First Video Podcast Online!

Phew. The first official video podcast from the New York Comic Con is up! I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but the great team at Burst Marketing set up this whole thing and is handling all the editing, post production. Hats off to them and thanks for the opportunity. The first video is up, and keep checking back here for more throughout the next month or so.

Jews Rule!

According to CNN, South Korean comic author, Rhie Won-bok, is in some hot water after asserting in his educational series about different countries, "Meon Nara, Yiwoot Nara," (Far Countries, Near Countries) that "The Jews are the invisible force that controls the U.S."

Rhie Won-bok maintained, however, that his depiction of Jewish control of American media and politics was based on fact and "commonly believed."

"The Jews are the invisible force that controls the U.S.," Rhie, a professor of visual arts at Duksung Women's University in Seoul, told The Associated Press. "I wrote the chapter to let people know that you can't understand the U.S. without knowing the Jewish community."

Missy Peregrym on Heroes...

Any of you readers watch Heroes? Oh, all of you? Well, you must've noticed the newest character last nite. She was the new cute girl working in the lab in the "paper factory." For all you with keen eyes like me, you instantly recognized her as the lovely Missy Peregrym, starred in the movie Stick It.

I met Missy early last year when I was still working at Men's Health and we shot her for a Couples page. She even signed it for me. Heart.

New Frank Miller/Neal Adams Batman book...

In the, "I totally forgot this" department:

While at NYCC, I interviewed the lovely Neal Adams. I love him because he's always bankable for pullquotes a plenty. But this time he also had a spot of news: Adams was willing to divulge that he's doing a new Batman book with Frank Miller called Batman: Odyssey. Interesting, no? It'll be a 6-8 part miniseries with Miller doing dialogue. Adams was gracious enough to show us a sneak peak at art from the book, but you'll have to wait for the video at nycccast.com for that one.

Random stat from NYCC

To keep my "high-energy" persona going for Friday-Sunday at the con, I consumed:
5 Red Bulls
1 Howling Monkey
4 Cokes
1 tall cafe mocha
1 tall chai latte
3 bottles of water

I won't tell you how many trips to the bathroom that necessitated, though.

Some Show Thoughts

Well, the New York Comic Con is a wrap and everyone is getting their post-convention stories up. I spent the weekend hosting the official video podcast for the show. Episodes should start going up this week at nycccast.com. To be honest, I would've been there anyway shooting my own videos, but this was so much easier since I had a great cameraman and a great producer to figure out most of the logistics.

We wound up doing about 40 interviews, as well as covering the red carpet at the first-ever American Anime Awards. Now, I've been to the Eisners and I've been to Harveys when they were at MoCCA, but neither awards show came close to how well-produced the American Anime Awards were. The show opened with his hypnotic Japanese drum performance that was absolutely amazing. How was it different than the comics award shows? First off, it only lasted an about an hour, where the others seem Oscar-like in length. Second, this had very cool motion graphics and video clips for each nominee. I freely admit that anime is not really my forte, so what really amazed me about the whole event was how excited the fans got. They were screaming and cheering and going wild each time a nominee was announced. Gotta love that passion.

Anyway, I believe good times were had by most at the con. Most people are right in saying the show went much more smoothly with the lines and all that. That's not to say every thing was peaches and cream, though. The craziest thing I saw today was right after we shot an intro, this crotchety 60-year-old started picking a fight with a 13-year-old. The older fan thought the younger flipped him the bird and many "Fuck You!!!"s followed. There were attempts of chest-bumping, but the kid's dad and my cameraman intervened. I also heard about a crazed fan getting kicked out of panel for screaming and accusing BKV of being a racist, and two fans - one dressed as a Jedi and the other as a stormtrooper - going fisticuffs.

Edited for more that I forgot:
As far as the plans for next year, the scuttlebutt was that because a trade show that usually uses the Javits will be switching to a Philadelphia locale next year, Reed will be trying to get the whole space for the '08 show. And if that happened it would also mean changing dates from February to April.

More on Scott Gramling, the new EIC at Wizard

From the presser (real thoughts when I catch a free minute):

Gramling's primary goal will be to continue building on the success of
Wizard with eyes on growing the readership across all medium and seeking to
gain more of a market share in the pop culture category. 

"It goes without saying that the Wizard brand is remarkably strong and has a
great track record. I'm a longtime admirer of the company and am very
excited to be returning to the family," said Gramling.

Gramling returns to Wizard after 12 years, where he began as an associate
editor.  Since 2000 he served as Sections Editor, Deputy Editor and
Editor-In-Chief at FHM, where he was also a frequent contributor to the
magazine, conducting interviews with celebrity notables including Anna
Kournikova, Shaquille O'Neal and Ozzy Osbourne.  Previously, he was the
Associate Editor of Sports Illustrated For Kids' book division.  

News Briefs/Press Releases

NEW EDITOR IN CHIEF AT WIZARD

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT NAMES SCOTT GRAMLING AS NEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
(Congers, NY, February 21, 2007) Wizard Entertainment announced today Scott
Gramling as the new Editor-In-Chief of Wizard.  Gramling will take the helm
effective immediately overseeing all content for the company, including the
four publications; Wizard, InQuest Gamer, ToyFare and Anime Insider as well
as wizarduniverse.com and The Wizard World Tour, which kicks off March 16 in
Los Angeles.


2006 HARVEY AWARDS NOMINATING BALLOTS AVAILABLE
Please go to www.harveyawards.org for ballot and submission details.
 
BALTIMORE, MD (February 21, 2007) -- The Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards
and the Baltimore Comic-Con are proud to present the official Nomination Ballot for
this year's Harvey Awards. Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected
exclusively by creators – those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit,
or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field.  Named in
honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry's most innovative talents,
the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. They are
the only industry awards both nominated by and selected by the full body of comic
book professionals.

Nike Cosplay Ad

ATHF Poster: This is not a terrorist attack

Watch the Dark Tower Premiere

CF writer and PCS video blogger Laura Hudson has her debut video up. It's her scoping the scene and talking to Joe Quesada, Peter David, Jae Lee and some others. Check it.

I Won that Contest

So, remember that contest Heidi posted about where you send in a youtube video to apply to be the official voice of the New York Comic Con's podcasts? Yeah, so I found out this weekend that I won. So, I'll be trotting along the con with a camera and mic, interviewing and creating hilarity along the way. Check out my winning submission here.

OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER: And though I'm not an official employee of the NYCC, I still have a certain relationship with them for 2007. That said, nothing I say about this year's convention can be considered objective from a journalistic point of view. Just a head's up.

Gung Hey Fat Choy!

Happy new year to the rest of you caucASIANS!!!

It's called dumping bad news on the Friday before a 3-day weekend

From DC Direct:
WONDER WOMAN #5 (JAN070319), which was previously slated to feature the final chapter of the 5-part story "Who Is Wonder Woman," will feature a new story when it arrives in stores on March 14.

This new story is by Will Pfeifer (CATWOMAN, AMAZONS ATTACK), with art by Jean Diaz, Geraldo Borges and Wellington Diaz and a cover by Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson. In it, Wonder Woman learns that a new women's movement has begun, inspired by her killing of Max Lord - and leaving Diana torn between the good intentions of the movement and the validation it gives her violent act. Worse yet, she's ordered to investigate a possible connection between Wonder Woman and this movement by Sarge Steel and the department of Metahuman Affairs!

Chapter five of "Who Is Wonder Woman" will be rescheduled at a future date.

Retailers may adjust orders on WONDER WOMAN #5 (JAN070319) now through its final order cutoff date of Thursday, February 22.

Thing I neglected to mention from Wednesday

This past Wednesday, as we all know, was Valentine's Day. It was also the two-year anniversary of Comic Foundry. Why Valentine's Day? Well, it was just the first day everything was ready. Happy Birthday Me!

Music: What comics do The Shins read?

St. Louis comic store Star Clipper had some musical patrons this week — The Shins. They were in town to play a show and stopped by the store to shop around.

So what were the shins shopping for? Well, right away lead guitarist David Hernandez asked Elizabeth, "What is that Alan Moore book that's kinda dirty?"

Read the full here

Will break into pieces in less than 12 parsecs

New Lego Millenium Falcon. Only $499.99

Valentine Special: DC presents Young Romance

No, what do you mean exactly?

(ganked from Mister Kitty)

Geek Monthly

The second issue of Geek Monthly hit the stands this week and I was lured into picking it up. Let's be honest: it was because of Kristen Bell.

The mag is very comics-friendly and does some reviews of Astonishing X-Men, DMZ and Zombies: Feast. There's also a story about Lost Girls. If that seems dated, it's because it is. By a lot. In reading it, you can tell a lot of their interviews went down last Summer/Fall.

I was actually really disappointed with the Kristen Bell feature. The photos are a bit lackluster and repetetive. And the story is really more about Veronica Mars than Kristen Bell. Which is fine in theory, but they really sold the story to be more about Bell.

It's obvious they're operating on a shoestring budget, as 90 percent of their art is pickup, but they're making the most out of it. It can definitely use some more up-top editing and and closer looks at heirarchy, but I just picked it up this morning and haven't been able to go through everything yet. It seems like an okay start with potential.

Check them out online and decide for yourself.

No Joke Requried

ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #5 TO BE RESOLICITED FOR MAY IN-STORE
Orders for ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #5 (SEP060194) have been cancelled. This issue will be resolicited in the March Previews (Volume XVII #3) with a new in-store date of May 16.

The Best Terrible Mistake I Made Yesterday

So a little while back Top Shelf sent around a great promo pack for Jeff Lemire's new kickass book, Tales From the Farm. What made it stand out is that it included an unopened pack of hockey cards from the 1990-1991 season (the book has adventures in pond hockey, among other things). I hadn't seen anything like them for a while and so I kept them unopened pack on my desk at work to provide a little inspiration. Seriously, that package really brings me back.

Anyway at work we're considering doing a sidebar in the style of a baseball card. So I reluctantly opened the pack to see if I could get some good reference material from it. Unfortunately the cards didn't look that cool, but it did have a bonus — free gum inside. Seventeen-year-old gum, but free nonetheless. And of course I ate it. It crunched. The experience didn't last long as I was forced to spit it all out and go running to the kitchen to wash my mouth out.

Damn you, Top Shelf, with your good books and bad gum!

New Comics Blog You Must Read Now

She's Comic Foundry's star writer, our favorite Midtown Comics employee, a writer for PW Comics Week and comics reviewer for Pop Culture Shock. And now she's got a blog.

Need I say more?

Check out Laura Hudson's new blog now!

Press Release: DC Does Pop Culture Collectibles (not Dallas)

DC COMICS ANNOUNCES NEW STRATEGY TO LICENSE AND DISTRIBUTE POP CULTURE CHARACTERS

DC Comics announced plans today to license and distribute collectibles based on the world's greatest pop culture characters and stories under a new brand name, DC Unlimited. The first series of DC Unlimited products will be unveiled this month at New York's American International Toy Fair, and will be distributed to all retail outlets, including mass market and specialty channels.

First up?
DC UNLIMITED TO PRODUCE COLLECTIBLE ACTION FIGURES BASED ON WORLD OF WARCRAFT
DC Unlimited's World of Warcraft collectibles will include PVC vinyl, scaled and articulated figures varying in size. The initial launch will feature a four-figure assortment of 5-8-inch figures, with an additional two-figure set of two 10-12-inch deluxe figures covering the larger characters.

The initial set of figures will include a Blood Elf Rogue, Orc Shaman, Undead Warlock and Dwarf Warrior. The deluxe figures will include a Draenei Paladin and Illidan Stormrage. The first wave of figures is slated to hit comic book, pop culture, mass market, specialty and toy retailers in Fall 2007.

Press Release: Adams, Golden, Gogos Inducted into Society of Illustrators

February 1, 2007, New York: In a room packed with illustration notables, three giants of the sequential and fantasy art fields were officially inducted into the Society of Illustrators. All on the same night, Neal Adams, Michael Golden and Basil Gogos took the august stage to accept their honors.

I Love It!

Okay, just stop what you're doing and head on over to LitPark, where Susan Henderson interviews some guy named Neil Gaiman about the different hair styles he's had throughout his life.

Nerd Alert!

Okay, I know you watched Heroes last night.

And I know you saw Star Trek's George Takei as Hiro's father.

But did you see the license plate number of his car?

NCC-1701.

Yeah baby, you know what I'm talking about.

Make Your Photos Look Like a Scanner Darkly

Using Illustrator's pencil tool and shapes of solid color, you can imitate the graphic novel styling of A Scanner Darkly. An animator from the film shows us how.

Comic Artists in Magazines

Cameron Stewart and Koren Shadmi have illustrations in the current issue of SPIN.

NYCC! It's for kids!

Highlights from the ACT-I-VATE Party

Good times were had last nite at ACT-I-VATE's one-year birthday party. Some highlights:

Anne Ishii at Vertical has great hair.
Watch out for this year's blogging panel at NYCC.
Neil Alien doesn't have a cell phone and works off dial-up.
Dan Goldman had a preview of Nerve-reject Kelly, but the AV machine didn't like his Mac.
Postmodern Barney was right. Chip Zdarsky is sexy.
CF writers Laura and Drew helped represent.
Jeff Newelt can sing.
Heidi knows her East coast/West coast gang signs.
I had a great chat with a Wizard staffer. (now pick your jaw up off the floor)

Totally Tubular Turtle Obsession