er ene
aan het sch... is! En dan zien ze Bosschaert buitenkomen!!!!! Hahaha! Ze gaan
opkijken!!!!'
'Pas op' zegt de man nog 'ik ben een
integer mens! Ik zou die geluiden kunnen versterken voor YouTube!
Ik zou er de geluiden van een olifant op
kunnen zetten! Maar ik ga dat niet doen!'
En luid lachend ging hij er
vandoor...
Ik vond het allemaal wel grappig. Het
leek zowaar een aflevering van 'De Verfrommelingskes'!
De Antwerpse boekenbeurs...Er is altijd
wel wat te beleven!
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, a teenage
Tony Stark has been through a lot his mother passed
away as a child, his father is wrongly imprisoned for
murder, Tony himself suffers from a cellular disability
that can be fatal, and, most recently, a boat full of
terrorists blew up in a botched hostage-rescue attempt.
Needless to say, life for Tony is complicated, and finally,
after two years of waiting, the Ultimate Iron Man saga
continues.
Whats more life-altering than becoming
one of DCs new New Gods? More exciting than shooting
aliens in outer space after a round of binge drinking
with Heath Huston? More awe-inspiring than making national
television by designing a Mary Jane cleavage-shot statue?
More
...
Marvel maakt het de fans van Amazing Spider-Man
niet gemakkelijk. Sinds de verhaallijn van New Avengers,
de tiende bundel, is er geen nieuwe bundel meer geweest
maar dat wil niet zeggen dat Spidey met verlof was.
Spent. Joe Matt. Drawn and Quarterly, 2007. I banged into
the neighborhood comics shop last night, announcing, "I'm
looking for a comic book by Joe Matt. I don't know the title.
All I know is that it starts with an S." This shop shelves
alphabetically by title. The clerk's face glazed over, and
so I said hopefully, "I guess I'll just go through all the
S's, hoping I can find it?" "Yeah, that's about all we can
do," he replied. He pretended to help me for a bit, and then
went back to surfing at DC's website. I found Spent, pounced,
and took it up to the desk. Holding it up so he could see
the cover, I gleefully announced, in a loud, clear voice,
"Isn't this great! This is exactly how I look at the end of
the day!"
I'm a naughty, wicked woman. I know.
T he thing is, I'm comfortable with sex. I really enjoy sexual
expression. I'm not going to hate a graphic memoir because
it's about a porn addict.
It's more likely that I'll hate a graphic memoir because it's
a graphic memoir. Crumb, Pekar, Spiegelman, and Satrapi aside,
I really believe that by default, comics artists should avoid
writing graphic memoirs. (Come to think of it, we could do
with less prose memoirs, too.) So I was prepared to loathe
Spent.
Joe Matt was prepared for me to loathe it, too. In the cruel
tirade he aims at himself as he paces his tiny dump of a room,
he imagines what his disappointed readers will say. "He has
no self-awareness or insight," they'll say and they'll be
right.
Tale as old as time: artist working as a professional in
the field (in this case animation), reaches peak of creative
frustration, seeks to produce a product artistically under
his control, and so naturally turns to self-published comics.
Refurbishing his favorite ideas culled from an earlier, more
casually self-made work (in this case, a comic called Eclectic
Café ), artist gets to work on producing his first honest-to-goodness
masterpiece.
Masterpiece receives all due critical recognition, winning
a Xeric Grant in the year 2000 and managing a steady seven-issue
run, all carried by Diamond Distributors, all heralded by
fans and industry pros alike, until, as with most self-published
gems, life puts a kibosh on artists financial situation.
Self-published comic gets shelved. Artist continues to work
in animation. Artist continues to draw comic, though no longer
published. For years, nothing more is heard.
Then: artists gets second chance in the form of a Prince
Edward Island grant to finish book. Artist prints 100 copies
and sends them to publisher and professional alike. Publishers
proceed to lose all copies in the mail. Professionals read
the work and rave about it online, including one particularly
persuasive professional named Dave Sim. Sims online hurrahs
catch the attention of IDWs President, Ted Adams, who asks
artist to send him a copy, as he never got the chance to read
the last copy, as it was lost in the mail. Adams enjoys book
very much. Artist get work published by IDW, a big enough
name in publishing that now articles like this are written
about it. The work and the bona fide artiste in question?
This issue is the last issue of the Incredible Hulk. It is
also the first issue of the Incredible Herc. Confused? Dont
be. After the events of World War Hulk, everyones favorite
green-skinned monster is presumably gone forever. Since it
is hard to have a Hulk book without there being a Hulk (unless
you create a red Hulk for the occasion, more on that next
month), the focus of the book shifts to the Jade Giants fellow
Avenger and frequent sparring partner, Hercules. Hercules,
and the teen genius Amadeus Cho, are in big trouble for the
aid they gave Old Greenskin during his invasion. Their only
choice? To start running. But S.H.I.E.L.D. doesnt intend
to let them off the hook. The result? A swath of destruction
across the U.S.A. and a hard-travelling adventure for our
heroes.
' 
Het wereldwijde web is voor sommige zaken vaak allesbehalve wereldwijd.
Zo zenden de grote Amerikaanse tv-netwerken hun populaire series sinds
kort ook via het internet uit, maar kunnen ze de dienst niet aan
Europese kijkers aanbieden omdat ze alleen over de uitzendrechten voor
de VS beschikken. Wie als Belg probeert te kijken krijgt dus al snel
het deksel op de neus. Tenzij u zich met een programma als 
