§ Glove and Boots is a puppet show on YouTube which has been away for a few years, but they are back now with a very cute Thor puppet which comes in at about the 2:30 mark, proving that a Jack Kirby design also looks good on a puppet. Thanks to John W for the link.
§ Marvel’s Michael Pasciullo talks about a comic-making app that is aimed at getting kids more engeged with Marvel:
This is a very important time for Marvel as well as the entire comic book industry. Between the movies, television shows, comic books, video games, and licensed products, there are so many ways for people to be introduced to and engage with Marvel characters. And many times once they get introduced to them, they want more. I think when kids start using the Comic Creator app and learning about sequential storytelling, it’s going to compel them to start reading comic books, whether it be in printed or digital format. It’s a great way to not only introduce them to “how” to read a comic book but also get them interested in the characters as well.
§ Artist/colorist Moose Baumann needs some help: he may lose his house because his wife made the mistake of getting cancer. Only in America, kids! Baumann is selling prints and so on.
§ Frequent Beat adversary Mr. Patches is back with an entertaining look at movies that had big splashes at the San Diego Comic-Con, and whether they were successful afterwards. For instance remember…ECKS Vs. SEVER? What about GHOSTS OF MARS?
What Went Down: As celebratory as Comic-Con can be, it can also have the opposite effect. Movies can take a stab in the dark for much needed publicity only to be grilled by fans, ending worse off than they were before. That’s what happened to John Carpenter (thanks to JoBlo for the insider’s account!), who arrived with his film Ghosts of Mars only to be skewered by an unreceptive audience who was anxious for a Spider-Man panel (understandable, but still). They groaned at the footage and were flippant towards the horror master and his stars Joanna Cassidy and Richard Cetrone, who even dressed in full “ghost” make-up. Not a great reaction for a movie readying for its release.
While there have been way more Comic-Con flops than hits — SNAKES ON A PLANE, SKY CAPTAIN– the only problem is that we have no idea how well the movies would have done WITHOUT all the Comic-Con coverage. For instance, Fox has ditched Hall H for several years with varying results. J.J. Abrams didn’t show a frame of STAR TREK and it did just fine. However, as long as Hollywood execs fear that the other studio is getting something by heading down to Comic-Con, they’ll be jostling for position.
But Abrams did bring the cast of Star Trek to WonderCon
the article on the effect of SDCC on movies is pretty good. Although it is hard to quantify the impact of comic-con since movies always come there pre-release, but still.
My favorite quote is the last few lines talking about Thor:
“Marvel may be the ones to truly “get” Comic-Con, which makes sense — it is a comic book convention after all!”
I think this is what a lot of media loses sight of at SDCC. They come in trying to win over or influence the attendees rather than delivering them exactly what they want and letting them drive the buzz.
Am I the only one who liked “Sky Captain?” Hello…? Hello…? “Bueller…Bueller…”
Lance Roger Axt
The AudioComics Company
Sky Captain is a great movie. Just the robot animation alone sets it above most of what comes out.