I met Jack Kirby for the first time in 1991. I was buying and selling original comic art in partnership with Gaston Dominguez (now of Meltdown Comics & Collectibles fame). We had brokered several deals between rock star Glenn Danzig, who was a huge Kirby fan and collector, and The Holland Brothers, who had written…
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I’ll Take (Dr.) Manhattan
The first page of Adam Hughes‘ DR. MANHATTAN #1 is a dead-on tribute to Dave Gibbons‘ opening from the second issue of the original series. He takes a three-quarter step away and captures the event of Edward Blake‘s funeral from a slightly different angle in a very similar illustrative style to the chapter that first…
Avengers Outtake from Upcoming Bluray Release
Marvel.com released two new clips from the upcoming Bluray release of Joss Whedon‘s record smashing AVENGERS movie. The first is an outtake featuring Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner shortly after his transformation back from the Hulk in a wonderful scene with veteran character actor Harry Dean Stanton. This short scene presents just over a…
Tony Scott 1944 – 2012
One of my very first entertainment jobs was for Tony Scott. Sort of… I worked at a comic book shop called Fantastic Store with my then roommate Gaston Dominguez (the man behind the empire that is now Meltdown Comics and Collectibles), which used to be kitty-corner from Hollywood and Highland before the Kodak theater, subway…
Joe Kubert 1926 – 2012
Mere days after my last post I got the news of Joe Kubert‘s passing. I’ll be honest: it stung a bit. Joe was an incredible artist capable of conveying more truth in a single, crooked line than most artists can with hundreds of clean ones. His impact on the comics medium is practically immeasurable, and…
Is the COMEDIAN Getting a New Punchline?
Reading the second issue of Brian Azzarello & J.G. Jones‘ COMEDIAN made me wonder if I was a little too harsh on their last outing. So I reread that first issue and I stand by my criticism that the kinder, gentler Eddie Blake rang false. The Kennedy cameos were forced and exploitive, and interaction between…
Dark Knight’s Rise Interrupted by Real-Life Bane
Last night one of the most anticipated sequels in film history opened. Along with millions of other Batfans, I attended a midnight premier screening of The Dark Knight Rises in a packed theater. It was a night filled with anticipation, excitement and optimism for the final chapter in the most critically acclaimed comic book movie…
Silk Spectre Goes Psychedelic
Joshua Middleton variant cover Darwyn Cooke & Amanda Conner‘s SILK SPECTRE #2 trips headlong into the id of the psychedelic 60s via a sinister plot right out of… Josie and the Pussycats? While not as strong as the debut issue in relaying Laurie’s inner monologue, there’s a playful use of irony in which the visuals…
Before Watchmen Week 5: Blizzard of Oz
I finally caught up with the latest release in DC Comics’ Before Watchmen line which pairs important writers and artists for new stories concerning the main characters of Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons‘ WATCHMEN series from 25 years ago. Of all the new titles, OZYMANDIAS is perhaps the one I looked forward to the least.…
Does Spider-Man Fall Short of Amazing?
Yesterday being a holiday (happy belated Independence Day!), and therefore most of my favorite comic shops being closed, I didn’t have a chance to pick up Len Wein & Jae Lee‘s OZYMANDIAS #1, so I’ll have to review that tomorrow. But the big comic book news this past week was the release of Marvel Studios…