Actually, you would see that the biggest gift would be from Batman, because his secret identity is Bruce Wayne who is, like, stupid rich. Richer even than Aquaman who’s a fucking King for crying out loud.

By the by, Aquaman as Rose is what makes this work.

As mentioned previously, there’s also going to be a Silent Auction with some great items from artists all over to benefit the local chapter of the Ronald McDonald House.

See you there!

The Albany Comic Con goes down THIS SUNDAY at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany.

Guests include:

Although readers will have to wait until sometime in June — perhaps not coincidentally, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month — to learn which established DC Comics character will be reintroduced as gay, we already know at least two details: It’s a major character (better [...]]]> From the Robot 6 blog:

Although readers will have to wait until sometime in June — perhaps not coincidentally, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month — to learn which established DC Comics character will be reintroduced as gay, we already know at least two details: It’s a major character (better luck next time, Doll Man), and it’s a guy.

“One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June,” Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainment’s senior vice president of publicity, confirmed to ABC News following the weekend revelation by Co-Publisher Dan DiDio that the formerly heterosexual figure will become “one of our most prominent gay characters.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m a bit torn over how DC is handling this. On the one hand, it’s good for kids, particularly gay ones, to see a gay “major character” (as we know from past applications this term is subjective to the point of absurdity). Comics are on the extreme end of the escapist entertainment spectrum, so  it’s good to have a character that kids seeking a respite from day to day life can identify with. It has the potential to be comforting and inspiring.

And yet, the way it’s being hyped and teased comes across as DC whoring off what could be a very therapeutic and comforting thing for kids and turning it into a months-long tease to sell books. It almost borders on self-parody. I can see the posters now, with various characters silhouetted and “Who’s the Gay?!” in big bold letters.

To me it stinks of being exploitative and disingenuous. I think the bigger issue, though, is that it evokes an aura of mystery and suspicion that might not really be healthy and, as such, might be self-defeating. If there is any intent towards using this character to make people comfortable with gay people, challenge bigots, and especially help gay kids, it might be beneficial for Didio et al not to turn this into ballyhoo. Homosexuals struggle enough with acceptance and civil rights, so they might not be keen on being portrayed – even unintentionally – as a sideshow attraction.

The best thing in this sort of situation, IMO, is to not say anything until the character debuts. Put out that issue and have the character be gay. Then put out a press release the day and/or week that issue comes out that, in short, says “yep, deal with it.”

Of course, that’s my take on it, and given that I’m merely an observer it needs to be taken with a grain of salt and is of course open to any and all criticism. Would love to hear the take from those of you that identify as LGBT.

As much as my inner dork (which I hate talking about because it’s really not any different from any other type of fandom it’s just been given a pedestal it doesn’t deserve by marketers) wants so badly to part [...]]]> Hey folks. In case you didn’t know, there’s a little movie coming out called “The Avengers.”

As much as my inner dork (which I hate talking about because it’s really not any different from any other type of fandom it’s just been given a pedestal it doesn’t deserve by marketers) wants so badly to part with my hard-earned money to see The Hulk smash things while Iron Man flies around and Cap throws his shield and Thor throws his hammer and Hawkeye shoots arrows and we pretend it’s not ridiculous that he’s a part of this group and ditto for Black Widow, I have a moral conundrum.

Marvel’s poor treatment of Jack Kirby and his family’s estate in light of all he did for the “House of Ideas” is well documented. Really, the only reason Marvel gets as much of a pass as it does is because they’re not as awful as DC Comics has been to Siegel and Shuster and their respective estates. Stan Lee gets all the credit because he made a sweet deal with them and was a good talker. Kirby, on the other hand, was always a bit of a quiet guy. Raised in the inner-city with a hard-nosed work ethic, he shied away from attention and praise. It cost him dearly. Because even though he was probably more responsible for shaping Marvel and superhero comics as a whole than any other creator, Kirby’s name doesn’t appear on anything.

It won’t be anywhere in the credits for “The Avengers.” And that bothers me.

But as Robot 6 reports…

Fortunately, Jon Morris has an awesome solution. “So how about this?” he writes. “You’re probably going to go see The Avengers and, judging by the early reviews, you’ll probably enjoy it. How about — as a thank you to the creators who brought you these characters in the first place, who gave you something to enjoy so much — you match your ticket price as a donation to The Hero Initiative?”

Perfect.

http://www.heroinitiative.org/

The Hero Initiative was created to combat just this sort of injustice. From their website:

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

So here’s the challenge: make a donation to the Hero Initiative matching the cost of your ticket to “The Avengers”. Or, Hell, double it! While Marvel, Stan Lee, and the others rake in all the money with fake heroic exploits, you can make a real one. While actors play pretend at saving lives, you will be doing the real thing.

So. You in?

Instead, I will just say what a wonderful thing you missed if you weren’t there. The Holiday Inn on Wolf Road hosted [...]]]> I wanted to do a wonderful and inspiring write-up of the day I spent at the Albany Comic Con last Sunday, but time has been in short supply and life has not.

Instead, I will just say what a wonderful thing you missed if you weren’t there. The Holiday Inn on Wolf Road hosted the festivities as they have for several years now. Unlike last Spring, Sunday’s event was back to using both rooms for the Con, which gave more walking space and room to breathe the air shared by creators from stalwart writer Ron Marz to legendary penciler and inker Dick Ayers.

I spoke with Ron, who has encountered controversy in his return to DC Comics due to the setting of the first issue of “Voodoo,” part of the company’s much ballyhooed relaunch this Fall. Me and Ron have developed a friendly rapport over the last couple years stemming from our mutual involvement in the “Mockingbird Marathon” fundraise for Literacy Volunteers of the Capital Region, so I can’t and won’t deign to be wholly objective in the discussion. In case you don’t know, basically Ron is a mysognist and a monster. Well, not really, but that’s what a lot of comic readers on the internet would have you believe. The first issue of “Voodoo,” which is marketed and identified as a Teen book (meaning for more mature/developed readers), takes place in a strip club. It does not glorify the practice, nor is it objectifying in its context: the lead character is a shape-shifting alien who is a stripper for all of the first half of the book for reconaissance. I bought the first two issues from him and read them myself. I think the book and Ron are victims of the fallout from controversies stemming from other (and lesser) offerings birthed by DC’s relaunch; in particular the over-sexualization of the Catwoman character, who ends her first issue straddling Batman on a rooftop and engaging in intercourse with him. On the other hand, the best description I have for “Voodoo” is as sci-fi noir set in the DCU, and the various settings are appropriate for what it’s trying to accomplish. Whether one thinks that’s appropriate for a DC book is something to take up with editorial, not the creators.

I also saw another guy I worked with on the Marathon, Matthew Dow Smith, the penciller for IDW’s “Doctor Who” comics. I finally picked up a trade from him to read. Thus far I’ve only enjoyed his art from afar, which unlike so many other pencilers is stylistic and expressionist rather than trying to restrict itself to modern comic mores. In that sense I feel he’s reminiscent of Mike Mignola, though I’m sure more than one person would bristle at the suggestion. Matthew, in particular, will probably be a little embarrassed by the comparison, but hey, at least it’s a flattering one.

After talking to Matthew I was greeted with a hello from a stranger at an adjacent table. Ian Struckhoff, in an aggressive but pleasant pitch, introduced himself to me and shook my hand. He’s self-publishing writer and creator with a salesman’s knack for engagement. I had a really pleasant conversation with him about the creative process and his own imprint, Black Label Comics. When I got home I read the first issue of his title “The Dark Age,” about a female homicide detective on the trail of a killer who starts hearing about an angel. The issue reveals, through flashbacks, that magic was a very real and functioning aspect of our civilization until it was exterminated by military intervention during the Middle Ages (possibly, and it may be revealed in later issues, as part of the Crusades). The heavy premise could weigh down the book, but to his credit Ian keeps it light and only tells the reader what s/he needs to know to stay in the story. I was glad that the work lived up to the pitch and I’m intrigued to see more of it.

Later in the day I was shocked to see J.M. DeMatteis, who co-wrote and drew one of my favorite books of all time, Justice League International. I fanboyed a little bit, getting his autograph and gushing over his work. I hadn’t paid much attention to the marketing leading up to the Con since I was already going, so his presence was a genuine and pleasant surprise.

Da na nana nana nana da na nana nana nana HENRY

Then, of course, there’s the people walking the floors. Enthusiastic fans chatting up anyone and everyone around them, costumed anime characters, babies dressed as Robin (that’s Eric Newsom‘s adorable and sweet little two-month-old Henry), and a working replica of R2D2. The Con is, as expected, a strange and wonderful assortment of geekdom, but it’s also accessible to the layperson.

The only regret I have is that I was unable to get a moment with Dick Ayers, a truly great and sometimes overlooked artist from the 50s whose work on Western comic “Ghost Rider” (not to be confused with Marvel’s “Ghost Rider”) was incredible. He later worked for Marvel itself and became one of the best inkers the prolific and legendary Jack Kirby ever had. Thankfully, local blog Nippertown got a word with the man in the days leading up to the Con and has a nice little retrospective on his career.

They’ll be back again in the Spring for another Con, and so will I. The official site has more info at Albanycomicbookshow.com.

RECOMMENDED READING
Doctor Who Volume 3: Final Sacrifice (drawn by Matthew Dow Smith)
Doctor Who II Volume 2: When Worlds Collide (drawn by Matthew Dow Smith)
Artifacts Volume 1 TP(written by Ron Marz)
Samurai: Heaven And Earth (Samurai Heaven & Earth) (vol. 1) (written by Ron Marz)
Golden Age Ghost Rider (Dick Ayers)
Justice League International, Vol. 1 (JM DeMatteis)
Justice League International, Vol. 1 (JM DeMatteis)

In fairness, I did enjoy myself to an [...]]]>

"Thor" looks content, but at the same time is waiting for something wonderful to happen. After watching his film, I know the feeling. (Photo: Associated Press via Marvel Studios)

I finally saw “Thor,” the film adaptation of the Marvel Comics mythos based (loosely) on the character of the same name from Norse mythology. I sought refuge from God’s Judgment by going to another for escape, only to receive a hearty but unenthusiastic pat on the back.

In fairness, I did enjoy myself to an extent. It was a fun movie, and there were few glaring shortcomings. The dialogue and scene setups suffered from the dredgery of action film formulitis, but there have been far worse screenplays brought to life recently (in particular Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator,” a truly terrible and inorganic script made worse by overacting).

Everything else, however, was done adequately well. The casting was, for the most part, effective. Hopkins was a good fit for this version of Odin, played as a peacemaking King concerned with his ruthlessly aggressive elder son Thor and the younger Loki, who himself battles an obvious inferiority complex. The respective actors were able to portray not only their roles effectively but their relationships; at no point did you feel the trust Thor had for Loki waver, and to the credit of the script, it doesn’t give him much reason to. One of the main drags on the Thor comics under so many writers was that Loki was so far over the top he was hard to swallow and his treatment from his peers even harder. Why would anyone in Asgard trust someone who’s burned them so many times? Instead, “Thor” paints Loki as a jealous who is so effective in his manipulation that nobody – at times not even Loki himself – is aware of the depth of his deceptions and past or present trespasses. Actor Tom Hiddleton plays this balance well, only making a spectacle of the character when the character makes a spectacle of himself, particularly when his manipulations culminate in his ascendancy and his villainous status is fully realized. At no point do you question Loki’s motives or actions, and they come across as organic given the circumstances.

The same unfortunately can’t be said for Natalie Portman, who in this film collects a paycheck in the most pathetic and embarrassing manner possible as a wholly unbelievable pixie physicist, phoning in a performance so distractingly pedestrian at times that I nearly groaned. Chris Helmsworth, owing to his far more uncertain status in Hollywood, doest put in an effort and is far more believable despite having the more boisterous and ridiculous role.

The biggest problem in the film, however, comes with the fact that like so many other Marvel efforts, it seems more care was put into avoiding the pitfalls of comic book films rather than reaching to make the film better. “Thor” is enjoyable, but with such great resources at their disposal and especially the brilliant Kenneth Brannagh at the helm, the film revels in its mediocrity in a manner that’s equal parts disappointing and disillusioning. It’s a fine action film, but wholly absent is the sense of an epic that should accompany a character and events so powerful and grand in scale. “Thor” doesn’t reach or strive to be more than it is, a quality that made Christopher Nolan’s two films in the “Batman” franchise – “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” – universally praised and adored. Fans loathe the comparison and call it unfair, but how fair is it that so much money, hype, and talent is put forth towards a movie that presents itself as an all-out epic but then performs as a prelude to another, presumably better, film? Is it fair that, like “Iron Man 2,” we are asked to simply look past the film as a piece in its own right and instead think of it as a pre-requisite for a later course?

Ultimately, “Thor” doesn’t strive to be anything other than not bad. Which is fine, except the folks behind this budding franchise of comic book superhero movies culminating in the get-along gang smashfest “The Avengers” are clearly more interested in the end game than the journey itself. The result is a film that strives to portray the story of the Norse God of Thunder but instead delivers on a passable action movie starring a big guy with a magic hammer.

“Thor” promises a romance, but only delivers on a one-night stand. Yet, somehow, you’re the one leaving money on the counter as you leave.

Speaking of which, check out this Associated Press headline from Sunday afternoon:

Stay classy, AP. Stay classy.