Andy just pointed out on his excellent site that Sony Pictures is promoting Spider-Man 2 by offering Blogger and Livejournal templates and icons.
Well, give them credit for trying something different, anyway.
(Where’s my Santa Sangre template?)
An eye for Mongombo.
I was looking for information online about the sadly-incompleted Fantagraphics mini-series Eye of Mongombo (the only thing I found of significance, beyond sale listings, was a mention halfway down the page in an outdated comic FAQ), and I found this page listing comic book characters that physically transform into either animals or the opposite sex. It’s just part of a larger site that catalogs such examples of shapeshifting in books, movies, paintings, etc. Keep in mind the elaborate list of notations as you peruse the entries.
God bless the internet.
Yummy.
Chester Brown, who brought us the alternately nightmarish/dreamlike comic book Yummy Fur (which gave us the immortal piece of dialogue “I’m not a penis! I’m the President of the United States!”), and the unfortunately truncated Underwater (not to mention the Bible adaptation back-ups in both series), recently had a hardcover collection of his Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography released by Drawn & Quarterly. It is honestly one of the best looking hardcovers I’ve ever seen.
In searching for links, I found a missing-the-point review of Yummy Fur collection The Playboy [EDIT: link dead] (the review from May 28, 2001), and some three-year-old news about a Yummy Fur movie [EDIT: link dead]. Wha huh? There’s a Yummy Fur band, too.
(post updated 7/2016)
I’m not normally this cynical…oh, wait, yes I am.
My pal Dorian, after looking at the preview copy of next week’s New X-Men #150: “Boy, the hardcore X-Men fans are going to hate this issue.”
Me: “Why, does something fun and interesting happen?”
Dorian: “Yup.”
(post updated 7/2016)
It’s covered.
All the other comic weblogs are doing it…so here’s one of my favorite superhero comic book covers:
Okay, so it’s not within the last 10 years…don’t bring me down with your “rules,” old man.
Honestly, though…Doane’s choice [EDIT: link dead] is very nice…it’s hard to argue with Seth, who is a master of layout and design. You can’t go too wrong with Brian Bolland, either.
(post updated 7/2016)
GL comics.
My friend Corey and I were talking about comics today. Specifically, we were talking about Steve Englehart’s run on Green Lantern (and the series it turned into, The Green Lantern Corps) from the late-80…and we were just laughing and laughing. We both really loved these comics…not because they were any good, but because they were just equal parts silly, over-the-top, and outright insane. Englehart brought us a dead Green Lantern kept alive by his ring, a funny-animal GL (Ch’p), Kilowog hanging out with Gorbachev, Arisia aging herself with her ring to pursue a relationship with Hal Jordan, bizarre sexual tension between Hector Hammond and Star Sapphire, of all people…all kinds of craziness was going on in this comic. And there was a real sense of menace (well, B-movie level menace) from the villains, too…old GL nemesis Sinestro seemed more dangerous than ever, and before he became a buffoon (and way before he became some kind of shape changing alien warrior…wha huh?), Guy Gardner was a fairly threatening villain as well.
Anyway, these GLs were a hoot. Just plain ol’ stupid fun comic books. You look at some of the fans in the online message forums, and you’d think there’s no room for a comic that makes you laugh anymore. They’re all so serious, and and so concerned with the characters’ “dignity.” Sigh. I’ll tell you what…Englehart’s GL was a damn sight more entertaining than that whole Jim Lee/Batman/Hush thing.
(post updated 7/2016)
An apology.
I honestly didn’t intend this to turn into yet another comics weblog, but, well, sometimes things just happen. So, to make up for it, here’s a link to a site that, as far as I can tell, has nothing to do with comics whatsoever.
(post updated 7/2016)
"Is it painful to die of chains?"
When I was a kid, my dad came back from a business trip in Puerto Rico with a book he had bought there to give to me. It was called Hear The Sound of My Feet Walking..Drown The Sound of My Voice Talking. It was a collection of Odd Bodkins cartoons by underground cartoonist Dan O’Neill. Why he found that book in Puerto Rico, and why he decided this was the sort of thing to give me, I have no idea (beyond my interest in all things comical, even then). But, I’m glad he did, and Odd Bodkins is still one of my favorite comic strips. Here is the official site.
(post updated 7/2016)
"That’s who I am, and that’s what I am!"
Licensable Bear is a cute comic written by Nat Gertler, with a fun site to go with it.
Particularly amusing is the “Products They Should Have Licensed Me For” page.
(post updated 7/2016)
Oh, for the days when comics weren’t afraid to be goofy.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Superboy, here [EDIT: link dead] and here.
And, in my quest to find an image of Superboy’s semi-nemesis Insect Queen for you to enjoy, I found Insect Queen fan fiction! Oh blessed Internet, what joys you bring me.
For one of the few currently-published goofy* comics, please visit this site. Arrrr! [EDIT: link dead but here’s a review of the Scurvy Dogs series.]
Purposefully goofy, that is.
(post updated 7/2016)