Now readers please don’t have a cow
when you see that this poem’s low brow
but try as I might
it is real hard to write
since I’m still in New Jersey right now.

In this short video I explore the recent digitization of comics in the form of motion comics. The video also features the premiere of the Astonishing X-Men motion comic, a Joe Quesada press conference, and interviews with comic art superstars Greg Horn and Joe Madureira.

In this short video I explore the recent digitization of comics in the form of motion comics. The video also features the premiere of the Astonishing X-Men motion comic, a Joe Quesada press conference, and interviews with comic art superstars Greg Horn and Joe Madureira.

Joe Quesada habló sobre Blackest Night y DC Entertainment

En su reciente columna My Cup O´Joe, Joe Quesada habló sobre  diversos temas, pero algunos de los mas interesantes  fueron sobre DC, algo que pocas veces se ve, en esta entrevista Quesada habló de Blackest Night y de la creación de DC Entertainment, vamos viendo de que se trata

Tu contraparte en DC Dan  Didio dijo en una entrevista con CBR recientemente, que  le ha venido la idea de un  caso de fatiga, dijo: “caso de fatiga es un estado  en que el evento no funciona o el evento no es interesante, eso es lo que el caso de fatiga es”; tú has estado creando historias solo por la salud misma de los eventos y tener atadas las cosas juntas  , ¿Estás de acuerdo con ese sentimiento o crees que  hay alguna retirada  en el mercado para estas grandes historias?

JQ-Creo que es cuestión de cómo definas una caso de fatiga, como sea, personalmente creo que es un error  pensar que   no es una realidad, pero eso es lo que yo creo. Si las grandes producciones  de películas o eventos grandes de comics, hay un punto donde puedes producir las mas grandes historias conocidas por el hombre,  y si sobrecargas tu base de consumidores y solamente haces sonar la campana del dinero, terminarás comiéndote tu propia cola.

La verdad del asunto es que, si úlanzas una historia como un evento, incluso si no es la más grande historia conocida por el hombre, te apuesto dólares contra donas a que vas a vender mejor en aquellos títulos  que ninguno otro en tu línea, fatiga, como sea, viene en muchas formas, y en muchos casos puede ser difícil de cuantificar. ¿Quien puede decir que Blackest Night no ha vendido mas  de tres veces lo que hubiera vendido si no viniera siguiendo  todos los eventos que han sido producidos por DC y Marvel en todos estos años?, ese es el número misterioso, esa es la cosa a la que es muy difícil señalar. Seguramente podemos decir que la economía  tiene mucho que ver con eso, pero  yo te puedo decir que cuando le terminas gritando a tus fans “ Esto es lo mejor! Este es el mas grande”, eso hace que algunos dejen de escuchar.

También cuando me refiero a casos de fatiga no es solo para los lectores, es caso de fatiga en el interior de la editorial, es un caso de fatiga dentro de la comunidad creativa. Hay un montón de ese material moviéndose donde  comienzas  a escuchar que tus creadores y editores hablan sobre el cansancio que viene  al poner esos eventos juntos. En nuestro caso, estamos viendo esto y decimos “es buen tiempo  de regresar a esto un poco” es bueno para nuestros lectores, es bueno para nuestros creadores y para nuestra división de publicaciones tomar un descanso, echar un vistazo a lo que nuestros creadores quieren hacer con las historias que ellos quieren contar. Francamente veo este tiempo en particular como una inversión para nuestro futuro. Está claro en  nuestras cabezas que podemos escavar o explotar las cabezas de  nuestros lectores una que otra vez.

De nuevo, dentro del mundo de crear historias y crear entretenimiento  donde hay un flujo y reflujo. Y algunas veces tienes que regresar y tratar de sentirlas y saber que estamos dentro. Esto es algo que  aprendido, regresar a re-crear  una historia de 22 páginas, ver los momentos de quietud, construir los crescendo y saber cuando soltarlo de nuevo para prepararse para la siguiente gran explosión. No es distinto cuando se crean historias para todo un universo.

Creo que  hay un punto cuando  digo caso de fatiga donde necesitas recargar tus baterías, si no, eventualmente vas a cometer un gran error, y cuando  eso pasa es que los eventos se convertirán en algo en lo que  no puedes confiar, se convierte en una herramienta que no puedes usar. Cuando hablo con los artistas jóvenes, hablo  de usar una pagina completa o usar bordes de viñetas  tan explosivas que el arte se vuelve tridimensional como sea posible dentro de una página de dos dimensiones, pero si lo haces en todas las páginas, eventualmente el lector se cansa.

¿Que piensas de la creación de DC Entertainment?, El anuncio vino días después del trato con Disney, asi que la gente dice “DC le está respondiendo a Marvel” lo que es medio loco, porque esas cosas toman meses y meses para lograrse, pero fue muy curioso.

JQ- Es una teoría interesante, como sea, la especulación es solo eso, habiendo sido victima de las especulaciones ocasionales en internet en mi época, no tomo nada de esas cosas en serio. Me di cuenta de que la  gente crea historias en su cabeza, pero eso es de lo que se tratan los comics, crear historias ¿No? Francamente  no me creo mucho esas teorías y solo asumo que ellos tienen un plan  y están soltando información como ellos deciden hacerlo y  realmente para ser honestos,  si ellos soltaron la info como respuesta a lo de Disney, ¿y que? Realmente ¿Qué diferencia hace? Estoy seguro de ellos tienen esos planes en curso ahora.

“Dig, Dug, Damn!” is a series of posts where I talk about things I like, love, and enjoy more than anything else in the world.  It’s pretty much a top list for my life.  Note: Everything listed is really, really great.

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Playboy magazine

I like to read the articles.  Seriously.  No, not in that crazy moon language on the cover of the one pictured, but in English.  It’s painfully well written and is, in my humble opinion, the best written periodical in the world.  It’s varied coverage and from-the-left-but-kind-to-the-right reporting is addictive and unarguably intelligent.  I understand the stigma people have with it being a fantasy magazine and such, but I don’t see what one thing has to do with one another.  It’s bunk I can’t read a copy openly in public, which is why I came up with the idea of Playboy Lite, the articles-only version.  Putting this out would allow people to not have to wait until they get home to grab their copy from under the mattress where it stays hidden from the wife, and increase the public opinion of what the publication is really all about and earn it sophistication points.  Brilliant, right?  I know.  Really, though, I love Playboy and reading about breasts the world at large. (playboy.com)

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Howard T. Duck

A personal hero of mine.  First of all, the film Howard the Duck was incredible and if you disagree you are dead wrong.  It is the best production ever touched by George Lucas (better even than Star Bores), and is the Citizen Kane of Jeffery Jones vehicles (better even than the damn fine Beetlejuice).  The incredibly sexy Lea Thompson was killer in it, and the laughs were a plenty.  I love it so much I have it on my Samsung Eternity.  Live action aside, his comics are some of the best action-comedy ever written.  I mean, it’s such a jovial, if dark, and silly property and Marvel can’t find more use for Ducky and Bev?  A new on-going should be started, with portions being given to different artists and writers, a way for them to recharge their batteries and have fun with something bizzare that isn’t as constrained by continuity complications like every other title out there.  Do you hear me, Joe Quesada?  Take notes.  Furthermore, Howard and Beverly are a real inspiration when it comes to breaking down the walls of hatred and bigotry in the world and where were they in all the chaos of Obama’s election and his subsequent appearances in titles across the comic shop wall?  They could have really taught us all a kick-ass lesson with the new President in tow, but they weren’t allowed a voice and that is so sad to me.  Like, I want to cry, because I’m a huge baby, but also because getting a new fix for my Howard addiction is as rare as me not being awesome.  Please provide me with more stories.  I’ll be your best friend, Joe.  I’ll do whatever you request of me.

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Demetria Devonne Lovato

This may take some explaining.  Okay, here goes- I plain think she’s awesome.  Of course there is the fact that she is both adorable and gorgeous, sometimes simultaneously, but I genuinely enjoy Sonny With A Chance, happily admit her two albums have some real jams on them, and even got a creepy kick when Robert Knepper was getting inappropriate with her on Prison Break.  She seems intelligent and earnest, and a person as devoted to their best friend as she is can’t be all bad.  Heck, I even like Selena’s Wizards of Waverly Place, and what started as a curiosity as to what all the hoopla was about Disney properties has turned to fandom for the young ladies, esp. Demi.  And while it may seem weird to like a girl that is currently 17, I was once 17 and things I once liked I still like on a certain level.  That is true for everyone on Earth and if you claim otherwise you are a liar with pants aflame.  (demilovato.com)

Dear Mister Quesada,

I’d like to formally apologize for the snarky aside I made about “Brand New Day” in the panel, even though it’s not on YouTube yet, and according to the modern digital world, it doesn’t exist. I’m not a huge Spidey fan, and I understand the want to maintain character longevity. I just feel like there are different ways to go about it; after all, Daredevil’s been outed twice, disbarred once, and has had several of his girlfriends die on him, not to mention spending time in prison. Granted, there was that whole Clone Saga, but seriously – compared to Ol’ Hornhead, Spidey has it real easy, and not once has Matt Murdock’s life been in need of a retroactive continuity change.

But, through all of that, you see one shining attribute – persistence. Matt Murdock doesn’t give up. Matt Murdock is the Rocky Balboa of superheroes. Sure, he has a radar sense, but other than that, he’s a physically normal human being, trying to stand toe to toe with the Clubber Langs and Ivan Dragos and the Kingpins. He gets beat down, stomped on, pushed to the limits of his sanity – he knows what comes, and he still keeps going. At times, it’s heroic, like Rocky I or IV; other times, it’s tragic, like Rocky Balboa or Rocky II. Other, other times, it’s just plain cheese, like Rocky V. It doesn’t matter. He just keeps going.

I’m positive this is the way with Spidey as well, but to me, Spiderman’s always been emblematic of what young life is. You struggle to find your way in the world, you meet the girl, you get the job, and you make your hard choices. But, at some point, I feel like Spiderman should be changing diapers. That’s just how it goes. You marry the girl, Aunt May dies, and after a long night of tears, you move on. You try to make sense of your life, and that’s where the kid comes in. You find a new purpose to keep doing what you’re doing, until you reach a kind of Quixotic end, where you decide, “You know what? Maybe the best death for a hero is a normal death. A quiet one, with friends and family. Nothing spectacular. No saving babies from a burning building, no brilliant fight to the end. Just the people who matter most.”

That’s the way I feel Spiderman should be. While Matt Murdock is Marvel’s Rocky Balboa – the enduring warrior, persistence in the face of suffering, triumph in the face of adversity – Spiderman is the one who says, “Once you get through it all, and you’ve had your hard times – life is pretty awesome.” He’s George Bailey, right at the end of “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Scratch that – he IS George Bailey. He’s a smart-alecky, swing-from-buildings, fight-the-Goblin George Bailey. He has some rough patches, but either by himself or with a little help, he always gets to swing above the clouds and see the sun.

So, for Matt Murdock’s sake, let Spidey have the kid. Let Aunt May die. While some heroes are made to suffer, and to quote Glenn Danzig, are “born in the soul of misery”, Spiderman is not one of them. He’s the hero that deserves something resembling a happy ending, and I sincerely hope that he gets it.

All the best,

Brian A. Lynch
a.k.a Brian St. Claire

No, bringing up the major crossover from the mid ’90s.  I’ve been occasionally viewing message boards and forums and have spotted a common theme: DC vs. Marvel.  Some seem to believe that DC is a mess while others think that Quesada and Bendis are driving Marvel into the ground.  There is an argument for both, but let’s try to calmly break this down.

Major Crossovers:

The last big head to head matchup as far as crossovers go was DC’s Final Crisis and Marvel’s Secret Invasion.  If I recall correctly, Secret Invasion outsold Final Crisis.  So according to the market, Marvel won this round.  However, if you actually read these, there was no discernable difference.  They were both pretty bad, with huge plot holes and overwhelming thoughts on the philosophies of both worlds that detracted from the story.  Neither one was self-contained or able to stand on  its own without help from dozens of tie-ins, and just in general felt empty.  While Final Crisis was well-written and had great art from J.G. Jones and Doug Manke, it was just too much philosophy and not enough action.  Way too complex, and the ending was  mess and a half.  Secret Invasion set up this complex saga which ended with Norman Osbourne shooting the Skrull Queen in the head.  Norman Osbourne shoots her in the head.  That’s it.  The aftermath of both series, I think, has been grossly overblown.  The general “villains take over” approach to Marvel has been disasterous and an entirely predictable story, while the DC aftermath has been kind of lukewarm at best.  Battle for the Cowl and the Batman books have been fairly solid, but it’s very inconsistent.

Creative Directions:

So DC has Dan Didio, Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, and Greg Rucka setting the tone for the DCU.  Marvel, meanwhile, has Joe Quesada, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, and Matt Fraction guiding things there.

Now, this is interesting.  Johns and Morrison have done great stuff with so many titles, it’s hard for me to argue against anything DC does.  They both work at such a high level, it’s got to be hard to keep it up consistently.  I mean Morrison pretty much abandoned runs on the Authority and WildCATS purely because he overextended himself.

However, I’m not a huge fan of Greg Rucka.  I think he’s entirely too quick to bring in Lesiban themes (Beyond Final Crisis: Revelations and Wonder Woman: the Hiketeia, I don’t think I’ve read a story where some form of Lesbianism was not a prominent part of the plot), and his writing at times can be annoying.  As I recall, Ed Brubaker left DC because he wasn’t really being brought in on the planning for Infinite Crisis and the aftermath.  Him and Rucka worked together a lot, and I think DC felt like they had to choose one as their favorite.  If that was the case, I think they chose the wrong one.  I think Brubaker’s writing is clearly superior to Rucka’s, and would have been a better fit to work with Morrison and Johns on 52 and the stories leading up to Final Crisis.  I’m sure people would disagree with that, but that is my opinion.

I think there was some Editorial failures on Final Crisis, such as Legion of Three Worlds finishing until five months after the rest of Final Crisis was over and done with.

Marvel, meanwhile, has a slightly different approach.  With Joe Quesada running things, they’ve done a lot of head-scratchers lately.  I’m going to do an entry about One More Day and how it should have ended later, but for now we’ll keep it general.  Quesada has pretty much let Bendis do whatever he wants, and the direction here is kind hazy.  Dark Reign and the whole villains taking over thing has been fairly hit or miss to me.  Loeb’s run on the Hulk has been fairly disasterous.  The only reason I even care about that book now is to see if I’m right about who Rulk and She-Rulk actually are.

Not to say that all of Marvel has gone to crud.  Brubaker and Fraction have been quietly revamping characters like Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Iron Man, and the X-Men.  They’re doing great stuff.

This is to take nothing away from what Quesada has done for Marvel in his time as Editor in Chief.  When he started, the company was bankrupt.  Since then, it’s become something Disney actually wanted to buy.   And they have told some great stories with him as the Editor In Chief. I just think annoiting Bendis as the guiding force of the Marvel Universe was a bad move.  His stories are haphazard, his dialog is almost painful to read at times, he barely has an understanding of many of the characters… yet he’s pretty much setting the direction of the Marvel Universe?  I just don’t get that one.  I don’t see where his writing is all that appealing.  I mean, Marvel has had Morrison, Warren Ellis, Brubaker, Fraction, Dan Slott, Mark Waid, J. Michael Straczynski (Despite One More Day, he’s a good writer), Duane Swierczynski, and Mark Millar working there in the last ten years… and Bendis is the one they want setting the direction?

Overall:

Okay.  looking at it from a purely business standpoint, Marvel would appear to be doing better.  Sales, they’re dominating.  That’s always been the case.  However, if you just look at the general stories, I would argue that DC is telling stories on a higher level.  Not much higher, but definitely a more enjoyable read.  Anyway, here’s my rant about how Marvel shouldn’t be perceived as “better” than DC.  Both companies have their great stories and their overrated stories.

Squirrel Girl will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Deadpool movie. That is the rumor swirling around the internet, although we have not been able to find any evidence to confirm it. The only photograph of a potential film version of Doreen Green is RabidPotato’s prototype costume shown above.

However far-fetched the movie speculation may be, Joe Quesada just spilled some spicy beans about Squirrel Girl’s potential role in Marvel Comics’ biggest storyline in an interview with Comic Book Resources.

Kiel Phegley: The boards have been seeing a lot of traffic since the announcements at the Retailer Summit and that comes with a lot of questions. One of the most prominent discussions has revolved around the mystery character Norman Osborn has used to keep the Cabal in line and who that could be, with board member Monty_Cristo echoing a lot of people with, “I keep saying it and people keep ignoring me. Osborn’s in power because of Spider-man’s deal with Mephisto. I thought it was a no-brainer,” while others have started to expect Marvelman to pop up during “Siege.” Between the devil and the big blue Brit, how close are fans to guessing the shadowy figure, and what role will that character play in “Siege?”

Joe Quesada: It’s actually Squirrel Girl, sorry to have to spoil it for everyone.

Whether Quesada’s tongue-in-cheek revelation is only a fluffy-tailed joke or not, the rumors of a movie version are surely simple fanboy speculation. The only thing we know for certain is that we got Squirrel Girl included in the Vs. System Trading Card Game. Everything else is gossip and gravy.

O editor chefe da Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada esteve na Comic-Con de Nova York e falou sobre como anda o filme The First Avenger: Captain America.

Quesada disse que já leu um roteiro inicial e disse que o filme  “vai deixar todo mundo empolgado. É um tipo de filme bem inesperado”, e ainda acrescentou “Prepara o filme dos Vingadores de uma maneira fantástica”.

Sobre quem será o ator que interpretará o herói, Quesada disse que o Marvel Studios tem longa lista secreta de possíveis atores. Aproveitando o assunto não posso deixar de comentar alguns nomes que gostaria de ver na pele do Capitão. O ator Michael C.Hall lembra bastante o personagem, mas já que a Marvel prefere atores menos conhecidos, uma boa dica seria o taletoso ator Kevin Mckidd (o Dr. Hunt de Grey’s Anatomy).

Mas o fato curioso é todo esse mistério que cerca o filme do Capitão América, já que a estreia está marcada para 22 de julho de 2011, pouco tempo depois da estreia do filme do Thor, projeto que já tem trama e elenco definido. Tomara que todo esse cuidado seja um sinal de que a Marvel está fazendo um filme que honre a história do personagem.

Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada briefly discussed the Captain America script during a Q&A session at NYC’s Comic-Com. “I’ve seen a couple of outlines and an initial screenplay, and it’s going to rock everyone’s socks off…it’s very unexpected, the kind of movie it is,” Quesada says.

Captain American, along with Marvel’s other planned blockbuster Thor, will set up The Avengers storyline, with Iron Man 3 most likely joining the trinity. Who will play Army officer Steve Rogers is still uncertain, but superstars like Matthew McConaughey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith have all been linked to the project. Hope the budget is there.

El capitán América, ¿la piedra angular de los Vengadores?

Comic Book Resources tuvo una sesión de preguntas y respuestas con el editor en jefe de la Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada en la Comic-Con de Nueva York. Este nos dio un update sobre la cinta “The First Avenger: Captain America”:

“He visto unas cuantas notas y el inicio del guión y a todo mundo se le van a caer los calzones” Dice Quesada. “este tipo de película no se espera por la forma en la que es además de que la cinta del Capitán América acomoda a “The Avengers” en una manera “fantástica”.

El editor nos comenta también de que hay una lista de la cual muchos actores desean interpretar al héroe. Samuel L. Jackson es uno de los protagonistas de este cómic y que la Paramount y Marvel Studios quieren estrenar a partir del 22 de julio del 2011. Los Vengadores se estrenarían el 4 de mayo del 2012.

Hacia tiempo que no comentaba nada sobre el estado de películas como esta, a pesar de que han surgido numerosas noticias sobre otros proyectos similares como el futuro de “Spiderman”, el cast de “Thor” o cosas relacionadas con esos crossovers que tiene Marvel planeados para sus películas, y que cuando tenga un poco de tiempo comentaré.

Pues lo dicho, los de Comic Book Resources tuvieron la oportunidad de entrevistar a Joe Quesada, actual redactor jefe de Marvel Comics, sobre el estado de la adaptación al cinematográfica de El Capitán America. «He tenido la oportunidad de ver un par de bocetos y de leer un guión inicial del film y me ha dejado fascinado. Estoy seguro que asombrará a los espectadores, no es para nada la película que todo el mundo está esperando», comento Quesada además soltó algunas joyas como que ya disponen de una lista de candidatos para hacerse con el papel y que esta cinta, será la que «enriquecerá “The Avengers” de manera asombrosa».

O que diabos eu tenho feito nestas últimas duas décadas de hiato? Nem ao menos um murmúrio solitário em meio a este vazio de posts que insistem em se perpetuar por este blog, né? – (rhetorical question detected!). Se o Slowpoke aí do lado já não tivesse me justificado, confesso que ficaria tentando me justificar aqui. Felizmente não é por tal motivo que venho quebrar meu jejum de posts. Há muito tempo que não falo sobre quadrinhos, e é exatamente sobre isso que os próximos parágrafos se focarão.

Adiquiri nas últimas semanas alguns encadernados da Panini. Dois deles excepcionais, tanto em roterio quanto em arte. O outro não empolga tanto, mas acredito que devo tecer alguns comentários menos elogiosos, mas ainda assim importantes.

Demolidor: Diabo da Guarda

Sem dúvida a obra prima do diretor do fodástico Clerks (O Balconista), Kevin Smith, para o mundo dos quadrinhos. Com um texto excepcional, Smith consegue aproveitar um dos mais desrespeitados vilões do universo do Homem Aranha, o Mysterio. Utiliza uma narrativa soberba, com inúmeras referências à misticismo, histórias bíblicas e elementos do universo do próprio Homem Aranha e Demolidor. Com a participação brilhante de Dr Estranho e Viúva Negra – que por sinal estará no próximo filme do Homem de Ferro. Umas das melhores histórias do Demolidor que já li, altamente recomendada para fãs e para os curiosos que querem adentrar ao mundo dos quadrinhos. A arte fica por conta do competente desenhista, e atual editor da Marvel, Joe Quesada, com cores de Jimmy Palmiotti.

SINOPSE

Uma adolescente apavorada em fuga. Um bebê que, para alguns, é o salvador da humanidade. Uma ex-amante abalada por um terrível segredo. Um sócio acusado de um crime terrível. Uma cidade dominada por uma inescrutável ameaça. Eles precisam de um guardião. Alguém para protegê-los. Um homem de fé. Eles precisam do Demolidor. O roteirista e diretor Kevin Smith (O Balconista) une-se ao desenhista Joe Quesada para narrar uma das mais marcantes sagas do Homem Sem Medo na década de 1990, integralmente reunida, pela primeira vez, numa imperdível edição especial encadernada. Não perca!
(Daredevil 1-8; Daredevil 1/2)
Edição especial, formato americano, 212 páginas, papel LWC, R$ R$ 28,90, distribuição setorizada

Capitão América: Operação Renascimento

Razoável. Essa palavra define esta história de Mark Waid. Em uma trama que envolve a ex-agente da SHIELD, Sharon Carter, uma das paixões de Steve Rogers; o maior rival do herói, o Caveira Vermelha; e até Adolf Hitler (sim, acredite!) entre outros. O mundo acredita que o Capitão está morto, mas sua vida é salva por um procedimento complexo de transfusão sanguínia. A equipe responsável? Sharon Carter (que aparentemente estava morta) e o Caveira Vermelha! A primeira parte é bem boring, mas do meio para o final fica um pouco mais interessante. Muitos clichês e roteiro fraco. A arte fica a encargo de Ron Garney, e devo admitir que é muito boa. Na época, Garney era visto como o “cara que nasceu para desenhar Capitão América”. Devo admitir que ele fez um bom trabalho.

SINOPSE

Mais uma vez, o mundo acredita que o Capitão América está morto, mas sua vida foi salva por alguém que ele julgava perdida para sempre: a agente da SHIELD Sharon Carter, que Steve Rogers viu perecer nas chamas muito tempo atrás! Mas o outrora verdadeiro amor do herói o resgatou apenas para ajudar seu mais mortal inimigo, o Caveira Vermelha, que não pode conquistar o mundo até que ele e o Capitão impeçam Adolf Hitler e o Cubo Cósmico de fazer isso primeiro! Trabalhar com um terrível mal para deter outro custará ao Sentinela da Liberdade seu posto de principal protetor estadunidense?
(Captain America 444 a 448, 450 a 454)
Edição especial encadernada, formato americano, 268 páginas, papel Pisa-brite, R$ 29,90, distribuição setorizada

O Invencível Homem de Ferro: Extremis

Se uma palavra definia o quadrinho anterior, para este aqui eu só preciso de duas: Warren Ellis. Fantástico. A saga pós Vingadores: A Queda, é feita com uma competência admirável. Em um roteiro que mescla biotecnologia, a personalidade controversa de Tony Stark e elementos que fazem referência ao surgimento do Homem de Ferro. Extremis é um experimento capaz de elevar as capacidades fisicas do ser humano, algo como o soro do supersoldado – só que mais bizarro. Em um dado momento, um homem com poderes sobre-humanos aparece e o Homem de Ferro tenta detê-lo, mas é derrotado facilmente. Tony então tem de rever suas estratégias e solucionar quem é este ser e o que este experimento Extremis significa. É nesta saga que Tony Stark ganha as capacidades que o define nas histórias atuais, como se conectar à satélites e invadir sistemas remotos, sem precisar munir-se de sua armadura. Com a arte brilhante de Adi Granov, que é deveras perturbadora em determinados momentos, Extremis entra para o hall das melhores histórias já feitas sobre o personagem.

SINOPSE

O renomado roteirista Warren Ellis une forças com o aclamado ilustrador Adi Granov para redefinir o mundo do vingador blindado para o século 21 — um cenário de aterrorizantes tecnologias que ameaçam sobrepujar a frágil espécie humana! O que é o Extremis, quem o liberou e o que seu surgimento pressagia para o mundo? Descubra nesta espetacular edição especial encadernada, que reúne as seis primeiras histórias do Vingador Dourado em sua fase pós-Vingadores: A Queda!
(Iron Man 1-6)
Edição especial, formato americano, 156 páginas, papel LWC, R$ 22,90, distribuição setorizada

Li ainda o encadernado Lanterna Verde: Crepúsculo Esmeralda e Novo Amanhecer e as mensais Trindade #1 e #2, que não são tão boas. Mas sobre estes ei de comentar em uma outra oportunidade.

PS: Também fiz uma resenha de “A Prô” de Garth Ennis para o Ambrosia. Clique aqui para conferir!

Wie schon beschrieben, sind Motion Comcis ein neues Medium, mit dem Marvel versucht neue Leser bzw. ‘Seher’ zu erreichen.  Der Chefredakteur von Marvel ‘Joe Quesada’ (früherer Zeichner, unter anderem von Daredevil, geschrieben von Kevin Smith) und der aktuelle Zeichner von Spider-Woman ‘Alex Maleev’ geben in diesem Interview Auskunft, was das besondere an diesem Medium für sie ist. Für die technisch Interessierten, die Buben bei Marvel arbeiten hierbei mit Adobe Premiere und After Effects.

The Trouble with Comics site recently conducted an interview with Image Comics own Erik Larsen.  The state of the comics market, both direct and newsstand, is discussed.

Check out the interview HERE.

There’s a short, but nifty video right here in which Marvel head honcho Joe Quesada gives a casual tour of the offices including their walls of covers, and licensed products, digital studio and a rather unimpressive kitchen. It’s one of the newest videos on Slate.com’s Cubez series.

La columna de esta semana  se esta escribiendo en los momentos en que el sur de la  península de Baja California , lugar en donde el autor de este escrito tiene su humilde casa, esta siendo amenazada por  el Huracán Jimena,  pero la amenaza de tormenta a causado menos impacto en éste que les escribe que la noticia que  Marvel Entertainment  será adquirida por Walt Disney Company, por supuesto, este anuncio ha generado todo tipo de reacciones,  principalmente malas, vamos aundado en el  tema:

El día lunes  el mundo financiero y del entretenimiento se sacudió con la noticia, Walt Disney Company adquirirá la compañía Marvel Entertainment,  por un total de 4 billones de dólares,  lo que  la convierte  no en el accionista mayoritario, sino en el dueño de la compañía de historietas,  diversas reacciones se han dejado sentir desde el anuncio, vamos  recapitulando varias de ellas:

1-Joe Quesada:   “Se siente como la mañana de Navidad, no había visto tanta excitación en los pasillos de Marvel desde, bueno, ¡Desde siempre!  Si estás familiarizado con la relación Disney/Pixar, entonces entenderás por que esto es un nuevo amanecer  para Marvel y la Industria de los comics” “Todos tomen un gran respiro, todos sus comics favoritos permanecerán sin cambios, esta es una increíble noticia y es bueno para el Marvel Universe”.

2-“Creo que solo puede ser algo bueno para Marvel” dijo el escritor de comics Mike carey “tener un gigante multimedia en tu espalda te da seguridad y la seguridad te da la libertad de tomar riesgos mayores, no es que Marvel alguna vez haya sido llamada tímida, además, esos rumores que esparcí sobre Donald y Minnie fueron de muy mal gusto y me disculpo por ello”

3-Kurt Busiek: “veo a los fanáticos  hablando sobre  Pixar X-Men o hablar sobre Hannah Montana uniéndose a los Avengers, o esperando que Disney despida inmediatamente  a Joe Quesada y reinstale la clase de comics que ellos solían amar cuando Disney no tenia interés en Marvel, mi reacción es que esto cambiará las cosas,  podría cambiarlas de buena manera, o de mala manera, o quizá una mezcla de las dos, no hay manera de decirlo aun”.

4-Stan Lee: “ Creo que es lo mejor para las dos compañías, la sincronía es perfecta, Disney hace grandes películas, pero  necesitas un tema para hacer alguna de ellas, Marvel tiene un catalogo de mas de 5,000 personajes, ciertamente la mitad de ellos seria una gran película, “

En el blog de Marvel México la noticia fue fría, Giobany Arévalo posteó la noticia y los que se encargaron de calentar el ambiente fueron los asudios fans del mentado blog,  y aquí mismo en cultura comic, después de la nota que subiera HGarza, de inmediato los mensajes comenzaron a aumentar, tratando de pensar con la cabeza fría, es muy complicado, pero haciendo un increíble esfuerzo, podemos pensar en cual es la empresa que se beneficia mas.

Disney  se había sumido en un bache de miseria creativa hace algunos años, recordemos como  salieron al mercado películas como La Sirenita 2, Bambi 2, etcétera, deformando aun mas, los clásicos cuentos que los hermanos Grimm crearon hace ya muchísimos años, vamos, incluso la  película que revivió a Disney a principios de los años noventa, El Rey León, se vió acusada y demandada, por haberse fusilado casi completamente  la obra de Osamu Tezuka, llamada Kimba, The White Lion, , hasta que  apareció Pixar, que comenzó a darle un aparente   oasis de creatividad con películas   con una alta calidad de animación, pero con historias  varias veces fusiladas, al cabo que los adolescentes de ahora no se dan cuenta de que Cars es  una mala copia de Doctor Hollywood, o que Wall-E es igualito al de aquel robot a finales de los 80 de las películas llamadas Corto Circuito…

Marvel estaba en bancarrota a mediados de los 90, y parecía el final, hasta que se comenzaron a hacer cambios en la empresa y un tal Joe Quesada tomó las riendas de la empresa, con Quesada, Marvel  ha reflejado un aumento significativo en sus ventas, es cierto que ha tenido momentos muy polémicos, que han ocasionado el desagrado de sus fans, pero se ha mantenido en el tope de las ventas, lo cual a dejado a la compañía muy bien plantada financieramente, ya se hablaba antes aquí en culturacomic, como  en las ventas de hace algunos meses, solamente Batman había rivalizado con los comics de la Casa de las Ideas, Marvel se ha enfocado a la producción de películas de sus personajes, la mayoría con gran éxito,  la unión de las dos compañías parece rara a primera vista, pero si nos detenemos a pensar esto convierte a Disney/Pixar/Marvel en una de las compañías mas poderosas en el mundo del entretenimiento, pudiendo abarcar el mercado de las películas, videojuegos, comics, Figuras de acción, dvd y demás cosas relacionadas al mundo del entretenimiento, en este punto las cosas se notan positivas, recordemos además que entre las otras compañías que integran el emporio Disney están  los canales deportivos ESPN, así como ABC, Touchstone,  Miramax y demás compañías, ahora con  la adición de Marvel estamos hablando de que se controlara casi todo el mercado del entretenimiento y como los cómics son una parte importante de este rubro en el mundo.

Ahora, otro punto importante es el de la competencia,  DC es parte del mismo grupo de compañías que Time, Warner Brothers y AOL, aun así,  no sobrepasa a Marvel, quien se mantenía por si misma, aun con todo ese respaldo, la pelea entre DC y Marvel por controlar el mercado de las historietas es férrea, ¿Que pasará ahora que Marvel tendrá esta inyección de capital y  mercadotecnia? ¿sobrepasará a DC? ¿Como reaccionará la distinguida competencia ante esto? Algunos han ido mas allá y en el blog de Marvel México alguien decía como quedaría la relación Marvel/Televisa, dado los acuerdos y cercanía que han tenido desde hace ya años Disney y Tv Azteca, veremos que es lo que nos depara el futuro,  a pesar de las palabras de Quesada, ¿Por que tenemos este sentimiento de  que las cosas no se ven como nos la pintan? La respuestas las tendremos pronto, cuando la polvareda se asiente y veamos cuales son los rumbos que se toman con esta nueva alianza, por lo pronto seguimos invitándolos a que participen en esta su página favorita culturacomic.

Last weekend, I attended Fan Expo 2009 in Toronto, Canada, a convention featuring science fiction, comics, anime, horror, and games. I paid the most attention to the comics stream (obviously) and attended panels by five publishers and sat in on two sessions by Len Wein (creator of Wolverine, some of the New X-Men, Swamp Thing, etc). Here’s what I pulled out of it, straight to you, hot off the presses.

Aspen MLT Inc

Frank Mastromauro, Peter Steigerwald, Joe Benitez, Micah Gunnall, Mark Roslan, Alex Konat, Dave Wohl and Marcus To did the A to Z of Aspen comics. It’s hard to believe that Fathom is ten years old and finishing its third arc, and that it’s got a movie deal. Soulfire, Aspen’s other flagship book, is five years old. Aspen has lots of other great titles on the go, including Dellec, Shrugged and especially Executive Assistant Iris. Part of this year’s business strategy will be to do more trades so that fans can easily catch up on their books as new story arcs come out. Executive Assistant Iris also seems to be laying the groundwork for other executive assistant books and stories that would really round out that milieu.

Marvel Digital panel

Joe Quesada showed off the Spider-Woman and Astonishing X-Men motion comics. This was the first time I’d seen either one, and I was impressed, but not sold of the medium. I asked a question about the business model, and they’re using access to motion comics through iTunes sales as a platform to reach new audiences. Smart idea, I hope it works. My only question here is, since when did Jessica Drew get a British accent? Maybe I missed something in Secret Invasion.

DC Universe Editorial Presentation

Dan Didio and a big DC contingent talked shop for an hour and answered questions from all comers. One of the most interesting things I found about this was the focus that DC is doing on each of its eight cornerstone franchises. The franchises are obviously Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman, as well as the three team franchises: the JLA, the JSA and the Titans. One question that came up was “Where’s the love for Aquaman?” Didio diplomatically and rightly pointed out that Aquaman was never really that popular (same with Hawkman). Sure, they both have fans, but they don’t have the same draw as the flagship characters. Neither has the same sort of unambiguous, iconic image in the public’s eye that someone like Batman does. And, with a cast of characters as large as DC has, it makes sense to focus on a few flagship brands, make them really good, so that you can do more stuff with the people and characters and situations around them. I think it’s a great decision and I was pleased to hear that Wonder Woman was part of the lovin’ too.

Cup o’ Joe

Joe Quesada took us on a review of the Marvel universe, but mostly answered questions. One of the most important things for me, personally, was hearing the news about Marvel’s submission policy for people who want to write for Marvel. That was why I went to the con, and I was pleased that I was able to talk to C.B. Cebulski afterwards to get more details. In the session, I asked Joe a question about the Immortal Iron Fist, and how I thought it was a really quality book, but since it didn’t hold the readers in numbers to justify keeping it around, what could they have done differently creatively? There were also plans for Danny Rand after the current Immortal Weapons miniseries. They called it a cooling off period to build up anticipation. I hope it works. IIF was a brilliant series. Someone else asked a question about Dr. Strange, and I was glad to hear that Marvel had plans for him as well.

BOOM! Studios

BOOM! Studios really gave the impression of being dynamic and on the go. They’re hitting new markets, acquiring licenses left and right, looking at new distribution systems, and putting out quality books. Very impressive… They rightly pointed out the sales successes of Irredeemable and Unknown, and especially the artists that they were able to pull in who wanted a chance to work with Mark Waid. Everyone should be keeping an eye on BOOM!

As the whole world will now know, Disney has bought Marvel Entertainment Inc for $4 billion. My first thought was alarm – Marvel has spent the last 10 years moving forward away from a corporate owner who had rabidly emasculated it. Marvel Comics at least under editor-in-chief Joe Quesada since 2000 has rediscovered what made its characters cool, be it Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch’s Ultimates, Ed Brubaker’s Captain America or Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man – does the Disney deal now put all that at risk? Quesada himself thinks not:

If you’re familiar with the Disney/Pixar relationship, then you’ll understand why this is a new dawn for Marvel and the comics industry.

It’s a salient point I think. And I think that those of us in our thirties and forties regularly forget the danger which comics find themselves in this decade – they simply aren’t replenishing their market. We may like that Quesada et al have pandered to our needs for the last decade, but the kids the business needs in order to survive into the next few decades simply aren’t there. Will Disney provide the means for that to happen? If so then this really is a good thing. As Film School Rejects say:

4. Disney is a brand machine. From a film marketing standpoint — and for that matter, a brand marketing standpoint — Disney is a powerhouse. Pirate of the Caribbean, the films of Pixar and all the way down to television with shows such as Lost via their ownership of ABC, Disney knows how to sell a brand. And selling the Marvel brand means more Marvel fans, more recognition in the mainstream and for those of us keeping score, more money down the road to make Marvel movies.

Despite initial alarm, I’m now cautiously optimistic.

Essa é provavelmente a maior mudança no mundo do entretenimento em 2009. A Disney divulgou, em seu site oficial, a compra da maior empresa de quadrinhos do mundo, a Marvel Entertainment. Segundo o comunicado oficial, os valores giram em torno de 4 bilhões de dólares, somando todas as ações da Casa das Idéias. Isso significa que Mickey Mouse e Homem-Aranha pertencem agora à mesma empresa.

A Marvel possui um acervo de mais de 5 mil personagens, entre eles o Capitão América, Homem de Ferro, Hulk, os X-Men e o Quarteto Fantástico. Para os fãs que ficaram preocupados com possíveis mudanças nas HQs, o editor-chefe da editora, Joe Quesada, twittou que isso não vai ocorrer.

Em contrapartida, o cinema vai contar com algumas novidades. Apesar dos contratos com a Fox (responsável por “Wolverine”), a Sony (“Homem-Aranha”) e a Paramount (“Homem de Ferro”) continuarem valendo – mesmo com o CEO Robert Iger afirmando que esse não é o melhor negócio – um dos chefões da Pixar, John Lasseter, deixou bem claro que uma parceria Pixar/Marvel já está sendo negociada.

Essa é a segunda grande compra da casa de Mickey Mouse desde o início da presidência de Iger, em 2005 (a primeira foi a própria Pixar, por U$ 7 bilhões).  Se considerarmos que  Marvel/Disney não estão entre as lideres apenas em quadrinhos e cinema – também criam uma quantidade imensa de bons  games, brinquedos e séries de TV – essas aquisições foram os 11 bilhões de dólares mais bem gastos da história.

X-Factor Fans können aufatmen. Im aktuellen Cup O’ Joe Interview auf CBR weist Quesada alle Gerüchte um Einstellung der Serie in einem kurzen Satz zurück:

Kiel Phegley: And on another bit of cancelled comics rumor control, CBR forum member Raptor wrote in, “’Exiles’ is being cancelled after a run shorter than ‘New Exiles.’ ‘X-Factor’ has no solicits beyond issue #50. The question I am getting at is will ‘X-Factor’ be cancelled soon? Also, I like many of the characters in both of these books. Namely Blink (‘Exiles’), Siryn, M, and Strong Guy (‘X-Factor’). Are there plans to utilize these characters when/if the books they star in are cancelled?”

Joe Quesada: Don’t worry, Raptor, “X-Factor” is far from cancelled. Stay tuned for an announcement regarding the future of the series at the Toronto Fan Expo. And as for Blink, lets just say that there’s a very good possibility that you’ll see her pop up somewhere down the road.