Fun Home

Fun Home won the Tony for Best Musical last year. It is adapted from the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. The story blends various times in Bechdel's life in a very innovative format and tells of the author's embrace of her identity as a lesbian and coming to terms with her father as a gay man. It is a poignant (though often funny) tale and serves as a worthy testament to the power of the comics format. 

Links:
Official site: http://funhomebroadway.com/
Cast recording: http://www.psclassics.com/cd_funhome2.html

More on ComiXolgy

Here are some more reports on the comiXology situation. The comments are particularly interesting.

​Comixology cuts Apple, Google out of digital-comics kickback (26 April 2014):
http://www.cnet.com/news/comixology-cuts-apple-google-out-of-digital-comics-kickback/

and

ComiXology ceases iOS in-app purchases following Amazon acquisition (26 April 2014):
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/04/26/comixology-ceases-ios-in-app-purchases-following-amazon-acquisition

comiXology Updates

Earlier this month it was announced that Amazon had acquired the comiXology digital comics store. The first move towards its integration into Amazon was the site's severing of its ties to Apple with the release of a comics reader app to replace its (now) non-functional storefront app. Further details from these two articles on The Beat:

Amazon removes ability to buy comics through Comixology app to cut out Apple (26 April 2014):
http://comicsbeat.com/amazon-removes-ability-to-buy-comics-through-comixology-app-to-cut-out-apple/

and

New ComiXology: Publishers can run their storefront apps for now (28 April 2014):
http://comicsbeat.com/new-comixology-publishers-can-run-their-storefront-apps-for-now/.

Hickman's Avengers

A quick post:

As part of the Marvel NOW! relaunching of the Avengers franchise, Jonathan Hickman offers an engaging rebirth of the Avengers team in the new Avengers title, and he comments in depth on his vision in a December 2012 interview on Newsarama at http://www.newsarama.com/10587-jonathan-hickman-brings-the-world-to-marvel-now-avengers.html.

So far. the series has been collected into two hardcover editions: Avenger's World and The Last White Event. The story thus far is reminiscent of aspects of Warren Ellis's oeuvre and offers, in part, an incorporation of Marvel's New Universe (last revived by Ellis) within the Marvel NOW! Marvel Universe. The collected editions include numbers 1 through 11 of the series and are an entertaining read, for the most part; however, the series falters a bit towards the end of volume 2 and grinds to a halt with the (apparently) unrelated and very mundane story in issue 11. Based on the ending, I'm not sure I'll pick up volume 3.

Bill the Boy Wonder

I've known about this for a while but only today received a copy to peruse. It is an interesting book (as was Boys of Steel, which I need to blog about one day).

Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman. Illus. Ty Templeton. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2012. N.pag. Print. 978-1-58089-289-6

Binding Information:
Hardback
Ages: 8 - and up
Price: $17.95

From the Publisher:


This is the true story of how Batman began. Every Batman story is marked with the words "Batman created by Bob Kane." But that isn't the whole truth. A struggling writer named Bill Finger was involved from the beginning. Bill helped invent Batman, from concept to costume to character. He dreamed up Batman's haunting origins and his colorful nemeses. Despite his brilliance, Bill worked in obscurity. It was only after his death that fans went to bat for Bill, calling for acknowledgment that he was co-creator of Batman. Based on original research, Bill the Boy Wonder is the first-ever book about the unsung man behind the Dark Knight.

This book is good for your brain because it provides: Biography, character and plot development, point of view


Comics Medium Links and More annotation:

Follow-up to Nobleman’s Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman is a picture book biography of comic book writer Bill Finger that presents him as the originator of the essentials of the Batman character (though the name was conceived first by Bob Kane, the man usually given credit for having created Batman) and his most prolific early chronicler. Concludes with an “Author’s Note,” in which Nobelman describes some of his sources (listed more fully in the “Selected Bibliography” at the end) and writing of the book (including his discovery of Finger’s only living heir) and a brief discussion of the growth of the Batman franchise. An online companion to the book, with activities and resources for educators, can be accessed at http://www.charlesbridge.com/BilltheBoyWonder, and the publisher's page for the book (at http://www.charlesbridge.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=5655) includes links to interviews with Nobleman about the project.

Wonder Woman Documentary

A head's up from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly:

PBS is currently airing a film called Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines. More details at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/wonder-women/.

Trailer follows:

Watch Coming Soon to Independent Lens: Wonder Women! on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

DC Comics at Capstone

A quick head's up:

Capstone Publishing now has a dedicated site to it's DC Comics series of chapter books at http://capstonesuperhero.com/. The site includes promotional posters with the DC trinity promoting literacy. At present, content includes books featuring Superman, Batman, and the pets of the Justice League (see trailer below), though the publisher has additional series (through its Stone Arch imprint) featuring the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the foes of the Justice League.

Some details on the line from Capstone's YouTube Channel:

Beware the Batman Teaser

Two new series are coming soon to DC Nation on Cartoon Network (and replacing Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice). One, Teen Titans Go! is a humorous take on the Teen Titans franchise, while the other, Beware the Batman, offers a more serious look at the Dark Knight and his world in CGI for the first time.

Iron Man: Rise of Technovore

In connection with the upcoming release of Iron Man 3, Marvel is promoting a new direct-to-video anime-inspired film called Iron Man: Rise of Technovore, due out on 16 April 2013. Marvel has a detailed press release on their website (http://marvel.com/news/story/20068/iron_man_rise_of_technovore_coming_to_blu-ray_416); however, it is unclear as to whether the story is based on previous comics narratives, ties into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or is meant to stand on its own.  Official trailer follows: 



The film is sold as either Blu-ray or DVD with the following extras:

• Blu-ray exclusive: Conceptual Art Gallery
• Blu-ray and DVD bonus features: Two featurettes, "Tale of Technovore" and "S.H.I.E.L.D.: Protecting the Marvel Universe"

Superman: Unbound?

Expect much hype surrounding the release this summer of Warner Bros.'s Man of Steel. Warner Bros. Animation is doing their bit with the original video Superman: Unbound based on the "Brainiac" arc from phenom Geoff Johns's run on Action Comics (conveniently collected as Superman: Brainiac). With voice work by Matt Bomer as Clark Kent/Superman, the film is due out on 7 May 2013 in multiple platforms. As is standard practice with DC Universe Animated Original Movies,the Blu-ray version (single disc only this time and no digital copy) will include the bulk of the extras (feature commentary, making-of featurettes, and--though don't ask me why--a selection of related cartoons), and the DVD release getting the shaft with only a first look at the upcoming Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (also available on the Blu-ray).

Iron Man 3 Trailer

Lots of news; so little time...

But, here's the latest from Marvel Entertainment:

Robot Chicken DCU Special

Coming in September:

Batman: Earth One?

Geoff John's recent graphic novel Batman: Earth One offers a radical take on the Dark Knight that makes him far more human than we're used it (see the summary on Wikipedia). There are also some shocking twists to his traditional back story and some very original takes on the supporting cast. This is certainly a transformative take on Batman, and, even after two reads, I'm still not sure if I'd recommend it. Still, there is certainly much for discussion and debate.

Some useful resources include the following:

BATMAN For A New Era: Gary Frank on BATMAN: EARTH ONE (08 Dec. 2009)

Exclusive! Batman Re-Imagined: An Interview With Geoff Johns (n.d.)

Interview: Geoff Johns Brings Batman to 'Earth One' + EXCLUSIVE Art! (25 June 2012)

Batman: Earth One with Geoff Johns (Plus Exclusive Pages!) (10 July 2012)

Geoff Johns crafts an Everyman Batman in 'Earth One' book (27 June 2012)

INTERVIEW: Geoff Johns talks Batman Earth One (29 June 2012)

‘Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘Earth One’ : A hero lost in shadows (30 June 2012)

INTERVIEW: GARY FRANK TALKS BATMAN: EARTH ONE AND SHAZAM! (19 July 2012)

Interview: Artist Gary Frank Talks BATMAN: EARTH ONE, Vol. 2, SHAZAM, and More (19 July 2012)

Gary Frank Speaks on 'Batman: Earth One' and 'Shazam' (19 July 2012)


Extended Reviews:

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/12/155936005/how-he-became-a-bat-once-more-with-feeling

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/best-shots-advance-reviews-120703.html

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/07/the-good-the-bat-and-the-ugly-batman-earth-one-by-geoff-johns-and-gary-frank

http://www.tcj.com/reviews/batman-earth-one/

Joe Kubert Has Died

Comics creator Joe Kubert passed away earlier this week. A detailed obituary can be accessed from the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/arts/design/joe-kubert-giant-of-comic-book-art-dies-at-85.html. For details of his career can be found online at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Kubert).

Superman: Grounded (Recent Comics)

Conceived by J. Michael Straczynski, Superman: Grounded (now collected as a two-volume series) was an arc that ran through the Superman series from 2010-2011. It appears to have been conceived as a celebration of the 700th issue of the title, but instead serves as a swan song for the Silver/Modern Age incarnation of the character as he was rebooted soon after as part of the New 52 (more on this eventually, if I can stomach it).

As a story Superman: Grounded is engaging and, hearkening back to the "relevant" comics of the 1970s, offers much insight (along with the recent series Superior) into the need for a Superman figure in the twenty-first century DC Universe. The series also provides details into the future of the Superman legend including the existence (hinted at in earlier stories) of a huge corps of Supermen, the self-styled "Superman Squad", existing in the distant future and (similar to the recent formation of Batman Incorporated) the Supermen of America, a team of modern-day heroes including Iron Munroe, Live Wire, Steel, Super Chief, Superboy, and Supergirl. Both teams are proud legacies for the almost 75-year-old hero.

Blackest Night (Recent Comics)

The brainchild of Geoff Johns, the Blackest Night crossover series is a tie-in to the Green Lantern series (also by Johns) that ran throughout the various DC Universe books during 2009 and 2010. The premise is that dead heroes and villains are returning to a semblance of life (they're not quite zombies nor are their bodies reanimated by the actual consciousness of the deceased) as members of a Black Lantern Corps in an attempt to destroy the Entity, the creator of all life in the multiverse.

The idea of the series is interesting (though a full-scale zombie apocalypse might have been a more powerful story), and there were a number of engaging tie-ins (some collected as Blackest Night: The Black Lantern Corps). In terms of impact, Blackest Night is important for killing off a number of major characters (including Tempest) and, also, for reviving a select group of dead heroes (Aquaman, Deadman, Firestorm [Ronnie Raymond], Hawk, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Jade, the Martian Manhunter,and Osiris) and villains (Captain Boomerang, Maxwell Lord, and Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash) to feature in Brightest Day, an ultimately rather lackluster follow-up series (more on this eventually). Moreover, Blackest Night is of supreme importance for the Green Lantern series in its introduction and incorporation of additional Lantern Corps powered by other aspects of the emotional spectrum, and these revelations have continuing impact on the Green Lantern franchise in the comics, as well as on film and television in the ongoing Green Lantern: The Animated Series.

Superman vs The Elite OVA

Coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and digital video on 12 June 2012:


Further details at Wikipedia and the DC Movies Wiki. The film is based on a story by writer Joe Kelly who comments about the adaptation on a variety of websites, including The Hollywood Reporter.

2011 In Memoriam

I'm perpetually behind on blog posts but did want to at least acknowledge the recent passing of two Golden Age greats: Jerry Robinson and Joe Simon. I was not very familiar with Robinson (and now look forward to reading N. C. Christopher Couch's biography Jerry Robinson: Ambassador of Comics [2010]), but Simon's recent autobiography provided much insight into his life and career.

DC Comics for the Kindle

DC Comics has recently released its first set of collected editions of Amazon's Kindle reader. Details at the DC Comics blog The Source at http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/11/22/new-dc-entertainment-storefront-launches-on-amazon-com/.

Marvel News

I've been remiss of late in reporting on affairs in Marvel Comics. Important stories of late include the death of Ultimate Peter Parker/Spider-Man in a truly heart-wrenching tale (details at Comics Alliance, as reported by David Uzumeri) by creators Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley and published in Ultimate Spider-Man No. 160 that paves the way, ultimately, for the introduction of a new multiracial Spider-Man and, as also reported by Uzumeri at Comics Alliance, the end of the long-running Uncanny X-Men series in anticipation of the launching of a new Uncanny X-Men series and Wolverine and the X-Men featuring a splintering of the team as result of the Schism crossover event.