A Hero is more than just a Sandwich

OK, so as I stated I recently joined MoCCA, and over the weekend not only did I get my membership card (autographed by John Romita, Jr., but I also received a “trading card” sketch card and a special variant edition of Marvel Apes #1. Needless to say, while all of this swag is totally wicked-cool, I didn’t so much join to get this stuff as I joined to support the cause.

The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit over 40 creators and their families with over $400,000 worth of much-needed aid, fueled by your contributions! It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

The Initiative has already produces a number of very cool items, including a series of “100 Covers” spotlighting 100 illustrated covers (Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine), that were drawn by various fan favorite artists (I have the Spider-Man cover book) — which is marred only by the fact that Rob Liefeld drew a cover then refused to allow it to appear in the book — which I feel was very ego-centric and self-serving of Liefeld, denying his fans a chance to see the cover he drew, and possibly denying funds to this worthy cause by someone who might have purchaes the book if only Liefeld’s illustration had appeared in the tome).

Anyways, the Hero Initiative is a worthwhile cause, and I want to urge anyone who works in this industry, or has derived enjoyment from the professionals in this industry to support it, as it is truly a worthy cause.

Here comes the new Spidey!

Yep, you heard that right, only three films in and Disney/Marvel is getting ready to relaunch the movie franchise with a new director and a new direction. It has just been confirmed that Sony is about to announce that it has struck a deal with director Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer)to direct the next three Spider-Man movies. It is their intention to reboot the franchise so that it will focus far more on the private life of Peter Parker — as a High School student.

Webb’s other big appeal? He's much cheaper than the old Spider-Man crew. The deal just now being sewn up calls for Webb to be paid roughly $10 million for the first film, with substantial bonuses built in if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones. (Coincidentally, Webb’s deal is being hammered out by the Gersh Agency, the feisty outfit which first put Tobey Maguire into the webslinger's suit a decade ago.) This is a big savings from how his predecessor Sam Raimi was compensated. Unlike the now-departed Raimi, Webb won’t be getting paid a percentage of the films' grosses. Compare that to Spider-Man 4, for which Raimi and star Tobey Maguire were expected to claim more than 25 percent of the gross.

Not quite sure how this is going to all shake out, but I hope that a new director and a new cast will re-invigorate the franchise. I feel that a stripped-down, sleeker version can only help the series. As much as I love the Raimi films, I have to say that I’m not opposed to a re-boot so long as they stay true to what has made this character great.

Sure part of all of that is Peter (I hated the Liefeld run on the adjectiveless Spider-Man series, as it was all Spider-Man and Peter never appeared. I believe that it is Peter’s interactions with the world (and characters) around him that has helped make this character one of the greatest characters in comics), but I’m concerned that a younger high-schooled-age Spidey could possibly have the same effect of screwing the pooch on the franchise as yet another over-blown, effects-laden film.

Needless to say, I’m not interested in going negative with nothing to go on other than the announcement of a new director and lead cast. I’ll wait ‘til later for that.

Boxing with Spidey

OK guys (and gals, if there are any of you out there), yesterday we were talking about my Spidey boxers, and I figured that I’d show all you folks what I have (so to speak — and no, don’t worry, I’m not wearing them in the pics I’m posting here, so get over yourselves).

Just so we’re clear, not all of these came from WebUndies, but that certainly is a good place to start if you are looking for character-driven underclothes. Also, while I certainly advise that it is always good to wait for others to feed your Spidey habit, you shouldn’t feel it necessary to wait. Seriously, you can always buy this sort of stuff for yourselves. Oh yeah, that Spidey kerchief that heads this post was also kind of a neat bit of Spidey-wear.












Oh, and just so you don’t think that I’m boycotting other characters, I do have a pair of boxers that supported George Lucas.



Then, of course, I also sometimes wear tank tops, and here are a couple of those. The first one is a shirt I acquired when I took the family to Florida, and we visited Marvel Island at the Universal Theme Park.



The second shirt is one given to me by Matt Hawkins, back when he worked for Rob Liefeld’s Extreme Studios. You’ll note that the shirt is a bit worn, because, well, I used to wear it quite a bit back in the day.



To be sure, I do have more Spider (and comic)-related clothing. Eventually, I’m sure that I’ll get around to posting all of my spider-gear on this site, so if you are patient enough I’ll eventually get them up here.