We’ve been over the booth babe controversy enough, and so I’m not going to rehash that here. However, I was struck by one paragraph in this LA Times piece, by Tod Goldberg, on Comic-Con:

It was the zombie issue that brought forth the sociologist in me. Countless women covered in knife wounds and in advanced stages of decomposition happily posed with men (and boys … lots and lots of boys). The booth for “The Blood Factory” — Danny DeVito’s home of short splatter films … which is to say, films with lots of sex and lots of knife wounds, often concurrently — featured two smiling and bloodied hotties wielding chainsaws who posed and vamped for children of all ages. The sexualization of violence was not something I was prepared for even knowing well how undead vampires have become romance heroes in print and film. Sex was certainly in play without violence too — apparently selling any kind of video game is easier if there’s a vacant-eyed woman wearing a Wonder Woman costume in the booth — and in a way it’s nothing new for these kinds of gatherings since even Renaissance fairs use women as objects, but usually those women aren’t covered in open wounds. I’m no prude per se, but it was nonetheless odd to see young boys getting their cheeks pecked by buxom undead women. Maybe not as odd as the gentleman dressed like Bob’s Big Boy, burger and all, but odd no less.

I would say that what he’s critiquing here is not the sexualization of violence–anyone who’s seen Kill Bill or, well, any action movie, could tell you that sex and violence go hand in hand–but the way women are almost always cast as the victims of that violence. In other words, it’s not that there’s violence and sexy women mixing; it’s that those women are dressed as victims of violence and yet are cheerily posing for pictures with men and young boys. It’s the normalization of women-as-victim of violence that is kinda creepy.

That said, I like female monsters, even the undead variety, in my monster movies. Zombies and vampires, after all, keep coming despite the horrible things done to them. That’s what makes them scary, and in vampires’ case, sexy. The monsters are powerful because they are dead and yet they live.

Goldberg juxtaposes women wielding chainsaws (presumably, the blood they are covered in would be someone else’s) with women covered in (fake) wounds here without question, where in fact they’re two very different things, and I would go even further and say that it does matter whether the women covered in wounds are zombies or simply victims.

This goes to the heart of my disgust with “torture porn” films like Saw and Hostel but love for vampires, zombies, and other freaky monsters. Monsters are subversive, uncanny: they violate boundaries. Torture porn movies do nothing but show us splashy violence, the worst of humanity, and quite often reinforce gender roles: male attacker, female victim. A wounded woman who fights back is entirely different than one who is simply a victim, and a wounded woman who comes back as a monster might be the stuff of worst nightmares.

One scene from a few clips shown of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass got a standing ovation during its panel at Comic-Con in San Diego. To get a standing ovation is suppose to be a rare thing at Comic-Con and that is a sign that this adaption of a Mark Millar (Wanted) creator-owned comic book has legs and will ultimately find a distributor.

Whether or not your taste is for the ultra-violent, is something to consider. Vaughn admits that part of the problem with finding a distributor is that “the script broke every taboo known to man.” But it sounds like this film about teenagers who want to be superheroes is going to turn out to be pretty cool.

Keep in mind, Matthew Vaughn, the co-writer and director of Kick-Ass, also produced Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1997 and that was a fun ride. Is this something you’re looking forward to? I think I’d give it a try. It is Mark Millar after all.

Here’s a quick rundown on some of the other things I did at Comic-Con International in San Diego starting out with some photos. Here we’ve got some shots of the con, the Heroes panel, the Pop Candy Meetup, Jennifer Daydreamer, Henry Chamberlain, Popcultour, Paul Pope, and live art by Jim Mahfood, Josh Blaylock and Scott Morse:

Here is a lineup of stuff including things to come and look out for:

Anthony Zuiker Presents The Digi-Novel, Level 26: The creator of the CSI franchise was very kind to take some time to speak with me about his new project, Level 26. I will have that interview for you to check out later.

Lucky Man At Heroes Panel: I think the very best moment was towards the end of the Q&A when a quite smitten young man asked if he could see Hayden Panettiere up close after a quest to meet her that began four years ago. Hayden smiled and said, “When this is adjourned, will you meet me over there?” This was immediately followed by a warning not to get any ideas. “Too many brothers up here,” quipped Hayden.

Whitney Matheson’s Pop Candy Meetup: Talk about a very mellow and fun get-together Saturday evening. Whitney was totally charming and accessible. I highly recommend Whitney’s coverage of Comic-Con among other pop candy treats. I enjoyed a cocktail with my sweetie, Jennifer Daydreamer, as we took in the view and later on got into a comics discussion with James Sime.

James Sime’s Favorite Geek Out Moment: JamesSime, the proprietor and driving force behind Isotope Comics, had this to say: “It was during the Eisner Awards ceremony. Suddenly, there’s Leonard Starr at the podium making a presentation. He’s well known for his legendary comic strip, Mary Perkins, On Stage. It hasn’t been in print for so long. So, it was a deer in the headlights moment for me to see him.”

Paul Pope at Popcultour: I think the theme of the night was “accessible” since, after Whitney’s party, it was also great to see Paul Pope later that night at another party. Paul was open to do a little meet and greet as the opening DJ for an event to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. A live art performance featured Jim Mahfood, Josh Blaylock and Scott Morse.

Alfonso Ruiz: Cartoonist Alfonso Ruiz, a very talented young man is well on his way. I bought one of his original pages and I will need to keep my eye on what he’s up to. He loves the fact that he’s involved with a lot of great comics talent which includes a lot of great Mexican artists. We’ll hear more from him soon.

Rum For Comics: I was speaking with someone waiting in line for the Popcultour event. He said he never spends money on comics. He simply trades it for some of the best rum you’re ever going to find. I believe that would be Puerto Rican but I didn’t catch the name. Email if you read this!

DC Comics Talent Search: As many of you are aware, SDCC is a great place to try your luck at being discovered by DC Comics. The best advice I can offer, having gone through the orientation process but sadly not chosen for a portfolio review, is to take this very seriously and go in with your best work. That said, keep in mind that this is highly competitive and only five or six of the hundreds who submit each day are chosen for a closer look. It really doesn’t hurt to go through the process and you will learn something about your work.

Lark Pien Debuts New Book: A big name in the small press is Lark Pien. So, to see her first published book, Long Tail Kitty, is such a beautiful thing. She’s published by Blue Apple Books and distributed by Chronicle Books. Keep an eye out for it or ask for it at your local bookseller. I’ll have a review and more info about it later.

Be Good And This Won’t Happen To You: I will leave you with a disturbing image to ponder. We were waiting near the train tracks overlooking the Gaslamp District as we were about to walk over to Comic-Con, when a police officer asked us all to stop. Well, this guy, probably about fifteen, really wanted to join his friends who had already gotten across. In a panic or just plain stupid, he began to push his way past the officer. Maybe he figured since this was a female officer that he’d get away with it. Wasn’t long before two fellow officers frog marched our little friend back to the curb. They did an excellent job of it too. I know I was inspired to be extra courteous to everyone around me after that scene.

Because I still think it’s disgusting.

From Kotaku:

Let’s play this down the middle, as much we can. “Costumed representatives,” are there to make a physical appearance, both sides would agree. But Iola is right: Neither Comic-Con, nor E3, nor any other convention, is a strip club. It’s no more appropriate to assume she’s there for casual opposite-sex companionship than it would be to think a well dressed public relations professional - who’s also there to promote a product and likewise is expected to look good on the job - is after the same thing.

The problem is that EA’s promotion projected just that image - not only on their own reps, but reps of other companies as well, whether or not it was consistent with the spirit or tradition of Comic-Con, E3, or any other show. That’s the reason for the furor, and that’s why you got an apology.

The whole post is worth reading, as it includes comments from a self-proclaimed costumed rep who’s suffered through much obnoxious behavior at cons.

The comparison to a strip club, however, struck me as particularly apt. Because it’s NOT what Comic-Con is supposed to be. Yet by projecting the idea that cons are for boys, the corresponding assumption that any girl who is there is there for the sexual gratification of the male attendees (and thus the attendant reaction to the Twilight-fangirls who are there for their own damn visual sexual gratification, thank you very much) is not only prevalent among attendees, but played to by just this sort of promotion.

I find it interesting that the most egregious examples of this stuff came from video game companies. Am I strange in noting this?

I was talking with someone at SDCC about the Heroes panel and all the love that was shared between the show and its fans. And yet the show seemed suspect to me because of how well-financed its marketing campaign is. The first thing she asked me was, “Is that show still popular?” In a nutshell, Heroes was something special when it started out and then it turned into something that, despite all the money thrown at it, lost its way.

Judging by the Nissan Cube giveaways and an elaborate carnival set to promote Heroes at Comic-Con International, I’d say Universal is very serious about promoting the heck out of its once golden property.

Having stood in a hopelessly long line for the two Dollhouse panels, it is interesting to me to consider how much less money Joss Whedon’s creation needed to spend in its SDCC campaign compared to Heroes and perhaps…how much more popular, and better, Dollhouse is than Heroes. From what I could tell, posters were all that Dollhouse needed to get the word out.

Wow, this is pretty low even for the kinds of things we’ve already seen floating around Comic-Con.

I know all about the “booth babes” and my own feeling on the subject is pretty much meh. Maybe I’ve just been inured to the use of women’s bodies to sell things, and I’m used to the idea that comic conventions are “for the boys” even though I’ve been fighting that notion in this here blog. It’s kind of funny to me, too, that “booth babes” are still used to lure fanboys, who then turn around and complain about Twilight fangirls squealing over Robert Pattinson. Still, way to take the whole idea to a new low, EA Games. Rewarding guys for committing “acts of lust”? With no definiton on what that entails?

So now the girls standing around awkwardly at various booths are not only going to be stared at and groped a few times, they’re going to have boys trying to do so and document it on photo to try to win a chance to–hang out with more girls?

Sounds like EA Games needs a quick lesson. Hey guys? Women aren’t like your video games or comic books. We’re people, too. We get to choose with whom we commit “acts of lust,” and sometimes we don’t like it on camera. We certainly don’t like being bought and sold for the price of a video game.

Someone keep these guys away from the Twilight fans, please.

Also, if I never hear another joke about a “chest full of booty” it’ll be too damn soon.

(thanks to Blog@’s own David Pepose for setting me off on a rant at 9:30 on a Saturday)

Friday at San Diego Comic-Con was a full day for me. Here is a quick run-down of what’s been going on lately from my vantage point:

• EQAL and Anthony Zuiker Present LEVEL 26: I had the pleasure to interview Miles Beckett who, with Greg Goodfried, run EQAL, a company that produces original interactive content online. They have come a long way since their first lonelygirl15 videos and now have teamed up with Anthony Zuiker, the creator of the CSI franchise, to bring you, LEVEL 26, the world’s first “digi-novel,” a fully interactive novel. It’s a very cool idea that, thanks to some awesome talent behind it, is something to really look forward to. You can start right in and see for yourself. I will provide you guys with the full interview in a later post and some other interesting news about this and other related projects in future posts.
• COMICPALOOZA SHOUT OUT: I have to thank P. J. Holmes for allowing me to borrow his laptop at a critical moment here at SDCC, the home of critical moments. Check out the great comics con of the Southwest, Comicpalooza.
• THE PRISONER PANEL: I caught the tale end of this panel and it really came across as a genuine lovefest for this film by the actors, Jim Caviezel, Jamie Campbell-Bower and Lennie James; writer, Bill Gallagher; AMC’s Vlad Wolynetz, vice president of production; and producer/director Robert Meyer Burnett. I will just say here that the sneak peek clip was very cool with the sinister “Two” character played wonderfully by none other than Ian McKellen! The scene has “Two” wondering if anyone really likes him as he tosses a grenade into the trembling hands of an assistant who can’t quite bring himself to say he actually likes his insane boss. I also should say that this is a six-part mini-series and runs for three consecutive nights in November on AMC.
• NO ROOM FOR ME AT DOLLHOUSE BUT FAN COMES TO RESCUE: I tried. I stood in one of the longest lines you’ll ever want to see for a very long time only to be told that they had a packed house. No one dared move at first and only a few hesitantly gave up and walked away. But all was not lost, really, since I  got a fan to give me the scoop on what’s going on with Dollhouse. Andre Walker, a lean man in his thirties, let me know that the series has problems but that fans are willing to wait. “It’s got some good stuff but it needs character development. It’s not like Buffy or Angel. There’s only a few characters right now I really care about. Eliza Dushku’s main character is not someone people care about like they should. And, hey, it’s Joss Whedon. Give him time. Just look at Firefly. That was a bumpy ride at first.”

Um, hello.

A debate about “female power icons in pop culture”?

With Signourney Weaver on a panel with Eliza Dushku, Zoe Saldana, and Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost? All it would need would be Sarah Michelle Gellar and I’d be in heaven.

From the Guardian, some highlights from the panel.

Weaver:

“Science fiction is an investigation into what it is to be human,” she said at one point. “A lot of the roles I have played, they’re not trying to create a female action figure - they’re trying to create a fully-functioning human being; a character comes first.”

Saldana:

“It’s about how long I have to stand fighting a room full of men about why I should do a fight scene in trousers, where I’m required to run across a floor and leap on to a moving elevator,” she argued, “They’re confused because they’re convinced I should be just as good at doing that in a leather miniskirt and Gucci boots.”

Dushku:

“I asked Joss for the most kick-ass multi-dimensional character he could think of, and he delivered … this character, it’s just a lot like me.”

Mitchell:

“My roles have been far more adventurous, far more interesting, once I moved beyond 30; my roles are juicer, and sexier, and more powerful - we’re allowed to do all those things, be all those things, once we pass 30.”

Anyone at SDCC and catch this panel?

On Wednesday, I was fortunate to catch the tail end of the ICv2 conference as well as take a first look at the convention floor. As they say, it’s all about the fans. And that often means it’s all about the money. Seeing so many people at Comic-Con with giant bags of swag, standing in so many lines, desperation in the eyes of some, waiting for a chance to win something or buy something, I could clearly see money as the dominant theme: those who make it and those who spend it.

So, before being part of the human comedy that is SDCC, it was nice to listen to a few elite voices plot out what they think will motivate the fans. ICv2 is a consulting firm in the service of those trying to sell something to the fans. The conference was meant to tell it like it is about market trends. For my money, the star of the last panel was Jeff Katz, a Hollywood exec (Snakes On A Plane) turned comics writer (DC Comics’ Booster Gold) who led off with a two guns firing declaration that Hollywood is no fool and it knows how to chase down money and the money is in comics. Katz, looking like a hyperactive Kevin Smith, went on to rally for all those good-natured, well-meaning, creators who feel powerless in dealing with corporate interests. “The secret is that they need us more than we need them. The corporate balls are exposed and you should feel free to squeeze!”

Katz, who runs his own company, American Original, was beside himself in forecasting further profit in comics in a big way. He didn’t say exactly how a lone creator overcomes and succeeds but the general idea was to control what is yours. This is where Top Cow’s Matt Hawkins stepped in with more straight talk, “Don’t take the money. Don’t sell you soul for $25,000 when your title could make millions over time.”

Once I was out on the convention floor, observing the fans, as a mass of humanity, out for the next shiny bauble, they seemed totally at the mercy of the various corporate interests, utterly powerless. Of course, they really are not. Just like those good-natured, well-meaning, creators, the fans have more power than they probably realize. As Jeff Katz would advise, if the corporate balls are hanging, the fan should not hesitate to squeeze.

Good morning, ‘rama readers. For those of you, like me, stuck at home while your friends and colleagues get into trouble at enjoy Comic-Con, I bring you a whole bunch of linkage that has nothing to do with Comic-Con! Well, mostly.

From the New York Times, a piece on India’s sliding comics industry, and its turn to animation to save its fortunes.

Inside Out, at Girl-Wonder.org, wants Marvel to can the lip gloss and make real products for women.

Via Comics Worth Reading, Classics Rock!, a blog about songs based on books, is focusing on comics this week. So far we have Green Lantern, Ghost Rider, Magneto, and more.

Blog@’s own David Pepose sent me this to giggle at, and I’m sharing it with you: Twilight-themed tattoos. Actually, some of them aren’t bad, but I feel for the person living their life with a portrait of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen inked on their arm. But hey, some people I’m sure think my tattoos are ridiculous too…

NPR’s Marketplace interviews Joshua Dysart about comics.

Finally, in case you are going to SDCC, Racialicious has some recommendations for panels to hit, and will no doubt have some thoughtful coverage of the whole shebang once it’s over.

Robot 6 has an excellent roundtable up about girls and fandom and the drama over Twilight “invading” comic-con. I’m posting a few excerpts here, with my thoughts, but you really should read the whole thing.

Robin Brenner: I find it especially distressing that the SDCC crowd, made up of fans who have been typically dismissed and marginalized by the larger culture including comics fans, fantasy fans, and sci-fi fans, seem to think it’s perfectly warranted to dump on fans who you would think they have a lot more in common with than traits to divide them.

I’ve seen this over and over again, though, in groups gathered around everything from punk rock to politics. When you’re marginalized from the larger culture, in part by choice but in a much larger part than we’d like to admit, not by choice, it’s easy to try to police your boundaries. Maybe it even gives you a better sense that you ARE different because you choose to be and not because your peers don’t understand your passion for the Misfits/Dennis Kucinich/Superman/Twilight. In other words, maybe enforcing the “no girls allowed” clubhousey nature of certain parts of comic fandom makes comic fans feel more special. Groups often define themselves by what they aren’t, after all.

Kate Dacey: The other thing that bothers me about these statements is that many of the folks dissing Twilight have never read it or watched the movie, yet they feel perfectly qualified to assess its merits solely on the basis of who likes it. Teen girls love it, ergo it must be junk.

I’ve taken this on myself, and I still believe it’s true. Listen, ain’t no one arguing you have to like Twilight. But if you haven’t read the damn thing, how do you know it’s crap? It sounds entirely too much like the people who go “You read COMIC BOOKS?” at my day job(s).

Eva Volin: The librarian half of my brain wants to sit the fanboys down and explain to them about the birds and the bees, about brain development, and the statistics on reading patterns and buying habits of girls vs. boys. To remind them that teenage girls have expendable incomes, too, and ask if they’d really rather the girls spend that money somewhere else, like at a chain bookstore, or Hot Topic, or on eBay. Or at the booths in the dealers rooms where they sell cell phone charms of Naruto characters or the twins from Ouran High School Host Club. The librarian half of my brain wants to reason with people who would rather stomp their feet than get with the program and embrace this new generation of fan—a generation who, if encouraged, could save the comics industry.

Um, what she said.

Volin, cont’d: That because I have two X chromosomes I need to have sequential art explained to me in small words and if I’m in a comic book shop it must be because I’m there to buy books for my son or nephew. And to all of that I say, “Bite. Me.”

I’m going to SDCC. I’m going to line up to see the panels I’m interested in. I’m going to cheer for the artists whose work I enjoy. I’m going to ask questions and get autographs and maybe even do a little cosplaying. And I’m going to spend money at booths that have the merchandise I’m interested in. Lots of money. And if you don’t want my business, don’t worry. Call it women’s intuition, but I’ll be able to tell. And I’ll remember. And I’ll take my business, as well as my nieces’ and their friends’ business, to someone else’s booth.

Exactly this. Over the years, I’ve grown exceptionally good at navigating comic shops and the varied reactions of the employees/owners. And I remember each clerk who was condescending, who was rude, and I took my money elsewhere. I’m still here, reading and writing about comics, because I love them and I believe in the medium AND the industry. I am quite certain there’s a place for me in this world. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that some of the most overt sexism I’ve ever dealt with in my life has come my way through comics. And I don’t mean Wonder Woman’s costume.

So, con-goers and fans, think about all of this when you’re at SDCC and you roll your eyes at the squealing teenage girls (and trust me, I don’t like listening to squealing either). Those girls have money and just as much right to be there as you do. And it couldn’t hurt to be nice to them.

Here’s another of the many special treats at San Diego Comic-Con: The Cartoon Art Museum’s Third Annual Sketch-A-Thon to raise funds for the museum, in San Francisco, celebrating this year its 25th anniversary. Just go to booth #1930 and remember to say hello to the museum’s hardworking curator, Andrew Farago.

During the entire convention, cartoonists will be doing sketches at various scheduled times and you can purchase sketches from such talents as Jeff Keane (The Family Circus), Keith Knight (K Chronicles), Bobby London (Dirty Duck), David Lloyd (V for Vendetta), Ted Naifeh (How Loathsome), Phil Foglio (Girl Genius), and many more. A fine example of Bobby London’s art is pictured above.

You can visit the Cartoon Art Museum’s Facebook page or their Twitter page (@cartoonart) for scheduling updates.

While at San Diego Comic-Con, if you’re looking for something very unusual in a place full of the unusual, then you may enjoy the Pop Perversity panel discussion on Friday, July 24 from 6pm to 7pm in Room 32AB.

The panel will feature Isabel Samaras (On Tender Hooks), Ron English (Popaganda) and R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics).

The panel is moderated by Colin Berry (On Tender Hooks).

From the press release:

Parodists from the worlds of art and comics show how their sharp, sly images blur the boundaries between the popular and the profound, the propagandistic and the profane. Parody is a familiar part of our culture, but when done right it can still shock and awe, revealing deep truths while it makes us cackle.

If there’s a chance to meet Stan Lee, hey, I’m going to grab it. And, anyone out there in a position to make that happen, you can take that as a really big hint. I’m like anyone else going to San Diego Comic-Con when it comes to something like that. Actually, there is one way to maybe meet Stan but let’s move on.

This is a calm before the storm. My partner, the cartoonist, Jennifer Daydreamer, and I are very excited about going to SDCC on many levels: as creators, as fans, and even as gawkers. Well, maybe I should speak for myself but there’s sure to be a lot of gawking and, if you can’t do that at SDCC, where can you?

I’ve been flooded with oh so many options. And it’s still, as I say, the calm before the storm. I let myself get caught up with everything down to reports of giant squid invading the waters off San Diego. Shouldn’t they have done that last year for Watchmen? Bad joke, I know. Well, you can’t control the forces of nature anymore than you can control the forces of marketing. Some things I’m pretty sure I’ll pass on like a chance to levitate a ball supposedly by mind control. I’ll probably pass on any games too although I might take a look just to be fair.

Mostly, I see myself coming to this from a somewhat bookish outlook. I’ll zero in on the more offbeat, the more literary and art-related. But I’ll be open to just about anything too and keep in mind that a lot of stuff defies easy labels. For example, I’m totally with Sarah on the merits of Phonogram and I’m totally with Lan on the merits of Blackest Night. And I’m totally in tune with the undeniable: Twilight. That alone is a force to be reckoned with. Which reminds me, I will need to be sure I have ear plugs handy for fans screaming their bloody heads off.

So, if you feel like it, let me know what you look forward to this year at SDCC, whether or not you’re actually going. And remember, you can catch live TV coverage of SDCC on Saturday from our friends over at G4.

Phil Yeh holds a unique place in the comics community not only as a comics creator (he’s been called, “the godfather of the American graphic novel”) but as a prominent activist for promoting literacy through comics. He’s been around for quite awhile, going back to the very first San Diego Comic-Con in 1970. Phil is a passionate, colorful, and outspoken voice in comics and, as I head out to SDCC, he’s someone who can definitely help take stock of things.

Blog@Newsarama: Phil, I’d like to start by focusing on the San Diego Comic-Con and branch out from there. You have been very active in comics over the years and you go back to the first San Diego Comic-Con. Can you tell us about your earliest experiences with what started out as a modest comics convention?

Phil Yeh: I was a 15 year old kid growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles near Watts.  I knew a couple of kids in my area who read and maybe even “collected” comics with a passion but most of us just read comics very infrequently.  Sports was the big thing for most of my friends.  But I managed to see this tiny ad in a DC comic book about a convention at the US Grant Hotel in 1970 and asked my dad to drive me down.  My sister Kathy went with me too as I recall.  The funny thing is I actually was published in DC Comics that same year.  I sent this idea in for a promo cartoon that Henry Boltinoff did and my name got in print and I had this check from National Periodical Publications for $5.  My first and last check from DC Comics who I am sure must appreciate my role later in helping Jerry and Joe get some money for Superman.

Anyway, I went to the convention at the U.S. Grant hotel and met two of the greats in that room with maybe 300 people.  Ray Bradbury had always been one of my favorite writers, I never read many comics as a kid or now, but I love to read books.  Classics especially but some living authors too and Bradbury was a big deal to me and even now.  I told Ray that I wanted to be a writer but I had problems in school with spelling and grammar and didn’t know if I could become a writer.  He told me that there were editors to correct those things and that I really should just do what I loved.

I then walked up to this giant of a man in our comic book industry and who, to me at 15, was a GIANT and told him that I wanted to become a comic book artist.  Jack Kirby in reality was not that tall of a man but, to this 15 year kid from the ghetto, he was HUGE.  Jack smiled and told me to just do it.  “If you want to draw then you should draw and if you want to tell stories, just tell stories. ”

Both Ray and Jack made this seem so very easy and that fall I would start my own publishing company and never look back.
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A couple of weekends ago, a friend and I wandered down to the New York City Zine Fest in Brooklyn. Like me, my friend is a journalist and a product of the 90s punk-rock/riot grrl scene in which making zines was, in those dark pre-blog days, what you did with your angst and anger and more importantly, your sheer love of the music that kept you sane.

The zine fest featured a surprising number of comic creators–surprising to me at first, anyway, though when I thought about it, it made sense. Comics still work best in print, despite some good innovation in the digital forum. Zines, meanwhile, seem completely archaic–they were always artfully not-artful, badly photocopied, self-consciously printed in that same retro-obsessed typewriter font (Courier) even though few people made them on typewriters. Meanwhile, the Internet can assure faster distribution of and greater connection through ideas The zines we saw at this fest were no different than the ones we used to read in the 90s, which says something about the death of the medium. They seemed more an attempt to cling to a period in time that is past, an attempt to find a community that no longer exists. The point of the zine was the ideas, the community, not the medium itself.

So whither a zine about a comic?

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Those attending the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con would serve themselves well to check out a party happening over that weekend. Fresh off a website overhaul, pop culture headmistress (and longtime Newsarama supporter) Whitney Matheson is hosting her Pop Candy Comic-Con Meetup. Held poolside at the Hilton San Diego Bayside (next to the convention center), most anything Ms. Matheson arranges promises to be a fun, sexy time.

Go to this link for details on this gathering Saturday, July 25th!

Valerie D’Orazio makes some excellent points over at her blog.

Truly, my heart weeps for those fanboys inconvenienced by 1,000s of Robert Pattinson fans. It is so unfair. And they’re “not even really supposed to be there,” right?

[snip]
Where was this whining when people were going freakin nuts over “Watchmen?” Or when I couldn’t even get through the fanboy phalanx to meet up with friends because of the Hellboy roadblock?

Fandom and conventions are big enough for EVERYBODY. And instead of complaining about “Twilight” fans, maybe somebody should figure out how to get these legions of fangirls to buy more comics.

Seriously. The headline she links–”Female Fans Prepare to Trample Men“–is hilariously ironic because it reflects perfectly the fear in so many articles. The implication that ZOMG WOMEN ATTACK is just so darn Freudian it’s hard for me to unpack it without giggling.

I’m a female fangirl. I have been for years. And I’ve absolutely been trampled at cons–and punk rock shows, and even sporting events, all areas with typical male fan bases that certainly didn’t seem to think anything shocking about being in a room with hundreds of boys and a few girls.

I came to comics through a subculture that, if it had existed back in the day, would certainly have embraced Twilight. As a somewhat overeducated adult, I read the books and saw the movie and thoroughly enjoyed both, if occasionally with the very adult pleasure of laughing at all the wrong moments. I both defend the right to have something like Twilight that is so unabashedly girly that it inspires tons of squealing girls to unload at Comic-Con just for its panel, and despise the tendency to split fandom into two worlds: the comics are for boys, the sparkly vampires are for girls.

Leaving out for a moment the teenage boy sitting next to me at a subway stop reading New Moon on his iPhone (yes, I can recognize the story from a glimpse over his shoulder. What?), why the heck can’t we admit that comic cons were packed full of people fighting for seats before Twilight was thought of, that Hollywood has been trying to find ways to tap into the zealous–and zealously consumerist, willing to buy tons of movie-related merch–comic con audience for a good while now, and that the only thing different when it’s Twilight is that the fans are teenage girls (and their moms, the fear of whom brings up a whole other level of Freudian analysis that I’m REALLY not qualified to do).

So really. Do these guys need to keep Comic-Con a He-Man Woman Hater’s Club that badly, or can they learn to embrace the girls and cross that invisible line between Twilight fans and comic fans? Because who knows, maybe if they dropped the defensive act and realized that more girls in their fandom does not mean less stuff for them, that pop culture is not a finite commodity, maybe more girls WOULD buy comics. And far from that being a problem, it would create more money for comics creators, and thus…MORE COMICS FOR ALL. Win-win.

Looking for a collectible that’s leagues away from everything else? Look no further!

eFX has announced that it will preview a 4-foot collectible of the Nautilus, Captain Nemo’s underwater vessel from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, at the San Diego Comic Con!

“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is truly one of the all-time classic adventure movies, and was a milestone for the Disney creative team,” said Bryan Ono, president of eFX Inc, in a written statement. “The Nautilus is a Disney icon, and our artisans and engineers have been working overtime to develop this extraordinary re-creation.”

While there is currently no word on release dates for this behemoth, eFX says there will be more information at SDCC, as well as the D23 Expo in September.

Hey MOTU Fans!

Oh man, this is BIG… the design team at Mattel just announced the first book in their “Designed @ Mattel” series and it’s a MOTU art book!

The book shows off the fantastic art of the MOTU brand from 1981 through current day. It’s packed with never-before-seen Mattel concept art, behind-the-scenes notes, posters, oil paintings, and a whole lot more from across the brand. All that MOTU art from over the years is mighty sweet, but the book also premiers concept art from new projects, like a proposed live action film!

It’s a soft-cover edition, limited to only 1,000 numbered copies. Each one comes with a numbered cover ribbon and an embossed seal. The first place they’ll be available is San Diego Comic-Con. Purchases will be limited to two per guest, per wait in line. And get this… you can even have your copy signed by the Mattel artists at the show!

If any units remain after the show they may be sold on Mattycollector.com, but honestly, we expect to sell out at SDCC. Be sure to come by the MattyCollector.com booth early for your chance to own a piece of MOTU history!

—Matty