Drink and Draw August
The next monthly gathering of the D&D nerds is Thursday, August 8th, same Bat-time (8:00) and same Bat-place (Good Sons.) However, don’t bring your 20 sided dice, this group of D&Ders needs some interest in art and/or comics, a pint or other adult beverage and the desire to either sketch your ass off or converse about the world of comics.
Infinity Launch Party
On August 14th, we are going to have one of our old school parties like we used to have at the old location. Carter Allen, who will be on hand to unveil his new Nikki Harris omnibus, and will also sit and doodle and converse with all who come in.
As always with our old school parties, there will be Free Beer, sales and oh, yeah, Marvel is releasing their new big giant crossover event, Infinity, that day too. Oh, Don’t Give Me That! It is written by Jonathan Hickman, shut up Ronnie!
Tyler’s New Book, Dropout
The new collaboration between Phil Hester and local boy Tyler Walpole has been released through the digital first imprint Monkeybrain comics. The book, Dropout, is about troublemaker Wyatt Gundersen. Not a charming scoundrel or misunderstood genius, but a sullen, disruptive, friendless, desk-carving, window-breaking punk. It comes as no surprise when Wyatt is transferred to a cutting edge charter school designed to educate wayward students, but after a bizarre admissions test he realizes his world is about to change… or rather, his worlds.
The first issue is only 99 cents and if all goes well, the book will see physical print when the first arch is done.
I love Tyler’s art and I’ve never read anything by Phil that I didn’t like, but don’t take my word for it, here is a review of high praise from Robot 6.
The San Diego Comedy Con 2013
They really need to change the name. Seriously!
I look at the name San Diego Comic Con and I’m confused. Where are the comics? Or do they mean comedy, like a stand-up comic? Because if you thought this convention was about comics – in the sequential paneled art telling stories sense of the word – well, let me tell you brother, the joke is on you!
There was more movie and TV news and panels at this “Comic” con than any SDCC I can remember. I heard it referred to as “the entertainment news event of the summer.” What, really?
I guess the true owning of this industry by Hollywood is complete. If you are a dork that reads comics, you obviously need to be or should be watching all this other media and playing these other video games and seeing all these other films, then reading your comics, right?
But what if we just wanted to have a COMIC con? Would anyone cover that? I guess it’s the good with the bad. My sixty some year old mom who NEVER took an interest in my comic books in her life (even with her only son owning a shop that sells them) knows what the San Diego Comic Con is and for that matter knows more about what is going on at it than I DO!! That scares me a little.
Why does she know this? Because there was either a news show she mistakenly watches covering it, the TV guide or the Entertainment Weekly had a special edition about it or even a show she likes features her characters AT IT! The idea of the comic con is something that has grown into an acceptable thing. Is this good?
When I was a kid, I never wore my Superman or Batman t-shirt to school, well, what I should say I never wore it openly. I would wear it under another shirt. I was ostracized enough, thank you very much, I didn’t need “comic dork” stamped on my forehead too.
Now, kids, the media, Hollywood have made comic and “nerdy” pop culture acceptable to participate in our society. I am okay with this really. I am not someone who feels we need to hide our industry in a closet – obviously I’m okay with that as I opened the first coffee/comic book store in the world attempting to combine and make money off of this growing acceptance. But there comes a point when, well, just maybe, I question what good has it done US (and by us I mean the regular readers of comic books. The us who are the twenty or thirty year continuous, obsessive, lovers of this little nerd kingdom.)
Our industry isn’t really in any better shape sales wise. We continue to lose shops and lose readers; are we really better off for our new found acceptance in society? I don’t know. Have we sold our soul for acceptance? I feel this way every year when I see the giant Nerd Aquarium that the San Diego Convention Center becomes shoe horn in more people than ever and all I see are announcements about movies… and REALLLLLLLY have to hunt for the good COMIC BOOK news that was announced.
Some of the nuggets that peaked my interest:
IDW announced, officially, Darwyn Cooke’s new Parker adaptation, Slayground, will be released in December! IDW will publish several more high end Artist Editions as well as a new Walter Simonson book called Ragnarok, staring “not Marvel’s” Thor. They are also going to do an adaptation or Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!
Dark Horse’s announcing MUTE, by Duncan Jones and Glenn Fabry, as well as a new Terminator series by J. Michael Staczynski and Pete Woods! Archie released a “trailer” for what is already better than Walking Dead, After-Life with Archie.
The big two of course had their same old same old overshadowed by movie news announcements or as I like to call them, “what you will see in previews next week…” except one. Did you hear about Batman and Scooby Doo, together in one comic? …and DC offered retailers the best gift of the show, returnability on the first three issues of all the new Vertigo books as well as Mad and the all ages line of books. THAT kids, is awesome!!! My hat is off to DC for doing this. Seriously, this might be the best news of the con.
Okay, and finally. I will admit I did pay attention to two pieces of news that was NOT comic related. I am a big Son’s of Anarchy fan – Hey, at least they have a comic book coming out!! – and did you read about the Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club sequel news. I only saw this on my boys Theouthousers.com – true journalists they be! This is a terrible, TERRIBLE, idea, but it is nice to see that not all comics are going to film, some film is coming to comics too. Hmm, I guess in the end of this rant, maybe not everything is wrong, even if this is a TERRIBLE idea.
And now for something completely different
It is truly scary time we live in. I have been shocked of late in discussions I’ve had about our rights, the Constitution and the direction we have both taken and are taking with regards to both. It terrifies me when a nation is so willing to just had over protected and hard fought over, inalienable rights. I’m not going to go all 1984 on you, but I would like to point out a great article from our friends at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. It points out that in a recent poll nearly a third of Americans believe the First Amendment goes too far! Yes, you read that right. You can read the article here. And you should read it. Scary stuff, or to quote one of the members of the research firm that conducted the poll, “it is unsettling when you see a third of Americans view the First Amendment as providing TOO MUCH liberty.” Unsettling indeed.
Like a zombie, World War Pitt, will not die
…and if you’ve read the book World War Z or seen the movie of the same name, you must look at this detailed look of what is similar between the two.
Personally, I thought the film was a failure, though a friend gave it a passing grade I wanted to send Mr. Pitt back to school. However, would you have guessed that Max Brooks DIDN’T hate it. Read his comments. He is a good man to be so kind.