They Must be Mad
February 4, 2008
In the industry the regular staff at Mad Magazine are known as "the usual gang of idiots", they gave the reigns to some of the top Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists in the industry free reign to bushwhack their good old president of the United States. This is a ploy that their editor would pull if he were alive to day. As much as I like Mad, I truly think their days are long gone. They magazine is now in color, and the humor is tame, there are other venues out there who do a better job. Mad will make way of the Dodo bird as will the newspapers to the Internet. There used to be a day when they parodied you and it was the equivalence of an Andy Warhol 15 minute fame. Big deal if you make it on Mad today, the tabloids is where you want to be. It’s too bad, many creative people have gone through the Mad revolving doors, the mag owes a life line to Warner Brothers. If it were to exist as a sole entity, it would long cease to exist. With deep pockets from Warner, Mad is just a token to the print industry or just a mini hype-machine for the Mad TV Show, a dreadful rip of Saturday Night Live. Alfred I would be worried, your mag is old school, teach us a new trick.
Captain Scarlet Artist
January 27, 2008
Captain Scarlet was one of those Supermarionation TV series by Gerry Anderson that had a very realistic feel to it. Unlike Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet was very close to real life as any of the Anderson puppet creations. Always fueled by outlandish stories and sci-fi themes, but the one thing that this show offered was the ending credits with splash page art by Ronald Sydney Embleton. Most of the Anderson soundtracks were powerful compositions and with Ronald Sydney Embleton’s art, it brought a whole new life to the series. Ronald also did the bubble-card series of the TV series, his art was really powerful for the medium. He was mostly known as a book illustrator, but his Captain Scarlet art is well known by many and a real treat. Captain Scarlet on Youtube >>
The DC Comics Action Figure Archive
January 23, 2008
For the legions that collect the immensely popular DC Comics action figures, we have good news: the official visual compendium of more than 1,400 characters has finally arrived. The DC Comics Action Figure Archive is the definitive reference for the serious enthusiast. Assembled by lead collector Scott Beatty and the experts at DC Comics, this sturdy hardcover features more than 600 full-color photographs and an easily navigable A-to-Z structure. Here, too, are previously impossible-to-find release dates, variants and "redecoes," as well as detailed information on action figure scales and articulation points. From Ace the Bat-Hound to Zauriel, with lots of Batman and Superman in-between, this collector’s must-have guide doesn’t miss a beat.
Lego Batman
January 10, 2008
I am not much of a gamer but Lego is doing amazing things with cross promotional characters such as Batman. Having had success with their Lego Star Wars, they plunged into Bat-mania and got themselves a winner of a game. What platforms will they be released? With a character like Batman, I would not be surprised it be across board. More fun animation >>
The Crack Book
January 10, 2008
Depending how one sees it, there are many cracks and they come in different sizes. Eric Decetis has cornered the market when it comes to cracks and his one panels will crack up literally.
Those who possess a taste for the offbeat and the irreverent are sure to be fans of Eric Dectis’ engaging satire. For more than two decades his work has appeared in publications that appeal to a wide variety of tastes, from the National Lampoon to Penthouse Magazine. His popular greeting cards, published and licensed by Pictura, can be found worldwide, from Australia’s outback to the heartland of the former Soviet Union. The Crack Book features more than 120 cartoons from Eric’s outrageous collection of drawings featuring weighty women, bountiful butts, and men acting like dorks.
FunkoVision
January 6, 2008
It’s America’s favorite modern stone-age family! (Actually, it’s their neighbors.) Packaged in a nifty plastic TV set, this classic TV couple comes out of the stone age and into your home. Each vinyl figure measures about 7-inches tall. Complete with their stone-themed TV packaging, Barney and Betty Rubble are sure to bring a smile to your face!
Ward Kimball
December 18, 2007
Ward Kimball was an eccentric Walt Disney animation artist who had a passion for trains, so much so that he bought himself a real one with tracks and all. He is the man responsible for fleshing out famous Disney icons for the company, heralded by Disney himself as a true genius. Cartoon Brew, home site of Jerry Beck the animation commentary expert has some of Ward’s character designs. An interesting body of work and Ward has his own My Space homage site with the drawings and thoughts from Ward himself. A true testimony of a great artist, the likes of which we do not see today.
Vancouver Olympic mascots: Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi
November 28, 2007
The Vancouver Olympic mascots were officially introduced this week for the first time. The three mascots Miga the Sea Bear, Quatchi the Sasquatch, and Sumi the Thunderbirdand are inspired by traditional First Nations creatures. Included also is a virtual sidekick Mukmuk the Vancouver Island Marmot and they are all ready for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver with the release of a games and activities site based on these lovable characters. Unlike previous mascot attempts from past Olympics, it seems the new crop have a great appeal for all ages. Kids will enjoy the interactive site. This is a great promotional tool to lure kids into the fold. Read more>>
Toon Books, Françoise Mouly & Art Spiegelman new Imprint
November 20, 2007
Here is a recipe for an appetizing collection of books that will be the perfect nutrition for your child’s hungry little mind. For many years I have approached a few publishers to try consider publishing a kid friendly comic book related book line to stimulate kids to read and at the same time build them as future comic book readers. Not in the plans right now, that market is not right for us. Our main audience are adults, was the answer I got. How can you build an audience if the kids are into video games right now, I don’t think they will graduate to comics, just to more violent games. Fret not, Françoise Mouly & Art Spiegelman of Little Lit fame are here to the rescue. Art Spiegelman the champion of the comic form is the architect to make sure he and Françoise continue building new and older readers to their new imprint for young kids called Toon Books. Very apropos. A true welcome idea for parents who have to deal with the old Dr. Seuss fare. Look what happened to Dick and Jane. (who?) Bring out something fresh. So look out in 2008 for this new imprint.
Comics have always had a unique ability to draw young readers into a story through the drawings. Visual narrative helps kids crack the code that allows literacy to flourish, teaching them how to read from left to right, from top to bottom. Speech balloons facilitate a child’s understanding of written dialogue as a transcription of spoken language. Many of the issues that emerging readers have traditionally struggled with are instantly clarified by comics’ simple and inviting format. Read more>>
Zuda’s Alpha Monkey
November 1, 2007
I have seen the future and it’s called Zuda. Zuda? This is a DC online comic experiment to bring in new talent to the masses. There are many properties that many publishers would not print, but Zuda is up to the task of taking a risk and putting them on the online map. With the premiere of the site up and running, we are treated to a new character called Alpha Monkey for all ages. Created by Howard M. Shum and Bobby Rubio, Alpha Monkey is a highly polished little strip in glorious Flash to accommodate and screen resolution of your computer. It’s fun to glide through the easiness that the site offers. It’s a whole new way to see the comic media exposed in such a new light. Great to see the big boys taking the Internet as a serious tool in discovering new talent.
Hitch is a smart-mouthed, egotistical 8-year-old kid, whose dad is a brilliant, but whacky, scientist who thinks Earth will soon be destroyed by a giant comet. Hitch’s dad builds a rocket to send his beloved son safely to a distant planet, but the rocket ends up opening a dimensional rift in space and crashes Hitch on a planet inhabited by intelligent monkeys. Not only that, but the comet also ends up missing Earth. On this monkey-world, Hitch discovers that when he eats bananas, he gains amazing super powers, such as flight and super strength. As it turns out, the dimensional rift that his rocket created is also allowing monsters from other dimensions to the monkey-planet. Hitch strikes a deal with the monkey-government to fight the monsters while their scientists help find a way to get him back home. He takes on the super-hero name of Alpha Monkey but when not fighting monsters and crime, disguises himself as an ordinary monkey-kid (wearing a cheap plastic Halloween mask).
