Latest Gear Live Videos
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: Funnyman
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Independent,
After many years of struggle, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster hit the comic book jackpot with their creation Superman, only to see it slip away from their control and for DC Comics to keep not just the rights but almost all the money as well. One of the many dark chapters in the building of the comics industry – businesses profiting by taking away the rights of creators.
Frustrated by their attempts to negotiate with DC, and out of work when DC dumped them for complaining (and filing suit), they did what creators do: created another property where they were determined to get a better deal for themselves.
The project was Funnyman, a red-headed TV comedian who fought crime. Unfortunately, the self-titled comic book, for Vince Sullivan’s Magazine Enterprises, lasted just 6 issues in 1948 and a companion newspaper strip defined the term short-lived.
Click to continue reading Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: Funnyman
Read More 
| Feral House
Advertisement
Marvel Appoints Writer Jeph Loeb as Head of TV Department
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Television, Marvel Comics,
With Disney‘s dominant force among television airwaves (Disney Channel, ABC, ABC Family), it’s no wonder that one of the first moves the company does with its newly acquired Marvel characters is get them on the small screen.
Earlier today, Marvel Entertainment announced the creation of their new TV department, and they’ve appointed comic book and television writer (Heroes, Lost) Jeph Loeb as the executive vice president. Loeb’s duties include “overseeing the development of live-action and animated Marvel TV series.”
“I couldn’t be happier to accept this new position at Marvel Entertainment, working with both Dan [Buckley] and Alan [Fine] to deliver exciting, cutting edge television projects. Marvel continues to break new ground in storytelling in both their comic book and film ventures, so, along with everyone here, I’m excited to bring the same brand of excitement into homes across the globe,” Loeb said of his new position.
Perhaps most importantly, does it disappoint or excite you that this guy penned Commando and Teen Wolf?
Read More | Splash Page
Quote of the Day: Robert Kirkman on The Walking Dead TV Set
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Television, Image Comics,
“I was telling my manager that I want to walk around on set and look at all the actors and just be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve killed you and I’ve killed you and you don’t last very long in the book. Sorry!’ I am seeing a lot of characters who aren’t in the book anymore, and I think that’s kind of cool.”
- The Walking Dead writer Robert Kirkman reflects upon working with old characters on the set of the comic book’s television series adaptation.
(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)
Read More | USA Today
Grounded: Superman’s Walking Tour Diary
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics,
Superman‘s been grounded. No he hasn’t been sent to his room without supper, but the Man of Steel is taking a walking tour of America. The year-long adventure, called “Grounded” began in Superman #700 but really picks up steam in #701. It’s written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Eddy Barrows. Supes will be using his cross-country hike to try to reconnect with the people of this great nation.
Naturally, he’s keeping a diary and we got our hands on some excerpts. Up, up and away…on foot.
Day 6
Batman called to laugh at me. Said even Terra-Man used a horse. Ha-ha. Prick.
Status: Facebooking an embarrassing panel of Bruce and Dick getting massages in old comic book.
Lunch: A&W’s Uncle Burger. Stupid name for a pretty good burger.
Day 9
Met another guy who wants to talk about the “brown skins.” I said he had me confused with Green Lantern. I don’t see skin color. I have enough trouble with Kryptonite’s colors. And don’t get me started on the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Click to continue reading Grounded: Superman’s Walking Tour Diary
Read More | Superman Grounded
You know what you’ve always wanted to see? Your favorite comic book creator doing his one-man comedy show. How awesome would it be to hear Boom’s Ross Richie do 15 minutes on the future of the Direct Market at The Comedy Store? Or Joe Quesada as the warm-up guy for the Eisner Awards? Or perhaps Diane Nelson’s musings on the differences between New York and Los Angeles?
Well, that doesn’t happen in America. We leave our comedy to the non-comic book people like Carrot Top or Dane Cook. The British, however, don’t have that tradition. Coming up on July 23 and 24, those of you in England will have a chance to hear British comics creator Simon Donald’s stories and one-liners.
Who’s Simon Donald? He’s the founder of the British comedy magazine, Viz. It’s a two-part show, focusing on his wacky family growing up and the birth “of the national treasure that is Viz.”
Click to continue reading British Comics: Get Your Viz On
Read More | Soho Theatre
Weekend Reading: Star Wars, Star Trek, Scooby Doo and Joe Kubert
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Reviews, IDW Publishing,
Welcome to the weekend on the internet. Let’s get it started with Mr. Joe Kubert.
I had the pleasure of working for a company that published one of Mr. Kubert’s books (Abraham Stone) and got to hang out with him a little at Comic Con International one year. Just a great, great guy, as well as a fantastic artist. Marty Pedler at Bookslut has a new interview with him, and if you haven’t read it yet, get over there. Here’s a little snip: “I still feel that if it’s not a children’s medium, it’s at least a young person’s medium—despite the fact that the average person who reads comic books is now, I’m told, probably in their early twenties. Maybe it’s because I’m an old fogey, I don’t know, but I still feel a little strange and awkward when I see stuff that’s so blatantly sexual.”
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Star Wars, Star Trek, Scooby Doo and Joe Kubert
Comic Book Jobs: Who’s Hiring? Marvel Comics
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,
It’s a slow summer hiring season, boys and girls, and I imagine it’ll stay that way until at least the fall. But I’m no analyst, just a doofus with a blog.
If you are an analyst, however, you might find a home at Marvel Comics’ New York office. They’re looking for a Junior Publishing Data Analyst who’s “dedicated and highly-motivated” and can “create publishing projects” such as comic books, collections and marketing materials.
Unfortunately, they only want you on a temporary full-time basis with this qualifier: “This a basic yet very important data entry position that is looking for a detail-oriented and analytical person.”
If selected, your primary mission will be to edit and maintain titles, presumably on a database program not as a hands-on comic book editor. Also you’ll arrange “printing vendor assignments, item categories, pricing and book types,” as well as title schedules and making sure that everything is entered properly so the Sales Department can create those vital “financial forecast reports” that are the lifeblood of a publicly held company like Disney, I mean Marvel.
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Who’s Hiring? Marvel Comics
Where In The World Is Spain Rodriguez?
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent,
I know the question you’ve been asking yourself lately: What’s Spain Rodriguez been up to since the publication of Che: A Graphic Biography?
Spain is perhaps one of the few artists to share a name with a country who is also one of the grand masters of the underground comix with his contemporaries like Robert Crumb, Skip Williamson, Gilbert Shelton and Jay Lynch. Spain is best known in those circles as the creator of Trashman and his work appeared in the East Village Other and Zap Comix back in the day when people were uptight about working for the man, baby.
This October, Spain’s illustrations will be enhancing a new book by author David Talbot called Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America. Published by Simon and Schuster, the book is part of their non-fiction Pulp History series of true stories of “extraordinary feats of bravery, violence, and redemption that history has forgotten.” The book also features a promotional blurb by Robert Crumb himself.
Click to continue reading Where In The World Is Spain Rodriguez?
Jonah Hex And The Lost Weekend
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,
Well, I reckon it was bound t’happen, pardners. Jonah Hex has opened to just a $5 million weekend, meaning that it’s officially been labeled a bomb. Too bad. Jonah was – and is – an iconic comic book property, the creation of John Albano and Tony DeZuniga. Maybe the filmmakers should’ve gone with a more traditional western approach like The Outlaw Josey Wales or 3:10 From Yuma instead of the steampunkian world of The Wild Wild West movie? Who’s to say what would’ve worked, but the new one sure doesn’t.
The problem now is that because Jonah Hex is based on a comic book (not a graphic novel as some lazy reporters simply retype) – but one that none of the general public has heard of before – it’ll get tagged as a comic book movie, and worse, a failed comic book movie. And finger wagging along the lines of “is the comic book movie fad finally over” will start appearing as breathless know-it-all headlines in newspapers no one reads anymore.
Click to continue reading Jonah Hex And The Lost Weekend
Read More | Deadline Hollywood Daily
Weekend Reading: Bob Bolling, Dave Simons, Kirk Alyn and Chuck Jones
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Television, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,
Hey Librarians! Pack up your decimals of Dewey and head out to Washington DC, where all the cool graphic novels are going to be talked about. It’s the American Library Association’s annual conference, and it’s set for June 24-June 29. Early Word has the word on all the graphic novel programming just waiting for you.
Dave Simons: It’s been one year since the death of the acclaimed artist Dave Simons and his friend Daniel Best and 20th Century Danny Boy remembers him with stories and quotes, like this one: “Here is my recipe for a winning comic book cover: Flame. Gorilla. Skull. Hot chick. Other elements of interest: Nazis, dinosaurs.” I would totally buy Flaming Gorilla Skull Chick Vs. Nazi Dinosaur #1 from any publisher. Even at $3.99. I’ll even write it. And I wish Dave was still alive to draw it.
Superman Serials: The Bijou Blog takes a look at those Superman movies that most comic book fans don’t care about: the old serials like Superman and Atom Man Vs. Superman, starring Kirk Alyn. “His Superman seems stern at times, then happy-go-lucky, but also happens to take a sadistic glee in cracking two crooks’ heads together. The cape appears to give him some trouble. Alyn is seen to push it out of his way several times and he never runs while in costume, doing more of a ballet leap to keep from tripping.”
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Bob Bolling, Dave Simons, Kirk Alyn and Chuck Jones
Recent Galleries
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.