Divided We Stand

After the end of this week’s Messiah CompleX, the X-Men are no more…well for a few months anyways. The X-Men have disbanded in the wake of what the Divided We Stand handbills call “ the harrowing events” of the latest crossover. While one might think this could spell the end of X-Men comic books, what it is actually leading to is a world of changes in all things X (and a few new books).

In these post-Messiah CompleX days, New X-Men and Cable & Deadpool will be absent from store racks. Now before you start going and thinking that the ol’ House of Ideas is cutting down on X-books, three new titles are going to be launched under the Divided We Stand banner with an additional new Deadpool series launching later this year. Jon blogged about two of the new series back in December: Cable and X-Force. Since then, Cable-scribe
Duane Swierczynski has revealed that Cable will be a time travel themed book that focuses its first story arc on being new reader friendly. Meanwhile, the preview pages for X-Force (recently blogged about in this very spot) promise to bring us the kind of book one would expect of a bunch of X-Men wielding sharp things.

One book that has yet to be mentioned on the Star Clipper blog is April’s Young X-Men.
Until recently, very little was known about the title. When researching this new team of mutants a few days ago, I could only find this cover image.

With all these new books arriving, where does this leave all the surviving X-books? Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, Wolverine, and the renamed X-Men (now X-Men: Legacy) all have storylines spinning out of the death of the Xaiver’s dream. Marvel will release two X-Men: Divided We Stand specials starting in March, as well. You can check out these recently declassified solicitations for all the up coming X-citement is building towards July’s milestone 300th issue of Uncanny X-Men where a new X-Men team is born and a new dream is born.

Here is a checklist of all the Divided We Stand comics that you can fill out and drop by Star Clipper to add any of these books to your hold.

Nick

CompleXity

Now that the Messiah CompleX has reached it's dramatic conclusion, I stand by my opinion that this crossover was the best X-event in ten years. It's ridiculous the amount of ramifications this event will have on the X-universe. As I recap CompleX, there are going to be some major spoilers, so readers beware.

Messiah CompleX was the first really important X-event since "No More Mutants" in House of M. Character-wise this event covered almost all the remaining mutants in the Marvel Universe, and it truly was an X-fanboy's dream. First off, the villain rooster was unbelievable, including the Marauders, the Reavers, the Acolytes, Predator X and the mutant-hating Purifiers. When it rains on the X-Men it pours, and the Marauders alone would have been stormy enough.

Cable's return was a huge highlight, and the mystery of how he ended up with the infant "messiah" will hopefully have readers excited to pick up his new ongoing series. Wolverine got his typical awesome fight scene, taking care of Predator X once and for all. Cyclops' new "whatever necessary" attitude has led to a new incarnation of X-Force and will clearly take the X-books to territories they've never explored before. And Bishop, you so crazy! You've effectively broken up the X-Men. Who's the traitor now? At least my boy Gambit can finally gloat.

Complex was also chock full of deaths, including X-Man Caliban, Lady Deathstrike, and, most shockingly, Mr. Sinister! Of course, my favorite death has to be the death of Peepers to the fangs of Predator X.

It wouldn't had been an X-event if there weren't any alternate futures and time travel, and there was plenty of both. Interestingly, the alternate future explored in CompleX was already one famous to the X myth, it was that of Bishop's childhood. Talk about compleXity. The time travel was the major X-Factor story-line, and it will definitely leave Jamie Maddox "marked" for change.

The biggest shock is what happens to Xaiver, especially when he was finally redeeming himself. I can't spoil this one for you, so if you haven't read it you're just going to have to just pick up X-Men #207.

In my opinion, the strongest aspect of Complex, and what it should really be remembered for, was the incredible pacing between books. The story tied into all four of the main X books, and each creative team did an excellent job at wrapping up any lose ends left in previous chapters. Let me tell you, not getting an awesome X fix each week is going to be something I'm going to have to get use to.

Messiah Complex is a crossover done right and I urge you to check it out.

-Jon X

Old Time Simmer

Many of you may not know this, but I am a huge fan of mid-Twentieth century pin-up art. There's just something about it that I really like. People nowadays talk about the beautiful women that artists like Greg Horn and Greg Land produce. But to me, and I'm sure many of you, they feel just that, produced. Not drawn, or painted, just produced.

But go back to the 1940's and 50's and, well, you just get a whole different feel from what those guys were putting out. Sure this was a product of the times to some extent, but at the same time, it's amazing some of the stuff they got away with.

While probably the best know good-girl artist is Alberto Vargas, and many, if not most, of the nose art of World War II era planes were graced with his creations. Other notables include Bill Ward, Gil Elvgren, and Matt Baker (who created Phantom Lady). But for my money, the best out there is Dan DeCarlo.

DeCarlo got his start in comic books doing "Millie the Model" for Timely Comics, which he stayed on for a decade. After that he would make a move to Archie Comics where he stayed for over 40 years creating some of their most lasting characters, including "Josie and the Pussycats". During his time at Timely (renamed Atlas during his tenure) he sat down with editor Stan Lee for a talk. Lee was looking to make a little extra cash and knew about DeCarlo's ambition to break into magazine illustration. Lee would introduce him to the editor over at Humorama, a line of men's humor magazines owned by Timely publisher Martin Goodman. In return Lee would take a 10% finders fee (nice work if you can get it). So over the next several years DeCarlo put out what I think was some of his best work. Many of the characters he would later define as house artist for Archie could be seen throughout his work. It wasn't surprising to find Betty and Veronica swapping stories backstage at the strip club.

But what does all this have to do with you my friend? Isn't it obvious? We just got a new collection of Dan DeCarlo work in! Duh! "The Pin-Up Art of Dan DeCarlo 2" hit stores this month, and I made sure we got some copies for the shelf. Of course we still have Volume 1, and if you would like a more in-depth look at this artistic genius try picking up "Innocence and Seduction: The Art of Dan DeCarlo". I find the name apt as it was the publication of the book "Seduction of the Innocent" (and the general decline of the comic market) that convinced DeCarlo to jump ship from Atlas to Archie.

-Dan

I Suppose I Could Blame This On Monday...

Here are three disturbingly funny reasons Star Clipper doesn't carry Garfield.







Well, I'm off to send Nermal to Abu Dhabi.

-Jon (Arbuckle)

Toys for TV

Hey buddy, bummed out about the lack of new TV? I know, it's pretty bad. On the bright side, we just got a spate of cool Doctor Who toys in stock down here at Star Clipper. From action figures to voice changers, there's something for anyone, the collector or the overgrown kid! Of course kids like Doctor Who as well, so don't count them out!

Some of this stuff is really cool actually. You can pick up on the action figure box sets, of which we have several different kinds. You can get the Series 1 set with both the 9th and 10th Doctors, the Sycorax Leader, Dalek with mutant figure, a Space Pig, and Captain Jack! Among others, 10 in all! Or opt for the Series 3 box sets. The 6 figure pack comes with 10th Doctor, Martha, Dalek Thay, Judoon Trooper, Scarecrow, and Witch Lillith. Or go for the 10 figure Series 3 box and get all of those plus Judoon Captain, Brannigan, Dalek Sec Hybrid, and Novice Hame. Sorry, no Face of Boe here.

Last but not least, how about a little cosplay? You can get the Judoon Trooper Voice Changer Helmet for next the sci-fi convention, or go for something really cool. Are you worried that you might have aliens wandering around your neighborhood? Well with the Judoon Scanner pack you won't have to worry anymore. Well..., at least you'll know for sure one way or another. And if they are trouble, well the Scanner pack also happens to include..., wait for it...., Psychic Paper! How awesome is that? So stop on by and you too can get right back to where the adventure left off! Don't forget, we also carry the monthly Doctor Who magazine!

-Dan

Blue and Gold

Well now they've done it, haven't they? In this months Booster Gold (#6), DC has brought back one of their most beloved heroes. Course he wasn't so beloved till he got shot in the head, but isn't that how it always works? I take that back. Blue Beetle has long been a fan favorite, especially since his days with Giffen and DeMatteis's Justice League International.

But the intervening years saw little Beetle love. Mostly he was a cautionary tale for young super-heroes and those looking to dip into the world of costumed adventuring. "Watch out kids, or you too could be like Blue Beetle, wearing a girdle to World War III."

But Countdown to Infinite Crisis changed all of that. Many saw for the first time (myself included) just how cool this character could be. He wasn't just "Batman Lite" anymore. He was a hero in his own right.

And now we get to see that all again. Since Ted Kord can't go back to his own time though (he is supposed to be dead), he'll be joining Booster in his quest to set time right. It looks like it's going to be quite a ride from here on out.

Oh, and now that t-shirt IS right, Max Lord WAS framed!

-Dan

Youngblood? Really?

I know, I know. Youngblood? The Rob Liefeld disaster, right? Ok, now that all know what we're talking about, we're not talking about that. We're talking about the new series. We're talking about the new Joe Casey scribed project. You remember Joe Casey, right? Took over WildCATS after Scott Lobdell? Remember, batteries that last forever and that type of stuff? Great stuff really.

While I doubt he will be able to do anything like that in Youngblood, you can bet that whatever he does, you probably won't be expecting it. The first issue (out on 1/9/08) was pretty good. It took me over a week to get past the Liefeld cover, but I was glad I did. It actually feels a lot more like Invincible then anything else. While I believe this has a lot to do with artist Derec (Conor Hawke: Dragons Blood) Donovan, the FEEL of the book is certainly Kirkman-esque. Many of the series originals are here as well, including Badrock, Diehard, and Shaft. Who, incidentally, is now using a bow with an actual string! Somebody tried to tell me that Shaft's original bow had some sort of magnetic propulsion device in it, but I think Liefeld would just forget to draw it in.

And by the way, I don't mean to be so hard on poor Rob, but, really, I just can't help it. It's just so easy. Anyways, the book is surprisingly good, if you enjoyed previous works by Casey, I would highly recommend picking this up.

-Dan

Jumper: Jumpscars

Have you heard about the new movie "Jumper"? Yeah, neither had I. However, having now heard about it, I am kind of interested. Jumpers are people with the special ability to teleport pretty much anywhere on the planet. Nice, I'll take two please. Originally a book by Steven Gould, the movie stars Hayden (Darth Vader is a whiny bitch) Christiansen and Samuel L. Jackson. Christiansen is, of course, the titular jumper, while Jackson plays one of the Paladins, an ancient order dedicated to protecting us from jumpers. I checked out the website for the movie, and it's pretty cool, lots of neat little things tucked away in corners (check out all the locales on the globe!).

However, I found my way into all this kind of @$$-backwards. I was poking around on the Oni Press website when I saw the OGN. I probably wouldn't have thought too much about it, but then I noticed the name of the artist, our very own Brian (The Damned) Hurtt. Thinking back I remembered Brian mentioning he was doing this, but promptly forgot about it. Sorry Brian. Originally slated to be a four issue mini-series, Oni and 20th Century Fox decided an OGN released just before the movie was better then four issues spread over four months. This is not a bad call as I have seen several comic tie-ins get killed just by the fact that either a) they came out too late (Halo 3?), or b) they came out too early (Southland Tales?). So putting out the OGN the day before your movie is released? Good plan.

The comic, Jumper: Jumpscars (that's JumpScars, not JumpsCars) is set twenty years in the past of the Jumper world. It follows the training of the newest Paladin by one of their best, Roland (Sam Jackson). The writers, Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir, felt that the Paladins were shortchanged on screen time, so they wanted to round out their world and mission a little more. Said DeFilippis, "We see Paladins in the film, but we don’t see how hard their job is.” Weir added, "We wanted to show you this war from the ground level. What is it like to be swept up in this conflict? How does a Paladin get started and what is it like to have to do they things they have to do?”

All in all it looks pretty interesting. Oh, by the way, did I mention its directed by Doug Liman? You know, the guy who did "The Bourne Identity?" Yeah. The movie opens on Feb. 14th, just for you love birds, and the OGN, Jumper: Jumpscars, comes out the day before, Feb. 13th.


-Dan

Bottom of the Bin

Here's another bunch of web bits for all you regular readers out there. It's some pretty cool stuff, just none of it REALLY big news. So, off to the races!

- The "Justice League" movie has been shelved. And just what happened? What else? The writers strike. While the script for the JLA movie had been finished before the strike, apparently they need to do a little re-writing. And that's not an option right now. So Warner Bros. has let the options on the cast lapse, and are now hoping to get going in the summer, or maybe even the fall. Of course, by that time the director's and actor's Guilds may be on strike themselves. Guess we'll see.

- Newsarama posted a five page preview of X-Force #1 earlier this week. It got hidden over on the side, not in the regular news part, so you may have missed it. I think I might actually give this thing a shot.

- As many of you might have heard, there will be a trailer for the new Star Trek movie playing with Cloverfield. But if you don't feel like going to see that (which you should, it's fantastic!) you can check out the trailer here. I also found a close-up shot of the Enterprise being built over at Aintitcool. It is indeed pretty cool.

- Marc Guggenheim's "Resurrection", which I really like, and blogged about previously, put the first issue up on-line for free. The second issue comes out in just a week or two, and I highly recommend you pick it up.

- Did you know there's a Cloverfield manga? Neither did most. Available so far only on-line, and (so far), only in Japanese. Boo! CBR is looking to translate it, so if you know some Japanese, drop them a line.

- "The End League" by Rick "Fear Agent" Remender is going monthly. Remender and Dark Horse said they had such a good response just from the first issue they've decided to keep going with it. Expect this to happen around issue 5.

- Image released their solicitations for April, and Walking Dead #50 is getting two different covers. They are just CRAZY! One regular (OMG!), and one variant (WTF?).

- Last but not least: In the script-dry environment of Hollywood, there may just be a ray of light moving about. Apparently NBC-Universal is leaning on the SciFi Channel to "take another look" at the "Battlestar Galactica" spin-off "Caprica". The script for the pilot has apparently been done for a while, so no need to worry about the WGA on this one.

That's it folks. Enjoy!


-Dan

Deadpool Returns

One of the most talked about changes in the X-Men’s corner of the Marvel Universe is the cancellation of Cable & Deadpool. I can’t tell you how many customers here at Star Clipper have told me that they are going to miss their monthly fix of Deadpool. As under covered in a recent Wizard interview with comics scribe Daniel Way, it seems that they wouldn’t have to survive without a monthly Deadpool series for long.

Coming later in 2008, Daniel Way is teaming-up with his current Wolverine: Origins partner Steve Dillon to launch a new Deadpool series. The series will spin out of the current Origins storyline that features Deadpool trying to complete a contract taken out on Wolverine’s life. If this story arc is any indication of what is to come in Deadpool, expect the usual laughs and maybe a few more moments of true drama than in Deadpool series past.

The story arc "the Deep End" featuring Deadpool kicks off in this month's Wolverine: Origins #21.

-Nick

Spidey, OMD, and Me

One More Day and Brand New Day. It's all everyone is talking about right now. Wether you liked it or not, you can't ignore it. On most comic news sites, about every fifth article is Spider-Man related, talking to writers, fans, retailers, or what have you. Even ABC World News did a piece on it. Well, with all the talk, I decided to throw my two cents in as well.
Now most of the reactions break down into the following:

- Hated it, and won't be reading anymore Spider-Man
- Hated it, but willing to give the new direction and creators a chance
- Loved it, best thing Marvel has done with the character
- Don't read Spidey anyway, so what do I care?
- What does it matter, they'll just undo it in 1) 6 months 2) a year or 3) 5 years

I must say, personally, I'm leaning towards the last one, with a qualifier of two years. Which if they stay on schedule for three books a month, will have seen seventy-two issues published.

But really, what's the deal here? Myself, I have only read the Straczynski run of Amazing. I started when he did, and planned to leave when he did. So I kind of fall outside the earlier reactions. Yes, I didn't like the end of One More Day, but I wouldn't have kept reading Spider-Man regardless of what happened in OMD. And this isn't even the first time that great JMS project has had the ending ruined. Babylon 5 Seasons 4 & 5? Crusade? Rising Stars? Alright, maybe not Rising Stars so much, but Top Cow certainly had their fun with that one.

And what of the Peter/MJ marriage in the first place? Granted, most comic readers my age (30) don't remember anything but the two of them being married. But the marriage in the first place was an editorial decision foisted on the writers of the day. Stan Lee was marrying the two in his newspaper strip, so Editorial felt they should be married in the comics as well, even though they were not even dating at the time. And if you go even farther back, look how Peters first proposal to MJ works out. Aunt May is in the hospital (again) and had just been moved to intensive care (again), when MJ meets Peter in the waiting room. Pete asks her for some good news, and if she's thought about his proposal at all. To which she responds "Y'know good ol' MJ is too free a spirit to tie herself down to any one swinger -- even to a brown-eyed hunk like you. There's a world of groovy guys out there and this doll's gotta be fee to find 'em." Damn, that's just cold. No wonder people didn't like her.

And that's not the end of it. Ever since they did get married, many of the writers did not like MJ, and so would write her as a snarky or selfish character. Several times she begged Pete to give up being Spider-Man, which he even did for a while. They even killed her off once, only to bring her back later (she was being held hostage by a stalker). The two stayed splitsville until JMS came on the scene. His decision to write her as a strong, self assured, independent woman really drove the character to new heights. He wrote her so well, and so consistently, that even when Pete and family moved into Avengers Tower, she held her own against characters like Wolverine. He didn't do too bad a job with Aunt May either. An aside, I think them making Aunt May forget that Pete is Spider-Man is the worst decision of the whole thing. Oh, and does Norman Osborn remember who Spidey is? Cause if he doesn't, does that mean the Clone Saga didn't happen? Was MJ ever pregnant? What happens to The Amazing Spider-Girl now? Is that still the future, or just an alternate Earth now? Will we ever see Spidey piloting Leopardon now?

So, whose fault is the whole OMD mess? Well it must be JMS's. For making characters we believe in and like. And bunch of old farts who want the comics they read as kids back, no matter what the people who came after them think. Oh well, it's like we say here in St Louis about the wheather, "Don't like? Give it five minutes, it'll change."

-Dan

Bare Walls? No Problem!

Nick, Nick Main that is, sent me this earlier, and I just had to share it with you. The name of the company is Quantum Mechanix, and they make all kinds of neat science fiction crap. All kinds! First, they do some pretty cool Stargate stuff on the way, including a Stargate replica mirror. Among the things they plan on making are the F-302 (sweet!) and Zat guns. I hope to see a F-303 or a F-304 as well, but one never knows.

Not a 'gate fan? No worry, how about Serenity? Pick up a Malcolm Reynolds pistol replica, the official papers and registrations of the Serenity herself, or how about a set of Firefly blueprints? They also have posters and postcards (called Wavecards), and "something shiny" still in the wings. Hhhmnnnn.

Best of all are the BSG items. This is what Nick told me about in the first place. Get the Cylon Safety Information Sheet, with ten great tips on how to spot a Cylon, including "Does their spine glow red when they get... excited?" You can also pick up Dog Tags in several different ways. Customize them with your own name and a unique serial number, or get one of several characters from the show. Show characters come with set serial numbers, and are only available on characters still in Colonial military. So you can get both Adama's, Starbuck, and even Athena, among others. But I think the best of it all BSG Propaganda Poster Set, with five different posters that look fantastic. All of them have a very WW2 feel to them, and even have the weird corners that all the BSG paper seems to have. These are, I think, the best thing on the site, and I just ordered myself a set, you should too!

-Dan

Vampira Dies at 85

Actress Maila Nurmi, better known to the public as Vampira, died on January 10, 2008 at the age of 85. Vampira became an iconic figure in the 1950s as the host of her short-lived television horror program "The Vampira Show." She is also noted for her cameo role in Ed Wood's cult classic "Plan 9 from Outer Space." A slew of copy-cat horror show host, most notably Elvira, followed Vampira's lead and hosted their own imitation horror programs. Vampira is also noted for inspiring thecharacter Morticia on the TV show "The Addams Family."

Here is a short clip from her role in Plan 9:



She you next time children of the night.

-Jon

David Fincher: Comic Guru?

Is David Fincher the next "comics-to-movie" guru? I just got finished reading an interview with the man over at (of all things!) the MTV website. Not that he wouldn't have an interview there, it's just the idea of me even being there in the first place.

If you don't know who David Fincher is, well, that's bad news for you, because one day someone's is going start a fight with you and you won't know why. Fincher was a hit music video director in the 80's and early 90's, doing videos for Sting, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, George Michael and 3 videos each for Madonna ("Vogue", I loved that video when I was a teen) and Paula Abdul. Before that he worked in special effects on such films as Return of the Jedi, The Temple of Doom, and The NeverEnding Story. Not a bad career, huh? But that was before. Then Fincher was picked to try and make the disaster that ended up being named Alien3. This got him the big work, namely as the director on a little known project called "Se7en". This of course led to "Fight Club" and even (supposedly) bigger movies.

So what does all of this have to do with comics, you ask? Well according to the interview several of his next few projects are comic related. First up is "The Killer" by Jacamon & Matz. Brad Pitt's company, Plan B (also making World War Z) will be producing, and they already have a writer for the script. Next up are the series of shorts Fincher is doing for the magazine Heavy Metal. From what I understand they are CG animated 3D. He is also waiting to get a good script on the "Rendezvous With Rama", the classic by Arthur C. Clarke, which I'm sure many of you have read. Apparently Morgan Freeman is also involved with that. Last, but not least, is the point of this whole thing. Did you ever read a little book called "Fortune and Glory"? About Brian Bendis trying to get his book "Goldfish" turned into a movie? Well if you did read it, you will remember that by the end, they had given up on "Goldfish" and were talking to people about "Torso". Well, David Fincher is making "Torso". Ehren Kruger has written a screenplay, and they're talking to Matt Damon to play Elliot Ness.

Y'know, I didn't think about that actually. With the writers strike going on now, people aren't turning in any new movie idea's. Are studio execs taking this time to get caught up on their comic reading? Could we see an even bigger tidal wave of new films developed from comics? Maybe we will get a Jack "Starman" Knight movie out of it.

-Dan

Essay: The Graphic Novelist Coming-of-Age

I was looking around the fantagraphics blog and they had a link to an great essay from good magazine about the coming-of-age of the Graphic Novelist. It pretty much sums up why I started working at Star Clipper in the first place. The essay by Dan Pearson speaks for itself, so check it out.

-Jon

Go See Teh Cloverfield

OK, so it's late and yes, I forgot to post a blog this morning. But I did get in to see a sneak peak of Cloverfield tonight at the Tivoli (reserve seats courtesy of our pal Joe Moskus of Allied Entertainment).

If you're thinking that this is just a cover for some kind of Godzilla or Voltron live action flick, you're in for a very pleasant surprise. Yes, it's a monster movie. No, it's not Godzilla...or a giant robot (transforming or otherwise). Think along the lines of Aliens in terms of raw freak out power and visual intensity. No, skip that. Aliens had slow moments where the characters could engage in quiet introspection. When the action starts in Cloverfield, there are NO. QUIET. MOMENTS. From the first sign of something strange happening, the movie steamrolls you with action and overpowers your nervous system. 2 hours after it was over, I'm still pumped up on adrenaline and a little jumpy. In fact, I have no idea how I'll get to sleep tonight.

If you haven't already seen the trailer, I urge you to check it out.

I do have a couple of complaints - it definitely leaves you wanting more, but I suppose that's JJ Abrams' style. It is too short, however. It takes about 20 minutes for the action to start, and then the whole thing wraps up in another hour - and that hour goes by FAST. For what you have to pay to see a movie these days (not to mention the ads you have to sit through) I feel ripped off by anything less than 2 hours. Since I didn't pay to see this movie, I can't say I was ripped off, but if it were just a little longer...what am I saying, if it were any longer I probably would have had a heart attack.

It opens this Friday. Go see it. You'll be glad you did.

-b

p.s., The monster thing from Cloverfield could kick Godzilla's ass in about 2 milliseconds...maybe less. In fact, Godzilla would take one look and just walk away.

Non Standard Apparel

You remember a couple of months back when I talked about the "Dan Didio Must Die!" shirts? Well I've found a few more like it. Over at the same site as the Didio shirts are a couple of options. They have a variant of the Didio shirt, pictured above, some Death Note "L" merchandise (I like the shoes), and a few other internet and comic themed shirts. I have to get the "Max Lord Was Framed" shirt for Lauren (she's a big Blue Beetle fan).

But fear not all you Marvel fan boys and girls, we have shirts for you too! Of course these are more along the lines of Marvel haters shirts, but what can you do. Personally I really want the "It's Magic", it seems like I would get a little more everyday use out of it. But the "Joephisto" is an instant classic as well. I wish it was a little more well designed, but can you do? Make my own, you say? Well I just might. I'll let you know.

I have come up with a few other t-shirt slogans that I think are pretty good though, such as the following, "Make Mine... Make Sense". "My Comics Make Sense" is a little better rewrite of that same one. There were a few others, but they're still works in progress.

-Dan

L'Art De R. Black

Leggy sirens, gleaming bikes, spiked heels, what more could you want in rock concert poster art? Well, that's exactly what you get from R. Black's new art book [FUTURA] L'Art De R. Black published from Dark Horse Books. [FUTURA] collects Black's poster art for groups such as Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Misfits, GWAR, and countless other, while it also features album covers, t-shirt designs, and magazine covers. As an added bonus, you get a pair of 3D glass designed by R. Black.

Here are 4 great examples of his work:






My favorite aspect about R. Black's art is the motif of scooters. In fact, one whole chapter of [FUTURA] is dedicated to his scooter posters. So, if you don't like concert posters but you're a scooter enthusiast, R. Black has got you covered.

-Jon

Comics For You

I want to take today and recommend a couple of books to you guys and girls.

First up this week is the amazing new launch from Jonathan Hickman, Pax Romana. I may have talked about this book before. I don't remember. But you should buy this book. Or the Nightly News, which was Hickman's previous book. Hickman does comics like no one else. I mean this really from a design point. The closest I can think of is the issue of DMZ that Brian Wood did on his own, issue 12 (or something like that), the tour of New York issue? Inter-spread within the meat of the story are factoids about the characters, the world they live in, and anything else that might be useful. The story is excellent as well. The Catholic church decides to take over the world, again. But this has got to be their best plan yet. Using time travel (YES!) they send 5000 modern warriors, with modern tech, back to the 4th century. Their plan? Take over Rome. Brilliant.

Also don't forget about Hickman's other new book, Red Mass for Mars, coming out shortly. I love the tag line: "RED MASS FOR MARS tells the story of the last days of Earth and the one man who could save us all, but won't."

I have also mentioned the fantastic "The Infinite Horizon" by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto a few times already, but I have something new for you on that front. The guys over at Newsarama (why do they get all the cool shit?), along with Image, have been putting a lot of free comics online for Christmas. Well they just put the full first issue of Horizon up. Go check it out, as it's easily going to be one of the best comics of the year.

-Dan

All New Hulk

Premiering yesterday, January 9 is the all new Hulk, and there's something oddly different about this Hulk. Hulk grey? No! Hulk Green? No! Hulk RED! YES!!! HULK RED!!! And red Hulk looks angrier than ever. Does anyone else think Hulk might be so red and angry because he is constipated. Hulk eat too much cheese!

Written by Jeff Loeb with art by Ed Mcguinness, the brand new Hulk title picks up from the rumble of World War Hulk. The series co-stars Iron Man, She-Hulk and Leonard Samson, as they investigate a shocking murder that all the evidence points to Hulk as the culprit.

The new Hulk series is a different solicitation than the Incredible Hulk series that is currently following the adventures of Incredible Hercules and Amadeus Cho. So, for pull customers, make sure to update your holds for the new red Hulk series.

In other Hulk news, here are some early screen shots for the new Hulk movie featuring Ed Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk:




The film will be release in 2008 and is directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter). It also has cast Liv Tyler as Betty Ross and William Hurt as 'Thunderbolt' Ross.

-Jon

Vertigo nabs Lapham

David Lapham, arguably best known for his creator owned series Stray Bullets, is bringing his newest creation, Young Liars, to DC's Vertigo label.

“I haven’t had this much fun since my Uncle Chuck took me on a crime spree in the fourth grade.” — David Lapham

I must say, the thing that jumps out at me most about this series, is the name of one of Lapham's protagonist's, Danny Noonan. Has that much time actually gone by since Caddyshack? It's like naming your main character Clark Griswold, or Rick Deckard. It's not like we're going to just forget these names.

Anywho, this is another series I am really looking forward to. I read Stray Bullets a number of years ago, and have read some of Lapham's work for hire stuff, and they just don't really compare. I think, like many writers, Lapham only really lets go when it's something of his own he's working on. So this should work.

Newsarama posted a few pages of the first issue on their site, so I guess you could go over there and look at it. I am pretty intrigued actually. And I almost hesitate to say it, but it even looks like Lapham's worked on his art some in the meantime. Not that it every looked bad in the first place, there's just something about these new pages that really works. Young Liars will ship in March.

-Dan

Persepolis

Star Clipper was the official sponsor of Persepolis when it screened at the St. Louis International Film Festival. Unfortunately, I missed the one night screening but the film will be back in St. Louis early this year, and from how good the trailer looks I will definitely be seeing it.

Telling the story of 9-year-old Marjane and her struggles growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, the film is based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. The Complete Persepolis softcover is currently available at Star Clipper, so if you would like to read the source material before the you see the film do it soon.

Check the official Persepolis movie site for the brilliant trailer.

-Jon

Who Will Be The Next Captain America?

Alright folks, at this point I think it's fair to say Steve Rogers ain't coming back from the dead. Funny thing is, Cap is coming back, and with a brand new Alex Ross suit to boot. On January 23 Captain America #34 hits the shelves, and we will find out who will be taking over the patriotic mantle, but until then it's still a guessing game on who will be the next Captain America.

From what I've gathered from our regulars, the majority opinion on who will become the new Cap is the Winter Soldier, with the main evidence being the similarity between his current suit and the new Ross suit. I'm lending towards good old Bucky as the most logical replacement, but I would be interested if Marvel tries someone else for the new Cap. Marvel actually has a fun link called unusual suspects debating the pros and cons of six possible contenders for the stars and strips hero, Hawkeye, Winter Solider, U.S. Agent, Union Jack, Iron Man, and The Red Skull???

My only worry is that Marvel might introduce a completely new character to take on Cap's role, a la the new Ion, Sodam Yat, in the DC universe (note- I know Sodam Yat was introduced in an Alan Moore story from the 80's but aside from that he is entirely new). I feel like Sodam Yat, and Ion in general, has been a complete failure. The reason being is that introducing a new character in the middle of a huge story arc like the Sinestro Corps. takes away from the focus on the main characters, and fans have a hard time getting behind the new character. With how good Captain America has been recently I would hate to see it suffer the same type of pit falls. The momentum writer Ed Brubaker has created around relatively minor characters from Captain America like Winter Solider, Falcon, Sharon Carter and Black Widow is uncanny, and it would be a shame if the attention was suddenly shifted to a character that was entirely new that no one really cared about. Though, I really don't think this will happen, I still am a little worried.

Anyway, if you have an interesting guess as what's to come for Captain America, let me know.

-Jon

Burning the House Down

I'm sure you're all familiar with the horror zine FANGORIA, yes? If not them, then at least some of their sister publications, STARLOG, or STAR TREK MAGAZINE? They also do lots of movie related mags, mostly one shots for the individual movies. Well apparently they do a healthy back issue business. Healthy enough at least to have a warehouse full of old magazines for mail and on-line orders. Well not anymore unfortunately. Earlier this month magazine collectors saw many of their mags become even more collectible and rare when the entire Oregon, IL warehouse went up in flames. Fortunately no one was hurt, but Fangoria lost the entire stock stored there. According to their site, the fire was started when a forklift punctured a gas line. The gas spread, and was ignited by a near by space heater. Not helping was the fact that the buildings sprinklers were all turned off. Oh, and that it was a building full of paper. That really didn't help anything. Luckily everyone made it out okay. If you're interested, you can still get a few of the FANGORIA back issues just the past ten or so, not that much given the years of material they used to have.

-Dan

My Christmas Helper Robot

This Christmas was honestly the longest Christmas ever. Why, you ask? Well, every present I got was delivered by my new helper robot Emiglio. That's right, my dad found me a Emiglio, a robot that can only move straight or in a circle, making gift delivery quite tedious. You can also talk through emiglio in a cool robot voice, saying awesome robot phrases like "intruder alert!" and "prepare to be eradicated!" Unfortunately, Emiglio won't be coming with me to work to help out, but occasionally I will keep you updated on the status of my new helper robot.

In other robot news, check out Robots-Japan for the latest on all those crazy Japanese toy robots. We occasionally carry some pretty cool robots like the Soul of Chogokin Getta Robo series pictured below:


-Jon

Movie Shorts

Despite not being a comic book movie fan, there are a few projects coming out that I am pretty excited about. First, how could any comic fan not be excited about DC's animated movie The New Frontier. With Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke both heavily involved, this looks to be one of the most faithfully translated creations in years. I'm sure most of you saw the trailer that Warner and DC put out during the San Diego Comic Con, but they have also released a new trailer showing much more actual footage. So far I've only been able to find it on YouTube, but them's the breaks.

In other comic to movie news, the Hellboy II trailer has popped up on the IGN site. OMFG! I was a little worried when I heard Del Toro was getting away from the strict adaptation for this one, but it looks like it really works. Realizing that with a already built in audience of fans from the comic and the first movie, he's taken this one into the realm of the big budget slugfest. Which, after seeing the trailer, is apparently exactly what a Hellboy movie should be all about. I'm glad to Johann appear, don't know if he will be that big of a character, but glad to see him regardless.

Last but not least, I did get out to see The Mist this past week. Really, really, really good. Until the last two minutes. They should have kept the original ending from King's book. Oh well.

-Dan

The Year in Comics 2007

Recapping last year, 2007 was a huge for comics, comic movie adaptations and Star Clipper itself.

Hands down the biggest comic event of 2007 was the death of Captain America. Marvel's choice not to publicize Cap's assassination until the day of the release of Captain America #25 helped the comic make national headlines. Everyone and their grandmother wanted a copy, and I met people who probably never stepped foot into a comic shop in their entire life interested in reading the story.

The major trend for Marvel and DC last year was crossovers, making 2007 kind of resemble the mid 90's. Marvel concluded their Civil War series (which really should have ended in 2006), and also had successful crossovers with World War Hulk and X-Men: Messiah Complex. DC had a surprise hit with Green Lantern - The Sinestro Corps. Wars, which was arguably the best of the crossover batch. However, DC really lost the momentum of 2006's weekly series 52 with the "sequel" Countdown. Though it tied in to absolutely everything in the DC Universe, fans seemed exhausted with the weekly comic and it really declined in sales.

Other major events in comics was the conclusion of many popular series, most notably Strangers In Paradise, and, ending at the beginning of 2008, Y the Last Man. Bye bye.

The best book you didn't read this year was Gerard Way, of My Chemical Romance fame, and Gabriel Ba's Umbrella Academy. Who'd a thunk a rock star could write such compelling super-hero comics!

The biggest let down of 2007 was definitely Spider-Man - One More Day, in which Joe Quesada made himself look like a power-crazed megalomaniac, doing everything he could to annoy loyal spidey fans. Mephisto, come on!!

On the topic of Spider-Man, the third movie turn out to be quite the hit, breaking box office records all over the world for it's opening weekend performance. Other comic adaptations included Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Transformers, Persepolis and 30 Days of Night, making 2007 another big year of comic movies.

For Star Clipper, the opening of our art gallery was the biggest event for the store. We opened the gallery with the hugely successful second annual Star Clipper St. Louis Munny Show, and continued through the year with some other great shows, including the Virgin Comics show, Matt Kindt's Super Spy, the Fantagrahics "Buddies" Show, Human Hair, and Mark Mothersbaugh' Beautiful Mutants. Also, we had some awesome artist/writer signings including Jeffrey Brown, Scott McCloud, Matt Fraction, Peter Bagge, Johnny Ryan, Jim Blanchard, John Porcellino, and my personal favorite Gary Friedrich and Ghost Rider!

We couldn't be happier with what the gallery has added to the store and we promise to have plenty of other surprises for 2008!

Make sure to check out Newsarama.com and comicbookresources.com for their lists of the big comic events of 07.

Happy New Year!

-Jon

Mario Madness!

Over the holidays, you wouldn't believe the number of phone calls we got asking if we sell Nintendo Wii or Super Mario Galaxy. By the second week of December, I was about ready to walk down to Game Crazy and pick up some copies, just so we could meet the demand. Though we never got the actually video games, it still feels like Mario madness here at Star Clipper, with all the great Mario related toys and plushes we recently got in stock. The best of the Mario plushes have to be the 9-inch Gumbas, Coin Blocks, and Super Stars with awesome 8-bit sound effects (try em out next time you're in). Toy wise, we have some pretty unusual Mario related stuff, including Bullet Bill, Boo, Fire Flower, Blooper (squid), and Cheep Cheep (fish). And mushrooms, boy-o-boy we have a lot of Mario mushrooms, and they're good for what ails you.

As an extra treat, check out this awesome youtube video of some insanely good video gamer beating Super Mario Bros. 3 in 11 Minutes!



Wasn't that ridiculous! Take that Bowser.

-Jon