The popular-ish LiveJournal community Scans_Daily, which grew from a slash-focused site to a broader one posting scans from comics (um, daily), has apparently been forced to shut down. Prominent comics bloggers Johanna Draper Carlson and Kevin Church both offer commentary that goes in opposite directions and serve as springboards for discussion. I don’t have anything valuable to add to the discussion, I’m afraid; this is just a heads-up that it’s going on.

A friend gave me a copy of Labor Days way back in those dark days before NYCC, and I finally got the spare time to actually read it.

And I loved it.

It reads like Lucky Number Slevin meets Clerks and then has a whirlwind affair with Marxist theory and every cheesy spy movie you ever saw. It winks at everything from hip music to celebrities to communists, and allows you to laugh

It has sassy writing, unique art, a wicked sense of humor, uber-geeky theorist references combined with foul-mouthed sex jokes. In other words, almost everything I love.

Labor Days is the story of Bags, a ne’er-do-well who stumbles into the middle of a mess over a videotape that every revolutionary group in the world wants a piece of, and each time it appears that he’s going to get out of trouble, he finds himself falling in deeper.

Philip Gelatt and Rick Lacy mock all the revolutionaries–from communists to radical feminists to super-jingo-American-spies–but does so with an understanding that they aren’t going to accomplish anything but at least they’re true believers. The real bad guy is the one who stomps on all their dreams, even if those dreams were outlandish and silly.

And, well, this quote speaks for itself:

“It’ll be all the chicks, beer, and revolution I can handle. And at least some of the chicks and beer you can handle.”

Buy it. Read it. Laugh. Then wait for Volume 2.

Meh: I’ve seen bigger ones in issues of Aquaman.

So, do you make comics too?: Joey Manley thinks that maybe most of the people who like comics also make them, which he ponders in this short, interesting piece. He says, “Almost everybody I’ve ever met who reads comics has, at some point or another, actually made one, even if he or she never showed it to anybody.” I can’t say the same thing at all, but maybe because Manley and I have different friends. It does seem to be something special about the medium though and, I suppose in certain circles, even a negative one. I remember hearing one pro, who I want to say was Mark Waid but it’s been like a decade so I can’t say for certain, quip at a panel that other types of writers have fans, whereas comics writers have a bunch of people who want their jobs. (Link swiped from Dirk Deppey)

If true, this is great news: But it’s probably not true. Counter to the prevailing wisdom, this newspaper column, entitled “Comic book heroes conquer legions of young adults” says that, “Like video stores before the rise of Netflix, comic book stores are now experiencing steroid-like growth.” Oh really? Evidence? Um, well, Hugh Jackman sang about movies based on comic books at the Oscars, and some local people he talked to read them and, uh, New England Comics has nine locations.

“Mark Waid’s ‘JLA’ still sets gold standard for superhero genre”: I don’t think I’d go anywhere near as far as the writer of this piece, who states that Waid’s run includes “two of the finest superhero stories in the DC archives,” but Waid’s run was a pretty good one, and I think it looks a lot better today than it did at the time. (That is, I think it seems to get better and better as time passes). Waid had the unenviable task of following up a long run by Grant Morrison which redefined the direction of the franchise, and he unfortunately didn’t have a full artist partner to work with (His “official” pencil artist was Bryan Hitch, although I don’t think he ever completed an entire story arc, but rather just did the early part or parts or arcs and covers). One of the many things I disliked about Identity Crisis was the way it casually discarded story points that drove Waid’s run on this book. Anyway, this dude loved it. (UPDATE: Sorry, it looks like the Internet ate the article this origianlly linked to. The point was, some guy said Mark Waid’s JLA run was the bee’s knees, and I agree, the end).

Lots of linky goodness for you today.

Kevin O’Neill talks League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Marshal Law, and many other things with The Times. That’s right, the NEW League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, coming your way in the not-so-distant future from Top Shelf. Keep an eye out for more on this…

More Twilight-related news (because I totally love it): Drew Barrymore may be in talks to direct the third Twilight film, Eclipse. Drew recently wrapped her directing debut, a film about roller derby (really!) starring Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde in X3).

More academia as well: do you write research papers on superheroes? There’s a call for papers for an interdisciplinary conference at the University of Oregon.

We invite 1-2 page proposals for 20-30 minute conference papers considering the implications of superhero fantasies for our understanding of such diverse topics as gender identity, queerness, theological yearning, and nationalist politics. We also welcome appreciative discussions of superhero comics as significant aesthetic achievements — particularly insofar as those discussions contribute to the ongoing project within contemporary Comics Studies, to map the unique conventions of the comic art form. Above all, we are interested in sophisticated, lucidly written analyses that utilize the conceptual tools and hermeneutic lenses of contemporary literary and cultural theory.

Molly Crabapple hipped me to Sketch Theatre, which is a super-cool site that sets high-speed video of artists at work to music. Molly is the featured artist right now. Also, you can check out her fashion week coverage at Coilhouse, if you’re into that sort of thing (which I so am).

Johanna at Comics Worth Reading previews Secret Identities: The Asian-American Superhero Anthology. Sounds like good stuff. Check it out.

Racialicious takes on Frank Miller and Zack Snyder’s 300.

The Guardian puts Sight and Sound’s top ten movies of all time to the Bechdel test.

Finally, via Daryl Cagle, a lament for another dead newspaper from my former (albeit briefly) hometown.

The things that spin out of phone and IM conversations between Troy and I would likely shock and disgust most of you most of the time. In this particular instance, though, we were fondly looking back on a gem of a series of shorts produced by Walt Disney Pictures called I’m No Fool. They were basically instructional videos narrated by Jiminy Cricket to tell kids how not to be completely stupid. Here’s “I’m No Fool With Fire” for your enjoyment:

Like a lot of you, I’ve been curious and excited about what exactly Grant Morrison has planned for Batman when he returns to the character after this “Battle of the Cowl” business that will be going on through at least May.

I mean, of all the ways to temporarily “kill off” Batman, I certainly didn’t expect Morrison to do what he did with Batman, and leave him where he left him at the end of Final Crisis #7.

I just couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. And I mean that literally. I could not wait. So I broke into Grant Morrison’s house while he was running errands the other day and snooped around his office, looking for clues (But let’s just keep this between you and me, okay? Don’t tell Morrison! I don’t want him to upgrade his security or anything yet, as I have to go back next week and look for clues about his upcoming Seaguy series).

Anyway, I found some tantalizing hastily drawn sketches and scribbled notes. Check ‘em out after the jump.

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Sci Fi Wire has posted an interesting tidbit — rumor has it that Terminator Salvation and Star Trek (and Charlie Bartlett) cast member Anton Yelchin might be playing the role of Hal Jordan in the upcoming Marc Guggenheim-penned Green Lantern film.

Even more interesting are the names that have allegedly been passed up: Sam Worthington, Emile Hirsch (yes, he was Speed Racer), and Ryan Gosling apparently all turned down the part due to scheduling…

While the relationship between comics and film has always been more close than people would think (NYCC’s announcement of a Bill Hader and Seth Meyer-penned Spider-Man is a great example), Radical Publishing’s grand opening may be setting a new standard.

According to a press release from the publisher, the February 25th event in Los Angeles was not only attended by Radical creators Steve Niles, Arthur Suydam, and Nick Simmons, but entertainment icons like Wesley Snipes, Gene Simmons, and Len Wiseman! But perhaps its not surprising, given that Radical’s president Barry Levine made his bones in the realm of Hollywood, and has created much of these series for possible adaptations for the big screen.

“Today marks a celebration of many things for the company, not just an expansion to new offices,” said Levine in the release. “Not only having our books receive uniformly rave reviews across the industry and in the mainstream press, but we recently took Diamond Distribution’s Gem Award for Best New Publisher of the Year after only eight months on the stands. Things have been going great at Radical Publishing, and 2009 will see things only get better.”

A Monstrous App

Monday, Feb 23rd: Daniel M. Davis launched what appears to be the first comic-viewing iPhone app created specifically for webcomics. Daniel and his definitely human programmer buddy Ross Cooper share their apps with the world here. Daniel’s version of the app is completely FREE and allows you to receive instant updates and view the latest dozen strips of his comic Monster Commute on your iPhone. Another version of the app, Kapow v1.0, gives you access to an ever-growing library of comics via their RSS feeds. When we downloaded KAPOW v1.0, it was a little buggy. It locked up several times, and we had to restart the iPhone (the smaller Monster Commute app did not have the same problem). However, the potential for KAPOW as a method of exposure and ease of viewing is great. With promises of software updates and additions to the comic selection, we are looking excitedly at KAPOW’s future.

Daniel M. Davis, admittedly raised by yetis in the great Pacific Northwest (all that mist and that up there), has now been living and working in Phoenix, Arizona for a number of years, which is exactly 5 years, illustrating several projects through his company, Steam Crow. Monster Commute is Daniel’s second venture into webcomics and is inspired by the formidable highways of Phoenix on his commute to work. Daniel has just started Chapter Two of the comic and plans to move from gag-a-day format to a longer, story-driven form. This comic drips with style. Daniel’s retro vectors and practiced eye for design paint a deeply textured world of monsters perpetually stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on their way to work. And it’s hilarious.

On the subject of preparing his comic for the iPhone, Mr. Davis commented, “I wanted a free way to make my work more ‘discoverable’. I’m always looking for ways to turn my work onto new folks, and the iPhone seemed like a perfect fit. If you notice, my strip is almost perfectly built for a landscape iPhone. This wasn’t accidental, as I wanted my strip to really work well on screens of all sorts.” When asked how it felt seeing the app hit iTunes and his comic being downloaded, he decried “It’s nearly as great as riding a red sasquatch into battle against the centaur hordes. But it smells much, much nicer. I’m just thrilled that we aren’t stuck in a world where we have to make 19 versions of everything to fit the end device. One of the iPhone’s revolutions, I believe, is that it scales TO the CONTENT. That’s a +7 ability if I’ve ever seen one, and I hope that other devices follow.”

Download the app, and check out Monster Commute , you’ll be glad you did.

Daniel M. Davis will be exhibiting at: WonderCon, Emerald City Comicon, San Diego Comicon, and the Alternative Press Expo under the name “Steam Crow Press”. You can also buy Steam Crow’s books here.

Thanks for reading this installment of BRAINSTORMING: Digital Comics. You can email Kyle and myself at brainstormingcomics@gmail.com with questions or comments.

A few minutes ago, Marvel Comics issued the following press release, indicating that their open submissions policy is under review:

Due to an unprecedented number of unsolicited art and writing submissions, Marvel has altered its open submissions policy effective immediately.  Marvel has remained the only major publisher to continue accepting open submissions, however that practice has been halted as we review our strategies for accepting future submissions.

Marvel has a proven track record of attracting new and emerging talent and does not plan on ending those efforts in any way.

“If you look at our track record over the last 18 months, I think you’ll find the names of more new writers and artists in Marvel books than ever before.  Maybe more than at any other major comic book publisher, as a matter of fact,” says Marvel Talent Liaison C.B. Cebulski. “We pride ourselves on finding new voices and artistic styles to help us shape the Marvel Universe in original and exciting ways. And while the hunt for new artistic resources to help us ever expand the Marvel mythos will continue, we’ll just be going about it in different ways. We’ve examined all our past practices concerning talent recruitment and it quickly became clear that more ‘reactive’ methods such as open submissions were the least effective ways to open the Marvel door for up-and-comers. So instead we’ll be continuing with the more ‘proactive’ methods of artist and writer discovery that we’ve found so successful of late, including some soon-to-be-announced new outlets.”

While the open submissions policy has ceased, Marvel will continue its active recruitment of artists through its Talent Management department.  Artists are also encouraged to bring portfolios for review to the major conventions at which Marvel will have a presence this year.

Talent Coordinator for Marvel, Chris Allo adds, “In regards to finding new artists, we in the Talent Management department will still continue to look at online websites such as Deviant Art, Comic Art Community, as well as comic art blogs, and other related sites.  Online comics are rapidly becoming a source for scouting as well.  And, of course, we will still go to the comic book stores on Wednesdays and see what new artists are out there working for other companies and on independent books.”                         

With the successful discovery and publishing of writers in the fields of comics as well as TV, film and literature, Marvel will continue to search out new voices in all published fields, as we have for the past number of years. 

As new media and means of publishing comics on the web as well as small and independent press, we encourage all new creators to continue honing their craft by using all of the tools available during this time.  Marvel will be announcing a new submissions policy in the near future.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what are the most important comics of the past two decades. There are a lot of great books to choose from, and each one has its own reason why it made an impact on the industry. I narrowed my list down to a few select choices that I think have done more to shape the comic book industry as we know it. Without any of these issues, the comic book landscape would look vastly different from what it looks like today. Let’s take a look, shall we?

1. Bone #1 by Jeff Smith (1991)

Jeff Smith’s delightful all-ages fantasy series was one of the most acclaimed and successful titles of the past two decades. It’s also one of the most widely read series in recent times, with thousands of copies of the title’s collections appearing in libraries and schools all around the world. With that kind of exposure, I’d say that Bone has done more to hook young kids on comics than any other series.

2. Youngblood #1 by Rob Liefeld(1992)

The formation of Image Comics was a groundbreaking moment for the comic book industry for several reasons, not the least of which for what the company did to advance the cause of creator rights. It also proved that Marvel and DC didn’t have a complete stranglehold on the superhero genre, and that their dominance of the comic book marketplace could be challenged. Liefeld’s Youngblood #1 was the first comic released under the Image banner; and with nearly one million copies sold, it proved that the risks the Image founders took by breaking away from Marvel would pay off in major ways. (more…)

Compliments to USA Today Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson (an absolute doll, by the way!) for posting the news of a rare copy of Action Comics #1 up for auction starting March 27th. Don’t expect to see that $1.00 starting list price to last very long, it’ll be moments upon the auction’s launch before it fetches six figures.

Good thing I got a tax return coming soon!

The bad feelings between writer Alan Moore and DC Comics are old ones, stemming from an argument stretching so far back into the mists of antiquity that no one even knows what it’s about anymore. The two parties has simply been at odds as long as anyone can remember. I think it might have had something to do with Moore being angry with DC for deciding to use Johannes Gutenberg’s new movable type invention to print copies of his illustrated adventure stories, rather than continuing to have them hand-illuminated by monks.

Whatever the reason, I’ve always admired, or at least greatly appreciated, the fact that DC didn’t go out of their way to exploit the now decades old success of Watchmen as crassly as they could have.

There was no Watchmen 2 by Mike Barr, Alan Davis and Todd McFarlane, nor were there one-shots of each of the stars a la Kingdom Come’s sequel-esque 1999 event, The Kingdom. There was never an Earth-W, and Donna Troy, Jason Todd and friends never visited the Nite-Owl in Countdown Presents: The Search For Ray Palmer: Watchmen.

Whether this was because DC was being very cool and letting Moore and Dave Gibbons’ work stand on its self-contained own forever even if there was some more money to be made from exploiting it, or a cynical business decision to avoid courting controversy and fan backlash by leaving it alone, it doesn’t really matter: Rorshach doesn’t show up Coundtown Arena and Captain Atom never fights Doctor Manhattan.

The closest DC Comics ever seems to come to Watchmen is winking and nodding at it, like one of Grant Morrison’s alternate versions of Superman in Superman Beyond being awfully Doctor Manhattan-like or The Question saying “Hurm” in an issue of Justice League Unlimited (Er, unless you count this, of course).

Now that the film adaptation is just around the corner, the floodgates of Watchmen merch have been opened wide, and there’s enough of it that comic shop employees can be sloshing around in it if they wanted to be. But even that is Watchmen movie stuff, not Watchmen comic stuff.

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By Christian Beranek

My fellow adventurers: I will be attending WonderCon this weekend as a guest. With me at the show will be letterer/production guru Thomas Mauer and writer Tony DiGerolamo. We’ll be set up at table AA097. In addition, we’ll be hosting this panel:

SATURDAY 5:00-6:00 Nuts & Bolts: How a Comic Is Made—Christian Beranek (Dracula vs. King Arthur), Thomas Mauer (Popgun), and Tony DiGerolamo (The Simpsons) discuss how comic books are put together. From the ground up to the store shelves, these guys are here to answer your questions and share their experiences. Room 204/206

I still owe you guys the next installment of The Year of High Adventure. There is a lot to catch up on, including some acrobatics — both psychical and verbal! So thank you for being patient and see you in San Francisco!

News update from CB:

Article about the Disney Comics panel at NYCC

Christian Beranek co-founded and runs Disney’s Kingdom Comics alongside Ahmet Zappa and Harris Katleman. CB has a first look film/tv deal with Disney/ABC. He has several projects in development around town including Dracula vs. King Arthur, based on the graphic novel he co-created. He is currently working on his first novel and an album. CB is never late for dinner and invites you to add him on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beranek

Now that we’ve reported that Amanda Waller’s favorite group of scoundrels, ne’er-do-wells, and out-and-out criminals might be hitting the silver screen, the real question on everyone’s mind — which villains will make the cut? And who might be playing them?

Rick Flag: The glue that binds this machine together. A leader who is ruthless enough to keep this band of crooks in line. How about Max Martini from Saving Private Ryan?

Captain Cold: An underappreciated villain next to icons like the Joker and Lex Luthor, this is a guy who not only shoots ice, but oozes character. If they want to stick to the grizzled old vet characterization from the Geoff Johns run of the Flash, I’d say Chris Cooper from American Beauty would be on the top of the list.

Deadshot: Another mainstay of the group, Deadshot’s deadpan honesty and downright scummy behavior makes him a jerk you love to hate. Yet his perfect aim also gives plenty of opportunities for some hard-core action sequences. If he’s not too overexposed after his turns in Watchmen and the Losers, how’s about Jeffrey Dean Morgan?

Bronze Tiger: The squad’s resident tough guy (and considering their membership, that’s saying a lot). He’s also the least amoral of the bunch (which also says a lot), given his relationship with Vixen. But the square haircut has got to go. Shemar Moore from the dearly departed Birds of Prey is a possibility.

Nightshade: With her shadow-wielding abilities, Nightshade can even make Superman stop in his tracks. This one isn’t quite as hard, considering she wears a mask — Summer Glau from Serenity could certainly play the part.

Count Vertigo: A smarmy royal with the power to turn your world inside out. Paul Bettany I think could pull this part off, so long as he keeps his accent to an obnoxious-enough level.

Poison Ivy: Boy, this is a character that’s seen better days. While I’m not sure if we’ll see the sultry siren of science since the debacle that was Batman and Robin, if we saw a new Poison Ivy, I would nominate Portia de Rossi from Ally McBeal.

Amanda Waller: CCH Pounder, from Face/Off and the Shield. ‘Nuff said.

What say you, Rama readers?

If you like what’s you’ve read so far totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

A friend of mine emailed me this link yesterday:

NASA wants your opinion in naming the International Space Station’s Node 3 – a connecting module and its cupola – before the two segments travel to space and are installed on the orbiting laboratory. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station, and follow in the tradition set by Node 1- Unity- and Node 2- Harmony.

So what’s one of the names you can vote on?

That’s right. Serenity. So get your butt over there and vote.

Admit it, you know EXACTLY what that starts. With one of the cheesiest (and catchiest) theme songs of television history, Captain Planet was thoroughly engrained in the minds of every child of the 80s. Well, now, thanks to the Mother Nature Network, you can relive the glory days of the Planeteers in pretty high  quality digital video:

The site is hosting more than just the theme song, though. With the first episode of the series up, they’re also offering behind-the-scenes looks at the show’s production, and more episodes will be released throughout the year. So click on through, and remember, The Power Is YOURS! Maybe this will signal a comeback and DC will hire me to write the Captain Planet / Green Lantern crossover I’ve always dreamed of. I’ll be waiting by my phone…

As the Watchmen reviews continue to roll in, I’ve now read a lengthy, somewhat spoilery, very geeky review by my friend and fellow journalist, Jenna Busch. Jenna looks at the movie as one of those big fans of the book, and is not exactly thrilled. Her review winds up very mixed:

The graphic novel was all about the story, not the action, and Snyder is an action man. Action was certainly there and really overdone… It made the rest of the film suffer. And for all that, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I liked it. I was just disappointed. I’m absolutely seeing it again, but disappointed nonetheless.

She does also offer an interesting tidbit near the beginning:

If you’ve never read WATCHMEN, I’m recommending you wait until after you’ve seen the film. Everyone I’ve spoken to who saw the film as WATCHMEN virgins loved it. And believe me, that was not at all what I was expecting to hear.

Now, even with the 1 million new copies of Watchmen that were printed last year, and the nearly constant top-of-Amazon status it has held, DC, Warner Bros, (and of course, Fox) are obviously hoping that more than a million or 2 people head out to the theaters and see the film. That means the grand majority will be “Watchmen virgins.” Click on through to read on, but be reminded that there are spoilers in the full review (though most of those will be very familiar to anyone who has read the book).

For two one-line reviews of the movie, here are tweets from Rich Johnston and Rob Liefeld:

Rich Johnston: In other news Watchmen is rather lovely.

Rob Liefeld: homigosh……WATCHMEN is freaking brilliant! More please……this movie is an absolute monster. Run, don’t walk..

So there you go.