Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

Dr. Strange In Late 02003?

Pulse:

In issue #142 of Wizard: The Guide To Comics, J. Michael Straczynski commented on the fate of Dr. Stephen Strange. It appears, according to the article, that his much talked about desire to do a story featuring Dr. Strange is close to happening.
The series is not on the Marvel schedule yet although it is predicted to have the first issue out sometime before the end of 2003. Straczynski told Wizard, "The Dr. Strange mini, which may well lay the foundation for a regular book, is something that Marvel wants to do as soon as I get the time to do it straight through. It's kind of re-imagining of his back story, not so much changing it as updating it and reconsidering it in a modern, post-'Matrix' readership."
This project has been rumored and in the "works" for several months now. Straczynski updated his fans in January and told them he submitted a 35 page outline for the series. In Wizard's Future Forecast section, the magazine commented that Dr. Strange would be one of the "biggest projects hitting in late 2003."

Excelsior!

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This is an old Trekkie joke from the Next Generation days, but the classics are the best. Right now there are commericals everywhere for the Nemesis DVD, and every time they show Picard yelling, "Fire at will!" Neilalien thinks, "No! Don't shoot at Riker!"

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A collection of guttural moans from comics [The Unh! Project via Boing Boing]

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'Save Fantagraphics' discussion storage area (as more pieces are found in the future, this area will be updated at will- no, not Riker)
[TCJ Message Board] [Newsarama] [Pulse] ["The V" (Delphi Forum, can guest in)] [Are You Hep To The Jive?] [Warren Ellis] [Treacher] [Alan David Doane] [Jay's Daze (now a retraction)]

Posted 31 May 02003 - Permalink

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There But For The Grace of Groth [Ninth Art editorial]

Comics publisher Fantagraphics drawn into a financial crisis [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

Interview with Nick Barrucci of Dynamic Forces, Part 2 [Newsarama]
Retailers- unionize!

The History Channel Looks At Superheroes [ICv2]
Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked airs on the History Channel Monday 23 June. Stan Lee and Jim Steranko are among those interviewed.

Hulk like gambling! [Newsarama]

Posted 30 May 02003 - Permalink

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More Doctor Strange and related sightings

Dr. Strange in Sleeper #5 Neilalien hasn't checked out Sleeper, but in the recent issue #5 (here's a very positive review of #5 at Fourth Rail) there is a superhero bar (like in the Tick cartoon?) and right on Page 1 is this panel. Dr. Strange getting a late-night drink?

Update: Alan David Doane pimps for Sleeper #1-5. Neilalien liked #5. May have to explore this further. Update: Franklin seconds. Neilalien's sold.

And creators take note: If you want a mention of your comic to be seen by Neilalien's vast audience, all you have to do is sneak Doctor Strange into your work. It doesn't even matter what comic book company you work for! Ask the Mystic folks.

Fantastic Four #69. Neilalien warned you- this sorcerous Dr. Doom story line wouldn't be good for Dr. Strange fans. To keep the sorcerous happenings "in the family" Strange had to be taken care of. He's shown mind-controlled and out of commission by a previous surprise demonic attack, unable to help the Four.

The recent Stuff magazine has a sexy fake layout of Pamela Anderson. The reverse side of her centerfold is a big cartoon of "Stan Lee's Stipperella."

Many thanks to the Neilalien Dr. Strange Fan Club for the recon.

Update: Bloggity reports that the latest Wizard has Dr. Strange listed as an underused hero.

Posted 29 May 02003 - Permalink

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Fantagraphics needs your help, $80G [Journalista] [Newsarama] [Pulse]

If you are able to get past Gary Groth, TCJ's embarassing poseur embrace of being "the magazine people love to hate" (let's just hope not too many people really do hate it in this time of need), the mocking of people who are chasing their dreams by submitting to Epic, all the delicious ironies of this situation (notably and recently that moronic rant against Team Comics), giving charity to businesses when the free market has spoken, and everything else etc.- if you support the message that's mostly right in spite of the wrong messenger- then think of a selfish reason (like supporting the future Steve Ditko Mysterious Traveler book!), be bigger and respond with more class than they've probably ever shown to you (unless you're Jack Kirby), cross that bridge they burned and go to the Fantagraphics website and find something to buy ASAP (they don't just sell the badly-drawn whiny suburban crap they usually inflate), and preserve a passionate pro-creator voice and important outlet in comics and people's jobs. It's extremely bad mojo to wish ill on others or dance on graves. And one last reminder if needed/relevant to you: today's hot indy creator is tomorrow's source for improving Marvel quality.

P.S.: "Annoying but valuable"- ah so that's how to say, shortly and sweetly, what Neilalien's wanted to say all day. Once again Unqualified Offerings crystallizes.

Posted 29 May 02003 - Permalink

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You get two interestingly-different calls for the end of comics industry self-loathing today:

Screw the mainstream! We shouldn't want comics in drug store spinner racks anymore [Chris Todd guest-opines at Permanent Damage]

Comics are cool! We could so be in every drug store if we really wanted [Dynamic Forces' President Nick Barrucci opines at Newsarama]

Also:

Scott Slemmons: A Response to Michael Medved's "Captain America, Traitor?" Column

Posted 28 May 02003 - Permalink

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Lying In The Gutters rumorizes on an Epic series going through the system: From Andy Kuhn, "Young Ancient One," about Doctor Strange's mentor as a young man in feudal China [Comic Book Resources]
Andy Kuhn is currently of Firebreather fame. Here's a preview of Firebreather #4 at Image Comics to check out. Mignola-esque, no?

Dr. Strange is #3 on Maxim Magazine's recent list of the 25 Lamest Superheroes. Sigh, never any respect! ;)

#3 Doctor Strange
Secret Identity: Stephen Strange
Origin: After a car accident impaired his abilities as a surgeon, Stephen Strange moved to NYC's fabulous West Village, hired an Asian manservan, and became a... sorcerer.
Power: He wears the fashionable "Eye of Agamotto" necklace and can do all sorts of plot-convenient things, like open up dimensional gateways. Also has a Swedish-porn-star mustache.
Why so lame: Dr. Strange is Dr. Ka-ray-zee! Looks like he'd be comfortable in a kimono, sipping a martini before asking you to play strip Jenga with the rest of the hepcat swingers.

(Just don't tell Bloggity that Aquaman's even higher up than Doc on the list.)

Paul O'Brien weighs in on Epic [Ninth Art]
Is Marvel unrealistically looking for uber-novices: People who need the info in Marville #7 to get a clue, but can write a comic book from scratch without editorial supervision?

Someone's blogging their attempts to get Epic-ized! [Writer@Large; found his hype on rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe (Usenet/Google Groups)]
Neilalien wishes good luck, and he'll be watching.

Preview: Fade From Blue #7 [Pulse]

Posted 27 May 02003 - Permalink

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A Conversation With Gene Colan [Slush Factory]

1957 atomic revolution comic book

Comics- nothing to laugh at [GoMemphis.com]

"My professional goal," Matz said, "is really to just blast comic books out of this ghetto they're in."

The above three links via Journalista.

Posted 25 May 02003 - Permalink

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When AFA Attacks [Newsarama]

Starlin's Dreadstar to be collected [Newsarama]

Interesting: Disgraced Jayson Blair wrote two pieces about comics for the New York Times [Pulse item (but no links? gee, thanks)]
The Pen Is Mightier; X-Ray Vision Is Needed to Find Black Superheroes, by Jayson Blair, 2 May 02002
Comic Books Crown A New Class of Hero, by Jayson Blair, 3 June 02002

Where are those Kevin Smith books? [ICv2]

Posted 24 May 02003 - Permalink

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The web's going nuts for 80x15 buttons [Antipixel from October] [big bunch of buttons at GTMcKnight] [Metafilter thread] [Kottke's Silkscreen font] [Button Maker!]

Pretty neat (if you don't mind going blind). Neilalien had his fun:

Neilalien 80x15 button
A Neilalien original (245 bytes).
Blogger 80x15 button
Took the Blogger button from GTMcKnight and tweaked the color and centered the text to personal taste.
Valid XHTML 1.0 80x15 button Valid CSS 80x15 button
Took the XHTML 1.0 and CSS buttons from Antipixel and tweaked the color and centered the text to personal taste.
I {heart} NYC Blogs 80x15 button
Didn't see much for NYC webloggers yet so Neilalien made this one based on the I {heart} NY campaign (330 bytes).
CBLDF 80x15 button #1 CBLDF 80x15 button #2
Wanted to make one for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund- here are the attempts.

Posted 22 May 02003 - Permalink

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Marvel v. Sony goes to referee [Newsarama]

Direct Market forges ahead 5% for April [ICv2: Top 300; thin analysis]
Update: Newsarama has more, including the strength of Marvel Universe: The End, and surveys the numbers for 10,000 and Under titles.

Booming graphic novels in libraries [Permanent Damage]
Teens are the ones checking them out. Also again some hope that comics quality will go up, since graphic novels mean choosier publishers, longer deeper works, and more available reprints of the past that demand freshness.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow, comics relevance v. escapism [A Thousand Flowers]

Tangents: Comic book superheroes v. the evil-doers [South Brunswick Post]
There's more comic book references in this political commentary item than you can shake a power ring at.

Mark Evanier weighs in on "pro-family" groups v. comic conventions [News From Me: #1, #2]

More Evanier: Failure Is Impossible [News From Me]
Collected links to Bob Rozakis relating how the DC Explosion became the DC Implosion.

Creators, some of your choices: Peter Finch's How To Publish Yourself [via BugPowder]; Epic with Marvel Entertainment [Work For Hire PDF] [Newsarama explains Epic] [Todd VerBeek translates Epic]

Posted 21 May 02003 - Permalink

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More Epic consequences [Gutters]
An anti-Marvel column by Brian Hibbs gets nixed at Comics And Games Retailer (column included in full at Gutters too).

Muscular Dystrophy Association pulls out of Motor City Comic Con over Playboy models [ICv2]

Tick: The Complete Series DVD Announced [ICv2]
Update: Oh crap, Neilalien thought this was the cartoon.

Greg Rucka interview Part 2 [Ninth Art]
The man's moving to Wonder Woman and Wolverine: Get the inside word on his approaches to sexuality, strong women, and superhero icons that start with the letter W.

Passion/Logic = X [Ninth Art]
Chris Claremont gets kicked in the nuts.

Alan David Doane says: "if you like stuff like Hellboy or Astro City, you should be reading Invincible."
Neilalien says if you liked Zot! you'll love Invincible.

Posted 20 May 02003 - Permalink

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Ben Samuels' Classic Golden Age Comic Book Cover Gallery [via News From Me]

With a Stable of Heroes, Marvel Casts a Wide Net [NYTimes.com (reg req'd) via WFC News]

Saving classics: Box office hits miss many comic book retailers [Ohio.com (Beacon Journal) via WFC News]

1965 Daisy BB Rifle ad from Superman comic [via Blogdex]
There's nothing like a little living room target practice to chase away those rainy day blues.

Posted 18 May 02003 - Permalink

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Interview with Peter Hogan [Pulse]

I suppose I've always had a soft spot for Dr. Strange. Which is kind of crying out for an Ultimate version.

Posted 16 May 02003 - Permalink

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Community Relations for Comic Stores [ICv2]
The current meme at ICv2- lots of links to check out.

Student's comic book wins national contest [Floridatoday.com via Focus On Comics]
Eighth-grader wins a creative contest about getting the message out about energy conversation. (Hey kid, they need your comic down in New Zealand at the moment, right Dr. Patrick Strange?) Anyway, the good news is that the comic book's power to communicate ideas is validated once again. It "stood out." The sad news is that this kid's comic was the only one submitted. Back in Neilalien's day, every kid was drawing comics.

New comic book blog found [Monitor Duty]

Fred Hembeck on John Romita (and Steve Ditko) [FredSez for 12 May]

Bruce Sterling's neat old essay that critiques science fiction and proposes "slipstream" genre [making the weblog rounds, via Warren Ellis' Die Puny Humans]

The voice of Ultra Magnus, Robert Stack, has passed on
Sure, he did lots of other great things too. :)

Huge week for Fanboy Radio: Jim Starlin, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Waid

Judging a Book By Its Cover [via Metafilter thread about those recent comic book cover lists, via LinkMachineGo]

Sequential Tart celebrates five years with an outreach booth at the San Diego Comic Con

The booth will have the same mission as the one that we had at Megacon in 2002 - to introduce comics to con attendees who are not currently comic-readers, and secondarily to introduce existing comic readers to new titles that they may be unaware of.

Neilalien has always thought that the best Outreach was the kind that gets people completely outside of comics into comics. That grows the total reader population. That reaches out to the folks who barely know comic book conventions take place. That isn't dependent on redirecting/squeezing more funds out of the existing comic-reading population. The quote above doesn't sound like "the best Outreach" then. This booth should be out in front of Macy's, not at a con. Not that Neilalien's criticizing such a wonderful thing as a Sequential Tart booth.

Fear and Loathing at the Cartoon Expo [Hit & Run via Franklin's Findings]
Processing list:

Posted 15 May 02003 - Permalink

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IA Classics: Tools of the Trade in Comic Book Form [Boxes and Arrows]
Ready.gov's Biological Threat Visual Guide
Autopsy sequential drawings and sentences [via Boing Boing]
Airline crash instruction cards [parody here]
Wondering again today about the line between comics and infographics.

Proposed: The Freedom To Read Protection Act [ACLU]
Does the government know what comics you're reading?

How many "Comics are literature too" articles will it take, if Umberto Eco couldn't do it? [today on Bookslut (working permalinks pending)]

Invincible #5 preview [Pulse]
A trade paperback of issues #1-4 is coming soon. Also a short interview with Kirkman on Fresh Neilalien missed via the above link.

Posted 14 May 02003 - Permalink

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Follow-Up: Greg Rucka Queen & Country Auction Raises Over $3,000 [Comic Book Legal Defense Fund]

The New Scholarship of Comics [The Chronicle of Higher Education via Comic World News]

Chuck Austen quits the X-Fan Forums over personal attacks [via All The Rage]
Jerks.

Klingon Linguists Not Needed [Sci-Fi Wire]
If you require mental health services in Multnomah County, Oregon, and only speak Klingon, you're out of luck again. (So is anyone who believed this: it's a hoax.)

There's an electricity crisis in New Zealand right now, and the taskforce is led by a real "Dr. Strange." So Neilalien's surveillance news net is messed up with lots of false hits. Please stand by while he clears his cache and looks for proper Dr. Strange comic book news.

Posted 13 May 02003 - Permalink

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The 'Epic Effect' begins [Gutters at CBR]
A Comics Buyers Guide staff member is announced as a Marvel Epic writer, so DC pulls its advertising.

There's also an Essential Tomb of Dracula item about some interesting Spanish reprints that hopefully we'll get to see.

Posted 12 May 02003 - Permalink

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Champions Vs. Defenders [via Flat Earth]
This is funny as hell. Be sure to catch the keep-away with the Eye of Agamotto. Great sound effects and The Allman Brothers' "Jessica" is a nice touch. (Big Shockwave file- don't give up on it if the loading's slow.)

Have a glimpse inside Ian McKellen's delightful life, thoughts on X-Men 2 [Magneto's Lair via Alan David Doane]

Posted 10 May 02003 - Permalink

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The second issue of The Journal of MODOK Studies is coming soon [TCJ Message Board]

Someone's searching for very rare Dr. Strange collectible items [Defenders Message Board]

Any web search I do for "strange rubber jigglers" only leads to porn sites, so any help would be appreciated!

Small Press Spotlight on Ninth Art [Myatt Murphy and Scott Dalrymple] [Damon Hurd]

Warren Ellis answers [Slashdot interview]

The Amazing Adventures of Gambit's Ass [via Fujikosmurf]

With the arrival of Matrix: Reloaded, it's time to blow the dust off that Invisibles/Matrix connection meme. Neilalien was going to link to a page from a couple years back that made a good case, but said page is hosted with FortuneCity. FortuneCity sites include popups asking if you want to install Gator. Gator is evil spyware. Do not install Gator under any circumstances. Neilalien cannot even abide linking to a site that might lead to the accidental installation of such a program.

Posted 9 May 02003 - Permalink

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X-propriated [New Republic Online via Journalista]
Have the X-Men comics tilted from idealist/integrationist to separatist/racialist?

Preview of Necrowar, written by Transformers maestro Simon Furman [Newsarama]
"Digitally Rendered by Adi Granov." Looks incredible.

Captain Marvel to stay dead [Peter David kills a rumor]
The classic Marvel story remains intact- the one Marvel death that has stayed dead? Good decision. Also: As Neilalien understands it- he doesn't want to assume too much too personal, nor does he know if this played a factor in the current decision- but the sense from at least Jim Starlin's recent appearance on Fanboy Radio is that Starlin processed his father's death by cancer via the Captain Marvel death story line. So it would be classy to not touch it. But that leaves an unfortunate situation: (a) Marvel's not really known for being classy, is it? and (b) Starlin processed something very personal with someone else's property- a character that can return to print in a gimmicky blaze of bad writing at any moment. But today, Captain Marvel is still dead and not coming back.

Posted 8 May 02003 - Permalink

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New Thanos ongoing series confirmed [Newsarama; Pulse]
Jim Starlin sprung it while on Fanboy Radio this weekend.

Pity for X2 moviegoers trying to check out the comics; comics and wrestling biz parallels [Permanent Damage]

Free Comic Book Day Wrapup [ICv2]

X Communication [Boston Globe via Fark]
Marketing experts explain the ubiquitous letter X.

There's going to be a shitload of Hulk and green stuff this summer [Universal press release]
X-Entertainment has its own humorous take.

Monday was Web Comics Awareness Day. Neilalien missed it. Every day's a good day to check out web comics- it's still okay to link.

Is it just Neilalien, or do you also have a problem with the word "Awareness?" Aren't Awareness organizations/days/months only or mostly for things that aren't too great? He hears, thinks or Googles "Awareness" and up comes Suicide Awareness, Eating Disorders Awareness Week, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, World Overpopulation Awareness, etc. Web Comics Appreciation Day? Eh. Keep it simple and catchy. "Web Comics Reading Day" or something like that.

Posted 7 May 02003 - Permalink

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Marvel releases Q1 numbers [Newsarama]
Marvel Posts Profit, Shares Near 7-Yr High [Reuters on Yahoo Finance]

Mark Evanier movingly elaborates on his recent recommendation against the current comic book industry as a career [News From Me]

All I Got For Free Comic Book Day Was the Creeps [Comixpedia]

One of Neilalien's favorite online comics columns is back [Stuart Moore's A Thousand Flowers on Newsarama]
How some previous revolutions have hopefully left the playing field a little wider.

Another one of Neilalien's favorite online comics columns is back [Bizarre Breasts on Sequential Tart]

Sounds like the Pooh is starting to hit the fan for Disney [Sci Fi Wire via Boing Boing]
If only Splash were still around for this kind of news.

Posted 6 May 02003 - Permalink

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Now all is right in the world: Neilalien has his copy of The Journal of MODOK Studies

Marvel's Big Weekend [Motley Fool.com via Franklin's Findings]

Looks like there's a fantastic interview with John Romita in Comics Journal #252, go check it out [Excerpt here]
As is already known, one of his favorite issues that he's done is Amazing Spider-Man #109 co-starring Dr. Strange.

(And if TCJ's email announcing the presence of this excerpt on the website is to believed, it's all about "Stan Lee's tendency to hog credit for himself," but there's also some praise for Stan too.)

Savvy retailers are moving the Chabon-edited McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury Of Thrilling Tales [ICv2]

Neilalien highly doubts that The Hulk is going to do better than The Matrix Reloaded, but Richard Roeper has a theory [MSN]

Posted 5 May 02003 - Permalink

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Free Comic Book Day was fun. Neilalien went to Jim Hanley's Universe across the street from the Empire State Building, because Myatt Murphy and Scott Dalrymple were there. It was nice to see them again, if only for a minute. They gave Neilalien a sketch as thanks for all the free pimping they get from this website (that's what they said anyway- they probably don't know who the heck Neilalien is and gave every punk a sketch). Neilalien was so happy and rushed that he forgot to congratulate them in person for their Eisner nom. Unfortunately, the Universe was only allowing people to pick four of the free books. Neilalien chose the Donald Duck Adventures, the Slave Labor, the Kochalka, and the Alternative Comics (in addition to a 100% Guaranteed Manual signed by Myatt and Scott)- those seemed like the ones with the most sampler potential. But dammit, he still wanted to check out all the books, so he walked up to Midtown Comics, which was a zoo, lots of great activity. You just stood in a line and they handed you a bag full of all the free comics. But when Neilalien got back to the orbiting satellite, he discovered that this bag did not contain all the free comics. Kochalka's, the Alternative Comics and the Slave Labor were absent. So the first-round picks and going to both stores worked out quite lucky-like in the end. Lots of fun new subway reading for this week, and the price can't be beat. If you missed free comics, flog thyself. If you didn't bring friends, be doubly flogged.

Update: Some who escape floggage: Doane, Gadabout, Bloggity, Offering.

X2 was a blast. Nuff said.

Galactus' Blog [You'll All Be Sorry on CBR]

And it is like he [the Silver Surfer] is SAYING, "These are NOT ants, Master! They think..they feel...they have even created the primitive civilization which we see all about us!" But what I am HEARING is, "Galactus, you are fat and no one will ever REALLY love you."

Neilalien's going to check out some of the blogs he's never seen before that mentioned Free Comic Book Day- go send them some eyeballs:

Posted 4 May 02003 - Permalink

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Enjoy X2 (getting fantastic reviews, including $10 out of $10 from the Cranky Critic) and Free Comic Book Day everyone! (And if you're in NYC, a comic book convention, too.) Neilalien will see you there, or catch you on the other side.

And... Stan Lee will be on that Jimmy Kimmel Show tonight [Pulse]

Kevin Smith's Rolling Stone piece: The Superhero [News Askew via Hatbag]

Family Sues Theme Park in A Clash With Doctor Doom [TheLedger.com; link submitted by the Neilalienistas]

Posted 2 May 02003 - Permalink

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Saw tons of people on the morning subway commute with copies of Ultimate X-Men from the New York Post! It was a comic book lover's paradise world. Alas, it seemed like New Yorkers were more annoyed with having to juggle the loose insert around while holding their papers. Folks definitely thought it was more a promotion for the X-Men 2 movie- Free Comic Book Day was not on people's radars. It was probably just a big reinforcement of the perception that comic books are only superheroes. But damn- this certainly got comic books in the hands of people who otherwise would never have been exposed. Many people were checking out the books too.

Comic Bubble, Deal Craze, Foreshadowing the Crash [ICv2]
Internal Correspondence looks back at its May 01993 issue.

Why no indy comics reviews on Hero Realm? [Hero Realm MB via Sequential Tart MB]

Fanboy Radio will be live with Jim Starlin Sunday night

A role in Queen & Country is auctioned off for CBLDF [Newsarama] [EBay Auction]

AP runs a story about all the upcoming comic-book superhero movies [MSNBC via WFC News]

Strip mining [Guardian Unlimited via LinkMachineGo]

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Retailer Jim Hanley tackles the popular shibboleths about dwindling comics readership, video games keeping kids from reading comics, speculators killing the business, publishers abandoning the 7-11s, etc. [Super-Lime Jumping Station]

Video games that's another good one. It assumes that comics, especially the continuity heavy style of comics we have today ever appealed to a wide cross-section of kids. There used to be comics that did that, but they went away when the newspaper business was destroyed by automobile commuting and TV news and the newsstands all closed down. And children stopped playing without adult supervision and shopping by themselves.
Comics, other than Archies, aimed at a mainstream audience had largely disappeared by the time the first comics store opened. The Marvel-style, continuity monsters that fans like, were the only survivors, because fans were the only ones who would search them out as the newsstands closed down. The oft-cited Archie Digests sold on supermarket front-end displays lose money because of the racking fees they have to pay, according to executives at Nickelodeon Magazine, who one would assume know from magazine distribution.
In many ways, Marvel Comics made comics stores possible and comics stores, in turn, made it possible for Marvel Comics and the rest to survive the loss of the newsstand.

Posted 1 May 02003 - Permalink

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