Ghost Rider gets his taxes done by Jackson Hewitt

Just saw this as a post on my Facebook page, and it is hilarious!




Ya just gotta love commercials with a sense of humor.

Walk like an Independent

If you are an independent comicbook creator, or support independent comics you want to hear this. an indie creator named David Branstetter (the creator of Straw Man), is putting together a plan with huge brass balls. No really, he is proposing to pull together an Indie magazine that is solly about Independent comics.

Yep, you read that right, a mag dedicated to Indie comics.

Imagine having a magazine that promotes comics in independent and small press that is specifically designed for the Indie & Small Press you, Now imagine it going out free to every major comic book store in the nation, complete with reviews promotional material and information about just small and Indie Press comics! Yes, it’s an ambitious project, but if he can raise the dough, all of us in the Indie & Small Press world win and win big. If he can’t, well, noting ventured nothing gain, and the best part is that he is using Kickstarter to bankroll the project so everyone can help.

I never met this guy, but he is already my hero, and he can be yours as well, so what are you still doing reading this? you should be clicking over to help fund this noble project. I have already pledged my support, now it is your turn to do so as well.

It's take a superhero to lunch month (again)

No one has to tell the movie-viewing public that comicbooks make excellent fodder for big screen movies. To be sure, they are all but storyboarded out and (all but) ready to roll, which is probably why so many comics have made the jump in recent years. Needless to say, with all of these comicbooks making the jump to the silver screen, it is natural for films based on comics to seek out that comicbook audience and attempt to promo their big-budget film by hanging on all sorts of ancillary products to help get folks into their film.

Like so many comicbook movies being produced today, not only has The Green Hornet been released in 3D, but there are tie-ins galore surrounding the film’s release. Not the least of which is a fast food toy tie in. Like many of the other comicbook superhero movies that have preceded Green Hornet, the film’s producers correctly felt that — given the kid-friendly nature of the film itself — that a toy tie-in to a family friendly fast food chain would be in order.  For its first film since its 1940 debut, The Green Hornet chose to go with Hardee’s & Carl’s Jr. for their kid meal toy tie in.

Now before you start asking why would Hornet’s producers go with a second tier fast food chain or trying to point out that Iron Man went with Burger King, or that the X-Men went with McDonald’s, let us point out that the first set of Spider-Man movie fast food toy tie-ins appeared at Carl’s Jr. back in 2002. For fans of these types of tchachkas it doesn’t so much matter at what chain the toy originates, it only matters that it exists.

As with most first-time tie-ins the set of kid meal toys The Green Hornet went with only four toys (meal promotions tend to last four weeks, with a different toy offered up each week, more elaborate promotions have eight toys — one for boys and one for girls — that likewise would switch every week). For the Green Hornet, the four toys were a pair of PVC “action figures” (The Green Hornet and Kato) a wearable mask (for a small child only), and a pullback & go replica of the Black Beauty (Green Hornet’s powerful muscle car stocked with weapons). In addition to these four toys the twin chains also had for acquisition a metal Black Beauty key chain (smaller in size than the plastic kid meal toy).

As with most of these types of toys, as soon as they became available at their respective locations (almost before they were actually available, actually), there were on-line auctions for them at the various bidding sites. For serious collectors, this has become the way to make sure that the entire sets can be acquired. Sets of the five items mentioned started around $15.00 and tended to wind up selling for around $25-$30, plus postage and handling fees.

As far as fast-food, superhero toys go, the Hardee’s & Carl’s Jr.’s toys were pretty par for the course, and have proven to be quite collectible for fans of the Green Hornet-related items.

Dress like a superhero...

From what I’m told, last week fashion designer Jeremy Scott premiered his new fashion line, and, well and it is terrible even by superhero-geek standards. For some reason, he chose to  focus his new line on funnybook superheroes, but, only from the viewpoint of someone who apparently never looked at a comicbook in his entire life. Perhaps he should have asked some folks who did cos-player. If he has some as consultants for his line, perhaps the line could have been better executed.

Not really sure he achieved what he was attempting, plus, who would wear this crap?

In unrelated news, the Human Torch is still dead...

It has been reported that yesterday there was a fire @ St. Mark’s Comics in NYC:

Fire officials are investigating the cause of a blaze on St. Marks Place Thursday afternoon. The fire, at St. Mark’s Comics at 11 St. Marks Place, began shortly after 1:30 and it was declared under control about a half hour later. Officials said that one person sustained minor injuries in the fire but refused medical treatment.

Apparently the fire started in the basement of the five-story building that houses St. Mark‘s Comics

A witness said the FDNY had to knock through the wall of St. Marks Comics to reach the fire's source. There are no reported injuries. Let's hope all the Silver Surfers and Wonder Womans are safe, too!

Mitch Cutler, who has owned St. Mark’s Comics for 27 years, was still awaiting the arrival of his insurance adjuster to assess the damage to determine when he could open. Cutler stated that:

...water, smoke and sawdust could all damage comics. “Firemen were here with lots of water,” he said, adding that he planned to reopen the store later today.

Hopefully not too much of his product was damaged.

I'm so Thor...

Yeah, yeah we all know the joke, but watch the trailer anyway.

The Bronx Heroes ComicCon

The Bronx Heroes began as a comic anthology about heroes in the Bronx, which then morphed into an art show called "Dream Sequence" at Longwood at Gallery, and then re-emerged as a comic book series and finally as a Comic Convention at Hostos College.The Bronx Heroes con is an event which brings together the Bronx community and exposes them to one of America's oldest art forms in commercial art. Bronx Residents get the opportunity to meet and greet with comic professionals who reside in the Bronx and other parts of the New York and Tri-state area. It's an event which is offered free to attend and where aspiring young artists and writers can discuss and listen to professionals in the comic book field and gain encouragement and make connections towards a career in the comic book art field.

Hosted by The BX Heroes Comic Con Collective.

Sponsors by the Bronx Council on the Arts & Bronx Museum of the Arts.

Date: Saturday, May 7, 2011

Hours: 11:00 - 7:00pm

Location:
Bronx Museum of the Arts [BMA] - BXH3CC in the Lower level. Panels in BMA classrooms. The Bronx Museum of the Arts is located at 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, Bronx, New York.

Directions:
D OR B TRAINS to the 167 STREET/GRANPublish PostD CONCOURSE STATION. Exit at rear of station; walk south along Grand Concourse two blocks.

PLEASE NOTE: D Train stops all times except rush hours peak direction (6:15 am - 9 am to Manhattan, 4 pm - 6:45 pm from Manhattan). Take B Train at 145 St. to 167th St. / Grand Concourse.

4 TRAIN to the 161 STREET/YANKEE STADIUM STATION. Walk east three blocks to the Grand Concourse, then, walk north four blocks along Grand Concourse to 165th St.

To exhibit contact: cupojavastudio@gmail.com