BS: Any comic book readers here ?

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 07:42 PM

I see that the DC comics character Green Arrow is going to be given a series on the CW network. The series will just be called "Arrow". Check the link below and you can see a preview video.


Link to website here.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 07:54 AM

This is a strange marketing move. DC comics plans to "reboot". It's going to start all 52 of their titles over again and renumber them # 1.


DC Story here

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 17 May 11 - 10:44 PM

I've not cared much for the transfer of comic book characters to live action film. This is especially true of the super (and near-super) heroes. Much better--or truer--to source material were Popeye and Dick Tracy (the Beatty version). But those did not do box office, so obviously I'm in a minority.

The Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s are wonderful, though based more on the radio Superman series than the four color magazines. I have the complete run, and rewatch some occasionally.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 17 May 11 - 03:23 PM

It appears that Steven Speilberg and Peter Jackson are making The Adventures of Tin Tin.


Preview here

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 May 11 - 02:30 AM

Joss Whedon is directing The Avengers as we speak. Hooray!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Max Johnson
Date: 30 Apr 11 - 07:03 AM

The superb 'Tamara Drewe' is by the artist Posy Symmonds, and is indeed based on 'Far From The Madding Crowd'. There are one or two additions. For example, she saw the two girls as a Greek chorus.
The Writers' retreat is a sort of joke of the idea of 'Far From The Madding Crowd', but there are plot and name similarities and puns.
They've made a film of 'Tamara Drewe' which I haven't seen, but I feel that it probably misses the point of the graphic novel. Nice for Posy Symmonds though!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: michaelr
Date: 29 Apr 11 - 08:13 PM

I just saw a delightful film based on a comic strip, "Tamara Drewe". Anyone here familiar with that?

It's supposed to be a modern take on "Far from the madding Crowd", but I must say I didn't see the parallels.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 29 Apr 11 - 06:19 PM

Polly - Here's a site I go to check out the trailers of upcoming movies. Interesting that the Thor movie is directed by Kenneth Branagh.

The Movie Box - Trailers


Most of the recent Marvel comics movies have little bits after the credits that give a clue about one of the upcoming movies. I think they'll be sticking to that premise in future movies too. Of course you have to sit through 15 minutes of credits to see one.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Apr 11 - 04:28 PM

Just noticed the name of the Opening Poster again:-) Good on you Hal!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Apr 11 - 04:21 PM

Just out of interest - I am sure I mentioned it earlier in the thread - but my favourite was always The Green Lantern.

Anyone heard any mention of the film recently?

And what about Thor about to come out on the big screen. Anyone notice that bit at the end of Iron Man 2 where they found the hammer?

Ok - Yes, I am sad... :-)

MP

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 29 Apr 11 - 02:11 PM

I don't remember Superman talking about "Truth Justice and the American Way" in the comic book before.But I could have missed it. Was that an invention of the TV show from the 50's?

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: bobad
Date: 29 Apr 11 - 11:12 AM

Superman threatens to renounce U.S. citizenship

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 02:09 PM

Patsy, I think comics and sweets went together quite naturally, because they were sold in the same shop, a newsagents/sweetshop. Also, it was lovely to munch or suck while reading, total heaven! Do you remember flying saucers? Those pink mice? Black Jacks and Salad Chews? And comic characters like the Four Marys, Desperate Dan, the Bash Street Kids with Lord Snooty, Rob Roy, Korky the Cat. We were all so happy then, no technology or sophisticated stuff, just a simple comic and a sweet or two. Even cornflake packets had little plastic things like diving men (put baking soda inside) and the cardboard models you could cut out and make up from the box itself. We had a much better time than children today, I'm quite sure!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Donuel
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 12:29 PM

19th century gilded age style cartoon

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 08:21 AM

I know this is drifting away from the comics but I remember the Catherine wheels which had a blue or pink aniseed flavour sweets in the middle similar to the ones in a bag of liquorice allsorts. Which has suddenly reminded me of the old 'Lucky Bags' they tried to recreate the lucky bag but it just wasn't the same.

But sort of bordering on comics and staying in the sweet line I remember Bazooka Joe gum with a little comic strip inside.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 30 Mar 11 - 12:31 PM

A fairly new shop has opened here in Norwich, selling old fashioned sweets such as sherbert fountains, mint humbugs etc. But after whizzing in there full of hope, alas I discovered they only sell horrible Pontifract cakes and liquorice comfits, not the long skipping ropes of my dreams! I also adore liquorice 'pipes' and 'Catherine wheels'. Very good for constipation!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 30 Mar 11 - 07:46 AM

Yes Eliza I think I do remember Beryl being in Topper I used to read the comics that you mentioned and there was another one it must have come out a little bit later 'The Teddy Bear's comic' It had lovely illustrations in it of a whole family of bears, mother, father, grandpa. schoolboy and girl and 'Grizzly' fretful baby bear, doing typical family things.

Somehow sweets don't taste like they used to either.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 30 Mar 11 - 05:15 AM

I used to buy Dandy, Beano and a long liquorice 'skipping rope', stick one end in my mouth and chew. It lasted until I'd read both comics. All for sixpence! (2.5 pence) When quite small, it was Chick's Own, then Bunty and Diana (or Diane, I can't quite remember) Wasn't Beryl the Peril in Topper?

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 30 Mar 11 - 02:56 AM

The Eagle if I see a book in WH Smith!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 30 Mar 11 - 02:48 AM

Will Wonder Woman be shown on UK television? If so a certain son of mine will be very pleased. Hopefully the new Wonder Woman will be as lovely and curvy as Linda Carter, speaking for my son.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: J-boy
Date: 29 Mar 11 - 11:53 PM

Check out Scalped by Jason Aaron. It's a great noir story set on an Indian Reservation.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Mar 11 - 05:42 PM

Reading through volume 6 (the last) of Terry and the Pirates.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 29 Mar 11 - 05:35 PM

It looks like Wonder Woman returns to TV in the fall of 2011. Here's a look at the outfit.


Wonder Woman returns

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 24 Mar 11 - 04:30 PM

Here's a list of 40 upcoming movies based on comic books. It should be an interesting couple of years.

Upcoming movie list.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Amergin
Date: 10 Dec 10 - 06:02 PM

I am not a comic book person....never really have been. I think partly it was because we were too poor for me to go into some serial that I would only read once or twice....when most kids were reading those I was reading novels, though once in a while did read my dad's heavy metal...but wow...yesterday I read The Watchmen, after of course seeing the movie...but the book was mind blowing. Never thought a mere comic book could be so deep.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 03:41 PM

Neil Gaiman was on NPR's Talk Of The Nation today, talking about editing The Best American Comics 2010. It was a fun and interesting interview. The audio and/or transcript will be available after 6p.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 03:40 AM

When I was a little girl I enjoyed boys action magazines more than the stuff available for girls like Marvel and DC Comics, Beano (don't know if that was considered boys reading material more so than girls?) and the Dandy etc. The comics that I indulged in was Beryl the Peril and I haven't been able to track it down since. I always rated it much more than Minnie the Minx. I still read through the vast collection that my son has which includes Marvel, DC Comics and Judge Dread and I have been known to buy the odd Viz magazine. Back to Beryl the Peril I would love to get the annual that I used to own, it was pretty hilarious even when she was trying to be good! Back then I didn't have the sense to hang on to it.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 12:25 AM

I lurk at comics. One thing is for sure, the artwork and perspectives have encountered an age of enlightenment.

THe art is much better than ever before.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 08:24 PM

The Green Lantern Trailer


It looks better than I expected.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Stu
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 01:49 PM

It's fascinating to see how the US folks have grown up (and older) with their comics.

As I live in the UK I started off with the usual staples of Beano and The Dandy (plus the excellent Oor Wullie annuals my great Uncle gave me). I then became obsessed with Marvel comics and read Spiderman, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk etc etc as well as Conan and the like.

At some point British comics changed, and some edgier titles came out that often centred around the second world war. Comics like Action!, Bullet and Warlord became very popular and I got these until . . .

. . . one day I picked up a new comic called 2000AD and everything changed. Along with the excellent Starlord (they merged not long after starting) 2000AD total re-wrote and re-drew British comics. Apart from Judge Dredd, there are whole rafts of characters that are brilliant and memorable. The writer's and artist's roster reads like a whose-who of British comic talent: Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, Carlos Ezquerra, Kevin O'Neill, Cam Kennedy etc etc.

I still read many of the strips now, although I have begun reading graphic novels. Watchmen was excellent, and i found a brilliant adaption of City of Glass, a Paul Auster story found in the New York Trilogy.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 01:03 PM

If only all threads could be like this one.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Joe_F
Date: 13 Jul 09 - 06:30 PM

When I was little I had Superman & Batman & all those guys. These days it's Harvey Pekar, Robert Crumb (mostly the autobiographical ones), and (rest in peace) Rand Holmes & Guy Colwell.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 13 Jul 09 - 04:58 PM

It apperas that Ryan Reynolds has been cast to play Hal Jordon in the Green Lantern movie.I guess they could have done worse.

Link to story

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After an intense months-long search, Warner Bros. has chosen Ryan Reynolds to play the title character in "Green Lantern," the studio's live-action movie based on the DC Comics hero.

Reynolds and his representatives entered negotiations for the part Friday, after the studio held two rounds of screen tests for the actor, Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto. Justin Timberlake also did a screen test.

The film is being directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 11:20 AM

Young artist passes away..

Michael Turner Obit

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: john f weldon
Date: 22 Jun 08 - 05:47 PM

..or this...

http://www.weldonalley.ca/comics/ashcanalley/ashcannews.html

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: john f weldon
Date: 22 Jun 08 - 05:45 PM

A link that may interest someone....

http://www.weldonalley.ca/comics/comics.html

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 21 Jun 08 - 09:31 PM

Kendall and everybody else===I love golden age comics.

There are several sites that have complete books available for download for freeeee. They claim the books posted are copyright free, but I have my doubts about a lot of stuff posted. There is way to much recent material that certainly copyrights must be being violated, but I don't like recent ones anyway.

The sites are easily googled. I don;t want trouble either.

There is overlap on material at these sites, and I think they may use the same server in some cases. I know at least two of the sites originate in Europe.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: kendall
Date: 21 Jun 08 - 08:12 PM

I can't remember all of them but here are a few that grabbed me as a boy.
Mandrake the magician
The Atom
The Shield & Dusty
Captain America
Superman
Batman
Captain Marvel
The Volta men
The Vigilante. (Rode a motor cycle, sidekick named "Stuff"
Submariner
Plastic man
The Green Lanturn
And finally, MAD.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 10:55 AM

Sadly, my comic books were lost to a Hurricane in New Orleans...in 1947! (I saved maybe 5)....I bought a few others in the 50's, but it wasn't the same.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: GUEST,Dáithí
Date: 13 Nov 07 - 05:09 AM

Thankfully I still have about 300 of my old American comics (mainly DC but a few Marvel and others) in a suitcase in the loft..including Number 1 of Plastic Man (dah dah!!)and a few early numbers of Fantastic Four.
Mainly Superman, Superboy, Adventure and Action, with some annuals too..all dated between 1961 and 1967 I think.
Must be worth something, but wouldn't know how to go about selling them...

D

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 04:50 PM

The story of the mother who tossed the valuable comics is sadly, a universal one. At every convention I went to with Julie, we'd hear various versions of this sad lament from fans. Oddly enough, it was this universal experience of Comic fans that helped drive the speculative collecting market in the late 1980s and early 1990s which eventually caved in on itself as the publishers started cranking out extreme print-runs thinking that collectors would snap them all up hoping to cash in at a later date. it worked for a while. The Superman's Dead issue is a good example of that kind of thing.

There is another version of the 'my mom chucked out all my comics and if I had them today I could sell them for hundreds of thousands of dollars" and it's the "My Ex-wife burned/trashed/shredded my comics in spite when we broke up" or worse.. "I was forced to sell my collection in my divorce in order to keep the house and/or pay off the Ex-wife." More than a few Comics professionals had their collections liquidated in that manner.

Julie used to send me huge packages of comics every month from 1990 until a year or so before his death and he used to say "Don't hang onto any of these for sentimental reasons. if you need the money - sell every last one of them" During the last big Hollywood strike (2000), I was forced to do just that and I don't regret it. Comics are for reading and enjoying. I leave the collecting and hoarding to others. it used to annoy the crap out of me to hear somebody say to me "You shouldn't be reading that without cotton gloves" or "Don't fold back the cover! You'll ruin the re-sale value."

Out of the Comics Julie used to send me from DC, I really enjoyed PREACHER, the Garth Ennis series. it went on a little longer than it should have but it was a very exciting series. I also liked the SANDMAN spinoff series LUCIFER although I lost interest in that one too after a couple of years.

Out of Non DC titles - i was crazy-mad for STRAY BULLETS when it first came out! Totally insane for it!

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Rumncoke
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 12:42 PM

I used to walk down into town - so saving the bus fare, buy a comic at the stand in the bus station and then read it on the bus home. I even used to forgo lunch and buy DC comics with the money.

I had seven years worth of comics such as the Victor, Valiant, Hotspur, all in pristine condition, some of them from the first issue.

When I went off to University I left boxes full of comics at home, and eventually I came across a shop selling comics for lots of money. I told him what I thought I had, and his eyes lit up. A few weeks later I went home and prepared to tell my parents about the fortune thay had in the loft - only to discover that the boxes of comics had been disposed of almost as soon as I left home.

My parents were really struggling financially at that time, my father had been unable to work through ill health for many years, and it would have made a terrific difference to them.

I was quite shocked that anything had been thrown away - it was not the usual thing at home, everything was kept. I supose it should have told me a lot about my mother's attitude towards me, but it was not until years later that I told my father of the amount of money the comics would have fetched, and he went quite pale and very quiet for a minute or so.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: bobad
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 10:25 AM

Came across this on the www - The Comic Book Periodic Table Of The Elements - pretty cool.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 07:41 AM

I recently read Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis I, it was fascinating.

Sunday for me is reading the comics in both our Sunday papers while eating brunch. I go to a lot of trouble at Festivals to make sure I get my Sunday papers! 'Sunday isn't Sunday without The Sunday Telegraph' (well known advertising blurb) '& the Sun Herald' (the bit I add). I've been following some of those comics - Prince Valiant & The Phantom - since I was very young & get twitchy when I can't read them!! My siblings & I used to buy comics when we had the money.

I haven't read thru the whole thread so don't know if folks have been mentioning Japanese manga. My local library has manga & other illustrated novels in the Young Adult section, & today I found a reprint of the first 3 issues of Marvel's Battleship Galactica comics in the Library so read it while I was waiting for the rain to stop, along with a manga-style novel drawn by someone who was not Japanese. I love that style of drawing.

I don't collect comics, tho I do have 2 old (1960's) Modesty Blaise comics/illustrated novels, and a few pages from manga that were used as wrapping for Japanese ceramics. The precious manga pages are kept with my other Japanese stuff.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 08:06 PM

I have redone over 60 Phantom comics via photoshop to make them indecently politically incorrect. aka telling the truth.

but I suspect this exercise will remain unseen, uninteresting and undoubtedly inane.

besides I must have broken hundreds of copywrite laws.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 10:56 AM

I use to devour comics when I was a kid in the 60s. I use to buy american superhero Marvel and DC comics. I use to have TV21 delivered to my house. My sister worked for Odhams (now IPC) and she use to bring home some of their publications: Wham! Smash! Pow! (all rip offs of teh Beano) Terrific! and The Eagle. I kept them all in date order until my mum chucked them on the bonfire. Mummy! What were you thinking?

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 03:03 PM

Comic book novels, biographies, histories (or graphics as the New York Times Book Review calls them) are gaining wider audiences. Some are truly works of art, in addition to presenting stories in new ways.
Enjoyed recently are:
Kim Deitch, "Alias the Cat."
Art Spiegelman, "In the Shadow of No Towers."
Chester Brown, "Louis Riel." (A balanced view, not the usual British-Canadian elite distortions of the last century).
Marjane Satrapi, "Persepolis I, II." (Autobiographical, growing up in Iran).
Joe Sacco, "The Fixer, a Story from Sarajevo." (The New York Times said about a previous work on Bosnia- "few have told the truth more bravely than Sacco's. He is an immense talent").

I wish I could afford more of them. Graphic presentation is expensive, and as yet the market is not large for hard-bound graphic works, running to many pages.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 11:26 AM

Wow! There's a dramatic story line for you...

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 07:06 AM

I've mentioned in other threads that Gil Kane walked me down the aisle at my wedding. He was subbing for ulie Schwartz who didn't want to fly to Los Angeles after thanksgiving. Gil and Elaine Kane were, for most of my life, a second set of parents and Julie was a super-combo of Grandad/dad/best-friend and sometimes beloved burden.

All this came about quite by accident when I met Julie at the age of 17 or 18 (I forget which). We became close when I left Graduate School in 1986 and began driving him to regional conventions. He had taken a shine to me during a long fire-drill at a Lunacon when he and I and Isaac Asimov got tfed up with repeated pullings of the alarm and sneaked back into our hotel together. isaac was so mad he packed his bags and took a taxi back to the train station and Julie and I stayed up talking. He had lost his wife a couple of years prior and when he found that I loved Dixieland Jazz, contract bridge and dry manhattans, he felt we were made to be BFFs.

This was a blessing that changed my life forver since Julie isnisted I get a job as Analog/Asimov's magazines and stop working a thankless Wall Street job. his motives were to free me up to accompany him to more conventions each year since he hated traveling alone and had a terrible fear of falling in a hotel room in tthe dark while alone. Our relationship was completely and totally platonic but that didn't stop people from snickering about "us".

Anyway - I had always been interested in comics but Julie schooled me in the cutting edge materials of the 1980s and gave me copies of as much Silver Age material as he could get his hands on. I remember how wonderful it was to get to handle and read a copy of the Batman film script a year or more before it came out. Julie also gave me everything of Alan Moore's. He thought rewally highly of him.

Eventually Julie introduced me to the Kanes in 1987 and when I moved to Los Angeles in 1990, we became close. I had a bad year in 1993-94 with a terrible health crisis and a home-invasion robbery/assault right after Jack Kirby's funeral of all things and that brought us much closer. After I moved, I began dating my husband and the Kanes often douvble-dated with us which was so darling!

We double-dated to the Hollywood Bowl to see Mel Torme in one of his last public performances. It was one of thosemagical nights you never forget. We went out to a cafe afterwards and Gil was drawing on the paper table-cloth. He was embarrassed when I tore it off to keep as a souvenir but I did it anyway. Long story short- when Dave proposed, nobody was more thrilled than Gil and Elaine. Gil assumed the role of Father of the Bride with enthisuasm and Elaine took me dress shopping. Now that Gill has passed way, I am so thankful for those memories.

What has any of this to do with the original question - not much I suppose except to say that since the age of 19, I have spent my personal life and a large part of my professional life immersed in the Comics world. My happiest memories are often of long, lazy sundays at the end of conventions when Julie and I and his group of friends and colleagues would sit in a hotel restaurant and I would listen as then reminsced and argued about the past! I spent a lot of time with the wives and duaghters of Comic greats since we kept eachother company while the "boys" were onstage doing panels or sitting signing autographs. It gave me an interesting perspective on the industry.

I still have some Superman jewlery that Julie used to give to his favorite girls known as "Juliettes". Reading this thread has brought back many happy memories.

FYI - I always felt bad for Jughead too. i rememebr one story where he nearly died from Food poisoning and the gan didn't find him cuz he had played a prank or something and was lying sick in the school on a weekend. Horrifying!

The other totally horrifying comic I recall was when Bandit from Johnny Quest got lost and eventually captured by a Dog Fighting Ring! It was so ghastly. Eventually, He tells the other dogs how to team up and escape and Johhny finds him but the really baaaaad dog who is all grizzled and busted up from years of fighting to the death - he sacrifices his own life against the captors to buy time for Bandit and the others. I sobbed for DAYS over that one. bandit was a good dog.

Subject: RE: BS: Any comic book readers here ?
From: Nick E
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:30 PM

Fondest in my memory was the Alan Moore written series of Swamp thing. Just great and the artwork was superb.

I find the comic books so interesting in that the story is sequential and cinematic, yet the artwork is static and each progressive image on the page remains in place and is viewd in association with the next frame, that last frame, and all the other frames at the same moment. It is a narrative dynamic that no other medium offers.