Author Archives: Rich

Recommended Reading: One Con Glory

Ever get the feeling that someone wrote a book specifically for you?

Well, twitter-pal Sarah Kuhn’s One Con Glory is *this* close to that.

The book follows Julie, comics reporter, comics fan and die-hard Glory Gilmore fan, through one comics convention weekend as she deals with an irritating colleague, a pretty-boy TV star, the search for the ultimate collectible and, more importantly, her own neuroses.

In fact, it’s her neuroses that are the biggest obstacle to her achieving any of her goals – so pretty much true to life. The characters are recognizable, well-drawn and have you rooting for them almost immediately – and if there’s any flaw to the book at all, it’s that you don’t really have anyone to root against.

Packed with more pop-culture references (real and disguised) than you can shake a gaffi stick at, the pages of One Con Glory fly by. I can see this as a good independent film, actually – it’s certainly got more heart than a lot of romantic comedies out there, and the three act structure is already in place.

Recommended!

One Con Glory is available through Lulu here.

New Iron Man 2 Trailer

War Machine.

Black Widow.

Nick Fury.

Justin Hammer.

Suitcase armor.

Almost the silver centurion armor.

What’s not to like?

Well, maybe Mickey Rourke still…

The Pull List – 10th March 2010

It’s another decent sized week with only one book that I’m not certain I’ll be picking up…

Action Comics #887 -This one I’m getting. The whole New Krypton thing is rushing to a conclusion with the Last Stand of New Krypton and subsequent War of the Supermen, and as good as I’ve found it, it’s probably about time.

Batgirl #8 – Still one of the only batbooks I’m picking up, Batgirl really is a breath of fresh air at the moment. It helps that I always liked Steph, admittedly – and that Babs is playing back-up here. I’m assuming Steph is going to show up in the relaunched Birds of Prey aswell.

Green Lantern Corps #46 – This has been great during (and before) Blackest Night – but I’m not 100% on board when its all over and the dust settles.

Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special - I know that last week’s Cry for Justice caused some controversy, but that aside the new directions for Arrows Green and Red have me interested. So…maybe I’ll pick this up.

Red Robin #10 – Steph and Tim! Awk-ward…

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #1 – See Action, above.

Amazing Spider-Man #624 – Still have no interest in the new Vulture, but this is a solid arc. Kind of missing the lack of supporting cast these past few months, if I’m honest.

Web of Spider-Man #6 – Last issue’s (original) Vulture story finally lived up to the title’s promise. Let’s hope it continues!

Buck Rogers Web Series – with Gil Gerard and Erin Gray!

Found this over at AICN – Gerard and Gray better known as Buck and Wilma –

- are playing Buck Rogers’ parents in a new web series (in a scene that’s a little reminiscent of Luke telling Owen and Beru he wants to join the Rebellion):

That’s some pretty cool casting, even if they do look a little like they’re wearing ‘old age makeup’ from Star Trek TNG

You asked, I answer

Yesterday I said you could ask me anything…so here goes:

Are you a tea drinker? What kind of tea do you enjoy?

I am – coffee in the morning, but tea in the afternoon and evening. I drink a lot of different teas depending on what’s available, what I feel like, whatever – Earl Grey, Peppermint, Lapsang Souchong, Assam, Prince of Wales, English Breakfast, Scottish Breakfast…even plain old blended PG Tips. Love those chimpanzees.

And also, if Green Arrow and Hawkeye got into a target shooting contest, who’d win?

Better shot: Green Arrow. Better fighter: Hawkeye. Better chilli: Hawkeye. Hawkeye wins!

ReynardCity

If you went on a cookery show, what would you cook to wow the judges?

Yorkshire puddings filled with poached flaked haddock and cheese sauce to start, followed by cuban pork chops with sofrito mash, then Jack Daniels chocolate pecan pie for dessert.

God, I’m hungry right now.

Matt

Would you rather be a Jedi or a Green Lantern (when their rings still didn’t work on yellow)? Explain why!

A Jedi, without a doubt. Being a GL takes too much creativity with the ring – the last thing you want to come up with in the middle of a battle is something lame like a boxing glove. Plus, last time I looked, GLs couldn’t do the Jedi mind trick.

Hey, these AREN'T the droids I'm looking for!

TheYanni

Ever considered doing a podcast?

Considered, yes. But then I did an interview with my pal Chris – we interviewed Proof’s Alex Grecian. Pretty much halfway through I decided that honestly? Not for me. Luckily due to a technical glitch the interview never saw the light of day – and that’s probably for the best!

Has there ever been a series that got cancelled that you still miss? Or a series that got cancelled that might be considered “ahead of its time” that you lament?

God, a few – but Chase is the first one that comes to mind. DC Johnson had the whole of the covert arm of the DCU mapped out – the DEO, Suicide Squad, Checkmate, the Creche and others. Some of these ideas got revisited years later in other series, but Johnson had it all figured out. Not only that, but artist JH Williams III absolutely killed on the book. It had the potential to be another Starman, but lasted ten issues, ending ignominously with a DC 1 Million tie-in. Sad.

And don’t get me started on how awesome Bloodhound was.

Chris McAree

Did you read any of the Marvel UK stuff and if so, did you like it?

Weirdly, no, even though I was buying virtually everything that Marvel US was putting out at the time – but I always liked the idea of Mys-Tech, and I do have a special place in my heart for Death’s Head.

matty

Do you think Hope Summers is going to turn out to be some ressurected version of Jean Grey during Second Coming?

No. I think Hope turning out to be Jean would be way too obvious – but I think that Hope may be a host for the Phoenix Force before all’s said and done. What I do find weird about the whole Hope thing is that nobody seems to have ever questioned exactly whose child she was before all the crap hit the fan where she was born.

Since you dropped the X-Books do you even care?

Ha, yes -I’m still going to be getting the X-books in trades, including the Second Coming trade. Now if only I can avoid spoilers somehow…

Captain Elias

How do you feel about the historical fact that Moondragon once raped Thor? Can you judge characters for what they’ve done before they died and came back ‘different’?

Kind of icky. The thing is, it happened so long ago that not even Thor seems that bothered about it – and he wasn’t overly bothered about it at the time, either I think. And I think just because a character’s been reborn doesn’t mean that they’ve been rehabilitated – although if they’ve atoned for their mistakes before death, that’s okay. As for Moondragon specifically, I’m not a huge fan in any case.

Who’s your favorite Guardian of the Galaxy? (Rocket Racoon is too easy an answer. Also, characters from the weird future team are acceptable.)

He is Groot.

Dude, Groot. Of the original Guardians, I always liked Charlie-27 – probably because back when I was reading their book he was all about the unrequited crush on Nikki, and as a teenager I knew all about unrequited crushes.

How are DnA going to bring Thanos back after his heart got punched out?

The guy dated Death – I think he’s got an ‘in’ with the gatekeeper.

Not THIS Gatekeeper.

If the weilder of the quantam bands goes to the White Room when they die, think Wendell Vaughn ever met Jean Grey?

Probably, but he’d be too scared to make a move on her, they’d just exchange hair styling tips, And then Quentin Quire would make a move on Wendell and it would start to get weird…

How would you write the remaining plot of Buffy Season 8?

I wouldn’t want to. It’s like when you ask for directions and the guy scratches his head thoughtfully and says ‘I wouldn’t start from here’. What started off as a promising series has gone to hell – drawn out plots, leftfield character developments, and the belief that just because there are no longer TV budget constraints, anything goes. Hindu gods taking on the army? Buffy flying? No, I don’t think so.

Why do you love deadpool so much?

You know, I’m not sure when this happened – but I do really like Deadpool. I think it’s just that so many comics seem to take themselves seriously these days that having a character that doesn’t do so in any way at all is pretty refreshing. Plus, the books are really well written (not so much Deadpool Team-Up, but Victor Gischler’s Merc With A Mouth is funny as hell). I think he’s overexposed, I think the bubble will pop and he’ll be back down to one title within a year or two – but for now, the books are amongst the most fun on the market. Fun in comics – who’d a thunk it?

And lastly (sorry, I just wrote down whatever came to me–not known for my self-editing skills) if the Doctor showed up, hovering in the TARDIS outside your office window (I imagine you in a corner office, naturally) and offered to take you anywhere in time and space, where. would. you. go?

Er…tough  one. I have no idea. I’d want to say ancient Greece or victorian times, but the lack of indoor plumbing puts me off. So maybe the far future – but not too far. A couple of hundred years, for starters. Then I’d get some killer patents and market them back in my own time. That’s right, I learned nothing from Back to the Future Part II.

Jamie Gambell

What’s your dream project?

Comics: New Warriors and Lois Lane (not in the same book, obviously!). Film: I’d love, love to write a screenplay that I could actually sell. The screenplay I’m writing at the moment has the potential to be commercial provided I don’t screw it up.

Dream cast?

For the Warriors it would have to be the classic cast. I’m okay with the new Thrash, and I have an idea to bring back Nita that doesn’t involve time travel. Penance…well he’s due for a lightening up I think. For Lois, the rest of the Daily Planet staff would be a good start . As for the film, the one I’m writing with some actors in mind for key roles – specifically Katie Cassidy, Justin Hartley and Bill Sadler; I find that it helps me get into the different characters’ voices better.

Dream creators?

There are so many awesome artists out there that it’s difficult to name just one – but I do love both Tom Grummet and Todd Nauck’s art; I think either would be perfect for either Lois or the Warriors.

Thanks for playing folks – I may try this again!

Ask me anything…

Okay, I am snowed under at work today – so instead of doing a post, ask me something. Anything. I’ll get to the answers later or tomorrow, but every question asked will be answered!

And just so the post looks pretty, Eric Canete’s Cloak and Dagger…

I want my son…

…to know that his parents love him.

…to not be afraid to take chances.

…to know that it’s okay to fail as long as you try.

…to be able to trust people.

…to watch Episodes IV, V and VI before I, II and III.

…to not trust the wrong people.

…to love as freely as he can.

…to wear his heart on his sleeve.

…to regret doing something rather than to regret not doing something.

…to know that it’s okay to be different.

…to watch all those old TV shows that his parents own.

…to not make fun of those less fortunate than him.

…to feel free to make fun of those more fortunate than him.

…to be true to himself, even if it means not fitting in.

…to find adventures in unexpected places.

…to know that some trees are there just to be climbed.

…to know why he shouldn’t wear a red shirt when he’s going somewhere new.

…to have respect for other people’s property.

…to learn that complaining doesn’t get you anywhere.

…to be able to ask and tell me anything.

…to tolerate his dad’s childish hobbies, just like his mum does.

…to know that every sunset is one worth watching.

…to look at the stars and dream.

…to listen to people’s opinions whilst making his own.

…to never give up.

…to not be too embarrassed by how much his parents love him.

…to know that ‘home’ means ’safe’.

…to love animals.

…to know the difference between Marvel and DC.

…to play sports, even if his dad wasn’t very good at them.

…to act first and worry later.

That’s for starters.

Please be Sentry…

…please be Sentry, please be Sentry…

FALLEN (Not Final Title)
Written by To Be Announced
Art by Tom Raney
Cover by Leinil Yu
The SIEGE has ended and taken its toll on both sides of the battle field. The event seven years in the making has claimed many lives, and in this, its final chapter, a universe comes together to mourn (CLASSIFIED). The shocking death that ended the fight and gave birth to a new Heroic Age is remembered as a writer (CLASSIFIED) returns to lead the farewells.
32 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+…$3.99

..because honestly if its not the Sentry (and writer Paul Jenkins) then there’s no justice in the world.

Never have I seen a character with some potential screwed over so badly. Written out of every fight by silly plot devices as he’s too powerful, a poorly defined power set, saddled with a ridiculous, mutable origin and a villainous alter-ego who appears to have biblical connections – there’s just no salvaging this character.

What I don’t understand is why any of the heroes that you see there (Spidey, Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man, maybe Spider-Woman…, Mr Fantastic) would even bother mourning this waste of narrative.

No ‘I’ in ‘Team’

Yesterday Newsarama ‘debuted’ an X-Men teaser for post-Second Coming, the latest in the X-universe shake-ups that have been prevalent for the last few years.

Of course, it would have been a more effective debut if the ad hadn’t shown up in some of last week’s Marvel Comics…


Anyway, also yesterday, Marvel released yet another ‘I am an Avenger’ teaser – this time spotlighting double-duty pulling Luke Cage in an outfit best described as minimalist – on the oddly named relaunched New Avengers:


That got me thinking: I wonder if there’s a concerted push to differentiate the Avengers and the X-Men these days at Marvel. After all, under Bendis the Avengers have become arguably the biggest franchise at the company, knocking the X-Men into second place – and you may have noticed that I’m not a huge fan of what’s going on in the X-books right now.

Still, I look at these ads and I see the collective ‘we are’ X-Men while ‘I am an’ Avenger. I suppose that’s the way it’s always been; the Avengers were originally formed of characters all strong enough to hold their own features due to the limitations placed on the number of comics the company could distribute at the time. The idea was if you like Thor, you might pick up Avengers in addition to Journey into Mystery and then would be tempted to check out Ant-Man and the Wasp in Tales to Astonish, or Iron Man in Tales of Suspense or so on.

That pretty much went out the window early on when Cap joined with #4 – his first Silver Age appearance after a dry run in with an impostor in the Human Torch feature in Strange Tales #114.


By the time Avengers #16 rolled around, Cap was the only member with a co-feature, but the limitations on the number of books had begun to ease, so it no longer needed to be the cross-pollinating book that it started out as, but the original idea is still right there in the masthead (or used to be back when every Marvel book came with a masthead):

And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat…

These guys aren’t a team, they’re a collection of individuals who get together to fight big threats.

The X-Men on the other hand have always been a team first, individuals second. The original roster’s closest thing to a breakout star was the Beast, who bounced into his own feature in Amazing Adventures, over a year after the X-Men were effectively canceled and put into reprints.


It wasn’t until the advent of the new team of X-Men that Wolverine became a hit character – and even then it would take an incredible amount of time after the book relaunched before he got his own mini series (7 years!) and even longer before he got his own ongoing (11 years!).

I think this distinction has been lost over the years, but when I see these ads I kind of hope it represents a refocusing on what always differentiated the two teams.

And, if at all possible, an end to this island nation nonsense…

The Pull List – 3rd March 2010

A pretty small week for me this week, thankfully -

Adventure Comics #8 – The seeds for the whole ‘Legion in the 21st Century’ thing have been sown for a while and seems to be coming together with the Last Stand of New Krypton but I wonder if this was this the original intent – or whether it’s a patchwork make-fit to tidy up Geoff Johns’ loose ends now he’s moved up the ladder?

Justice League: Cry for Justice #7 – Okay, I thought this was out last week but my point still stands: I’ll be picking it up just so I can make fun of it!

Amazing Spider-Man #623 – Not really that sure I want to see more of the new Vulture, not when the old one has the potential to be such an unexpected bad-ass; his story in the recent Web of Spider-Man was a highlight of that series.

Deadpool Team-Up #895 – We’ve talked about this. Don’t judge me.

Girl Comics #1 – I know I made some noise about this and Marvel Her-Oes before but there’s enough good talent on display here to make me want to check it out. But at $5 a pop? That’s pushing it…

Mighty Avengers #34 – For a book I was considering dropping I’ve enjoyed the last few issues quite a bit – so I’m here to the end of the road for the title. Or another two issues after this.

Prelude To Deadpool Corps #1 – Even for me, this is overkill. So, trades…probably.

Buffy #34 Yes, despite not being overly impressed with this book, I’m still picking it up. This issue, the big Twilight reveal – which I’m sure would be a big reveal if it wasn’t spoiled two months in advance. For now, I call time-travel, alternate-future shenanigans.

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