Happy Thursday Folks,

This week DC comics finally got on board the digital comics train, and since most big name comic book publishers are now viva-ing the digital revolution, I thought that I would rate each publisher on how they are doing with bringing comics into this new medium. Let’s take a look shall we?

Marvel: The house of ideas has really been pushing the envelope since they went digital a few months back. Marvel was the first publisher to have it’s own dedicated comic book app, as well as having a presence on Comixology, iverse, and Panelfly. Marvel runs it’s app on the Comixology engine, which not only allows readers to go page to page, but panel to panel if they so wish.  The app is also very easy to navigate, with a wide variety of search options to help someone find what they are looking for. The quality of the books in the store is spectacular (especially on the high res display of an ipad). Marvel also allows readers to access the largest online catalog of any comic book publisher, giving readers a cornucopia of choices. most of their downloads are a pretty standard $1.99, but the publisher does offer a large number of free titles to get new readers hooked. The only hiccup that Marvel has had was their rather douchey release of the INVINCIBLE IRON MAN annual digitally on the same day that it came out in print (I went on a rant about this a few weeks ago).

GRADE: A– With a huge catalog, great app, and presence on several other digital purveyors, Marvel has really done a great job of not only embracing digital comics, but making easy for Marvel zombies to do the same.

DC: DC just began their digital comics push this past week, so they are a little late to the game. DC has quickly made up for lost time though, releasing a dedicated DC comics app, which also uses the Comixology engine. DC has also released their digital comics onto the Comixology store proper, as well as making titles available for download on the Sony PSP. While the available catalog is fairly small at the moment, Jim Rood (the man behind the DC digital push) assures fans that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Marvel did the same thing when it came onto the scene, so it makes sense. DC prices their comics at $1.99, $.99, and free, but the free comics available at this point are very limited.

GRADE: B+ DC was late to the party but seem to be doing their best to make up for lost time, still the tardiness and current lack of available issues dings their grade. The comics look good, and are reasonably priced, and with over 80 years of comics to choose from, DC could quickly have more digital comics on the market than anyone else if they wanted to. DC also gets kudos for getting comics onto the PSP, something their rival, Marvel has yet to do.

Image: This publisher was one of the first publishers to go digital, but their situation is a messy one. With each book being owned by different creators, royalties are a bit of a problem, so Image comics are strewn across a variety of different digital comic sellers, which the overall brand quality. As an example, Comixology (which, if you can’t tell has become the big papa of the digital comics world) has 29 Image series, including INVINCIBLE, CHEW, and THE WALKING DEAD, but iverse comics only has six Image titles, the most popular of which is PROOF. Image doesn’t have a dedicated app, but their comics are almost all $.99 per download across the board.

GRADE: C– The lack of a dedicated app really puts Image behind a lot of other publishers. With reading quality dependent on the program that readers may be accessing the books, it’s hard to rate readability. Image has done a good job of keeping their prices low, which does count for something, but they need to catch up to the other big boys.

Boom: These guys went balls-out a few weeks ago, releasing their whole catalog digitally, as well as introducing a dedicated app, using (can you guess?) the Comixology engine. Boom doesn’t have a large catalog, so “the whole catalog” sounds more impressive than it is, but no one else has come close to doing that. Boom also paired with Comixology and iverse to have comics on their sites. Comics will run anywhere from $1.99 to free.

GRADE: B– There just aren’t enough Boom comics yet. However, with titles like IREDEEMABLE, it won’t be long before this company pulls a huge digital market share.

Dark Horse: Going a different route than everyone else, Dark Horse allows readers to download their comics directly from the App store. The quality is fine, but the strictly panel to panel reading is a pain. DH recently began putting their books up for sale with the usual suspects as well, with prices again ranging from $1.99 to free.

GRADE: D+ If for no other reason than originality, but for goodness sake DH, get yourself an app!

IDW: These folks were right behind Marvel in releasing their own dedicated app, which actually runs on an engine other than Comixology (it looks like an iverse engine) . It turns out that this is a mistake, as the zoom feature isn’t nearly so intuitive as the panel to panel functionality that the Comixology app allows. IDW also has distribution deals with digital sellers, and has a fairly large collection of books for sale on line. The prices still run $1.99 and lower.

GRADE: B The lack of a Comixology engine has really hurt their app, but the company has been on the forefront of the digital push, and their extensive online catalog sets them apart from a lot of other publishers.

That’s it for me this week folks. Thanks for stopping in, and don’t forget to check in tomorrow for more supernatural awesomeness from Dr. Cellus.

Greetings readers!

Usually when I sit down to figure out my weekly blog, it takes me a while to scan through the world of comics and find my inspiration. As I was perusing the usual places, it slowly dawned on me that there is an inordinate amount of comic related madness out and about this week. From strange to silly to triflin’, the comic book news cycle was just a bit off. Don’t believe me? Let me share a few tidbits with you:

Lil Obama? A while back, Image comics and Robert Kirkman put out some pretty hilarious teaser images poking fun at Marvel’s AVENGERS promo for the upcoming GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE book. The images depicted increasingly ridiculous characters joining the team, from Spawn to Barack Obama, to a very Harry Potter-like child (you can check em out here). Well, it turns out that these images were so popular that Image will now feature the team in a series of one page back up stories. The characters will also be cute-ified, as you can see from the cover above. When I saw this, I couldn’t help but think, “Why?” Was the world calling for lil’ Spawn? You can get the official press release over at Image’s Website.

IRON MAN double dipping? Last Friday, Marvel Comics announced that on June 30th INVINCIBLE IRON MAN ANNUAL #1 would be released simultaneously in comic book stores and on their ipad/iphone/ipod app, the first comic to be released in such a fashion. I know that Marvel has been on the forefront of digital distribution, and that your average digital reader might not be your average LCS shopper, but doesn’t this seem kind of, I don’t know, ho-ish? When I read this, I just felt bad for the comic shop guys. Yes, it’s only one comic, but it is still money out of retailer pockets. I guess I’m just amazed that Marvel would treat retailers (who kept them in business through many a rough year) with such disdain. Boo to you Marvel. You can read the press release on Newsarama.

X-men vs. vampires? Sticking with Marvel, the X-franchise has a new issue #1 coming out, with the mighty mutants taking on… vampires? I’m taken aback. Admittedly, I haven’t read an X-book in a little while, but doesn’t this seem kind of out of left field? Out of all the characters in the Marvel U, the X-men don’t really seem like the group to go undead hunting. There’s preview art for you if you are into that sort of thing over at Marvel.

90s trading cards? I came across this small piece of madness over on Comics Alliance and it boggled my mind. For those who don’t feel like following links, let me sum up; in the 1990’s Eclipse Entertainment actually made trading cards for comic book creators. Not characters, creators. Now, I think it’s great that Jack Kirby got his own trading card, but Shirtless McFarlane in the skinny jeans? No, with a side of no. I have often harped on the silliness of the 1990’s comic book scene, and this just proves me right. (On a side note, if you do click over to the main article, how scary is the resemblance between Clive Barker and Adam Sandler?)

World Record? Last week Melbourne, Australia broke the Guinness world record for… get ready for it… “largest number of people in superhero costumes gathered in one place”. That’s got to be one of the strangest world records I’ve ever heard of that didn’t involve some sort of bodily growth. The Aussies snagged the record with a whopping 1245 people in costume, beating previous record holder London, England by a scant 154 people (only one week after London had gained the title). Thanks again to Comics Alliance for filling me in on the craziness.

Super-Dwight? Yesterday, Adidas announced that they would team with Warner Brothers to produce a line of shoes and Apparel featuring Superman and Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard (pictured above). I’m all for cross-promotion, but what Brad Globe of Warner Bros. had a quote in the article that made me groan. I’m sure you want to see the quote:

“Superman is the universal symbol of strength and speed, not to mention he has one heck of a vertical leap. Dwight’s super heroic feats on the court make this partnership with Adidas an ideal collaboration for basketball and comic book fans alike.”

The article goes on to talk about the history of Superman and the achievements of Howard. The more I read, the odder the pairing seemed. That being said, more power to DC and Warner Bros. for pimping out Supes like a cheap trick, he needed to be taken down a notch. Thanks to comic book resources for the story.

CSI: Mortal Kombat? Weird can work sometimes though as well. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this re-imagining of Mortal Kombat:

Pretty interesting. This short was put together in the hopes of landing a full length feature, and while parts of it are kind of silly (a former plastic surgeon becomes a martial arts master?), it seems like a shot in the arm for what has become a tired franchise. Given that my only memory of the original Mortal Kombat movie is laughing at Christopher Lambert as a lightning god, I’m rooting for this one to get made.

So, as you can see, it was an odd week for comic book news. Thanks for letting me rant, folks. Check back in tomorrow for the latest from Dr. Cellus. Have a great Thursday!

Greetings readers!

This week I wanted to try something a little different and recommend some books that you might not be picking up every month. Why? Because you can only handle so many AVENGERS and GREEN LANTERN books before your head explodes. So feel free to try one (or all) of these instead:

IRREDEEMABLE (Boom):

What’s it about? According to writer Mark Waid, the basic idea of the series is this:

“What if you go from, you know, Captain America to Doctor Doom? What if you go from Superman to Lex Luthor? How do you go from being the greatest hero in the world — someone that everybody knows, and everybody loves, and everyone recognizes — to the greatest villain in the world? What is that path? It’s not a light switch, it’s not an on-off switch, it’s not something that you wake up one day and just become evil.”

The series focuses on the world coming to grips with it’s most beloved (and most powerful) hero going rogue. Waid examines what it takes to make a good man evil, and the effect it has on those around him.

Why should you read it? Waid is a master when it comes to writing super baddies (see EMPIRE) and ensemble casts (see KINGDOM COME). Peter Krause (the penciller) is spot on when it comes to showing character emotions. The book is two trades deep and shows no signs of stopping. Get on board with this title while it’s still early.

THE UNWRITTEN (Vertigo):

What’s it about? Well, I can’t do a better job of summing it up than Wikipedia can, so I’ll just hand it over to them:

“The plot revolves around Tom Taylor, son of Wilson Taylor, an author who disappeared without a trace at the height of his career. Wilson wrote a series of books about a boy wizard called Tommy Taylor, filled with fantasy, even being compared to the Harry Potter series. During a comic convention, it comes to light that Tom Taylor may not be Wilson’s son at all. Conspiracy theories about identity fraud become prominent with fans of the books, becoming outraged that they may have been lied to all this time. Other fans in New Zealand that form a cult, create a theory that Tom Taylor may in fact be Tommy Taylor made flesh from words, and that he will be their messiah. This theory gains credibility when other characters from the Tommy Taylor series begin to involve themselves in the real world. Tom then sets out to find out the truth behind all of this, while a covert organization looms in the background.”

Why should you read it? Writer Mike Carey (LUCIFER) writes a character in Tom Taylor that is both sad and sympathetic. Artist Peter Gross is bold in his layouts, and his simplified line work helps give the book it’s own unique feel. The book is only 13 issues in, but is ramping up for a great second year.

CASANOVA (Image):

What’s it about? The book,  by writer Matt Fraction and artists Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, is a crazy espionage thriller with secret agents, shadowy bandaged benefactors, alternate universes, freelance thieves, fun gizmos, oh, and of course, sexy ladies!

Why should you read it? Did you not read the description? If that isn’t enough for you, let me remind you that Matt Fraction is the guy who made Iron Fist cool, and Ba makes Gerard Way look good in THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY. This book has two trades out already with a third “season” gearing up for later this year, so now is a good time to get caught up.

MOUSE GUARD (Archaia):

What’s it about? Let’s hear it straight from Achaia:

“The mice struggle to live safely and prosper among all of the world’s harsh conditions and predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed. After persevering against a weasel warlord in the winter war of 1149, the territories are no longer as troubled. True, the day to day dangers exist, but no longer are the Guard soldiers, instead they are escorts, pathfinders, weather watchers, scouts and body guards for the mice who live among the territories. Many skills are necessary for the guard to keep the borders safe. They must find new safeways and paths from village to village, lead shipments of goods from one town to another and, in case of attack, guard against all evil and harm to their territories.” They are not simply soldiers that fight off intruders; rather, they are guides for the common mice looking to journey without confrontation from one hidden mouse village to another. The Guard patrols borders, finds safeways and paths through dangerous territories and treacherous terrain, watches weather patterns, and keeps the mouse territories free of predators. They do so with fearless dedication so that they might not just exist, but truly live.”

Why should you read it? If for no other reason than bad-ass medieval rodents and the interesting format (8″ x8” as opposed to 6.5″ x 10″). It also helps that writer/ illustrator David Peterson has managed to write characters so good that you often forget that you are reading about a colony of mice.

GHOST PROJEKT (Oni Comics):

What’s it about? Well, the official series pitch from Oni goes a little something like this:

“Russia is often remembered from the shadow cast during the Cold War-era when every stranger was a spy, but now that the Cold War is long over, some things left behind from that era may not stay lost. An abandoned Soviet research facility somewhere in Siberia has been home to a strange and dangerous weapon that is now in the hands of thieves claiming it for their own. U.S. weapons inspector Will Haley has been assigned to find out what dangers the weapon poses and with the help of Russian agent Anya Romanova they will find the answers, but it will be far from easy.”

Basically think X-files in Russia.

Why should you read it? Joe Harris lays out one creepy-ass mystery and Steve Rolston makes it even better. You can see the fear in a character’s eyes and feel a shiver down your spine when you catch a glimpse of a distorted footprint in the snow.  Also, the book is only five issues long, so you can probably grab the whole thing in trade format soon.

And one to grow on! Ok, this one is just debuting today, but I have high hopes…

MYSTERY SOCIETY (IDW):

What’s it about? Nick Hammond and Anastasia Collins run The Mystery Society, a group setting out to debunk myths and right covered up wrongs. The first issue sees the duo break into Area 51, and it just gets crazier from there (or so we are told).

Why should you read it? You have Steve Niles (30 DAYS OF NIGHT) writing a book about creepy conspiracy theories, so you know you have a good starting point right there. Add to that Ashley Wood (ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS, SILENT HILL) , who can be as macabre as anyone throwing down pencils, and this series sounds like it will be read-with-the-lights-on awesome.

That’s it for this week folks! Stop in tomorrow to see what interesting paranormal goodness Dr. Cellus gleaned from his trip to the desert. Thanks, as always, for stopping in.

This been a week full of mystery in the Semantink blogs. What will we watch now that LOST is over? What was the real identity of William Shakespeare? When will the weekend finally get here? With all these mysteries being thrown around, I thought that I should scour the world of comics for the best of the best when it comes to solving tough to answer questions. So, without further ado, lets look at the best detectives in comic books!

1) Batman  (DC)- The creme de la creme of comic detectives. The Batman has mad crime solving skills and mind boggling array of gadgets to augment his keen wit. Batman is meticulous, calculated and methodical, and his utility belt always has ample plastic baggies for evidence. If you need to solve a crime, from “Who burglarized the jewelry store?” to “What killed this New God?” Batman is the man to turn to.

2) Elijah Snow (WILDSTORM)- Elijah Snow has been solving mysteries for over one hundred years, so you have to imagine that he is pretty good at it by now. Specializing in the most obscure and whispered of mysteries, Snow has found hidden jungle cities, Hong kKong soul engines, and alternate universes, just out of curiosity. And if that isn’t enough for you, he was trained by none other than Sherlock Holmes.

3) Vic Sage (DC)- While the excellent Mr. Sage is now deceased, this detective didn’t just look to solve crimes, he sought answers to philosophical questions as well. Who else could figure out who shot JR and what is the meaning of life in the same afternoon?

4) Jamie Madrox (MARVEL)- What the multiple man lacks in deductive reasoning, he more than makes up for in personnel. Madrox’s ability to make an unlimited number of duplicates that he shares knowledge with means that he can comb a whole city for clues faster than anyone else could.

5) Sam Noir (IMAGE)- A detective and a ronin samurai, Sam is the complete package. His crime solving abilities are second only to his sword handling skills. And he has cool hair.

6) Simon Archard (CROSSGEN)- This Sherlock Holmes look-alike is a master sleuth with an eidetic (photographic) memory that serves him quite well in his detecting. If that isn’t enough for you, he is constantly able to evade attempts on his life by The Consortium of Aggrieved Man Servants without losing his cool.

7) Tony Chu (IMAGE)- Mr. Chu is cibopathic, which means he picks up mental images from whatever he eats (except for beets). Tony has used this ability to great effect when it comes to hunting down wrongdoers or finding the whereabouts of missing people.

Bigby Wolf (VERTIGO)- This wolfman knows his stuff. He actually tasted each fable in Fabletown to see if they were a spy, and has a keen ability to smell liars. Add to that several thousand years of life experience and you have the makings of a great detective.

9) Michael “Desolation” Jones (WILDSTORM)- Anyone who is able to solve the case of Adolf Hitler’s missing sex tapes deserves a spot on this list. It doesn’t hurt that Jones is ex-MI6 and even government operatives come to him when they need something found.

10) Detective Chimp (DC)- How smart is Bobo the detective chimp? So smart that Batman will hit him up for ideas when he’s stuck. Seriously, they do it in an internet chat room. I swear I couldn’t make this stuff up.

That;s it for this week folks. I will be out in Phoenix this weekend with Semantink for the Phoenix Comic Con. If you are going to be in the area, drop me a line! Thanks for stopping in folks, see you next week.

Howdy Folks!

It seems that this week the theme around Semantink blogs has been Robin Hood, and who am I to buck the trend? Now, I could talk about Robin Hood’s brief foray into the world of comics, but he really hasn’t been a big figure on the funny book scene (though it was cool to see him pop up in FABLES). I could talk about Robins and Hoods, but that would be a stretch. However, since Robin of Loxely is well known for his mad archery skills, I thought I would take a look at some of the comic book archers out there and see how they stack up against the prince of Thieves.

Hawkeye (Marvel Comics): Like Robin Hood, Hawkeye was once an outlaw. Unlike Mr. Hood, Hawkeye used to be a carney and changes costumes on an annual basis.

Better Archer?: Gotta go with Robin Hood Here, Hawkeye hasn’t been Hawkeye in a while (though that should be changing soon) so he is probably a little rusty with the bow and arrow.

Green Arrow (DC): Oliver Queen wears green, fights social injustice, and has a bad ass mustache, just like Robin Hood. Well, ok, it’s just like Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, but you get the idea.

Better Archer?: I might have to go with GA on this one, he has got a few more years of experience under his belt then Robin Hood.

Roy Harper (Speedy, Arsenal, Red Arrow)(DC): Trained by the Green Arrow, Roy Harper has been slinging arrows since he was a wee lad. However, is not very Robin Hood-esque in any other aspects.

Better Archer?: Again, I have to go with Mr. Hood. Arsenal is a good shot, but he relies too much on trick arrows and other weapons.

Shaft (Image): Shaft leads a team of people just like Robin Hood. Unlike Robin Hood, Shaft works for the man. Boo to you Shaft!

Better Archer?: Robin Hood. All that armor probably doesn’t help Shaft’s accuracy.

Arwyn (Crossgen): Just like Robin, Arwyn uses her mad archer skills to try and bring an evil despot to justice. Arwyn, though is much prettier than Robin Hood.

Better Archer?: Toss up.

Turok (Valiant): Turok the dinosaur hunter doesn’t really care about social inequality, chasing down maids or hanging out with a posse of bandits. Why? Because he is constantly being chased by big mean dinosaurs that want to eat him.

Better Archer?: Turok, hands down. The dude hunts dinosaurs!

Shi: This is kind of a cheat. Yes, Shi does use a bow and arrow, and she is very good with them, but her signature weapon is the nagatina. Really though, any excuse to bring Shi into a post is a good one.

Better Archer?: Robin Hood, though in a nagatina contest, Shi would rock his world.

Rainbow archer (DC): The only bad guy to make the list, I wanted to share this one with you so you could see that having a bow and arrow doesn’t always mean that you are cool.

Better Archer?: It has to be Robin Hood. No one would be able to stand the shame of losing to the Rainbow Archer.

That’s it for today folks. THanks for stopping in, and come on back tomorrow for another heaping helping of Dr. Cellus. Oh, and while you are waiting for tomorrow to come, feel free to pre-order your copy of the MYTHOI Birth TPB now on sale in our store. It’s discounted right now for those who pre-order, so get it while you can!

Hello readers,

For those that did not hear, we lost a legend this week. Frank Frazetta passed away this past Monday, and the world of comics is a sadder place for it. There are plenty of excellent blogs out by now about the life and times of Mr. Frazetta, so I won’t go into a full biography of the man, but I will share some of his work with you so that we can all marvel at the man’s amazing talent one more time.

For those not familiar with Frank Frazetta, the man was an inspiration to generations of illustrators, sculptors and painters. Even if you think you haven’t seen his work, you probably have and just didn’t know it. Frazetta’s work graced album covers, comic books, movie posters and more. He redefined the look of Conan the Barbarian and Vampirella. The guy was such a stud that later in life when he suffered a stroke and lost fine motor function on his right side, he taught himself to paint and draw left handed. Anyway, here is some of his work:

Pretty amazing stuff. Thank you Mr. Frazetta, you will be missed. And thank you readers for stopping in, Dr. Cellus is back tomorrow, and we will have some big news here on Monday, stay tuned!

Today is only three days from geek Christmas. That’s right, this Saturday, May 1st is the 9th annual Free Comic Book Day. In honor of this wondrous day of  complimentary 4 color excitement let’s look at the origins of this magical day and see what it means for the comic industry moving forward.

Free Comic Book Day began as the brain child of retailer Joe Field (who owns Flying Colors Comics) back in 2001. The idea was to have a day that could help the industry to attract new fans who might not otherwise pick up a comic, bring back old fans, and reward current comic book aficionados. In 2002 Diamond distribution picked up the idea and ran with coordinating the first FCBD.  Ever since then, the First Saturday in May (with one exception in 2004) has been a day filled with free books.

In the years since FCBD began, over 2000 different retailers across America and 30 other countries have participated in the event, and more than 12 million books have been given away. The publishing initiative has spawned several offshoots and copy cats in a variety of industries as well; Germany is starting their own FCBD, and there is now a Free Magazine Day and a Free Role Playing Game Day (Which sounds interesting and terrifying all at once).

Publishers have used the day to increase awareness of properties and upcoming events. Marvel has used the day to promote upcoming films (the first FCBD was just before Spider-man), as has IDW (with Transformers). DC has set up events like Blackest Night. Smaller publishers like Red 5 have used the day to springboard into the public eye (Atomic Robo was a big hit last FCBD).

Many retailers have turned FCBD into full-on events for shoppers. It’s not just a day to get free swag, at some stores you can meet comic professionals (and collect a signature or two if that what you are looking for), get some free food, and commiserate with like minded funny book enthusiasts.

So has FCBD worked out? Well, it’s hard to tell. Obviously one of the major goals for the day from the retailers’ standpoint was to increase comic readership and comic buyer-ship (yeah, I’m pretty sure I just made that word up).While FCBD has generally provided retailers with a sales spike in May, there is no concrete evidence to show that the free comic books have generated a stronger market for comic books. The same goes for the publishers, there is no data that proves that FCBD helps or hurts publishers.

Despite the lack of evidence one way or another about the effectiveness of FCBD, it does not seem to be in any danger of going away. Every year the event has taken place, more retailers have gotten involved, and the number of free comics available has increased as well. Plus the fans (myself included) love it.

So this Saturday, go find your local FCBD participating retailer (you can find which retailers are involved on the FCBD website) and check out some fun stuff that you wouldn’t normally check out. Oh, and don’t forget to actually buy something while you are there, those retailers still have to pay for the comics even though we don’t. I personally will be going out to 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga to celebrate the day. Thanks for stopping in everyone, and enjoy Free Comic Book Day!

Happy Sunday readers!

It’s that time of year again, folks. The time of year when the sun comes out to say hello, the leaves start returning to the trees and nerds enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes emerge from a winter in their basements with the latest in homemade costumes. That’s right it’s convention season. I have heard some conjecture as to when the season actually starts, but with big conventions like Emerald City Con, WonderCon, and C2E2 already having transpired, I think it’s safe to say the season is upon us. Working for Semantink, I get a chance to attend quite a few of these conventions. I have noticed that there are some constants (there are always exceptions of course) that make these events the great things that they are. With that in mind, I wanted to look at some of the things that I love about the convention scene:

The fans: Of course, a convention would be nothing without it’s attendees, and comic book conventions have the most diverse rosters of members anywhere. You have your casual fans, out to stroll through the back issue bins. You have your cosplayers (for better or worse) dressing up as everything from Skeletor to Supergirl and everything in between. You have the autograph hounds with their long boxes full of comics that need signatures. You have your aspiring talent, hoping to make connections and//or find a job. There are so many awesome, fun, and sometimes strange people at a comic book convention that it is hard not to get excited.

Artist Alley: I love to walk around the small (and large) press publisher booths as well, but for me, Artist Alley is where it is at. This is where you can go to meet some of your favorite comic book talent up close and personal. You can buy some of their work, or just get a sketch.  But the best part about Artist Alley is getting to meet the new artists that you have never heard of before. Folks like Lord Mesa or Ruben Martinez that haven’t become superstars yet, but whose art will just blow you away.

Panels: The great thing about panels at comic conventions is that they are so diverse. San Diego has a ton of movie and television panels every year. Long Beach had a wide variety of “breaking into the industry” panels. A.P.E. focused on the creators. Wizardworld had “how to draw” panels. Every convention has something fun to check out, and it is always different.

Comics: What would a a comic book convention be without comics. I was a fan of comic books before I worked in the industry, and there is nothing I like more than walking around looking for that rare copy of FLEX MENTALLO #1 or a SOLAR: MAN OF THE ATOM variant cover. And there are always awesome sales at conventions.

Now with the good we must take the bad as well. This is true of most things and convention season is no exception. Here are a few things that really drive me up the wall at conventions:

“Security”: Why do I have quotations around the word security? Because nothing these people do makes me feel secure. These people are often ill-informed or just flat clueless, and do nothing but hinder me from getting where I need to go. If you are ever lost at a convention, do not go talk to these people, as you will only wind up more lost, or at least more annoyed.

Celebrity signing areas: This doesn’t make me mad so much as sad.  These folks were popular once upon a time (mostly, sometimes these people were never popular) and have been reduced to sitting at a table for a weekend to sign autographs. Lou Ferrigno has been at every comic convention I have ever been to, and I am beginning to wonder if he has ever stayed at his house over the weekend. At Wizard World Anaheim, even Kato Kaelin was signing autographs. Kato? Really?

Comic conventions are wonderful things. If you have never been, I encourage you to go to at least one in your life. Even people that don’t like comics can have a good time. And if any of you are planning on attending the Phoenix comic con next month, drop me a line, as Semantink will be there too.

Thanks for joining me today folks, and remember, Comicopea will be moving to Thursdays from now on, and Sundays will be featuring works by some of the writers that we have here at Semantink. Thanks for stopping in, see you next week.

Hello folks!

This past week, I went out and caught the newest iteration of Clash of the Titans in my local cineplex, and while I thought the film was okay, I spent most of the time wondering why neither of the writers (there were two of them) had bothered to ever pick up any sort of Greek mythology book and do some research. Heck, I would have settled for them just re-watching the original. However, I am not here today to speak on the sadness that was the new CotT script, I wanted to talk about Greek mythology in comics.

Like any form of popular culture, trends are always coming and going, and comics are no exception. One year there will be 10 new westerns, the next year, zombies will be in every other title. This year though, it seems that the fickle lady that is pop culture has made greek mythology cool again. Everywhere you look, there is a Greek god just waiting to say hello. From Percy Jackson to Marvel’s Hercules, Greek is chic. As I am the editor on MYTHOI (a book that also deals with mythology, though not just that Greek stuff), the increase in the popularity of mythology stands out to me. There are plenty of books out there on the subject right now, but are all of them good? I think not. Let’s take a look at some of the mythology heavy comics that are on the market today:

GREEK STREET from DC comic’s Vertigo imprint takes characters like Opedipus, Dionysis, and Agamemnon and retells their stories in a modern setting . Writer Peter Milligan obviously knows his Greek myths, but he takes a great many liberties with the stores.  Davide Gianfelice provides moody art that fits the story well, but just doesn’t do it for me.

THE OLYMPIANS graphic novels by George O’Conner are a series of books that focus on Greek Gods (Zeus, Athena, Ares) and are aimed at educating and entertaining a younger audience. The art is fun, in an Michael Avon Oeming sort of way, but the story is somewhat lacking. I know this can seem critical of a book aimed at children, but that’s just how I feel.

THE AVENGERS only makes this list because of Ares recent involvement with the Avengers. The only way that this relates at all to mythology is that Ares is in fact the Greek god of war (which he reminds someone of every issue he is in). He is a fun character though, and it’s nice to see him get some play.

OLYMPUS by Devil’s due productions is the story of two brothers that are bound to work for Zeus and wind up tracking down a rogue god. Nathan Edmonson has put together a fun script that builds well from the original material, and Christian Ward has a fin and exciting art style that tells the story well. It’s a shame that this book only lasted 4 issues.

PANTHEON by IDW was just announced at Wondercon and sprang from the mind of  The Shield’s Michael Chiklis. The story, writen by Marc Andreyko focuses Greek Gods returning to a messed up Earth to battle for the fate of mankind against the titans. The art will be by Stephen Molner. This series looks interesting, but series that spring from a celebrity are rarely awesome.

GOD COMPLEX by Image looks at the Greek god Apollo living amongst us mere mortals, and the shenanigans that ensue. Michael Avon Oeming co-writes the book with Daniel Berman, and while Oeming knows his gods, the whole “deity living among us” idea is kind of played out. John Broglia provides art that looks so much like Oeming, I wouldn’t know Michael didn’t do it if not for the credits, which is not a bad thing. This book is still fairly new, so time will tell if the book is any good, but it’s off to a good start.

While there might be plenty of books out right now with a focus on Greek myth, finding one that is a) good and b) true to the source material is no easy thing. Eventually the pop culture bandwagon will move on to something else (I would be partial to clowns being cool again), but until then enjoy all the coolness that Greek myth has to offer. Thanks for stopping in folks, I’ll see you next week.

Happy Sunday Folks!

Today I am going to spotlight one of the legends in the mainstream comic book industry: Frank Miller. While his more recent works have been less than stellar (I will touch on that later), there is no denying that he has been a major force in the comic book landscape for the better part of the last three decades as both an artist and a writer.

Frank Miller began his comic book career with a host of fill-in issues for any company that would hire him. His first printed work was back in 1978 with Gold Key Comics’ THE TWILIGHT ZONE #84. Eventually he would end up at Marvel doing fill-in issues and covers, but it wasn’t until he took over as the artist on DAREDEVIL in 1979 that people began to stand up and take notice. When Miller began writing DAREDEVIL as well as illustrating the book, the title became wildly popular, and Miller became a name to watch. While at Marvel, Frank also illustrated (and co-plotted) the hugely successful WOLVERINE mini-series with writer Chris Claremont.

Eventually, Miller would move over to DC where he did his own creator-owned series, the aforementioned RONIN, as well as some of his most famous work on Batman, including THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and BATMAN: YEAR ONE. In between his bat-opuses, he went back over for one of the greatest DAREDEVIL runs of all time, Born Again, with artist Dave Mazzucchelli (his cohort on YEAR ONE).

Eventually, Miller would split from the big publishers due to creator rights and censorship issues, taking his star to Dark Horse Comics. Once at Dark Horse, Miller launched a slew of new series, including HARD BOILED (with Geoff Darrow, the guy who storyboarded The Matrix), GIVE ME LIBERTY (with Dave Gibbons, the guy who drew WATCHMEN), 300, and, perhaps the work that he is best known for, SIN CITY.

Frank Miller went into the 21st century on a roll, but the latest millennium has not been good for him. Miller returned to DC for a sequel to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN, which was not well received. Miller also began writing a new Bat-centric series named ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER, which is almost universally thought of to be tripe (despite beautiful Jim Lee artwork). He also Directed a film version of WIll Eisner’s THE SPIRIT, which did not go well for him. On a bright note for Miller, the 00’s did see two of his stories, 300 and SIN CITY made into successful films, both with sequels on the way.

As an artist, Frank Miller has evolved tremendously over his career. When he broke into the business he tried to insert his noir-ish sensibilities into superhero books, but he still had to soften his work to make it fit the mainstream mold. As Miller got more successful, he was able to take more risks, not only with his pencilling style but, his story-telling methods. If you compare early 1980’s Miller to late 1990’s Miller the change in style is obvious. Even looking at early Daredevil art compared to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, you can see that Miller was constantly allowing his style to evolve. The turning point seemed to really occur first on RONIN, with his line work becoming looser, and the shading and tone work becoming a more active story-telling tool. By the time Miller began SIN CITY, his lines were exceptionally loose, with heavy blacks and negative space playing as the primary visual devices. Miller’s paneling has also become more risque, moving farther away from the traditional multi panel lay-outs, and moving more and more towards telling stories with series’ of single images.

From a writing standpoint, Miller has always had a knack for telling great crime stories. Be it DAREDEVIL, BATMAN or SIN CITY, there is perhaps no one better at making the dirt of a situation evident to the readers. This is not to say that MIller’s non-crime books don’t also stand out. 300, RONIN, and HARD BOILED are all excellent, and very well written. As Frank has gotten older, however, it seems that he has grown less in touch with the gritty situations he once wrote so well. In his prime, Miller’s dialogue was a strength, making conversations pop. In the last decade though, the line he is most famous for is “I’m the Godd@mned Batman”.

On a personal level, I am a huge fan of just about all of Frank Miller’s early mainstream work. Both of his DAREDEVIL runs are spectacular, and his BATMAN work is a beautiful example of how excellent 1980’s comics could be. Several mini-series that I have mentioned throughout this piece, RONIN, WOLVERINE and 300, should be read by anyone who wants to like comics. That being said, I have always preferred Miller’s writing to his artistic style. While some of my favorite stories have come from the ben of Frank Miller, some of my least favorite art has come from his pencil. Some of Miller’s art I love, I can’t imagine THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS looking better unless Neal Adams himself drew the thing, and the same goes for RONIN. While this artwork fits wonderfully with many of his stories, (SIN CITY being a prime example of this) sometimes his loose lines just look sloppy and rushed. I could barely make it through THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES BACK, and any time I see a variant cover by Miller, I make a little sad noise.

Frank Miller is an integral part of the comic book industry. Without him, creator rights and comic book censorship in comics would not be where they are today. In his prime he was one of the greats, and even if he is fading from his greatest creative years (I’m not saying he is, he could just be in a slump), his older works still hold up beautifully today. If you are trying to get a friend into comics, give them something by Frank MIller . Just make sure it’s not something recent.