Is Nothing Sacred?

Avengers Superbowl teaser

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Just a little snippet of the upcoming Avengers film that will air during the Superbowl.

Wicked cool, eh?

My coolest collectible

2012-01-31T18:01:00.000-05:00

Back in 1973 I attended my very first comicbook convention (in New York City, no less). It was there that I scored a huge stack of comics (most-specifically Spidey comics), but what I managed to acquire that has remained for me my coolest collectible was a pair autographs from John Romita (Sr.) & Gerry Conway.

John was sitting at a table doing quick sketches and signing autographs. I (wearing my bestest Spidey T-Shirt), was just one of dozens of eager fanboys looking for an autograph. The Jazzy one looked up, spotted my T-shirt, smiled, and reached past two or three other fan’s to take my convention book.

“And what can I draw for you?” he asked.

“Gwen Stacy.” I said.

“I can only draw her head,” Johnny responded.

“That’s OK,” I replied.

So, Johnny set to work rendering a con sketch of Gwen’s lovely face. Once he was don, he signed his name. I reached to take the con book back, but John wasn’t quite finished. He hovered over the illustration for a moment, then drew a word balloon and had Gwen say “You did it Gerry C!!”

I began to laugh as Gerry Conway had very spectacularly killed Gwen earlier that years in Amazing Spider-Man #121. Well, it was probably an hour or so later that I ran into Gerry Conway. Unable to resist, I asked for his autograph as well, and pushed the same page that John had signed earlier towards him. Gerry obligingly took the convention book and then looked at what else was on the page. When he read what John had written, Gerry laughed, signed next to Gwen’s head and then added, “And I’m glad I did.”

That the page with that image and those words appears at the bottom of this post.

Spider-Man reboot

2012-01-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

I’m still not entirely sure if I’m going to be happy with this Spidey reboot, but, well the trailer looks promising.

Marvel Superheroes

2012-01-29T12:04:00.000-05:00

This video speaks for itself.

(From 19666)

Wicked, cool, eh?

Possible Avenger's movie spoiler

2012-01-23T15:49:00.001-05:00

OK kids, I don't know if this is at all just an actress who doesn't know the difference between Captain America and Batman, or a real inside scoop (Skip the entire post if you don't want to know) but it was recently reported at Radio Times, that this year's Avenger flick is going to have a very interesting (and surprising) cameo appearance

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

According to Jenny Agutter (Logan's Run, An American Werewolf in London) who has recently joined the cast of the Avengers film, there will be a special cameo of another, non-Avenger Marvel Superhero in the film. That hero will be none other than ~~Spider-Man~~.

Yep according to her interview she said...

“I’m sworn to secrecy! I wasn’t allowed a script until I got there, and when I did, I felt like a complete child being on big sets and a huge parking lot full of Winnebagos.”

She did, however go on to say that two of these Winnebagos apparently housed Iron Man and Spider-Man. Presumably she can tell the deference between the heroes, and it really was Spideyas, and not, say Hawkeye's.

END SPOILER ALERT! END SPOILER ALERT! END SPOILER ALERT! END SPOILER ALERT! END SPOILER ALERT!

Is that cool, or what?

The Doctor is so IN!

2012-01-23T09:12:00.003-05:00

The dark side of Twilight

2012-01-23T08:55:00.001-05:00

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-22T10:51:00.000-05:00

In today (Jan 22, '12) Chip, the male twin in Hi & Lois is not only reading a Spider-Man graphic novel, but playing a Spidey videogame. Oh, and the rest of the strip is pretty funny as well.

Check out the first two panels.

Batman dances

2012-01-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

Yeah, and we thought that Peter Parker dancing in Spider-Man 3 was embarrassing, we hardly knew...

2012-01-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

A friend just sent me this, and I had to re-post. It speaks for itself.

Artist Timothy Lim swapped out Bill Watterson's mischievous boy and stuffed tiger with Peter Parker and his unruly symbiote. Aww, Venom is so cute when he's trying to munch Peter's skull! Lim's images are also available on t-shirts.

As both a Spidey and Calvin & Hobbes Fan, I totally love this.

My First Comic

2012-01-18T20:58:00.001-05:00

Hey kids, near as I can recall, the first comicbook that I ever read was Little Dot #71 (Aug. ‘61)

I used to sit on the newsstand of my Uncle’s grocery store and read comics. I never bought any of them, I just read ‘em, figuring all of the money I saved by not buying them. I figure that if I probably read (but not bought) a couple of million dollars of comics during those days (including the first Silver Age Flash and all of the early Marvel Comics).

In my 20s I found this comic at a show, but it was $10.00 and I felt that was too much for the book (I wanted it for purely sentimental reasons). Then changed my mind, but never went back to get it. I’ve been looking for it ever since.

The Church of Stan

2012-01-16T17:04:00.002-05:00

Sh*t Comic Book Nerds Say!

2012-01-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

This so deserves to be re-posted (mostly because it it so true!)

Are you ready for some football!?!?!

2012-01-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

Good night iPad

2012-01-15T00:56:00.001-05:00

As parents we all read Goodnight Moon to our kids (over and over again), many of you kids grew up having it read to you (over and over again), so it only makes sense that someone with both style and wit would update this timeless classic for the modern generation of plugged-in kids.

Using the name of “Ann Droid” a cartoonist did just that, and have given us Goodnight iPad, a parody for the next generation. The book, perfectly mimes the imagery and meter of the original tome, and gently chides us without diminishing the original in any way. it is a fun read, check it out, but before you do, watch this cute video.

And now, Spider-Man

2012-01-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

How cool it must have been to have been on the Subway this day.

Everyday Iron Man Suits

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000-05:00

Saw this today and had to re-post

Loved that it is “bullet proof.”

Meanwhile, over @ Diggg

2012-01-09T21:54:00.002-05:00

Not quite sure what is going on, but I just learned that I have four new followers over at my Digg page.

Apparently I'm (nearly) famous (again).

How cool is that?

Stan Lee’s Oscar Campaign

2012-01-07T22:27:00.003-05:00

You read that right, kids, Stan Lee the guy who built the Marvel Universe and saved comics from extinction, is campaigning for an Oscar, which he totally deserves. Check it out over at Funny or Die.

Stan’s Cameos in the various Marvel films:

I say we besiege the Academy with a write-in campaign.

Who’s with me?

Another Index from Marvel

2012-01-05T08:53:00.001-05:00

Hey kids, it looks like I’m nearly famous again! Yep, another of the soft-cover Official Indexes of the Marvel Universe has come out (this one about Ghost Rider), and, yep, I’m a contributor, again. How cool is that?

Superheroes

2012-01-04T10:10:00.003-05:00

Not quite sure what this is all about, but it was kind of interesting, so I thought I’d share..

2012-01-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

OK kids, here is a fun way to start out the new year, apparently Marvel Comics lawyers, are having a very real-world battle attempting to prove that the company's mutant characters aren’t human.

Really. Want to know why? well, if they aren’t human, then it costs the company less to export them to other countries. Seriously

In the non-fictional world, our world, Marvel is taking the position that mutants are not humans at all. But this isn’t an ideological or a moral stance. Instead, it is a financial one. Toys manufactured in other countries and imported into the US are subject to taxes, but those taxes are lower if the toys represent non-human characters. That has led to Marvel lawyers arguing that an action figure representing, say, Wolverine, is actually “representing animals or other non-human creatures (for example, robots and monsters).” This argument leads to a good conversation on the questions of humanity and acceptance that have long been part of the X-Men storyline.

We really can’t make this stuff up.

DC & the Big Bang

2012-01-01T17:33:00.000-05:00

We just discovered The Big Bang Theory. Yeah, yeah we know that it has been on TV for a bit, but for whatever reason we just never sat down to watch it. However, now that it is on TBS, we have become a big fan. We love all the geeky Sci-Fi, fantasy, Comicbook, collectible references. Plus we also enjoy that the main characters are all braniac scientists, most of whom can't figure out how to exist in normal society. Still we were curious as to why all of the comic book references were DC rather than Marvel. Then we saw this:

Bummer, eh?

Jughead says hello

2011-12-31T16:02:00.001-05:00

Just thought I'd share this con sketch of Jughead that I acquired for my wife several years ago from Stan Goldberg. I apologize in advance for the quality of the image. The art is framed and I was unwilling to take it out from behind the glass to scan it.

The sketch is from '87.

One last Spidey for the year

2011-12-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my daughter's 17^th birthday, and we went into NYC to celebrate, while she was there she spotted this Spidey figurine, and picked it up for me.

Here he is holding my straw. Pretty cool, eh?

(Not) the Avengers Trailer

2011-12-29T19:50:00.000-05:00

Saw this today and had to re-post it...

Hilarious!

Apparently it's still Christmas!

2011-12-29T01:56:00.002-05:00

This seems to happen every year, someone (usually me) forgets to give a gift for Christmas/Chanukah. This year I was the recipient of a lat gift rather than the one who forgot.

Oh, and if you can read it, yes, that says “Toasted Marshmallow” Body wash...

Toasted Marshmallow?!? Seriously?

Coffee time

2011-12-27T09:31:00.001-05:00

Ahh, I love the smell of Spider-Coffee in the morning...

Wülf Girlz appearing soon in the War of the Independents

2011-12-27T01:00:00.001-05:00

A couple of years or so back I “lent out” my Wülf Girlz characters to appear in appear in Dave Ryan’s War of the Independents. Well, Dave has finally gotten past all (or at least most of) the really tough hurdles, and the book is off to a flying start, with the first issue out, the second issue soon to appear and the third issue wit me along as the scripter.

My Girlz will appear in issue four or six (I forget which), but I’m really having a good old time with not only the concept, but with the whole “scripting” part of that last sentence. The Girl;z are already part of a trading card set (published by RZG Comics, and on a poster of an uncut card sheet, very cool stuff.

Pretty cool, eh?

Have yourself a Spider-Little Christmas

2011-12-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone; Chanukah has come (and is still here), and yet the Spider-gifts remain...

I have two other sets of Spidey-cups, so now we can have hot coco (or coffee) for 6.

Technically this is a Marvel, rather than a Spider gift, but it still works for me.

Real Superheroes on the Prowl

2011-12-26T11:01:00.000-05:00

Presented without comment...

SALT LAKE CITY — Red Voltage and two of his masked crime-fighting colleagues were approaching an intersection here in Utah’s capital on a recent evening, walking night patrol on foot, when a car suddenly slowed next to them. The night was bitterly cold, laced with a wispy stew of fog that might or might not conceal a thousand dangers. The car’s window rolled down.

Read the rest here;

Have yourself a Marvel Christmas!

2011-12-24T12:23:00.003-05:00

First night of Chanukah gift

2011-12-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

We don’t exchange gifts every night of Chanukah, but when we do, it is wonderful.

Watch Sam Raimi's Original Green Goblin FX Test

2011-12-23T00:52:00.000-05:00

OK, now this is really cool, follow this link to watch Sam Raimi's Original Green Goblin FX Test.

It is wickedly awesome and makes you wonder why Raimi didn't go with this version of the Goblin Mask instead of the hideous thing that actually wound up in the movie.

This version is so much better.

Ah well.

While over on Amazon...

2011-12-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

Hey, Kids I now seem to have my own Author's page over on Amazon.com, check it out!

Seriously, How cool is this?

Hey, Wait, I almost forgot!

2011-12-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

Apparently I completely forgot to mention that Captain America: The Official Index to the Marvel Universe, to which I was a contributor, has been released as a trade paperback.

Seriously, how cool is this?

And then there’s this...

2011-12-14T20:58:00.001-05:00

Apparently there is a brand new ad campaign that is occurring in Mozambique, that is being orchestrated by Associação da Luta Contra o Cancer (ALCC) that is using the comic book characters Wonder Woman, Catwoman, She-Hulk, and Storm to promote self-examinations for breast cancer prevention.

The ad copy states:

Nobody’s immune to breast cancer. When we talk about breast cancer there are no women or super women. Everybody has to do self-examination monthly. Fight with us against the enemy and, when in doubt, talk to you doctor.

I just have to wonder if the suits at Marvel and DC signed off on this campaign.

Subway, digital comics

2011-12-12T10:57:00.002-05:00

Talk about being behind the news cycle curve, the other day I stumbled across these four online comics. All four DC Comics were produced in association with Subway restaurants. These comics feature Superman, Green Lantern, and Batman, and other members of the Justice League, as well as several famous athletes who are fans of Subway. In addition to the four eight-pagers (which were apparently inserted into the center of all DC comics back in June), there are two 3D motion comics staring Ryan Howard and CC Sabathia who stand with Green Lantern and the Justice League against the villainous Darkseid.

In the first comic Michael Strathan, Justin Tuck, and Ndamukong Suh help the JLA rescue Aquaman from Black Manta and Ocean Master while in Hawaii to play an exhibition game.

Issue #2 has Carl Edwards and Blake Griffin join the heroes to stop a gorilla invasion lead by Grodd, the intelligent gorilla from Gorilla City, a hidden city in the jungles of Africa.

The third digital comic has Nastia Liukin, Michael Phelps, and Apollo Ohno coming to the aid of Batman who has been set upon by Mr Freeze and Solomon Grundy.

In the the fourth and final comic Laila Ali, and Subway pitchman Jared, Fogle help the JLA during an attack from the Manhunters.

In all four of the digital comics as well as in the two chapters of then motion comic, the athletes are all chowing down on Subway sandwiches and touting the energy boost that such a healthy meal gives them. All of the comics have the various athletes visiting a Subway restaurant and mention specific sandwiches and ingredients by name (Avocados come up as an energy supplement quite a bit).

All-in-all, these comics are lighthearted and fast-pace, as the intent is to deliver an entertaining comic story while plugging the product, which all of them do quite neatly. Perhaps the only plot point which many fans took issue with was in issue #1, where Aquaman was apparently ambushed and knocked unconcious while swimming off Hawaii. Given that Aquaman is not only the DC King of the Seven Seas, he is the strongest while in water, so this seems to be a bit out of character for him.

Still, that aside, the comics are fun, and downloadable/printable from the web. While not part of the original comic run, during December 2011, Subway is offering two of their 6" subs (Cold Cut Combo and Meatball Marinara) for just $2.00 to all patrons as a way of showing their appreciation for their patronage.

These comics, as were the recently released JLA/General Mills comics tend to be collector items for comicbook aficionados. Thankfully, DC & Subway made the comics downloadable and printable so that fans can hang onto a copy for themselves.

Back in July, Subway teamed with DC to produce a series of six lunch bags that tied into the then-released Green Lantern movie.

The 6" $2.00 Subway offer can be found here.

Have yourself a Super Christmas!

2011-12-09T07:55:00.001-05:00

When superheroes go bad...

2011-12-08T16:58:00.001-05:00

Could someone please explain to me why people do this? If you are going to rob a bank, why dress up as Spidey, why not pick a real bad guy, like Doc Doom. or someone? And why does it always seem to be Spidey that they pick?

A man wearing a mask and sweater bearing “Spider-Man” designs robbed a Fort Washington bank Wednesday, police said.

The man entered the BB&T bank branch in the 9400 block of Livingston Road around 3:18 p.m., displayed a handgun and passed a note to a teller demanding money, according to the Prince George’s County police.

I’ve got to tell you that it really irritates me. I really hope that he gets caught and his cellmate has a Green Goblin fetish.

Why so Serious?

2011-12-08T16:45:00.001-05:00

Good by, Jerry Robinson...

The X-Men Family Tree

2011-12-07T19:14:00.001-05:00

I found this online and just had to repost it:

Cool, eh?

Steve Bissette writes about Rick Veitch

2011-11-30T16:59:00.001-05:00

I first met Steve Bissette probably 30something years ago at at comicbook show in New Hampshire that was being hosted by a very good friend of mine named Mark Ernst. Shortly after this Steve announced that he was releasing Taboo, and trading on the fact that I had met him (and had the foresight to have gotten his number) I pitched a story about it to Amazing Heroes. Well AH was interested, but, as Steve had the reputation to not be anything close to the fastest artist in the world, he was no wheres near ready to publish.

In fact, it took him a full year to get to the point where he was ready to publish. Well, my editor, Kim Thompson, was understanding, and told me to keep after Steve, and whenever Steve was ready to publish,, he would run the story. So I would regularly call Steve every month or two until he was ready. Then I wrote the story, which eventually wound up as a cover story in AH.

For several years afterwards whenever I would meet Steve, he would be extraordinarily friendly to me, introducing me to all of his friends and being quite nice to me. I never really understood why, until some 10 years after the publication of the article, Steve said to someone, “Bob was the first one to write about Taboo.” Suddenly the light went on in my head (hey, I never said I was very bright).

Flash forward another 20 years and I again reconnected with Steve (who has long since left comics and is now teaching in Vermont), on the Internet. Well, as it turns out, Steve wrote a book (he’s apparently written a few, actually) about Rick Veitch’s decades-old comic/Graphic Novel, Brat Pack. Well, Steve sent it to me and I recently read it and posted my review of it over at Examiner.com (where I write about comics and movies).

Well, the book is an amazing look at not only Brat Pack, and what went into influencing Veitch to create that marvelously subversive tome, but Bissette’s book Teen Angels & New Mutants, is an enlightening expose of the entirety of the pop culture landscape that surrounded his and Veitch’s growing up and becoming part of the comicbook community. Steve’s book is currently available (as are updated graphic volumes of Brat Pack), and we strongly urge you all to check out both of them.

Comicbooks published by my friends

2011-11-25T09:20:00.001-05:00

Back in October, when I was attending the New York Comic Con I acquired several comics, some of them were produced by some very good friends of mine. I'm just now getting around to posting about it (sorry guys, life sometimes gets in the way).

In No particular order, here they are:

Andrea Grant’s Minx is continuing the tale of a a woman who walks the in-between spaces between the “real” world and the dreamscape that is just a shadow and a whisper beyond the veil of what we see.

By her own admission, Andrea has been working this comic for some 10 years, and has, over the past few years, issued a number of iterations of this comic as it has evolved. It is lyrical, engaging, and totally original. Andrea is a wonderful renascence talent that simply commands the space around her.

Check out her comic, you will be amazed.

A second comic that deserves your attention is Hell’s Blood #3, by Hector Rodriguez, and published by Guild Works Production.

Hector is just another average teen living in a small town in Massachusetts, However his whole life changes one day when his grandmother dies and he himself is relentlessly pursued by horrific monsters that are generally only seen in our nightmares. Soon, Hector finds himself fighting for his very life against an army of hell-spawned creatures that are led by a magma-spitting, fire-haired werewolf who threatens to bring about man's darkest fear to a terrible reality the return to Earth the demon known as Olosi (Satan) himself!

Hector is not only the artist who illustrated this powerful story but the storyteller himself. This issue (as was issue #2) was scripted by Chris Buchner. As each issue has been published, you can not only see the improvements to Hector’s art, but the story itself grows and deepens as we are drawn further and further into the world of Hell’s Blood.

In addition to this issue (and the first two), GWP has issued a combined copy of both of the first two issues in a single package. We strongly urge you all to pick up all iterations.

All of which brings us to a pair of stellar comics from our very good friends over at Atlas Unleashed. The Adversary #3 (by the incomparable Jim Webb) and Crimson Rose by Grey.

Webb’s Adversary which continues the story of a demoness who has managed to overthrow the reigns of her demonic lord and master (Beelzebub). These days she fights the demons she used to serve. While serving the minions of Hell she was one of its top warriors, now she battles on the side of Heaven.

In this second issue she goes up against a demon named Belial who has possessed a fallen priest, in order to lure Adversary out in the open in order to kill her. Only, things don’t go quite the way Belial (or Adversary) planned. It is a fun book to read, and this chapter delves deeper into the character of Adversary. Jim is a delightful storyteller, making this book a Must Buy for readers.

Next up from Atlas Unleashed, is a preview con book Crimson Rose. The comic that AU presented at NYCC is a fully-rendered penciled version of the comic without dialogue. While this may sound like “not quite” a comicbook, don’t think like that. Grey’s fully-detailed pencils are powerful and are fully-capable of telling a story without the need of dialogue.

Further, by presenting the pencils in this fashion, AU has given us the unique opportunity to see how intense and through Grey’s pencils actually are. Plus it certainly whets our appetite for the completed package.

Personally, we can hardly wait.

Also of note for this issue is the powerful cover by our good friend Chris Torris. We have to admit a personal bias towards Chris’s work as he was the penciler for our own relaunch of our own comic, Agent Unknown (Renegade Press) — the first story of which appeared in CAG #7, and the follow up is slated to appear under the AU umbrella. Any way, Crimson Rose looks like a very interesting book, and we are looking forward to the full version.

well, these were just a few of the comics we acquired at NYCC, and over the next several weeks as we approcah the end of the year, we will be posting about the other, so stay tuned.

Spidey says Smoking is bad

2011-11-21T08:36:00.001-05:00

Several years ago Marvel published a special pro-social comic in conjunction with the American Cancer Foundation (ACF) staring Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and Storm (from the X-Men). that extolled the virtues of stopping smoking. Well, I acquired that comic back when it originally appeared but the other day the ACF set up a boot at my workplace and were passing out copies of the comic (now with a brand new cover).

Needless to say, I'm a sucker for these comics, and couldn’t pass up acquiring a new copy. The original cover is off to the left over here while the new cover is below. The interior of the comic is the same and it is discussed in detail over on Spiderfan.

Enjoy kids, and yeah, Spidey sayd “Don’t Smoke!”

Frank Miller on OWS

2011-11-21T08:33:00.001-05:00

A pal of mine, Wess Huffor created this parody based on comments made by Frank Miller. It was so funny that I thought I'd repost it.

Pretty funny, eh?

The War of the Independents #3

2011-11-11T12:53:00.001-05:00

Hey look, how cool is this...

The Diamond art listing for issue #3 of he War of the Independents.

Title: The War of the Independents #3
Plot & Art: Dave Ryan
Cover art: Todd Nauck
Flip cover art: Chris Giarrusso
Script: Robert Sodaro
Colors & Letters: Wilson Ramos Jr.
Imprint: Red Anvil Comics
Rating: All Ages
Format: Comic (32 pgs)
UPC: 609224530005
Price: $2.99
The Story: The War of the Independents raves across the multiverse, and in this issue the supermen are on their way to Norway to locate the fabled hammer, belt and gloves of Thor, the legendary Norse god of thunder. Meanwhile the villain, Maldestrak — a being of godlike power who is pure evil , and bent on the utter destruction of all forms of life — arrives there first acquires the magical items as well as their incredible power; then proceeds to kick everyone’s butts. Guest stars this issue include the Tick, Atomica, Karma and El Gato Negro, as well as many others.

Yeah, that's very cool...

There's a Superhero in my Cereal

2011-11-05T14:59:00.000-04:00

That's right kids, Superheroes in my breakfast cereal. A short while ago I brought to you collective attentions that General Mills (in the form of several of their cereals) were producing — in conjunction with DC Comics — a series of four Justice League mini-comics that were getting packed in the cereals.

Well, I’ve already acquired three of them, the third of which was just today:

So now I have issues 2-4, hopefully I’ll acquire issue #1 soon, then I can read them in order.

This particular comic came in a box of Coco Puffs. Other GM cereals in the promotion include Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Trix.

Personally, I love these types of comicbook giveaways, and have an extensive collection of them (to be sure, most of them are Marvel comicbook, and most of those comics star Spidey s still I’m an equal-opportunity comicbook collector, and try to acquire as many of these as possible.

Well, That’s where I am right now, and perhaps either later today or sometime tomorrow I’ll get the chance to look for the missing comic. In the meantime — Breakfast!

And now, another quarter is heard from...

2011-11-04T07:53:00.001-04:00

A short time ago I wrote about how I acquired a couple of Marvel comics produced for the various Triple-A baseball teams. Well, apparently, it is not just Baseball that (Marvel) super heroes go well with, but football as well. I recently came across this 1970 Giants/Cardinals program that also features several Marvel superheroes.

Check it out.

Pretty cool, eh?

An early Christmas gift

2011-10-31T20:49:00.000-04:00

Just got the word from “Grim” Jim Main that my Christmas tale of mirth and mayhem (Santa and the Angels) will be appearing in his Santa-Themed issue of *PPFSZT! #34. How cool is that?

My story Slabbed, just showed up in *PPFSZT! #33, which Jim is telling us is literally flying off the shelves (no really it is a vampire, bat thing with actual wings I’m told, so you’'d best have some cloves of garlic on hand).

That issue has been written up over at examiner.com, so we are hoping that the additional exposure of the comic is helping launch Jim’s funnybooks into the stratosphere.

Well, as we’ve been telling folks, Jim has been publishing quite a number of our stories lately including Regret (The Attic #1), Too Much Coffee, Man! (*PPFSZT! #28), and Tea Party (*PPFSZT! #30).

Rest assured folks, that there are a whole bunch more stories of mine waiting in the wings, over at Main Enterprises, so keep knock, knock, knocin’ on Grim Jim’s door.

Avengers gone bad

2011-10-22T12:38:00.000-04:00

We saw this the other day when a friend posted it, and well, it is so wrong that; Stan help us; we just had to post it.

Yeah, we felt the same way after watching it as well.

Occupy the DC Universe

2011-10-21T09:11:00.002-04:00

Territorialism, superhero style

2011-10-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

Super heroes for Breakfast

2011-10-20T02:07:00.000-04:00

General Mills is currently offering custom edition DC comicbooks in specially-marked boxes of several of their cereals; including Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, and Trix. The DC comics all star the company’s mainstay, the Justice League. The comicbooks are packed inside the cereal boxes. There are four comics in the series, and each comic is a 24-page mini comic.

Currently we have two of the four, and will be searching for the others throughout the rest of the promotion.

Online versions of the comics can be seen here.

A distraction of sorts

2011-10-19T20:27:00.000-04:00

A friend just emailed me a link to this interesting Spidey cartoon, so I thought I’d share it with you.

Pretty cute, eh?

This Just in!

2011-10-18T22:26:00.001-04:00

I just heard that my cousin David Gere is going to play a terrorist in Batman 3.

Seriously, how cool is that?

David has appeared in a number of small roles in a number of fig films, and is currently producing some very cool Indie films in the wilds of Central CT.

I have to say that I’m very proud of my cousin, and I wish him all the best in all of his endeavors.

Way to go, Dave!

Agent Coulson of SHIELD

2011-10-18T02:01:00.000-04:00

This is why we think that Agent Coulson is so cool:

And this is is why we we totally love him (but in a man-crush kind of way):

Apparently, both of these clips are going to appear on the Thor Blu-Ray disc. Ain’t it cool?

The Avengers are coming

2011-10-11T14:08:00.002-04:00

I saw an Avengers preview as a tag at the end of Captain America, but here is the official trailer:

Yeah, pretty cool, eh?

...And a Happy Bar Mitzvah to you!

2011-10-09T13:35:00.000-04:00

OK, quick quiz, what do you think the coolest Bar Mitzvah gift ever would be? Well, you’re wrong, it is this:

This 1988 custom comic is considered among the rarest Superman comics ever produced -- so much so that many fans mistakenly believe it’s an urban legend. But it does exist -- a comic book commissioned by a British billionaire as a gift for his Superman fan son, in which the boy and some of his friends were written and drawn into a Superman adventure! It is believed that this book had a print run of LESS THAN 150 COPIES, because it was produced as a BAR MITZVAH PARTY FAVOR (and far fewer than that number are believed to remain in existence)!

According to the ebay posting about this recently sold comic ($1,677.00 U.S.).

Much about this book is unusual and unique. It was the first, and one of the few, comics writing jobs by DAVID LEVIN, who went on to a distinguished career in television, and both cover and interior pages feature one of the last Superman pencil jobs by the legendary CURT SWAN -- this one done three years after leaving the feature to John Byrne. It marks the only time Swan was inked by MAD magazine caricaturist ANGELO TORRES, hired by editor Joe Orlando to “plus” the likeness of the Bradman boy. You can find more details about the content and provenance -- AS WELL AS IMAGES OF INTERIOR PAGES -- since I’ve elected not to scan the interiors because I didn’t want to remove the book from the bag -- at David Levin’s blog, here.

Yep, this is a very cool comic!

Superheroes go better with Baseball

2011-10-03T18:26:00.000-04:00

...or perhaps that's the other way around. No matter Just recently I came across a pair of Marvel specialty comics that were produced in association with Major League Baseball.

Now, before I go too far, let me digress for just a moment. Marvel Comics — on occasion — will license out its characters to different corporations and companies for “Specialty Comics.” These comics will promote either a product (Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Pizza Hut) or a pro-social idea or agenda (American Cancer Society, literacy, stopping abuse against children). Over the years, the company has produced quite a number of them, making them among the coolest of collectibles for funnybook fans like your’s truly.

Anyways, as I started to say, I recently came across a bunch of comics that Marvel produced in association with Major League Baseball in both 2007 & 2008. These comics were apparently distributed in the 29 Triple-A ball clubs around the U.S. (and one in Canada). Many (if not all) of the ball clubs had variant covers produced for their own club, making well, some 60 comics produced over the two-year period. (Rumor has it that there might have been additional comics produced in subsequent years, but we’ve, as yet, been able to discover them.)

In both years, the stories revolve around several of the Marvel Superheroes attending a Triple-A ball game in their civilian identities, and then having to stop some sort of incident as their Superhero self. Naturally enough the heroes include the usual suspects (The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Spider-Man, The Hulk, and others).

In the first year (2007) Sandman started an incident that set off Bruce “The Hulk” Banner, causing to become his green angry self, necessitating Tony “Iron Man” Stark, Peter “Spider-Man” Parker and others to stop Hulk from ruining everyone’s game. Issue #2 (2008), it is The Mole Man who is angry that MLB rejected his bid for an expansion team on Monster Island that would be staffed by his mole-creatures. Thankfully the FF, Spidey, and Iron Man are able to convince him that attending a Triple-A game is much more fun than destroying the fields (which is what he was planning on doing).

Needless to say, the comics are light, breezy, and well, just plain fun. Something that kids of all ages, baseball fans, and funnybook aficionados alike would enjoy. So, if you were to camp out in the online auction sites, you’ll more than likely find them, and hopefully score some of your own.

Fair warning, they can get to be a bit pricey, so unless you are a total completest-geek, we’re going to suggest that you simply purchase one of each year (certainly try to get your favorite team), but know that, all 30 variants from each year, while the do sport different covers, the insides are the same for each respective year.

And ASM V2#25 makes it a full run

2011-09-30T17:43:00.003-04:00

That's right, kids, I now have a complete run of Amazing Spider-Man. Yes, that's including Spidey's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy # 15.

The really interesting thing (to me) is that the last couple of issues I needed to collect to complete my full run of this series were not the lower-numbered (earliest) issues, but the ones that came out in the mid-to-late '90s. In fact the final issue I needed (the one I received today) was actually Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 #25. For some reason this single issue has proven to be harder to track down than some of the more "exotic" issues.

Near as I can figure (because there really is nothing extraordinarily special about it as far as I can tell), is that it came out at a time when Marvel was playing everything close to the vest and (quite literally) only printed what was ordered. Thus proving that scarcity coupled with demand is what determines pricing, not price guide guides or hype.

I've been looking for this particular issue for well over a year now, but most of the time that I saw it (when I could actually find it), the issue was priced well beyond, not only what I was willing to spend for it, but way beyond what the issues on either side of it were commanding.

Sure I wanted it, but no, I simply was not going to pay that much for the issue. As it turns out, I didn't have to (over)pay for it. Even as I searched for it at conventions, I stalked it online at auction sites. I did see it a couple of times priced lower (and missed the bid), but more often than not, I saw it much higher. Finally, the other day I saw it at a reasonable price (a touch higher than I was hoping to pay for it, but not so much so as to make acquiring it painful), so I snatched it up.

Now I just have to look over the other Spider-Titles to see what's missing and then set about filling in those holes as well.

It starts here!

2011-09-28T07:59:00.001-04:00

The Ramones, Spider-Man, what more need be said!

My day is off to a great start!

It’s all about the toy

2011-09-26T19:15:00.000-04:00

The other day I went to the store to purchase some Cheerios (which were on sale at the time), and one of the two boxes I purchased contained a toy. Sure it was also a (slightly) larger size than the box I had originally intended to buy but it was also the “regular” Cheerios (I had my sights set on one of the many flavored varieties). What made me change my mind (other than the (slightly) larger size)? Well it was the inclusion of a pull-back car packed in the box.

What can I say, I didn't necessarily want the toy car (it isn’t a Spidey thing), but well, it was a toy.

Oh, and in case you think I’ve gone completely Spidey-less, here is an “ice cup” I’ve had in my freezer for months, that I just took out as I’m really not using it, and it’s just taking up space.

You keep this in your freezer and then when you pour a drink in it you don't need ice. However, it is really a kid’s cup, and never actually held a large enough drink for my tastes. So now it gets packed away with my 42 trillion metric tones of Spidey stuff.

One more Cap toy for the road...

2011-09-26T17:08:00.001-04:00

So I was (as usual) at the movies and decided to splurge for a bucket of popcorn (hey, it was my birthday). Well as it turns out, the theater (a multiplex) still had Captain America popcorn buckets left over from this Summer’s Captain America movie. Well, I had never acquired on (and am not even sure I knew that this promotion was going on at the time), so I managed to score me yet another piece of cool Marvel swag (plus it was free refill, so you know I got me some of that as well).

And it goes so well w/my Captain America cup.

Don’t you wish you were me?

Spidey, Iron Man, & Hulk

2011-09-25T10:38:00.002-04:00

Here is a cool vid of three of Marvel’s best kicking the bejeasus out of some giant robots. Very cool.

Yes, today is my birthday!

2011-09-23T09:57:00.001-04:00

Started today off pretty good, as I discovered the card my lovely daughter left for me. It contained some prety nifty Spidey stuff.

First up, Tattoos:

Then Stickers:

And finally, there was also what appears to be the key to the Spider-Lair!

Pretty cool, eh?

Marvel Oyster Festival Swag

2011-09-22T10:56:00.002-04:00

When I was meeting Spidey and Co. at this year’s Oyster Festival, I was able to acquire some cool swag from the heroes. The first one (even though you can’t really tell from the scan), is a hologram “flicker” card featuring Wolverine.

I was also able to acquire a Marvel autograph card signed by Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, and (of course) the Green Goblin.

I know, you’re totally jealous!

Spider-Man & Friends @ the Oyster Festival

2011-09-22T08:50:00.000-04:00

During this year’s annual Norwalk Seaport Association’s Oyster Festival I (for the third, fourth? year in a row) hung out with my favorite superheroes. As always, it was way fun, and well, here are some of the photos I took of them in action.

Then, after the show, I got to pose with the guys, how cool was this?

Now, for the next year, this will be my computer's desktop wallpaper.

It's still about Cap

2011-09-20T17:56:00.005-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I know that the Marvel Comics Film, Captain America is over, but just the other day I discovered a Captain America movie cup, and well, I just had to share it with you all.

Pretty cool, eh?

Spider-Man and the Ducklings

2011-09-06T07:13:00.000-04:00

You too can be Spider-Man

This concept photo (taken after Spider-Man Two) not only won its photographer a contest, but was amazingly prescient as it (apparently) foresaw the appearance of a new Spidey.

Born This Way

2011-08-27T00:17:00.000-04:00

I just saw this vid, and just had to repost it. When you watch it, you'll see why.

Told you so.

SHATTERED!

2011-08-24T10:23:00.001-04:00

I'm suspecting the Shocker has commited a home invasion on my place and attacked my Spidey Stuff. I have no other explanation

23 years later

2011-08-21T20:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my 23rd anniversary, this was my present.

No I can bring my own lunch!

More Spidey stuff, this time from my brother...

2011-08-16T01:17:00.000-04:00

Yep, my brother is holding an “everything must go” tag sale at his place, and well, I found me a trio of Spidey stuff that I “acquired” from him...

That’s a Halloween bucket shaped like Spidey’s Head, a 100 Piece Puzzle, and some left-over wrapping paper (hey, I couldn’t leave that behind, could I?)

It is “Official Index to the Marvel Universe” Time, again!

2011-08-11T21:49:00.001-04:00

That’s right, kids, Volume #3 of The Official Index to the Marvel Universe (subtitled Wolverine, The Punisher and Ghost Rider). This time out I’m contributing to both The Punisher & Ghost Rider entries.

Coming to Arby's

2011-08-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

OK right now at Arby’s are comic books, and coming up next are Bobble-head JLA toys, what could be cooler than that?

Neat, eh?

Imported Spidey stuff!

2011-08-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

Now this is really cool, My daughter recently went to Israel and came back with some Spidey stuff for me.

What you are seeing here is a metal Spidey lunch box, a Spidey bag, and some sort of Spidey candy container. All very cool stuff, especially when you realize that she was in Israel when she bought it and the metal lunchbox in her luggage apparently caused the security people to pull her over for questioning — presumably because of of the image it made upon screening.

Kayla is a doll, and is always willing to indulge my Spidey fetish. Thanks, baby, I love you so much!

Glad you are home!

Don't read if you don’t want to know who the new Ultimate Spider-Man is...

2011-08-03T12:11:00.001-04:00

No, seriously, don't read this post if you don’t want to learn who the new Spider-Man will be in Marvel’s Ultimate Comic universe.

As some of you may know, Ultimate Spider-Man was recently killed off and well, there is apparently a new Spidey in town...

Personally we’re not sure how we feel about this, but really, out of respect for those who might not want to know (like me — thanks Walt), we are providing this thinly-veiled digital curtain.

OK kids, iv you made the jump, then you want to know. According to USA Today, the new Ultimate Spidey is...well, let’s let them tell you..

Revealed in Marvel Comics' Ultimate Fallout Issue 4, out Wednesday, the new Spider-Man in the Ultimate universe is a half-black, half-Hispanic teen named Miles Morales. He takes over the gig held by Peter Parker, who was killed in Ultimate Spider-Man Issue 160 in June.

In his first appearance, he simply breaks up a fight. But readers will learn the true origin of Morales and how he became the new Spider-Man when Ultimate Spider-Man relaunches in September with a new No. 1 issue.
"The theme is the same: With great power comes great responsibility," says writer Brian Michael Bendis. "He's going to learn that. Then he has to figure out what that means."

And now...The new Ultimate Spidey!

This is either a giant leap forward, or a huge PR pandering move on the part of Marvel. I’m not sure, and it is way too early to tell.

Spider-Man on Broadway (staring in “I’m not dead yet (hopefully)!”)

2011-08-02T11:25:00.001-04:00

We came across this clip the other day where part of the cast from Spidey’s (revived) Broadway show appeared on the David Letterman show.

Captain America Rules!

2011-08-02T11:09:00.001-04:00

I saw Captain America: The First Avenger the other day and, well, here is what I thought of the film (it was great!). I honestly think that it was one of the very best comic book to film adaptions that has been made.

In the mean time here is another Captain America Dunkin’ Donuts Cap cup (a small).

Now I totally still need to see Cowboys & Aliens and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

The Cowboy (& Aliens) collection complete

2011-07-31T17:18:00.003-04:00

OK, Kids, here is the final cup for the Cowboy & Aliens collection.

The cup is a replica of the wrist blaster worn by Daniel Craig’s character during the film.

Spider-Boy, Spider-Boy, does what ever a Spider-can...or something like that

2011-07-28T09:15:00.001-04:00

Yep, that’s right, if you stopped by your favorite comicbook shop yesterday you might have seen a very special issue of the Amazing Spider-Man #666. Marvel comics produced a very number of special, limited-edition covers for comic shops around the country. The owner of the shop I go to (Heroes Comics & Cards in Norwalk, CT), put not only the front of his store, but his 5-yr-old son on the cover.

NORWALK -- Ask 5-year-old Ben Kruseski who his favorite superhero is and he presses two little fingers into each tiny palm and thrusts his arms forward.

"Spider-Man!" he exclaims, imitating the costumed crime fighter with arachnid strength.
Ben and Spidey share more in common than their web-slinging superpowers -- they both appear on the cover of "The Amazing Spider-Man" issue 666.

But unlike the masked guardian of New York City, Ben was willing to reveal his true identity Wednesday to sign autographs at his father's comic book shop on Westport Avenue.

Seriously, how cool is that?

The shop had to purchase a specific number of copies of the issue in question, something that Heroes’ owner, Dave Kruseski was all to happy to do.

"Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put my son on the cover," said Kruseski, a lifelong Norwalk resident.

Marvel Heroes from all over.

2011-07-26T20:58:00.000-04:00

First up, the Destroyer, courtesy of Dr. Pepper and the recent Thor flick.

Then a random Iron Man temporary Tattoo:

And finally, Captain America from A&W and the on-going Cap film.

Cap, meet the Human Torch

2011-07-26T09:35:00.001-04:00

Hey, someone had to do it!

Spidey stops by for a nosh

2011-07-26T08:46:00.000-04:00

What? You've never had Spidey stop by your place for lunch?

Spidey, back on the Great White Way!

2011-07-25T10:16:00.003-04:00

The next revolution will be viral

2011-07-22T08:29:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting article about the (evolving) nature of digital comics as it appeared in Wired.

American comic book fans live for Wednesdays. That’s the day the new issues arrive. Every major American comic book publisher uses a single distributor, Diamond, to ship boxes of their latest releases to roughly 2,200 comics retail stores across the country. The shop owners—or their minions—put that week’s crop of Batman or X-Men or Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the shelves, and then the fans arrive. A lot of them go to the same store every week, where they have a “pull list” on file, books they’ve asked to be set aside so they’ll never miss a single pulse-pounding issue. It’s a tradition.

I find it interesting that even as the writer acknowledges that digital is the wave of the future, he isn't quite ready to give up the ghost on "Dead Tree" comics quite yet.

Spidey & Me!

2011-07-21T18:53:00.001-04:00

Notice the Spider boxer shorts that Spidey is wearing...

Marvel releases new Spidey Trailer

2011-07-20T14:40:00.002-04:00

Yeah, we're pretty bummed about the fact that Marvel allowed Sony to reboot the Spider-Man franchise so swiftly after the conclusion of the initial trilogy of films, but well, what can we do? Anyway, here is the trailer for that new flick.

Marvel releases new Spidey Trailer

2011-07-20T14:39:00.000-04:00

One More Gulp for the road, Cowboy (& Alien)

2011-07-17T23:12:00.002-04:00

Here we go, the final of the three 7-Eleven Big Gulp cups sporting a tie-in to Cowboys & Aliens:

Now just the specialty cup to go!

Taking a second Big Gulp

2011-07-16T09:50:00.000-04:00

Continuing with Cowboys & Aliens @ 7-Eleven, we present another Big Gulp cup.

One more Big Gulp, and a “special” cup to go!

Harry Potter is back...

2011-07-15T09:38:00.001-04:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (a review)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (another review)

A big Gulp of Cowboys & Aliens

2011-07-14T23:58:00.000-04:00

That's right folks, thars Big Gulps of Cowboys & Aliens in thar! (and this is just one of them!)

James Bond is an Alien (or a Cowboy)...

2011-07-13T17:49:00.000-04:00

...in either case he's appearing in the upcoming film, Cowboy’s and Aliens, and in the mean time is haning out at 7-Eleven, and drinking Slurpees.

That makes three-for-three with the Slurpee cups, now for Big Gulps!

Cowboys & Aliens go for Slurpees

2011-07-13T02:07:00.000-04:00

Here is the second Slurpee cup (bank & Front) from the upcoming Cowboys & Aliens flick:

One more Slurpee, three Big Gulps, and a special cup to go.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents News

2011-07-12T13:24:00.000-04:00

If you like the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (and we know that you do), issue #7 has been reviewed here, so check it out, then go and buy a copy of issue #8 as well.

We are husge fans of the original series, as well as supported all of John Carbonaro’s attempts to revive it, and well, now that DC Comics is publishing it, we are truly enjoying their adventure.

Scribe, Nick Spencer is seriously kicking it, and we are having a great time.

Today was 7/11

2011-07-11T22:51:00.000-04:00

Sorry I didn't get to post this earlier, but today was 7/11 and 7-Eleven was giving away free Slurpees. Sux if you didn't get one.

Fast Food toys in your future

2011-07-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

For a while now I've been monitoring the various fast food web sites looking for new comicbook-related items, and well, the Arby’s site has been saying for a while that comicbooks are coming, but they never seem to get here. I might have to drive by the nearest one to see if the website is up to date.

With the popularity of the Transformers 3 movie out there, Burger King is currently involved in a Tie-in with the film, as they have in the past.

Meanwhile, McDonald’s is in the midst of a Star Wars/The Clone Wars promotion.

As we’ve already indicated, Dunkin’ Donuts is promoting Captain America, Subway is all over Green Lantern (finally) and 7-Eleven is pushing Cowboys & Aliens. I wonder if one of the other fast food franchises will also jump in on the Cap bandwagon as the DD promotion seems to trend more to adults than kids (not that I think that Cap is going to be a kid film).

Cowboys & Aliens are coming (to a 7-Eleven near you)

2011-07-08T18:07:00.001-04:00

Yes they are, and here is proof.

Harrison Ford as Dolarhyde in a Slurpee cup (front & back).