Marvel Soaps Up!

Oh, Marvel. You crazy comic book company. As if Civil War didn't have enough drama and intruige, Marvel has announced an upcoming collaboration with CBS soap opera Guiding Light. As someone who grew up in a household in which Guiding Light was the soap to watch, this news makes me... shake my head in confusion.

Who knows, maybe it will be the most brilliant crossover of all-time. Apparently there will be events in an upcoming episode of the show that will tie into an 8-page comic to be released at a yet-unspecified date. The comic, which is set to run in issues of several regular Marvel titles, will be written by Jim McCann and penciled by Alex Chung.

The whole idea came about when Guiding Light's costume designer, Shawn Dudley, was hired to design Storm's wedding gown for her marrige to Black Panther. According to Newsarama, they all got to talking, and decided that Marvel superheroes would be the next logical move for the town of Springfield, and vice versa.

Let's just say this is one team-up no one was expecting. But it should be interesting!

-Elizabeth

The Phantom has been a friend for millions of Scandinavian youngsters. A good friend!

You might've read my recent announcement here that I started working on the Phantom comic. Did you know Lee Falk created him right here in our fair city? Thats right. Super-heroes are from St Louis. Join me and hundreds of Swedes in trying to get the creator of costumed justice a star on our Walk of Fame. Sign the petition. Its just a couple of clicks.


-Nick

Da' Best, Baby!

So the RFT thinks we're the best comic shop in St. Louis! And not for the reasons you might think, people...it's not the selection, it's not the love, it's...the BLOG! Now I get to point my finger at all the naysayers, the grouchy staff who didn't want to write anything (Nick), and all the folks who were convinced a blog was a pointless waste of time and say: "It might be a waste of time, but it is NOT POINTLESS!!!!"

Thanks RFT!

Oh, and as to blog stats, thanks readers - cuz you've seriously been sucking up the bandwidth.

(BSG RULES!)

-Ben

The Zombification of St. Louis

So apparently zombies are the new black. Everywhere you look these days, it's just zombies, zombies, zombies! From St. Louis' own Zombie Squad to the new X-Box 360 game DEAD RISING, zombies have broken into our everyday life with alarming swiftness. No where is this more apparent then right here at Star Clipper. When THE WALKING DEAD came out it was the only comic of its kind, but now there are swarms all over the place. For example, this week we're not only getting WALKING DEAD. Vol 5 in, but two other comics, ZOMBIE, and ZOMBIES are coming out. Singular and plural. I wonder which one of them had to change their name first? But I digress. What I really wanted to talk to about was Max Brooks' new book WORLD WAR Z. Yes, the same one I spoke on last week. It came out this past Wednesday, and I had finished it by the time I went to bed on Thursday. Not that it's such a quick read, it was just so good I couldn't put it down. Since we have also gotten Brooks' first book back in stock, I'm gonna give you guys a special deal. If you buy a copy of either THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE or THE WALKING DEAD VOL 5 at regular price, we will give you 20 percent off on your purchase of WORLD WAR Z. Also, if you've bought the SURVIVAL GUIDE any time since July 1st, bring in your receipt and will still give you 20 percent off your purchase of WWZ.

This special deal will only be offered until October 31st, and is not combinable with any other offers, clubs, or discounts.


-Dan

Comic Scholarship

Want a scholarship to comic school? All you need to do is create a two page comic starring yourself, a snowman, a robot, and a piece of fruit. And of course it has to be better than everyone else's.

Including mine.

Yeah, that's a threat.

The Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont has started a scholarship competition. CCS is a new school that offers a 2-year program for aspiring indy-minded cartoonists. Its got a pretty awesome cast of creators involved. James Kochalka and James Sturm are on staff. Brunetti, Seth, Ware and and a score of others visited during the school's first year (05-06). And STL's own, Kevin Huizenga made "How to Start Thinking About Learning to Draw Comics, A Guidebook to The Center of Cartoon Studies", a sweet 20 page comic pamphlet with the longest title ever. We've got one at the store if you want to check it out.

-Nick

Star Clipper Has Art Books? F'Real!

You may have noticed in Ben's blog about the big store move that we've put in an Art and Reference books section. Star Clipper has long carried fine art books by great artists like Camille Rose Garcia, Shepard Fairey, Yoshitomo Nara... the list goes on and on. A lot of folks just didn't know they were there because they were mixed in with the graphic novels.

Now, if you're looking for the new collection from Tara McPherson, you don't have to worry whether it's under McPherson or Lonely Heart Art; it's conveniently located in the Art books section, which is smaller and way easier to find stuff in. Well, technically right now it's on the new this week display. But next week, that's where you would find it.

And, bonus, the section is a great place to look for a birthday or holiday gift for you favorite art student or collector. We're going to be adding to the section pretty much constantly, right now it's a little bit of a work in progress. But anyone who likes good art, or knows someone who does, should check it out.

-Elizabeth

Frank Miller's 300

Well, its no Ghost Rider, and it kinda looks like a video game. But a reeeally cool video game.

Frank Miller's 300

And of course we've got the book here in the store, in all its widescreen glory. Seriously, you should read the book. Its one of his best. The inspiring true(ish) tale of 300 Spartans against an army of thousands of Persians. They lost, but it was a catalyst for the rest of Greece to rebel and ultimately create democracy. Go democracy!

-Nick

9 11 Report

"The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation", based on the government commision report, has been releaseed for the 5th anniversary of the attack. It's actually supposed to be pretty much transcribed from it, taking 99 percent of the text directly, according to writer Sid Jacobson (creator of Richie Rich!?).

I'd been looking forward to it, since I wasn't quite ready to dig through the 568 page original but wanted to know what it had to say.. So, before its release, I looked it up online and what did I get?

USA Today says, "It looks like a comic book and reads like a comic book, but the subject matter is deadly serious" The Washington Post asks, "Can a topic as massive and sobering as Sept. 11 be dealt with effectively in the pages of a comic book?". CBS News takes it even further: "Is the most defining moment of a generation in danger of becoming just another franchise with a Happy Meal tie-in on the horizon?"

Poor comics! When are they gonna catch a break and get a little respect as a storytelling medium? In fairness, most of the articles just start out that way as a device, and then swing around to saying that comics have tackled serious issues before....like Maus. You know, the comic about the holocaust that was first published 30 years ago. And if they're especially in-the-know, they might even mention Persepolis.

C'mon! There are loads of comics with subject matter that rises above the stereotype. How about Nat Turner or From Hell or Pyong Yang or Blankets or Barefoot Gen or 70's era ghost rider? How about Joe Sacco?

The worst thing was that the creators are just as guilty of denying their medium any respect. They're making statements that it isn't a comic book, probably in a weak attempt to dodge this type of media. Sure, it uses words and pictures in panels in sequential order to tell a story, but...uh...its something new!

I'll wrap it up because this is an old rant, and I'm probably preaching to the choir (this is a comics blog). But to answer the question, "Can a topic as massive and sobering as Sept. 11 be dealt with effectively in the pages of a comic book?" When our other options for clarification are a 600 page string of confusing timelines and facts or a 2 hour drama intensive movie, it may be the most effective.

-Nick

The Hills Are Alive

...With the sound of-- coffee? Who would have ever imagined that Too Much Coffee Man would inspire an opera? Probably no one. But he has. The show, which may very well be the first opera to be based on a comic, debuts Friday the 22nd at Brunish Hall in Portland, Oregon. The lyrics were written by Shannon Weeler, who writes the comics, and Damian Willcox.

The plot of the opera will center around Too Much Coffe Man's unrequited love for his Barista friend, and bitter rivalry with Espresso Guy. The press release says that "the characters must resolve the age-old dilemma: Can coffee and relationships co-exist?" I want to know about that other age-old dilemma... can comic book fans and opera co-exist?

Check out the show's official website for more info.

-Elizabeth

Interesting Random Stuff

Nothing in particular for you guys this week, but a bunch of little stuff you might be interested in.

- Civil War #4 is finally coming out this week. I know it's been a while so I just wanted to make sure you knew.

- Also coming out this week, but on an opposite note, is Astonishing X-Men. I mention this because it's usually several months between issues, but this time it's only been a couple of weeks. If you still haven't picked up issue 16 yet there are still a dozen or so here at the store.

- I finally read Phonogram after being bugged by Nick for a couple of weeks. My friend Erin was equally incredoulous that I had not read it yet. Very, very cool. Like Scott Pilgrim on crack, but in a good way.

- A couple of quick TV notes for all you. HEROES, the new NBC super powers drama starts September 25th. New episodes of HOUSE have already started, the main character is straight out of a Warren Ellis book, but the rest of the characters are pretty ho-hum. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA starts in just a few weeks on October 6th, day after my birthday actually, but if you can't hold out check the Sci-Fi website for four minute webisodes. Several of them have come out already, and they cover the couple of months between the last season finale and the new season premeire. Also on BG, the Season 2.5 box set comes out this week, and the new series CAPRICA is supposed to start filming soon, but that's really more of rumor then anything. Not that there will be a new series, but that they start filming soon.

- Brian Vaughn came out with a new book this past week. PRIDE OF BAGHDAD is based on the true story of several lions that escaped the Baghdad zoo in the early days of the American invasion. While I have not gotten a chance to read it yet, Vaughn says that it is his finest work yet, and Ben said he really enjoyed it as well. With Vaughn leaving RUNAWAYS, and Y THE LAST MAN coming to an end in the year or so, I can only hope this leaves him some more time to work on EX MACHINA. We can only hope.

Alright, that's it for today, type at you later,

Dan

Like, We Totally Did It Again...

Yes, we have rearranged the Star Clipper floorplan *yet* again! But please don't hate us for it!

We have returned to the original layout of two long rows of graphic novels down the center of the store. But we've taken some of the best we learned from our "summer layout" and incorporated in the new layout.

First, you'll still find a handy place for all the most recent trade paperback releases right when you walk into the store. But I think you'll find it a lot easier to see what's what and we've organized the sections a bit more efficiently.

We're also introducing a new section - Art and Reference books. Check 'em out!

-Ben

Ripley R.I.P.

It is with great sadness that we report Ripley, our beloved pet of 14 years, passed on tonight after a short battle with cancer. She died at home in familiar surroundings and relative comfort. Not all of you knew her as we did, but we always considered her Star Clipper's unofficial behind-the-scenes mascot.

We loved her dearly and she will be deeply missed.

-Ben & AJ

Making Comics

Scott McCloud's latest, Making Comics, is out. If you loved Understanding Comics but felt a little disappointed with Reinventing Comics, you should definitely take a look. And if you didn't like either of them, well, you just have no business reading my blog. Go on, git. As the name suggests, the new book teaches and explores how to make comics. Skipping past how to draw, he goes right for the meat. How to build a story, characters, and worlds. What to show and what not to. How to pace a scene, create mood, interest a reader. The most important things for creators to know seem to be the least taught, or written about anyway.

The genius of McCloud is in his clarity. He takes complicated ideas and communicates them in a way that makes you feel like you already knew them. (but you didn't) Or maybe not. Maybe he takes simple ideas that many people overlook and calls attention to them and their significance. Either way, he's been an inspiration to many. And for the naysayer or two who want to know why this authority doesn't actually seem to make comics, he says his next book will be an actual narrative. But I'd rather he moved on to Understanding String Theory or something.

And btw, we're doing everything we can to get him into town for his current book tour. Keep an eye out here for a definite word on that.

-Nick

In the Studio - of Awesome!

This week we got a really great new book called In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists by St. Louis's own Todd Hignite. It has chapters of extensive interviews with some of the greatest comics artists of today, tons of art, and smells pretty good. No, seriously. It does.

The featured artists are R Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Gary Panter, Charles Burns, Jaime Hernandez, Daniel Clowes, Seth, Chris Ware, and Ivan Brunetti. I know, that's a lot to take in. But these are the people responsible for such works as Ghost World, Black Hole, Love and freakin' Rockets... the list goes on. And on.

If you're a fan of any of those artists, Comics Art magazine, or just awesome art in general, this is a great read. And hey, pick it up now and bring it back on October 14th to have it signed by Gary Panter. That's right, the guy behind Jimbo's Inferno and Jimbo In Purgatory is going to be right here in Star Clipper signing your books, shaking your hands, taking to you about art... it's going to be super awesome!

So there you go. A new book to read, and an exciting in-store signing to look forward to. You're welcome.

-Elizabeth

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia

Without a doubt, the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia is one of the most interesting books we have ever carried. Disturbing, horrific, sometimes beautiful - the Russians definitely know how to make a statement with skin and ink.

I figure with being so close to Iron Age, this one is going to fly off the shelves. If you're thinking of inking up, you'll definitely want to take a look at this one. I mean, I know lots of people like to get reproductions out of Blankets, but this book...wow. And the places people get tattooed, I had no idea you could even *do* that. I'm not saying I'd want to, but...

Shrink wrapped, for your protection.

-b

World War Z

Alright, let's see a show of hands, how many of you have read the book The Zombie Survival Guide? One, two, three... Ok, so quite a few of you. For the rest, it's a really great book about how to survive a zombie attack. It full of helpful hints such as the best kind of armor to wear(a shark suit), how to prepare defenses, and how to hunt zombies(in groups preferably). But one of the best parts of the book in my opinion are all the first hand accounts of zombie attacks. They're just very compelling. If you're a fan of books like The Walking Dead, you would probably enjoy it as well.

This week the sequel comes out, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. If you read the first book you probably read the small preview that they put in at the back. It was about a doctor treating some of the patients in the initial outbreak in China, near the Three Rivers Dam. Apparently up until now zombie attacks have been infrequent, but on the rise. Luckily almost all of them have been contained and stamped out. The new book is about what happens when one of them is not, and zombies start to spread. The concept is that after a global war against the zombies, the author has travelled the globe talking to the survivors, and put together almost a warning manual about the consequences of not paying attention to the zombie menace, and not treating it seriously. I really like what I have read of it so far, and I highly recomend that you come down and pick one up when they come in on the 20th of September.

Runaways - Whedon Style

Ok, so this probably isn't news to anyone at this point. I'm late, I know. But Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona are leaving Runaways. Forever. Issue 24 will be when we say goodbye to the original team and say hello to-- Joss Whedon?!

Whedon will be working with artist Michael Ryan on the series from #25 on, and I don't really think anyone's that displeased with the news. I know I'm downright excited. Lots of people guessed Whedon would be taking up the project when Vaughan promised "Marvel will be announcing that new team in about a week, and to say that you guys will be thrilled is probably an understatement", on his website. It just seemed to fit.

Vaughan's leaving isn't over any disagreement or need to move on to better things; he says he wants to ensure the characters live beyond his writing the series, and the way to do it is to quit while he's ahead. His series Y the Last Man and Ex Machina both have planned endings, and he wants Runaways to be different.

So while we'll all miss the old team, I'm sure all Runaways fans can look forward to an awesome new chapter in this series with a fresh look at the characters by a very capable new team. Thanks to Vaughan for creating such great characters, and to Whedon for taking on their futures!

-Elizabeth

The Future Still Comething

Talking about Mark Millar's opinions and predictions of hollywood and comics (see Dan's recent blog "The Future Cometh"), its true that hollywood has had some strong effects on the comics industry, but I don't think its building up to an industry-wide bust from all of the talent being farmed out of comics and into movies.

Sure, there's a lot of money in hollywood, and that'll attract a lot of creators. But its never just handed over. Movies are huge collaborations, and the producers and investors and studio and stars and caterers will all be pushing and pulling at the production. Of course the same thing happens in comics, but on a MUCH smaller scale. Point is, if you've got a story you want to tell, its a lot easier and cheaper to tell it in a comic. The best testament to it happened this week as Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkies, Brothers Grimm), one of my favorite directors, announced he'll soon be working in comics. This is awesome and makes loads of sense. Gilliam, despite his genius and considerable success, has had some of the worst luck in hollywood. So much that there's a documentary (Lost in La Mancha) about his seemingly cursed film-making. So now he's taking all of his unused scripts and handing them over to the fellows at Virgin Comics (joining Oscar winning director Shekhar Kapur, John Woo, Guy Ritchie, and Nick Cage). Among Gilliam's projects, is a continuing series based on Time Bandits. Cooool.

I guess what I'm saying is comics has its place. People will come and go, and I don't think all of the talent's just going to up and leave at the same time. And if they do, fine. Then maybe I can sneak in and get a job.

-Nick

My Pick of the Week - Green Lantern #4

So I don't know if you know it or not, but every week each staff member here at the store gets to pick three new books for their "Picks of the Week". One of these, usually their favorite, is put on the video we show here, and all of them are featured on the Staff Pick display by the front of the store. Most of the time there is no way to differentiate who's pick is who's, so I thought I would show you mine for the upcoming week and tell you about why it.

Look at that picture! Doesn't this just scream READ ME! Yeah, not so much probably. Well, for me this series has been fantastic. As a reader who came in when the Corps was killed off (Emerald Twilight), for years there was only Kyle Rayner. And don't get me wrong, it was great. But there was always the constant reminder that he should have been part of something greater, something bigger. Too often we forget what the Green Lanterns are. They're cops. Interstellar space cops. They don't just hang out on their home planet waiting for the next bad guy to trash their home town. They handle the big stuff. Planetary invasions and the like. These are the guys called in when everything else has failed. And what's even more, is this book is about what happens when the problem is too big for just one Lantern. A lot of the old favorites are back, Killowog, Salaak, and the ever lovable Guy Gardner of course. They've got a bunch of new Lantern's as well, about 7200! Some of them, such as Vath, Isamot, and especially Natu are quickly becoming new favorites. I also like how they have setup the hierarchy of the Corps. There are two Lanterns assigned to each sector, all of which also now have "Preicent Houses" for those Lanterns. Above them are the Honor Guard, led by Guy Gardner. These are the ones sent in to the really tough spots, kind of like a SWAT team. Kilowog is in charge of training all new recruits, with others such as Guy lending a hand when needed. The Guardians aren't seen that much anymore, preferring to speak only to Salaak, who is now the Protocol Lantern, and pretty much in charge of all resources, including Lantern assignments. Oa itself is now encased in a giant lantern shaped fortress with the planet at it's center. The new fortress has living quarters for each Lantern, offices for those that need them, a memorial hall for fallen Lanterns, holding cells for prisoners, and giant cafetarias that cater to every race in the Corps. Given the size of the fortress I am sure there plenty still to come, I would not be surprised if they were even running their own judicial system.

In this issue: After being denied shore leave for a year(see GL Corps Recharge), Guy finally sneaks away to the planet Restoria for a much needed break. Of course there's got to be a bounty hunter coming after him to ruin it all. And it's none other then Bolphunga the Unrelenting. Or Idiotic if you prefer. This guy is so stupid he once tried to challenge Mogo to a fight. Ok, the GL fans out there will understand that, for the rest of you, it would be like Aunt May fighting Captain America. Understand? Good, moving on...

Well, actually that's it. Great book. We have the first three issues still in stock if you need them, so come on in and pick it up.

The Return of the Duck

In the past couple of weeks, the words "pushed back" have taken on new meaning, as new release dates for Civil War books seem to get later and later. Too often an unknowing customer walks in and asks "So do you guys have Civil War 4?" I always feel like I'm telling these people their dog got run over by the neighbor's car. "I'm sorry, no. It's been... pushed back".

But like a beacon of light in this desolate time comes Marvel's announcement of Civil War: Choosing Sides, a one-shot due out in late October. If you wondered what the Registration Act has meant for Daredevil, Venom, and yes even Howard the Duck, here's your chance to find out.

This collection of stories about an assortment of some of the less thought-of characters in the Marvel universe also includes an update on U.S. Agent and the launching of a new series about the new Irredeemable Ant-Man.

Yes, it's filler. Yes, it's fan service. But who doesn't enjoy a little fan service now and again? They owe us for being patient.

-Elizabeth

It Always Starts With a Dame

Today I was flipping through our new "previews of next week" comics. A Man Called Kev, Girls, Fables... looks like next week's going to be a pretty good one. But nothing new. Until I get to the back. The very last comic I see coming out the 13th is called "Sam Noir: Samuri Detective". Sign me up!

Sam Noir, is a classic gumshoe, complete with a dry sense of humor and inner monolouge narration. He just happens to carry a katana instead of a gun. And no, I don't mean the cell phone. The art, by Eric A. Anderson, is perfect for this book, very high contrast black and white, but with a nice nod toward traditional
Japanese styles.

And the writer, Manny Trembley, has done a great job of making this comic involving, funny, cool, and... different. Here's a sample of Sam's first-person narration, "Her kimono draped down to her getas. Her bleach white stocking feet were like two tasty rice bowls. I coulda nibbled the grains all night..."

In general, I'm a fan of comics that surprise me, that I didn't expect, but are well told stories. Sam Noir: Samurai Detective seems to fit the bill.

-Elizabeth

Kickback

Ok faithful readers, I've got a new thing for you. While I am sure you know that I usually use this spot to review some comics, I'm going to try something new for a bit. We will be doing reviews with two of our staff contributing to them. Kind of like an Ebert and Ropert type of thing. This week Elizabeth and I are doing David Lloyd's (V For Vendetta) new book Kickback. Nick and I have another one planned for next week, and then I think he and Elizabeth are doing one together also. So it won't always be the same reviewers, nor the same genre's of books.

So, without further ado, here is what Elizabeth had to say about Kickback:


If you're a film noir buff and love great art, Kickback may be up your alley. David Lloyd does an amazing job on the art in this book, though the story is somewhat incoherent and the characters are sometimes lacking in dimension and development. This short book has a great deal of potential, and at times feels like it could be fleshed out into something bigger. If I could change one thing about Kickback, it would be the way the story transitions and jumps between scenes. While I see what Lloyd was trying to accomplish, it too often falls short and is disorienting to a reader. Smoother jumps could have probably been achieved relatively easily. Despite this and other problems, I really enjoyed the gritty feel of this detective mystery about a corrupt city police force, and one officer's struggle. It's flawed in many ways, but definitely worth a read if you're looking for a good mystery, or just something a lot different from all the Civil War titles you've been reading lately.


Very nice, eh? Well, I can't say as that I really have much of an argument with anything there. The art is amazing, world's ahead of what he was doing back in the good old Vendetta days. I have seen many artists (Byrne, Lee) whose work has not changed at all in the past ten or more years, but Lloyd has obviously really put some work in here. Both the line work and the coloring really stand out, and even remind me of some more modern artists like Sean Phillips(Sleeper). That said, it can be very muddy at times, often relying on the text to identify characters for us.

I don't agree that it could have been something bigger, just maybe a little longer. There were scenes that could have used a little more exposition, and most of the characters were pretty one dimensional. Surprisingly, the characters that I felt had the most depth, or at least were properly fleshed out were many of the supporting characters, especially the main characters girlfriend.

And yes, many a time when it moved from one scene to the next it was unclear what had just happened. He does a lot of stuff off camera actually. Like on Star Trek when the Enterprise is surrounded by hostile ships who open fire right as they go to commercial. Then when they come back the Enterprise is sitting in the middle of a small debris field and the Captain says "Boy, that was a close one, I don't know how we got through that". That's fine for TV, well, not really, but in comics we should see the fight, or the beating in this case. It's not like you have to save money on the special effects budget.

So, overall? I give it a C+. Good, but it could have been better. If you are a fan of Lloyd's art though, I would consider this a must buy. Alright, peace, we out!

-Dan & Elizabeth

Black Button Eyes

Most of you know Neil Gaiman primarily as the writer of Sandman, but if you've ever read Neverwhere, Stardust, or American Gods, you know he's a great novelist as well as a top-notch comics writer. One of his best works, in my opinion, is a book called Coraline.

Technically, you could call Coraline a children's novel. The main character is a young girl (Coraline, of course) who finds her way into an alternate universe, Alice In Wonderland style. Coraline is darker and more modern than Alice, and very grown-up friendly. If you liked Mirrormask, you'd probably love Coraline. And if you're worried about your friends and coworkers catching you reading a kid's book, we're getting a new softcover printing on Wednesday that has a very cool, discreet black cover.

And yes, there is a movie in the works. And it should be pretty danged awesome; the scenes in the "real world" will be done computer animated, while the "other world" scenes will be stop-motion animation. If that wasn't enough awesome for you, They Might Be Giants are doing the soundtrack. Look for the film next summer.

-Elizabeth

Frank Miller on 9/11

So, you may not know this, but I am a huge NPR nerd. That's National Public Radio, if you didn't know, and the station in St. Louis is KWMU, 90.7 FM (www.kwmu.org). That's why I was really excited to come across the news that Frank Miller (Sin City, Dark Knight series) is going to be featured on a segment on said radio station on the 11th of this month.

That day is, of course, the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Miller will be reading an essay about how the attacks changed his view of what it means to be an American, focusing on patriotism and the symbol of the American flag. The segment will air as the "This I Believe" portion of Morning Edition that Monday.

If you're a Frank Miller fan, I'd definitely say this is a must-listen show. Other people who have been featured on "This I Believe" include John MCain, Bill Gates, and Colin Powell. And if you can't listen in, you will be able to read the essay after it airs, at www.npr.org/thisibelieve .

And, if you're looking for books on 9/11, check out the new 9/11 Report graphic novel, or Art Spiegelman's In The Shadow of Two Towers.

-Elizabeth

Bad Comics?

We all know that not every comic is a winner. I know I've bought a stinker or twenty. I'm sure I'll buy a few in the future as well. That's just the nature of it. Not just in comics, but in pretty much any medium remotely similar, prose novels, movies, music, and TV. But I found this really interesting offer in the back of one the comics I get this month. No I won't tell you which one, you all would never respect my opinion again. Let's just say it's a Devils Due book and leave it at that.

But as I was flipping through the ads at the end of the book I came across this amazing offer their doing, the DEVIL'S DUE's RIPPED-OFFer. Their spelling, not mine. The idea is surprising simple actually. Rip off the cover to a bad comic from one of "The Big Two" and send it to them, and they will send you a free comic. Along with the cover you send them the names of three different comics they publish that you would like to receive. The only conditions are that the stripped comic must have been released in the last two months, and that there is no guarantee you will get the comic you actually want. Who knows, this could all be a huge ploy to get rid of a massive overprint of Transformers: Beast Wars comics, but you never know, you might get a free issue of FAMILY GUY. And what do you really have to lose actually? You've already decided the comic you bought was crap, right? All the details.

The Future Cometh

I tell ya, coming up with new stuff to talk about every week can pretty difficult. Usually I try and talk about a new comic I read, or some new thing going on at the store. Occasionally I just can't think of anything and I'll just go out onto the web and see if anything catches my eye. This was one of weeks. And boy howdy, did I find something cool.

Over at Newsarama I found this really interesting article by Mark Millar on the future of the comic industry. He talks about the comic industry as a whole, and where we're going, based on where we've been, the booms and the busts. We all know that right now we're in one of the biggest booms comics has seen since the early sixties, but that may mean we are headed for one of the biggest busts ever in the next decade or so. What I found really interesting though, was what he thought might cause the next big bust. Hollywood. As Hollywood starts seeing the real potential of comics as a fertile feeding ground for new stories, and many Hollywood types come to comics to tell stories the way they want, rather then the way the studio's want to, many creators are being lured away from comics to movies.

Millar said that there is not a single writer that he knows who doesn't have a deal with a movie studio in someway or another right now. Many artists are also being lured away to do things like production design, or in the case of John Cassady (PLANETARY, ASTONISHING X-MEN), to even direct movies. Now I don't want to sum up too much of the article here, I'd rather you read it for yourself, but I just found it fascinating. Over the next could of years comics could just become the stepping stone into big Hollywood movies that small indie films used to be. Instead of making something like CLERKS, the next Kevin Smith may start out in comics, become an overnight success, and promptly be snatched up by a big studio to write or direct movies. And let's face it, the money in movies is a hell of a lot better then in comics. As Millar points out, the four issue mini-series that might get as much as $40,000 from one of the big two, can just as easily be written as a screenplay and sold for anywhere from $500,000 to a million dollars in Hollywood.

That's a big difference, too big to easily ignore. Seriously, if you found out that there was a company out there that paid ten to twenty times what you usually make at your job, for the same thing you do now, how long do you think it would be before you were asking for an application. Probably about as long as it takes you to find their building and go over there. Ok, that's it for today, I've got more to say about this, but it's already turning into a twenty page thesis in my head and I should before it gets to be one on the page as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, so feel free to respond here and maybe we can get a little discussion going.

-Dan

22 Panels That Always Work

"Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up."

Wally Wood had this motto hung in his studio to remind him to not waste time "noodling". Smart. Working as an artist is hard and time consuming. Any shortcut helps.

When I was a wee lad learning to draw, I turned my nose up at the kids I'd see tracing over their favorite Jim Lee wolverine drawings. They were just copying and I was a dedicated purist. A decade or so later (and after art school) I changed my mind.

Of course, nothing beats drawing from life blah blah blah. (life drawing session here next Thursday @ 6:30!) But aside from the shortcut factor, there's a lot to learn from other artists and tracing over their work in fine detail you see every choice they make. From linework and contrast to proportion and paneling. Wally put the lock down on 22 successful panels and thanks to Joel Johnson, you can now find hi res scans of them here.

-Nick