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----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] SEE WHAT GOOFING OFF ON THE JOB WILL GET YOU? Jack Mercer owed his career to having a little fun on the job. He was an animator at Fleischer Brothers Studio, and they had a hit in their new series of POPEYE cartoons. Unbeknownst to him, the Fleischers were having trouble with their voice actor for the sailor, who demanded a huge raise. Mercer and other animators were chatting as one of the Fleischers came through the room and heard Mercer imitating the voice of Popeye. He told his brothers and Jack Mercer got the job of being Popeye's new voice. Mercer kept his new job through the 1940's (except for a hiatus when he was in the Army), the 1950's, the 1960's and was last heard as Popeye in the animated opening to the live action ROBIN WILLIAMS feature film. He's also the voice of the Mad Scientist in the first SUPERMAN cartoon. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Interviews David L. LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com Interview with Christos Gage by David LeBlanc In conjunction with the Comic Jam War, That's Entertainment, New England's largest collectibles store, welcomed Comic Book writer, Christos N Gage. He came to promote his new DC Comic: BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT! #201 - #203. Gage is a screenwriter for Law & Order: SVU, and NUMB3RS, The Breed, Deadshot, Spider- Man Unlimited and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. David is a part-time employee at the Eisner-winning comics store and spoke to Chris about this interview. DL: It was nice meeting you in the Worcester store last week Chris. Tell us, what was your first work in comics? Nice meeting you too! Thanks to everyone who came out that day. My first work in comics was the DEADSHOT five-issue miniseries from DC, which came out last year. The current storyline running in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #201-203 is my second project for DC. In between I wrote an issue of Spider-Man Unlimited, #12, for Marvel. My creator-owned miniseries, Paradox, from Canadian publisher Arcana Studios, is currently on issue two of three. DL: People are always sending us emails for advice on how to break into comics. So how did you get to that point and do you have advice for aspiring writers? Well, I got to it in kind of a roundabout way. I became a screenwriter first, and amassed credits in TV and movies, so when I got to know some folks at DC they were open to hearing my pitch because I was an established professional writer. But most people asking this question want to break into comics directly, and for them, the best advice (as I have heard from many comics pros) is to make your own comic and publish it yourself, either in hard copies or on the web. Web comics are being taken more seriously every day. Many comics awards ceremonies are starting categories for "best webcomic." One highly acclaimed webcomic called Mom's Cancer was so well received that it has been picked up by a publisher and is coming out as a graphic novel. The great thing about webcomics is that you don't have to go to the expense of printing hard copies, and it's easy to steer people towards your work online. Not that making them is cheap or easy. It's a lot of work, starting with finding an artist who will draw for little or no money. But that's why publishers are impressed by people who self publish, because it shows that they have a work ethic, which is very important. I would advise teaming up with an aspiring artist and making your own comic to show off your skills, then do all you can to get attention drawn to it, whether it's by getting positive reviews from online critics or handing out copies to editors and publishers at comic conventions. Editors who wouldn't consider reading a script or proposal from you are much more likely to read a finished comic. DL: What is a typical day for a writer like you? Do you spend a certain amount of time on writing, like from dusk to dawn, or does it vary depending on the project? I like to write early in the morning, from about five to ten, because it's quiet and I'm not distracted by ringing phones, etc. In the afternoon I will either edit what I've written that day, or do research. DL: We've noted a few of your comic works to date. What is coming up you can tell us about? I have some exciting projects coming in the fall and winter that I can't discuss yet, unfortunately, because they haven't been announced. But my final issue of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, #203, comes out on April 12th! DL: Batman has been a perennial favorite of the fan polls for years. Do you have any special affection for him, or was it just another assignment? I do have a special affection for Batman, having read his adventures since my childhood when I discovered the book "Batman: From the '30's to the '70's." Also, my background writing crime dramas for television gave me a lot to draw on in writing mystery type stories, which are well suited to the character, so that's what I did. The current storyline "Cold Case" involves Batman investigating an old series of murders dating back to when he was just a boy. A true crime writer has announced his belief that the killer was Thomas Wayne, Batman's father. Batman has to clear his father's name while also racing against a mysterious killer who is murdering anyone who might have knowledge of the crimes. I wanted to highlight Batman's "World's Greatest Detective" talents, and the fans seem to be responding positively! DL: Are there any characters you would especially like to write about? I would love to write the Suicide Squad for DC, and at Marvel, Captain America is a favorite. DL: Would you like to be writing a monthly comic book if it was offered to you? Have you pitched any ongoing projects? Hmm.perhaps one of my upcoming top-secret projects will answer this one ;) DL: What is it like writing for television and does it take different skills or techniques versus comic books? There are similarities in that both use a script format, but there are also differences. With TV you have to be conscious of the budget. You can't just blow up the moon if you take a notion to. With comics, you can do anything you can imagine. On the other hand, TV gives you the advantage of actors, so you can be more subtle with your dialogue and allow the actor to convey the emotion through their performance. Writing for television is great, but it's a much more collaborative process - it takes literally hundreds of people to make a TV show. With comics, it's just a handful of creators, which gives you both more power and more responsibility! DL: I am a fan of NUMB3RS. Which episode was the one you wrote? It concerned a ten thousand year old skull that was unearthed; it was being fought over by scientists at a local university and a Native American tribe who claimed the bones as an ancestor. A researcher was killed and the skull stolen. The episode sort of explored the religion vs. science debate from a different point of view, and was inspired by a real life situation involving a set of ancient remains called Kennewick Man. The episode aired this past December and was rerun in February. DL: Have you written for any other TV shows or will you be anything on air in the near future? I'm still not sure if my wife and co-writer Ruth and I will be writing any shows for this upcoming season; we'll have to wait and see. In the past we have written episodes of Law & Order: SVU, which was really enjoyable. We continue to work on movie screenplays, but with those, out of every dozen you write, you're lucky if one gets made. We have had two produced - THE BREED and TEENAGE CAVEMAN - so we're doing pretty well! DL: Care to tell us about your family life - where you live, family unit, spare time hobbies and the like? I divide time between Los Angeles and North Carolina, where my wife Ruth grew up. She and I are co-writers on the screenwriting side of things. We have two rambunctious cats and not a heck of a lot of spare time! DL: Do you care to comment about the comic book industry today? You must be trying to earn money at it, but is there good and bad about the way things are that can or should be changed? The biggest problem facing the industry is not enough readers. Fortunately, we are on an upswing, and the bookstore market is opening up to comics in a big way, which I think is great. However, we still need more readers in order to keep the industry healthy. You would think that if a hundred million people will watch a Spider-Man or Batman movie, at least one percent of those would be interested in a monthly comic starring that character. But even the best selling comics don't go much above a hundred thousand per issue. I'm not sure what the solution is, but one thing I think we need to look at is attracting more casual readers - people who aren't necessarily going to go to the comic shop each week, but will pick up a Batman trade paperback a few times a year. There has to be a way to tell stories that will appeal to these folks as well as to the die-hard fans who know every continuity detail. DL: Are you attending any comic conventions this year? I went to Wondercon and Wizard World L.A., and will be at Heroes Con and San Diego - come say hello! DL: What comics do you read now? What did you read growing up? Current favorites include Fables, Astonishing X-Men, Y The Last Man, Jonah Hex, Ex Machina, Captain America, Manhunter, the Batman titles and more. Growing up I read pretty much everything from Godzilla and Shogun Warriors to Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men to Watchmen and Swamp Thing. DL: What else do you read? What other forms of entertainment fill the off hours - Movies, TV, video games? I like mysteries - James Ellroy is a favorite. Unfortunately I don't get to read as many novels as I'd like due to time constraints. I enjoy such TV shows as Lost, Deadwood and The Sopranos, as well as many of the "true crime" documentary shows like Forensic Files and American Justice, and my wife and I love Animal Planet. I like video games, but try to avoid them because I am unable to enjoy them responsibly, as the beer ads say. Once I start playing one I become obsessive and don't get anything done, so I just avoid them altogether! DL: How can someone contact you, or for that matter should they? I have a message board at www.paperfilms.com, which is also the home of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, J. G. Jones, Amanda Conner and other comics pros. Stop by anytime! DL: That is all for now. Thanks for consenting to the interview. Anything else you want to say to our readers? Just that I appreciate their support and I hope people will check out the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #201-203 and my other work! _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] BETTY AND VERONICA HAD NO INTEREST IN HIM Shoppers on eBay who type in ARCHIE ANDREWS are usually surprised to learn that the teenage comic character isn't the only one with that name. On the BBC, he's been an icon since the 1950's as a ventriloquist's dummy and star of three filmed TV series. Peter Brough had enjoyed success in English music halls, but it took television to make his dummy ARCHIE ANDREWS and himself a star team. In 1950 EDUCATING ARCHIE hit the small screens there, with Brough as Archie's tutor. This was followed by ARCHIE'S THE BOY, and a later new series of EDUCATING ARCHIE. There were lots of toys and other tie-ins and the second series gave a start to a young BENNY HILL. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [7] The Nitpicker's Column Martin A. Perez magnus@montevideo.com.uy http://perdidoseneleter.tripod.com [Martin A. Perez (AKA MaGnUs) writes short stories, articles, comics and radio plays. One of his short stories has been published in the book Contagion: Wars Stories and his articles have appeared in online or print magazines like Inforol, Ururol, Kryptonian Cybernet and Strange Days. He co-produces and co-hosts a radio show about comics and related subjects, Perdidos en el Eter. An active part of Uruguay's fan scene, he's one of the creators of Montevideo Comics, the first local convention (since 2002), and one of the founders of Caballeros de Montevideo, which promotes RPGs through charity events. MaGnUs works at a tech- support call center, and is happily married to his wife Cindy, with whom he has a son, Gabriel, who already chooses Spider-Man over Mickey Mouse, and laughs at his father's Darth Vader impersonations.] <<WARNING! THIS COLUMN MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS!>> <<WARNING! THIS COLUMN MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS! >> Well, welcome to this week's installment of The Nitpicker's Column, this time around I promise we have a darn good column. First of all, it's about 10 more entries than the usual column, since we've got 26, yes, count 'em, 26 nits this week. And then, I'm pretty sure this column has better writing than last week's; with the wit factor turned up. And when I say wit, I say acid.... On another matter, I can finally say I'm a professional writer, since I got my first royalties check for the story I got printed in Contagion: War Stories (SHAMELESS PLUG: buy the book at http://www.lulu.com/content/182463). There's a very funny anecdote attached to this event that I'll someday share with you, but the important fact is that for the first time in my life I got paid for my work as a creative writer. It doesn't matter how much many it is (it's not much, believe me), it doesn't matter that I've been writing this column and other stuff with the same amount of effort I'd put in if I was getting paid (I just love doing it), it doesn't matter that I've gotten good reviews of my work even if I didn't get paid... actually getting paid for something I wrote out of my own inspiration and creativity... well, it rocks, to put it in layman's terms. Of course, I'm not just doing this for the money, I'm doing it because I enjoy it... but if I can do both things at the same time, it would be really nice. And it would also reward the faith my wife (among other people) has had in me as a writer. Well, I don want to bore you with all this, so let's get on with this week's nits. To shoot my ego down a little, let's start with two nits made by none less than yours truly: <--------------------------------> "DO BAT-MAN, SUPER-MAN, AND THE JUSTICELEAGUEOFAMERICA EXIST IN THIS UNIVERSE?" TITLE: The Nitpicker's Column. ISSUE: 10. CULPRIT: MaGnUs (writer), hmm... this guy sounds familiar, I wonder why.... NIT-TO-PICK: Okay, so this isn't actually a comic book, but since I once reported nits in a Wizard Magazine issue, I can pick on myself. On the entitled "LET'S GO POWER MAN, TO THE BATCAVE!" it reads "(...) they pulled in Spiderman's first movie (...)"; it should read "Spider-Man". Funny, since I used to complained that Spanish translations of the comics name Spidey Spiderman, and they even go to the trouble of editing the cover logo. NIT-O-METER: This is just a typo, so I can give myself only 1 Bazzar without fear of being accused of malfeasance. <--------------------------------> "THIS NIT IS ABOUT THIS NIT." TITLE: The Nitpicker's Column. ISSUE: 11. CULPRIT: MaGnUs (writer). NIT-TO-PICK: In the intro to this issue of the column I say "(...) written mostly about that week's column (...)", when it should say "(...) about that week's comics (...)". NIT-O-METER: This confuses things a bit, so it gets 2 Bazzars. <--------------------------------> "WHEN IS SAY TAN, I MEAN CANCER." TITLE: Action Comics. ISSUE: 837. CULPRIT: Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek (writers). NIT-TO-PICK: In page 8, Clark Kent (can't call him Superman now, can we, since he's powerless) mentions all the experiments and tests that were performed on his person to see if he could regain his lost powers. He says "All that high-intensity solar bombardment. And all I got was a tan." One would think that a "high-intensity solar bombardment" would be kind of deadly for a non-invulnerable person, no? NIT-O-METER: This gets 5 Bazzars, it's not that bad, but it's not that minor. <--------------------------------> "WHO IS THAT? LOIS, IZZAT YOU?" TITLE: Action Comics. ISSUE: 837 CULPRIT: Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek (writers). NIT-TO-PICK: On page 9 we can see as the powerless Clark Kent can't see well without his eyeglasses. As far as we've been told, he never needed eyeglasses before his powers developed, so why now? Granted, there might be something else to this. For example, if instead of just a depowered Kryptonian, he is now a regular human, he might be a human who has defective sight. Ah, the mysteries of OYL. NIT-O-METER: Only 2 Bazzars. <--------------------------------> "UNITED SOCIALIST SOVIET KINGDOMS." TITLE: Books Of Doom. ISSUE: 05 of 06. CULPRIT: Ed Brubaker (writer). NIT-TO-PICK: From page 10, I quote Gustav the gipsy "The King has the backing of the Russians now." WTF????!?!?!??! Since this "Russians" they speak of are the USSR (we know it's so, because they refer to them as the Soviets on page 23), and the Soviets would have NEVER, EVER, backed a monarch, this is so hare-brained a plot device I can't even begin to think what the hell Brubaker is aiming at. NIT-O-METER: This gets 10 Bazzars; it's as stupid as saying that there's a KKK chapter formed by black people... <--------------------------------> "T'CHAKA, THE NAME'S T'CHAKA." TITLE: The New Avengers: Illuminati. ISSUE: One-shot. CULPRIT: Brian Michael Bendis (writer). NIT-TO-PICK: When the Illuminati have their first meeting, in Wakanda, their host is King T'Challa, the Black Panther, and this is set right after the Kree-Skrull War... making this completely incompatible with current Black Panther continuity, as established in his current book, by writer Reginald Hudlin, in which T'Challa doesn't become King and Black Panther until several years later. If that's T'Chaka, T'Challa's father, as it should be, I hope the servant who introduced him as T'Challa didn't get fired... or executed... NIT-O-METER: I'm giving this 8 Bazzars. <--------------------------------> "LOOK AT MY MAGIC GLOVES! WEEEEE!" TITLE: The New Avengers: Illuminati. ISSUE: One-shot. CULPRIT: Dave Stewart (colorist). NIT-TO-PICK: Oooook, this should be fun. During the aforementioned first meeting of the Illuminati, in Wakanda, something weird is going on with Dr. Strange. Let's start with page 2, where in the last panel we can see Dr. Strange is wearing gloves, as he is in page 3 (other mistakes you'll see later non- withstanding), as well as on page 6. Then, in page six's fifth panel, he's clearly NOT wearing his gloves, and he's not wearing them in page seven's first panel. But he's wearing them in the second-to-last panel of that same page! He's not wearing them either in page eight's first panel, but by the time they vote with a show of hands, he's wearing them again!!!! As is seen in see fourth panel of page eight's bottom row, Dr. Strange's left hand, gloved in the blue gloves he wears in this comic (I've never seen him wear blue gloves before, the yellow ones with leopard print must have been in the laundry) is raised. But when you see the overall scene of the show of hands in the first panel of page 9, Dr. Strange's right hand is gloved, and his left one is bare. Then, for the last panel of that page, and for page 10, last page of that scene, Dr. Strange's left hand is cleverly concealed... hmmm.... And now that I notice, in page 3 his left hand is also concealed from us readers....and then in pages five and six he's hiding his right hand under the table, doing Agamotto knows what! He keeps at it on page seven, with his left hand under the table and his now ungloved right hand still reaching under the table... Then in the second to last panel of that page he looks like he's just been caught doing something wrong!!! If that was just the end of it, I'd give it a rest (yeah, sure), but it happens again. In the Hydrobase scene, in the pages 14-15 spread, Dr. Strange is again wearing gloves on BOTH hands, and his gloved hand comes up in page 16 in the mandatory show of hands thingy. He's still wearing his gloves by page 18, but he apparently had to take them off for page 21's spellcasting. They're still off in page 22's second panel, but are apparently back on for the rest of the issue. NIT-O-METER: I'm sorry but this has to get 10 Bazzars, since it's too much of a mess, and it also makes it sort of confusing with all the show of hands panels... <--------------------------------> "AND NOW, FOR AN ENCORE, I'M DOING THE INCREDIBLE VANISHING FACIAL HAIR TRICK!" TITLE: The New Avengers: Illuminati. ISSUE: One-shot. CULPRIT: Alex Maleev (penciler) and/or Dave Stewart (colorist). NIT-TO-PICK: On page 3, panel one, Doctor Strange's mustache has vanished from his face and the white streaks of hair on his temples are also gone. NIT-O-METER: After last nit, I'll be nice and give this only 7 Bazzars. <--------------------------------> "HELP YOURSELF TO SOME IRON MAN!" TITLE: The New Avengers: Illuminati. ISSUE: One-shot. CULPRIT: Brian Michael Bendis (writer). NIT-TO-PICK: Nice fight between Namor and Iron Man, but on page 20, don't you think it's too easy how Namor rips off Iron Man's mask from his helmet? Don't you think it would have been a tad more difficult to do so, even taking into account Namor's super strength? Also, knowing that Iron Man's armor has force fields and a limited intelligence, why wouldn't it automatically project a force field around his head to prevent him from drowning when the mask is taken off underwater? NIT-O-METER: This gets 7 Bazzars, it's pretty stupid. <--------------------------------> Nitpicker continues next message . . . Thanks for subscribing to the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine (CBEM) --------------------------->Disclaimer<--------------------------- This is an ANNOUNCE only mailing list, only the Editor can send messages to the list. No one else has access to the subscriber list. Replies to these messages will be received by the Editor ONLY, so you must CC: individual contributors if you want them to get your E-Mail. The E-mail to the E-mag MAY be used in future issues at the Editor's discretion UNLESS you specifically request that they not be. It is our policy to withhold names and/or Addresses, by request only, from letters of comment. All contributors are required to use their real name and have a valid Email address for their columns to be published. Send Email comments to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Material for inclusion in the Emag - press releases, solicitations, column submissions, Letters to the Editor, guesses for the trivia contest should be sent to ComicBkNet@aol.com The EDITOR, not the submitter, has final approval and edit rights on ALL material. Printed comic books and advanced copies for review in the Emag should be sent via US Mail or UPS to David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 TO Subscribe send a message FROM the intended address to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-subscribe@yahoogroups.com TO Unsubscribe send a message FROM the address to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com You may also unsubscribe from the Egroups Web page at the short cut below. Shortcut URL to the Egroup page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag All contents COPYRIGHT 2006 The Comic Book Network. This messages may be reproduced only in its original form, and in its entirety for non-commercial purposes. Contact the original author(s) or the Editor for permission to use individual items. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ |
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April08, 2006 - [ComicBookNetwork E-Mag] CBEM 570.08 >> |
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