The $3.99, 22-page comic book—threat or menace? Please write your answer down on a scrap of paper before reading the next paragraph for the correct answer.

Did you write “threat” down? Well then, you’re wrong. Did you write “menace” instead? Well, you’re still wrong. Ha ha! It was a trick question! As the $3.99, 22-page comic book is both a threat and a menace, as well as many other negative things, including “extremely annoying,”  “a poor investment” and “to the direct market as a giant asteroid was to the dinosaurs.”

Does that last one seem melodramatic? Maybe. So let me be more specific. I don’t think the introduction of $3.99, 22-page comics are exactly analogous to an asteroid slamming into prehistoric earth; it’s more like a new star appearing in the prehistoric sky, and getting bigger and bigger each month. It’s an indicator of an extinction level event, not the event itself. Or perhaps it’s just the start of the event, but not the really destructive part.

See, it’s as clear as a demonstration and a declaration as we’re going to get that the direct market’s leaders—the so-called Big Two—are fully committed to a strategy of selling as many comics as possible to the people who already buy their comics to make as much money as possible, instead of actively trying to increase the existing market (that is, the number of people who buy their comics in the direct market). And, once those readers are stretched as thing as possible, buying all of the books they’re going to buy (Marvel currently things there’s an audience for two Deadpool books, but there aren’t any fans who will buy a third Deadpool ongoing series, are there?), then if you want to keep making more money, you have to raise the price.

A lot.

Now I’ve complained about the 33% increase that a selling a $2.99 comic for $3.99 represents so much that even I’m getting sick of listening to myself complain about it, but I  don’t think I’ll be stopping complaining about it any time soon. After all, I’ve got all this extra free time on my hands to blog about it now that I’m reading fewer and fewer super-comics every week.

See, $3.99 is the big, bright line I won’t cross for 22-pages of super-comics. I probably would have gone along with $3.25 or $3.50, as those seem like more gradual and natural increases, but $3.99 is just too fast and too soon. At least for me. But then, I’m a underemployed, semi-professional blogger. Other DC and Marvel readers with better-paying jobs may not be quite as tight-fisted as I am.

But DC and Marvel don’t have to charge $3.99 for their 22-page comics*, there are a couple of easy ways the companies could increase their profits without increasing their prices. I think. But  then, I don’t run a big, New York City-based, market-leading comic book publishing company, or even a comics store, nor can I figure out how to make enough money to afford $3.99 comic books, so keep in mind the fact that I actually have no idea what I’m talking about.

1.) USE CHEAPTER PAPER. The first comics price increase I lived through was in the ‘90s, when the only corporate super-comics I was reading had the word “Bat-“ in the title, and I remember reading that part of the rationale for the increase was that DC was going to be switching to a slicker, heavier paper stock. I hated the new paper (it reflected light in a way that made it harder for me to read panels), but eventually got used to it. They might have switched paper stock a few times since then, I don’t know.

I do know that the paper that DC and Marvel use in a vast majority of their books is slicker and heavier than that used in one of my favorite ongoing comics, Tiny Titans. That paper, like that used in the other Johnny DC books I read regularly, is pulpier, grainier and, well, more paper-y. It looks and feels like comic book paper should look and feel (in my experience, anyway). It’s the same sort of paper used in the last few Vertigo trades I’ve read, too, which means DC uses it in their books aimed at children and aimed specifically at adults, but not for the DCU stuff that’s aimed directly at the direct market.

Is that paper cheaper than the paper used in Teen Titans or Titans? I assume so. The Johnny DC books are, after all, only $2.50, just recently increased from $2.25. Maybe their price point is to make them more friendly to people with allowances, but I suspect the paper stock has something to do with that.

Now, a lot of people might say, “Hey, I prefer the slicker paper stock used in DCU and Marvel comics! Who cares what Caleb thinks?” I hear these people. Or I imagine I do.

Here’s my big idea. Switch to cheaper, pulpier, more comic book-y paper for all your titles, Marvel and DC, which will allow you to either drop the price, or, to be more realistic, keep it at $2.99. And then, when you re-publish the comics as trade collection, then use the nicer, fancier, slicker paper.

It’s no secret that both companies are now committed to publishing everything in trade, and that the serial, monthly comics have simply become a way to make money off of the direct market to help offset the cost of creator salaries and publishing and selling the trades. DC and Marvel have switched to a serial comics-then-trade strategy. So why not let the paper quality follow suit?

The serial books would continue to serve the audience they already serve, those who want to read the comics for the stories, to find out what happens next as soon as possible. The trades would continue to serve the audience they already serve, people who don’t mind reading their super-comics in big, fat chunks and/or want a more permanent, easier-to-read version of a story they’ve already read in serialized form.

I suspect this would sell more comics too, because readers would have more money to spend on more titles, and would be more likely to buy things in both serial and trade format.

There, problem solved.

2. SELL MORE COMICS BY PUBLISHING THE COMICS YOU ALREADY PUBLISH MORE OFTEN. Why are comic books monthly? I don’t even know. I know they were monthly back when they were sold more like magazines, which also tend to be monthly, just as I know that I can’t find most comics anywhere near a magazine in most stores, and must instead to a specialty shop.

The way comics are sold has obviously changed quite a bit over the last few decades, but they’re still monthly. Why is that?

Could they be sold twice a month? Every week? Many of the most ardent comics readers—the people Marvel and DC are determined to focus on getting money from—go to the shop every single Wednesday for new comics. So why not align release schedules to meet their buying habits?

One of my favorite comic books that Marvel publishes at the moment is Incredible Hercules. I like the characters, I love the writing, I generally like the art quite a bit, and it’s in my $2.99 price range. If it came out twice a month, I’d happily buy it twice a month. If it came out every Wednesday, I’d happily buy it every Wednesday. Any book I really, really love I’d be happy to buy weekly.

So why don’t you guys sell me them more often? Instead of getting $3 a month from me for Incredible Hercules, you could get $12 (or $6, I guess).

There would be problems of course. Marvel would have to pay writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente more money to produce more work, as well as the other creators involved (although I assume the extra money would offset those costs, otherwise a book like Trinity wouldn’t have been publishable), and the artists would have to change more frequently (but how many Marvel and DC books boast a single artist month-in-and-month out these days anyway?). But it might be worthwhile.

DC has been doing something similar with it’s weekly books for a while now. I’m not sure how much money they make, and I can’t vouch for the quality of all of ‘em, but they keep making them, so I assume they’re happy enough with the returns. When I dig the books, as with 52 and Trinity, I know I’m happy to have a book I dig waiting for me every week.

Marvel’s Spider-Man experiment is ongoing, so I assume that’s working well enough for them too, and seems like an easy model to replicate. Instead of having two Deadpool monthlies with different creative teams, why not have one Deadpool book publish twice a month, with creative teams doing ever other story arc? Why have four Wolverine monthlies, instead of a Wolverine weekly? Don’t most “franchises” sell strongest at the center (Wolverine) than the edges  (Wolverine: Origins, Wolverine: Weapon X)  anyway? That was part of the rationale for a thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man instead of a three monthly Spider-Man titles, right?

On the other hand, Marvel hasn’t done that with any of their other multi-title franchises, like The Avengers or X-Men yet, so maybe ASM hasn’t been super-successful for them, if they haven’t tried replicating it yet.

I don’t know. As I’ve stated.

Still, these are my two big ideas to be ignored. If they are completely insane and/or idiotic, please feel free to tell me so, specifically if you are knowledgable of things like the comics market and the price of paper.

*I used to think this was just a Marvel problem, and that one Kingdom Come special aside, DC had elegantly, even ingeniously solved the problem by adding back-ups to $3.99 books, but then this week DC charged $3.99 for Justice League: Cry For Justice #1, a comic containing 24-pages of comics and six pages of heavily illustrated prose, not unlike Marvel experimented with when they first started flirting with the $3.99 price point.

Reuters is reporting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will also be getting her own comic book called “Miss Tschormanie,” written by journalist Miriam Hollstein and drawn by political cartoonist Heiko Sakurai. The book chronicles Merkel’s rise to power, all the way through the open election in September.

The 64-page comic seems to be less serious fare, based on lines such as “You boys only belong to the past, I, however, have gone down in HISTORY!” Still, if you’re obsessive about your political comics, this might be something to look out for.

DC editor Brian Cunningham, via their blog the Source, has announced that the one-time Aqualad will be returning to the DCU in Blackest Night #1. Meanwhile, in Titans #15, writer JT Krul will be taking a look at where Tempest has been the last year or so, dealing with the fallout of the destruction of Atlantis.

The above image is from their preview for Titans #15. In some ways, I’ve found Tempest — with his water-controlling powers as well as his support structure within the Titans as well as his unease within Atlantean society — to make him even more viable a character than his orange-shirted mentor. What do you think?

But instead of rookies and indie talent, this competition will be different: all five series have been developed by Image partners Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri.

I gotta say, with the success of Kirkman properties such as Invincible and the Walking Dead (and Astonishing Wolf-Man isn’t bad, either), I’m pretty excited. There’s no word on interior artists (as Silvestri is only doing the covers), but we’ll report more as we hear about it.

This is a “remix” of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Edward Cullen from Twilight. And yep, it’s pretty funny. It plays the overwrought, overdramatic bits of Twilight up against the snarky, sarcastic Buffy we all love.

Yet I am a bit irritated by the constant comparison of Buffy to Twilight as if Buffy was perfect and Bella Swan just a horrendous corruption of all feminist ideals. Was I the only one who remembers the part where Buffy slept with not one, but two vampires who also stalked her, hovered outside her bedroom while she slept, and in one instance, tried to rape her?

Buffy gets a pass because mostly she kicks vampire ass and in the end she doesn’t need any of the men. However, I very much doubt if you can scratch a Buffy fan and find someone who doesn’t get a bit emotional about Buffy and Angel. Forbidden love is as much a part of the Buffy mythos as Twilight–in fact, I describe Twilight to people as “The Buffy and Angel part of Buffy, without most of the sarcasm and action.”

But you know, the reason a lot of girls don’t want to call themselves feminists is because they think it means they have to hate men, or fit some certain vision of a “strong woman” that maybe they don’t want to fit. What if they’re quiet and bookish, like Bella Swan, not coordinated enough to fight vampires?

I’m not saying that Twilight is a perfect vision of the romance I think girls should aspire to–it’s not. But it’s fiction. The romance in Love in the Time of Cholera or Lolita or Beloved isn’t one that I want teenage girls aspiring to, either, yet I think those are all wonderful works of literature that should be widely read. And Buffy? Well, the human parts of Buffy are the ones that really kept us with her for seven seasons, not the perfect ass-kicking sarcasm machine. That would’ve gotten old, fast.

The above is an image of Machu Picchu by artist Paul Pope, which he recently posted on his blog.

My short review: I like it.

Of course I’m not going to let you off that easily. I’ve got far more to say about it than that. It’s a pulpy, splashy romp with classic Bat-villains let loose on their own and teaming up to cause trouble. It owes more to Tarantino’s grind-house classic Kill Bill, with women in stylized costumes performing acrobatic fighting feats never seen in nature, than to common superhero mythos, though of course there’s that, too.

I picked it up because I can’t resist the bad girls. They’re easy to do wrong, sure, but I think there’s so much more possibility for a really interesting female character, at least in superhero-dom, in a transgressive villain. I love Catwoman because she’s always walked that line–she’s part noir femme fatale and part straight-up supervillain, with just enough heroine in her to keep your sympathy.

Here she isn’t quite up to her old tricks, and a run-in with a frat-boy wannabe bad guy takes more out of her than she’d like to admit. Poison Ivy saves her and brings her to the house she’s sharing with Harley Quinn and another familiar face, who hasn’t had much say in the matter. The all-bad-girl team-up is fraught with tension and mistrust from the beginning, of course, and the biggest problem is the one question that Harley and Ivy assume the Catwoman must know the answer to: Who is Batman?

I’m sure there have been complaints about the art–that the girls are oversexualized, that Harley’s wearing a schoolgirl uniform–and maybe it just says something about my comic-reading tastes, but I didn’t find them offensive. Guillem March’s art is hyperstylized and kinetic, with characters male and female twisting and bending into shapes not usually seen in nature, and the characters strike me as less sexualized than simply, well, comic-booky.

The three leads are very different women, and by virtue of their constant second billing have always been a bit of a stereotype, but giving them their own series allows for them to be fleshed out a bit more. I’m hoping for more especially from Harley, who has less to do in this first issue as far as character development goes, though she does get to kick some butt. Paul Dini is definitely capable of doing dark, as is hinted in the treatment of poor Eddie Nigma by Ivy and by the brief mention of the Mad Hatter, and I rather hope he goes for it in this series–I’d love to see a series where these three characters can really let loose all the screwed-up bits of their psyches and yet retain our interest and sympathy.

The little stack of comic books I brought home from the shop yesterday contained Justice League: Cry For Justice #1, the first six pages of which I had previously encountered as a preview in the back of some DC comics a few weeks back.

The Batwoman story from Detective Comics and the first issues of Power Girl and The Last Days of Animal Man were similarly excerpted as previews in the backs of DC comics this year.

Another new book I purchased this week was Marvel’s USA Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1, which ended with a five-page preview of The Marvels Project #1, a miniseries that will launch in August.

So here’s my question. Well, questions. Do you guys like seeing these sorts of previews in the backs of your books? Do you read them? Ignore them? Skim ‘em? Have they ever convinced you to buy a book you weren’t already planning on buying? Have they ever convinced you not to buy a book you might have seen unseen?

I’m just curious because I’m so ambivalent about them.

If they’re of books I was already planning on trying the first issue of anyway—Power Girl, the Batwoman arc—I don’t read them, as reading a third or so of a book in advance kind of kills the experience of reading the whole thing a few weeks later.

I haven’t yet encountered one that dealt with a book I have zero interest in, but I imagine if I did, I wouldn’t read it anyway, because who reads things in which they have zero interest?

In fact, the only ones I’ve read so far have been the one for The Marvels Project, which I’ll probably eventually check out in trade some day, because it will be so long before I read the story I’m sure I’ll forget ever having read it, and the Cry For Justice one, because I wasn’t sure if it was a book I’d want to follow or not (and in that case, the preview went a long way toward talking me out of it, but I went ahead and bought it because, well, because Congorilla).

Anyway, I was basically just wondering if it was just me. What do you guys think of encountering these in the backs of your comics, instead of just seeing them online if you care to look for and look at them?

I always love when we work on project with Geoff. Not only is he a great storyteller, but he is a huge toy collector as well, so his insight and participation always makes things better. We run as much by him as is practical, from selecting the figures, to writing the copy, and he is a great collaborator. Out of our brainstorming sessions sometimes cool ideas come up that he then can support or play with in the story as it unfolds.

I found that to be particularly interesting — that the toys and licensed products might actually give back to the story side of the equation. But then again, I’ve heard of editors and artists occasionally looking at toys and statues for reference (because seriously, how many of us know how to draw ’80s Nightwing’s back without reference?), so maybe I’ve just been underestimating toys all this time!

In addition, Brewer announced the list for the upcoming waves of figures that will come out soon:

Wave #1
- Black Lantern Earth-2 Superman 6.5″
- Alpha Lantern Boodika with removable face plate 6.75″
- Blue Lantern Saint Walker with power battery 7.5″
- Atrocitus with power battery 7.25″

Wave #2
- Black Lantern Martian Manhunter 7″
- Green Lantern John Stewart with power battery 6.75″
- Indigo with Power battery 7″
- Kryb with removable back cage that stores 2 alien children 7″

Wave #3
- Black Lantern Aquaman 6.75″
- Green Lantern Arisia with power battery 6.5″
- Star Sapphire with power battery 6.625″
- Larfleeze The Orange Lantern with Glomulus and power battery 7″ GLOMULUS is 2.375″

Wave #4
- Black Lantern Firestorm 6.75″ to top of head (helmet increases height)
- Green Lantern Kyle Rayner with power battery 6.75″
- Black Hand with Batman skull 6.75″
- Wonder Woman 6.625″ to top of head (hair increases height)

Brewer mentioned that figures for Hal Jordan and Sinestro would not be forthcoming, only because they have had their own figures released fairly recently.

If you like what you’ve read so far (c’mon, how can you not?) totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

More next week…

Here’s the highlight of what they have to say:

Reportedly if cast, Biel will play the love interest of “Thor.” The most probable love interest for “Thor” would more than likely be “Jane Foster,” a nurse and girlfriend of “Thor” alter ego Donald Blake. But the problem is that our source was not sure of the character’s name, but seemed to believe it was the same female character from the animated “Hulk vs Thor.” If that is the case, since “Jane Foster” was not in the animated movie, Biel is more than likely playing either “Amora, The Enchantress” or “Sif.”

Granted, at this early stage in the game, everything is still rumor, and even if Biel is in talks, they could fall through at any point. While I know a lot of sites are betting she’d play Sif, I really can’t imagine her going brunette. And remember that in Blade Trinity, her battle preparation was uploading songs to her iPod.

Thoughts?

Inspired by the marketing on the Zack Snyder film (and eventually transcending the atrocious reviews of the commercial flop), Watchmen has been sitting pretty on the sales charts for nearly a year — at #1, to be exact.

Well, ICv2 has reported that for the first time since June 2008, Watchmen was no longer the king of BookScan’s list of top-selling graphic novels, with the top spot now being taken by Bleach Vol. 27.

Manga has traditionally dominated the list, with only Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis hardcover and Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 4 representing from the top mainstream companies.

From Moonstone Books $3.99

Written by Joe Gentile

Art by Carlos Magno and Andy Bennett

Yes, just a little more Sherlock Holmes. I couldn’t resist this one after having reviewed work from SelfMadeHero and Dynamite Entertainment. A matching of Sherlock Holmes with the ’70s TV series, “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” sounds goofy but Moonstone Books is up for the challenge.

“Cry of Thunder,” a three issue comic, written by Joe Gentile, begins in 1890 out in the Wild West as two desperados peer at something weird just out of our sight. We then cut to present day LA at the modest offices of the Hollywood Dispatch. Kolchak’s purple prose is in full swing as he describes his good luck: Brandy Lexton, a pretty young woman, is interested in him helping solve a 100-year-old unsolved murder. She even provides him with an old journal full of clues.

Once alone with the book, he is chilled to the bone to see his own name scrawled within its writings but where exactly, or why, we do not know. Kolchak proceeds to read the journal which makes up the rest of Issue One. We are in London in 1905 as a new Holmes case takes shape involving the murder of Brandy’s ancestor, Clara Lexton. It turns out she was killed by a gun runner. This leads to Holmes disguised as a sailor, in mortal combat, after he’s gotten a little too close to a syndicate trafficking in American machine guns to the UK.

An opportunity to build on the momentum of the first issue is lost in the next when the assignments of the two artists are muddled. In Issue One, it was the light line style of Carlos Magno that illustrated the Holmes story and the rough style of Andy Bennett that illustrated the Kolchak story. It made perfect sense.

However, in Issue Two, we find the two artists working together through both stories and it’s like a third, painterly, style has emerged. It’s pretty good but the work is not nearly as tight and there are a lot of scenes that appear rushed, especially a less than dramatic fight scene between Holmes and a thug. I can’t fault the artists for experimenting. Overall, I dig what they’re doing but I still prefer what they started to do in the first issue.

I also have a little constructive criticism for the writing. I think that we might get bogged down with details a little too much for what should be a smoother ride given all the great elements at play. I would have preferred more solid connections between Kolchak and Brandy. I think I would have created a few back and forth scenes between the Holmes story and Kolchak and Brandy reading and reacting to it. Those opportunities to interact would have allowed clues to flow more easily and would have made their unlikely romance more plausible.

Issue Three has a lot of things to resolve but it catches a nice push at the end of this current issue. We get a little payoff on the last page as we get a full view of the highly coveted photograph that could explain everything while revealing something out of a nightmare.

The library is a great place for readers to discover comics, and it’s a great place for comics readers to check out things that they want to try without spending their hard-earned cash. I’m looking at comics that I find in the New York Public Library system.

Disaster and Resistance is important comics. I enjoy a fun, escapist adventure as much as anybody, but I also feel that as a human being, it’s my responsibility to pay attention to what’s going on in the world. Given my general lack of interest in most typical political discourse, smartly written and well drawn comics are a welcome option. Disaster and Resistance collect comics created by Seth Tobocman over the past several years, with a particular focus on the plight of the disenfranchised “slum” denizens in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He also visits Israel to gain firsthand knowledge of the living conditions faced by Palestinians and

Tobocman’s a good reporter, often illustrating people he’s met in headline-grabbing locales, and using their own words to explore the problems that they face from their own perspectives. If he has a failing, it’s what I think of as Michael Moore-ism. Even when you agree with Tobocman, he sometimes paints those he disagrees with (the Right, Corporations) as cartoonishly nasty caricatures, dismissing others’ perspectives as maliciously evil rather than looking into some of the greyer nuances between two polar positions. He spends a great deal of time examining perspectives of former New Orleans slum residents, however, exhibiting a far greater deal of care.

A powerful illustrator, Tobocman uses black & white, woodcut-style pages for many stories, but also mixes in full-color painted sequences. Each style suits the mood and temperament of the narrative unfolding, and his ability to capture abstract ideas in physical form is admirable.

A great looking comic that’s smart and examines the causes of disenfranchised and lost citizens of the world, Disaster and Resistance is a comic that we should all read. Even when you disagree with him, Seth Tobocman makes some great point and he’s trying to let you know about important people who are facing terrible circumstances. It’s good to know that we have cartoonists like this out there, alerting us to what’s going on, and that we can find their work in the local library.

From Splash Page, Grant Morrison talks comics with Percy Carey, otherwise known as MF Grimm, the writer of Sentences.

Comics Worth Reading has a nice review of Patsy Walker: Hellcat that makes me want to read it.

Also from Splash Page, Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming are confirmed as part of the cast of “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” the upcoming Broadway musical directed by Julie Taymor. I don’t know about you, but between the casting, the subject matter, and the direction, this is shaping up to be a must-see for me.

Laura Hudson at Comics Alliance puts together the top 5 Michael Jackson moments in comics.

Laura Lee Gulledge answers some questions for The Big Feminist BUT.

Not quite. But maybe.

George Clooney’s production company Smokehouse Entertainment is working on a movie entitled Escape From Tehran, documenting the true story of how the CIA used a fake movie project to smuggle hostages out of 1979 Tehran. What does this have to do with comics legend Jack Kirby? Jack Kirby did the storyboards for this faux movie.

Back in 2005, Wired Magazine did an article about it which you can read in full at their website. Long story short, Kirby did storyboards for a prospective movie based on the  Rogr Zelazny novel entitled Lord of Light. It also chronicles attempts to make a Colorado theme park entitled “Science Fiction Land” based on Kirby’s set designs for the movie.

Sadly, the movie and the theme park were never made — but work from it was used as part of the subterfuge by the CIA against Iran.

This story, and the larger one about Tehran would make good movie magic. Let’s hope they have room for Kirby in there somewhere.

“Even when the rest of the comics industry was struggling to survive, the X-Men always sold…People bought the comics no matter what”: Comics blogger Tim O’Neil has been thinking about the X-Men in preparation for what will likely turn out to be a couple of think-piece posts on the franchise, focusing on the fact that for years and years it was the top of the comics heap, and seems to be in sharp decline now (Marvel’s own Avengers franchise now ranks higher than their X-books). What’s going on with the X-books, and why are they no longer as popular as they once were? O’Neil ponders, and his readers offer some input. Few (if any) comics bloggers no more about the X-Men than Paul O’Brien, and he speaks to some of the X-books’ existential problems in this review of X-Men Legacy #225.

I would buy both the Wolverine comic and the Man-Thing one: Speaking of think pieces, retailer, blogger and Sluggo enthusiast Mike Sterling has been wondering “What if the characters/teams from Marvel and DC were allowed one starring title, and that’s it?” and how that might impact the market and industry, as unlikely as it is that either publisher would ever embrace and enforce that rule. Here’s Sterling’s original post on the subject, and here’s his follow-up. They’re both well worth a read and a think, and even if Marvel’s unlikely to ever  cancel Wolverine: Origins, Wolverine: Weapon X, Wolverine: First Class and the weekly miniseries and/or one-shots starring Wolvie to concentrate on making Wolverine the greatest Wolverine comic imaginable and maybe encouraging fans to try new and different books, it’s not like they couldn’t start leaning in that direction.

“The Craziest Costume Changes in Comics”: You can probably guess what most of these are by the headline, but this Comics Alliance post is well worth checking out just for the visual gag that accompanies the last person on that list.

“No superhero or super villain name is too great or too dorky, and no costume is too skimpy, provided its legal”: If you live in or around Reno, Nevada and enjoy playing dress up and/or adult beverages, there’s an upcoming superhero-themed pub crawl there. While pub crawling doesn’t sound like a terribly superheroic activity (unless you’re this guy), proceeds go to the Washoe County School District Canine Drug Task Force, and keeping kids off drugs does seem like something superheroes would be into. Here’s the event’s official website.

BEST ARTIST

Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press

BEST LETTERER

Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED

AMELIA RULES!: FUNNY STORIES, Renaissance Press

Don’t dismiss the kid-friendliness of Amelia Rules!, because it’s one of the best comic books being published today. Jimmy Gownley is a master at mixing humor and gravitas to create hilarious and heartbreaking stories that can be enjoyed and loved by people of all ages. And the characters are instantly endearing. If you don’t fall in love with Amelia after reading just one issue, then you must be a robot or something. If you haven’t read Amelia Rules! yet, give it a shot, and then you can thank me later for the recommendation.

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL

BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY!, Tim Rickard, Tribune Media Services
GET FUZZY, Darby Conley, United Features Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate
THE NORM, Michael Jantze, Uclick Gocomics
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, Stephan Pastis, United Features Syndicate

These days, it’s very difficult to break into the syndicated comics biz. The newspaper business is dying a slow death, daily comics are becoming less of a priority for them, and there are way too many crappy old comics past their expiration date wasting space simply because the newspaper editors are too afraid or too lazy to get rid of them (I’m looking at you, For Better Or For Worse). So I have tremendous respect for Tim Rickard for the success he’s had with Brewster Rockit. That being said, how the $@#% did it get this nomination? In my opinion, it’s a painfully unfunny comic, and it’s not remotely as good as the other four nominees. There are so many other strips that are more deserving of that nomination. Hell, I’d give it to Blondie just for John Marshall’s gorgeous inkwork. Is there something about Brewster Rockit that I’m just not understanding? Could it be that it’s the Andy Kaufman of daily comics, in that it’s so unfunny it turns around and becomes funny?

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY

LOVE AND ROCKETS, VOL. 3 #1, Fantagraphics Books

Hell yes. As painful as it is to wait a year for new Love and Rockets now that the Hernandez brothers have switched to an annual format, it’ll be worth the wait if each issue is going to be as good as this one. Jaime Hernandez created the best superhero story of 2008 for this issue, and it should be required reading for anyone who reads or creates comics.

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY

NASCAR HEROES #5, NASCAR Comics

WTF? I didn’t realize this comic book even existed. And with all due respect to the creators of this comic, I’m having a difficult time wrapping my brain around the idea that a comic book devoted to a competition where the winner is the person who can make the best left turns could deserve a Harvey Award nomination. Are any of you reading Nascar Heroes? If so, I’d really like to hear your opinion of it. Is Nascar Heroes a hidden gem in the world of comics?

So there you go. Feel free to share your own opinions, particularly if you disagree with me or want to talk about something I didn’t cover.

Captain America artist Mitch Breitweiser and new comics writer Patrick Stiles are finding the answer, in their new webcomic The Futurists, which has just opened on their web site, WhoAreTheFuturists.com. The series will come out about 3-4 times a month, Breitweiser says, according to his commitments at Marvel. Here’s a taste, from the first page (bigger image here):

The logline of the story: ” Set in colonial India in the late 1800’s, The Futurists is an epic tome about the quest for eternal life gone horribly wrong, the search for absolution , and the path to self destruction.” Want to know more? Mitch was kind enough to answer a few questions from Newsarama on the series.

David Pepose: I see on your web site that The Futurists is a story “set in colonial India in the late 1800’s… about the quest for eternal life gone horribly wrong, the search for absolution, and the path to self destruction.” So the first question I’d have is — what inspired this story?

Mitch Breitweiser: Patrick and I had been crafting stories since college, but  with my career taking off, and his writing talent really maturing, we felt the time was right to fully develop and publish one of our collaborations.

As for the inspiration for The Futurists, we actually sat down one weekend for a creative jam. Our previous ideas were good, great even, but they were too familiar. We wanted to take advantage of the perspective we’ve gained since our college years and create something with greater depth of character and a richer atmosphere.  Then, we threw it all out and just focused on elements that entertained us, which was far more satisfying.

DP: Something I found interesting is that despite the title being called “The Futurists,” it’s set in the late 1800’s. It’s funny, because in comics nowadays, everyone associates that term with Iron Man, who’s just two steps ahead of everybody else. Without giving too much away, is there a science fiction or philosophical element to The Futurists that’ll come up soon?

MB: Although the prequel won’t provide much insight into why this series is called “The Futurists,” the title’s origin will become clear when our “season 1″ kicks off - within two episodes. We weren’t even aware of the Futurist movement until we started to register a domain.

The setting, which takes place during the British Raj era of India just before the crown took over for the failing East India Trading Company, is exotic, foreboding, and turbulent, making it ripe for endless possibilities with intriguing characters. It’s a setting rarely visited in comics, especially in the sci-fi genre.

DP: A question for both you and Patrick — what is the appeal for 19th century colonialism? Is there anything about that era, for either Britain or India, that proved to be irresistible from a storytelling standpoint?

MB: There is a certain mystery to that period.  It was this strange twilight before the dawn of the modern age.  It’s an era when old world magic and new world industrialism were at war, as much as old and new world philosophies.  The perfect time and place for the kind of stories we want to tell.

DP: Another question I had was regarding the format. Mitch, I know you do a lot of work with Marvel, and so I’m curious what made you guys decide that a webcomic was the best format for this particular story.

MB: Given our current obligations, the internet is the most convenient and hassle-free way for us to publish.  Plus, everyone likes FREE, and if we really want The Futurists to grow wings then why not give it away. If it fails, it’s a labor of love, no regrets.

DP: Now, I really like the sort of “widescreen” format you have with this page. Is it a big shift for you, coming from the typical tall rectangle of a print comics page to the sideways page of a computer screen?

MB: Going widescreen was a necessary yet refreshing change for me.  It works much better on the computer screen, and I think the format is more accessible to  people who aren’t used to reading print comics.  We are going for a cinematic feel for the book.  In fact we refer to each strip as an “episode” and a story arc as a “season.”

The real challenge with the comic was in the shorter webisode format.  We really had to learn how to be efficient with the art and text in order to create intrigue in such a small amount of space.

DP: It said on your web site that this comic was the production of a year’s worth of development with Patrick Stiles, as well as a decade’s friendship. Can you describe how your collaboration has been, in terms of crafting the overall story and ironing out the script?

MB: The whole creative process has been very collaborative.  We really learned to draw on each other’s strengths.  Patrick has a real gift for writing dialogue, and I  have a decent knack for visual pacing.  I think it’s that combinations that is going to make the comic such a fun read.

The Futurists as they appear now, are a world apart from the very first creative sessions, different characters and everything. There might be the seed of character from the original concept here or there, but the push-pull of collaboration is the catalyst for something organic and exciting, something utterly different.

DP: Finally — for all your fans out there — is there a tease you can give about your comic? Anything you feel will hook some prospective webgoers out there for your book?

MB: The web comic is really just the beginning. The Futurists is so rich and entertaining, and the best is to come after the prelude wraps. I can only say that when Season One of the Futurists kicks off, the ride will be all the better for having read the free webcomic prelude.

I mean, it’s FREE, so really what do you have to lose?

There is also The Boys, and Bang! Tango (which appears to be the last one) and…well, that looks like it for my list. Still, Greek Street should be worth it, with a mix of gritty street violence with classic myths, unless the stellar combination of Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice somehow doesn’t mix, oil-and-water style. I’m betting on them, though, and at $1, why not?

(This post in no way paid for by Vertigo comics, Peter Milligan, or Davide Gianfelice. Sometimes I am just a fangirl like anyone else who reads comics.)

If the goings-on at your average Big Two comics publisher sometimes look chaotic from this side of the comic book, just imagine how crazy they must be behind the scenes. Justice League: Cry For Justice is a good example of a book that makes one wonder about the process of comics publishing.

The series was first announced in March of 2008 at the Wizard World LA convention as a second ongoing Justice League title. A year or so later, it was down-graded to a six-issue miniseries. Then just a few weeks ago Cry For Justice writer James Robinson was named the new Justice League of America writer, so it seems as if his Justice League plans may be back to being an ongoing after all, just in the original JLA book, not a second one.

The timing seems awfully wonky too, as the events of Cry supposedly spin directly out of the events of Final Crisis, which wrapped up (late) back in January, and the events of the main JLoA title since March’s JLoA #31 have apparently occurred after the events of this book, which is just now starting, and won’t wrap up until the end of the year, if it stays on schedule.

None of that is terribly important though. Nor are the details of the book, like the fact that it’s painted by Mauro Cascioli, or that it’s $3.99 for 30 pages, or that the story “pushes our heroes to the brink and beyond as evil can no longer be tolerated to win.”

No, all anyone really needs to know is that this comic features the triumphant return of Congorilla, the giant golden gorilla who switches minds with great white hunter Congo Bill via magic ring. Buy two copies of each issue, and maybe we’ll get a Showcase Presents: Congrorilla out of it!

After the jump, the week’s Congorilla-free books!

Brat Pack New Edition: Writer/artist Rick Veitch’s legendary dismantling of superhero sidekicks returns in a 176-page, $20 trade paperback. Given the current prevalence of dark, twisted superhero parody, Brat Pack probably takes on more significance as the comic that was doing what Mark Millar, Garth Ennis and company are doing now, only a decade or two earlier. You can download a generous 32-page preview here.

Captain America: Reborn #1: You may have heard a little about this one already. Ed Brubaker, Bryan Hitch and Jackson Guice kick off a five-part miniseries answering the question, “Will Captain America be lost forever or will he be REBORN?” The price of admission is $3.99.

Far Arden: This 400-page, $20 graphic novel from Kevin Cannon sounds like a blast. It stars a character named Army Shanks, a sailor and brawler who is searching the arctic seas for the legendary titular island paradise. “But there’s more than just water standing between Shanks and his goal,” says the breathless solicitation copy, “he’ll have to contend with circus performers, adorable orphans, heinous villains, bitter ex-lovers, well-meaning undergraduates, and the full might of the Royal Canadian Arctic Navy!” Give the preview a look here.

Greek Street #1: Peter Milligan, one of the first crop of Vertigo writers, launches a new ongoing on the imprint, this one, in the words of whoever wrote the solicitation copy, a “reimagining of those brutal and visceral tragedies that graced the Theater of Dionysus in Ancient Greece—bloody tales about incest, homicide, beautiful oracles, all-knowing choruses, kings, monsters and gods—played out on the mean streets of modern-day Red-Light London.” Davide Gianfelice draws it, and if you’re curious what it looks like, you can download a preview here. The best part? This first issue is only $1. Vertigo and its parent company actually have a couple of different cheap-o first issues to try this week. You can also get the first issue of Y: The Last Man for only a $1, part of DC’s “After Watchmen” promotion, and I’ve got a warn you, don’t spend that dollar unless you’re ready to spend all the dollars it will take to read all ten volumes of the series, because once you read a little bit of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s post-apocalyptic adventure dramedy, you’re going to be hooked. There’s another “After Watchmen” promotion this week  and it’s—and don’t laugh now!—the first issue of Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver’s 2004  miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth, the one that kicked off Johns’ reboot of the then-dying GL franchise, a reboot which not only hasn’t lost any steam yet, but seems to be getting even more popular.

Marvel Divas #1: Has this been the single most talked about Marvel comic of the year so far? I think it may be. At least among comics people and on the comics blogosphere; Obama’s meeting with Spidey sure captured the general populace’s imagination, and there’s certainly been a lot of talk about Captain America #600, but I’ve heard just as much about this, if not more. Anyway, this is the Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/Tony Zonjic series featuring four random super-ladies that Marvel gave a pretty lame title to, put a pretty lame bait-and-switch J. Scott Campbell cover on, and then proceeded to pretty lamely “market” it by offending everyone who might potentially be interested in such a book. I guess in a few months we’ll see if there really is such a thing as bad publicity; if you want to read it this week, you’ll have to pay $3.99 for the privilege. Preview here.

Savage Dragon #150: I don’t have much to say about this particular book other than to point out that Holy Crap, Erik Larsen has made 150 of these things! Anyway you slice it, that’s quite an accomplishment. I mean, that’s half a Cerebus right there. To celebrate, the most consistent book in comics is getting bumped up to 100 “super spectacular” pages for the month (so says the cover; the solicit says 64 pages), and comes bearing a $4.99 price tag. You can check out a preview here.

Solomon Kane Vol. 1: Castle of The Devil: This is  $16, 128-page collection of the Scott Allie and Mario Guevara five-issue miniseries about Robert E. Howard’s ass-kicking puritan, featuring a gorgeous new cover by Mike Mignola and a cover design that evokes old-school paperback novels and horror films. I’ve been waiting for this thing to come out since the series was first announced; have any of you read it yet? What’s the prognosis? Those who haven’t read it in singles can check out the first ten pages here.

USA Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1: The latest of Marvel’s cumbersomely titled but awesomely fun Golden Age celebration books features a new Destroyer story written by John Arcudi and drawn by Steve Ellis, with a classic Destroyer reprint as a back-up. For an even more modern take on the character, the fourth issue of Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker’s Destroyer Max miniseries is also out this week. Both are $3.99, but the former at least should have a page count justifying the price.

If you like what you’ve read so far (c’mon, how can you not?) totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

Artist J.H. Williams III, via his blog, has announced that the Dynamic Duo behind Katherine Kane will be rocking Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11. Attendees will be able to get the special commemorative print seen above.

Ich Liebe Comics reports that the event will begin from 11-2pm at Alternate Reality Comics, and will move to Comics Oasis from 4-7pm. All proceeds from the event will go to the Hero Initiative, which helps creators in economic need.

The Trial of Sherlock Holmes #2 (of 5)

Written by Leah Moore and John Reppion

Art by Aaron Campbell

Cover Art by John Cassady

Dynamite Entertainment $3.50 US

The Trial of Sherlock Holmes is a new Holmes tale and a “locked room” mystery that finds Holmes appearing to be the only possible murder suspect in this five issue series published by Dynamite Entertainment. Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue is considered the first locked room mystery and first detective story. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, among other writers, would build on the idea of a shrewd detective with an assistant/narrator as well as the idea of an impossible crime.

It’s a puzzle within a puzzle and lots of fun. Considering it’s been done by some of the best writers around, the bar is set pretty high for the writing team of Leah Moore and John Reppion but they are no strangers to telling a good yarn, particularly a good Victorian one. This is Alan Moore’s daughter and son-in-law and they’ve learned from the legendary storyteller. They’ve been around for awhile now and have gotten some credits under their belts. I suspect this could be their best work yet.

The art of Aaron Campbell picks up nicely from the impressive cover art of John Cassady. It looks like Campbell did his homework and studied the original Holmes illustrations by Sidney Paget and built on that. Campbell’s style also makes me think of the gritty noirish art of Sean Phillips, Ed Brubaker’s partner in crime for a  number of books including, Incognito. Interestingly enough, among the many comments of praise on the back of the first issue is a quote from Brubaker: “A fantastic opening shot, literally, to a great new Holmes mystery that I can’t wait to read the next chapter of.”

That opening shot is quite impressive with its steady pacing leading up to a dramatic explosion that sets the plot off and running. It is 1895 and a quarter of London’s East End is in flames after a bomb is detonated. A threatening letter is sent to Sir Samuel Henry, a retired police official, demanding that, unless he remains at his home at precisely seven the next evening, more explosions will follow. Sir Henry requests that Holmes be at his side at that hour. Holmes obliges and subsequently is found in Sir Henry’s room with gun in hand and a dead Sir Henry. Not only that, but it appears that Sir Henry had evidence proving Sherlock Holmes to be the infamous criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty.

So, here we are into Issue Two and into a devilish mystery. Hats off to colorist Tony Aviña for his deft handling of moody colors and lighting. There is quite a lot of play with light to see as in an engaging scene with Watson struggling over what little clues he has before him bathed in lamp light. Campbell’s bold use of marks across a face or surface in place of more delicate lines adds to the suspense. All well in good for an issue that continues to set the tone for this story.

By the end of this issue, Holmes has escaped from prison and Watson has snuck into the crime scene and found another clue. This last one appears to be a scrap of paper. This could lead back to the threatening letter sent to Sir Henry. Perhaps Sir Henry sent it to himself. Or maybe it was from Mrs. Gammage, the overbearing housekeeper. For now, Holmes is on the loose disguised as an English bobby with only his wits to rely upon. Like Ed Brubaker, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Matthew Petz, creator of the supernatural western adventure The Corpse Carries A Gun, has written a nice little theme song for his Zuda comic.

You can rock out to the song here, and learn more about the series by clicking here!

Steve Weintraub has an interview at Collider.com with Johnny Depp, who’s working the publicity circuit for the Wednesday release of Public Enemies. The interview covers a range of topics from his love for director Tim Burton, and their upcoming collaborations like next year’s Alice in Wonderland and the planned-but-not-in-production-yet Dark Shadows. He also had something to say about the possibility of a fourth Pirates of the Carribbean:

On Pirates, Johnny said, “What we’re trying to do is just get a script in order and make sure it’s the right thing to do. If we can get a great script it’d be a ball.”

Go read the entire interview for more from Depp. It’s a good little read.

I’m sure a lot of you are rolling your eyes over the idea of yet another Pirates movie. I’ll admit, the sequels weren’t nearly as good as the original, which was pretty damn awesome. Dead Man’s Chest was boring as hell until the climax, but I thought At World’s End redeemed the franchise enough to make me want to see another sequel. And don’t even try to deny it; you know you’d still go see another one too, even if you thought the sequels were crap.

And though I’ve never been on an acid trip, I think seeing Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is going to be about as close as you can get to one without actually dropping acid.

One of my favorite things about watching Marvel superhero movies is seeing what Stan Lee is going to do in his obligatory cameo. Let’s face it, the only good thing about the first Fantastic Four movie was seeing Stan The Man playing Willie Lumpkin. Now, word has leaked out regarding who Smilin’ Stan will be playing in Iron Man 2. The info comes from Collider.com, so I’m not sure how reliable it is, especially considering they’ve admitted straight up they’ve only got one source for the news. Nor will they give any hints as to the source’s identity. That’s some bad journalism, right there. But, the news sort of makes since in context with his cameo in the first Iron Man flick, in which he played a pseudo Hugh Hefner. So if you don’t mind getting this little bit of casting info spoiled for you, click on this link to find out. If you don’t want to know, then just ignore this post and move on to the next post. I’m sure it’s a good one.

Written by Sal “The Bagman” Cipriano

After a frustrating loss to the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago, the DC Bullets were anxious to get back on the field and redeem themselves. Unfortunately, the next week and a half turned into a scene from Blade Runner as rain constantly poured down on NYC, consequently canceling the next three games. Hurt and deflated, the Bullets could only wait for the weather to provide any sort of opening. Finally, after even more rain made a mess of their home field earlier that morning, the DC team were back to New York Media League action this past Thursday; this time against a vaunted, talented High Times team. Considered one of league’s two best teams (along with BusinessWeek) the Bullets were wary, but came in ready for the challenge. And a challenge it would be, too, as they were missing two of their power bats: Third Baseman Mike Lorah and rookie DH LP Vollano. They also started the game with 9 players instead of the required 10, and by the time the second inning was over the sweet leaf-loving Bonghitters were up by three runs.

The Bullets got it going in the bottom of the second, though, as Left Fielder Andrew “The Armadilla” Arnold (1-3, Run) and Second Baseman Christine “CNAP” Napolitano (1-2) got on with one-out base hits. Arnold then scored on a single to centerfield by Catcher Sal “Bagman” Cipriano (2-2, RBI, BB).

The Bullets were on the board, and now had a full complement of players, which allowed their defense to close up tightly. From the third inning on, DC’s favorite sons and daughters did not commit an error, a frequent thorn in their sides, with Team Captain Adam Schlagman (3-3, 2 runs, triple) leading the way with one spectacular play after another at short! The third inning ended with two crazy plays as Right Fielder Rickey Purdin (1-2, double) snagged a sun drenched ball at the last second, followed by a sliding catch from the Bagman on a foul pop by the Times’ best hitter!

Those outs seemed to fire DC up as the Bullets loaded up for their biggest offensive inning of the evening. The Captain started it off with a single, and immediately scored on Left Fielder Vince Letterio’s (1-3, run, RBI) hard hit triple over the opposing left fielder’s head! Right Fielder Pat “Two Scoops” Brosseau’s (1-2, 2 RBI, sac fly) RBI grounder scored Letterio, and a third run was added by Third Baseman Joel “The” Press “Man” (1-3, RBI) scoring Rover Dougie Harrison (1-1, run). The Bullets led after that third inning, 4-3.

Both teams put up goose eggs in the 4^th, but in the top of the fifth, a Bonghitter smoked a solo home run, tying the game. Ace Bullets Pitcher Larry Ganem (1-3) shook it off though, and retired the next batters. The bottom of the fifth showed off the Bullets resilience with Schlagman lacing a triple, and scoring one out later on Brosseau’s sac fly.

The Bullets again led by one going into the sixth, but the two teams traded off zeroes for a third time in the game. The pressure was now on as Ganem took the mound in the top of the seventh, 3 outs away from DC’s biggest win in the last couple of years. The first out came easy, but the second required Captain Schlagman to make the web gem play of the game with a diving stop of a smashed grounder that was destined for center field, but instead found itself in his glove and consequently into First Baseman Laura Demoreuille’s (0-1) sure handed mitt! One out away, but the Bonghitters seemed determined to do what they do best, no not that, win! The next two men got on second and third, but they were going no where else as a fly ball fell into Center Fielder Neil Hiremath’s (0-2) glove! Put it in the books, the Bullets win!

Final score:

5-4 for the DC Bullets over the High Times Bonghitters. A hard earned victory for a gritty, gutty team that’s gelling well under pressure, and truly beginning to put a disappointing 2008 season behind them. The Bullets pull up at .500 (4-4, 2-2 in league games) and will look to improve that further in their next game.

Game notes:

The pitching and defense in this is game were stellar. Captain Schlagman continues to show the way in the field playing a superb short stop. The tandem of Ganem pitching to Cipriano has also meshed well over the last year, and this year they’ve really shown it holding the Daily Beast to 5 runs, and High Times to 4. If the team can continue this way, they can easily make it to the playoffs.

This Thursday, July 2^nd, DC are home against the Seamless Web. Can the Bullets break through their web? Come find out at Central Park’s North Meadow, field 2, at 5:30PM!