§ Darwyn Cooke fills in for Jimmy Palmiotti over at Blog@Newsarama and he proves to be a fine blogger. We’d ask him to do more, but then he wouldn’t make so many great comics.
§ In his latest comics column at Complex mag, musician/comics writer Percy Carey takes aim at the comics industry:
I was hanging out with my friend the Mayor of Los Angeles Anthony Villaraigosa (pictured above) the other day talking about the economic situation in L.A., and as we discussed how to implement incentives to encourage entrepreneurs (confidentially), we were pinpointing what industries would embrace it; although we compiled a nice list, it made me ask myself a question… I said, “What industry would resist it?” My answer: you guessed it, the comic book industry!
I thought about all of the comic book publishers who would rather go out of business than make some money. I’m not one to disrespect a few who decide to remain micropreneurs, but it feels like 90% of comic book publishers are afraid to allow their companies to grow, and refuse to think outside of their industry.
Carey promises some upcoming lists of comics power brokers and a sort of dead dog derby…sounds great. If you need any tips, you know where to find The Beat, Percy.
§ At the LA Times, Sarah Weinman looks at crime comics, from the upcoming Vertigo Crime Line to Britten and Brülightly, the quirky English mystery graphic novel that’s just out here.
§ Sign o’ the times: Over at the Warners lot, they just replaced a big mural that used to feature Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes. Now it features…toon Batman and friends.
§ Sexy Velma creates consternation.
§ Metabunker presents its best comics of ’08.
§ Over at Slate, the Onion’s Keith Phipps asks if the Howard the Duck movie was as bad as people say.
“Howard The Duck” Special Edition DVD. Failure goes by many names. Waterloo. The Edsel. The ’62 Mets. Joey. These disasters can fairly be called upon to convey calamity on a large scale. But some reputations for failure are undeserved. Here’s one: Howard the Duck, a synonym for artistic and financial disaster since the premiere of a little-loved movie in late-summer 1986. Released with great fanfare and rejected emphatically by critics and audiences alike, Howard the Duck quickly became a favorite target of late-night comics (and even, in one episode, The Golden Girls). It wasn’t available on DVD until last month.
We’ll take that as a yes. The piece turns into a good overview of the Steve Gerber original.
§ Did you know that Saddam Hussein was forced to watch the SOUTH PARK movie over and over again while in captivity?
§ The secrets behind the making of that Tauntaun sleeping bag we’re all dreaming of. [Via Hero Complex}
Yes, I knew about Saddam Hussein and South Park. That news was reported back during his trial.
As for Velma… yes, it’s a nice illustration. She looks too cute. (Velma’s appeal is in her geekiness, that she is cute but in contrast to Daphne. She is the smart honor student to Daphne’s girl next door.)
Howard the Duck rates a 17% on RottenTomatoes. Back when any comicbook movie was an event, I saw it that Friday, at a 6-plex movie theater. As a movie, it fails halfway through. It also doesn’t capture the Howard from the comics, an angry, critical waterfowl. It could work as a TV show, sort of a bizarre surreal lower-class X-files mixed with Smallville.
I also felt the movie fell apart about halfway through. It’s almost like it had 2 separate scripts and directors.