Disney buys Marvel. The countdown to Spider-Mouse begins.
Seems the interwebs are teeming with this story, so I figured I’d follow suit and throw in my two cents.
There are really two ways this could go: the Pixar way or the Disney way. It’s safe to say Marvel fans at large are hoping for the former but preparing to live with the excruciating reality of the latter.
The Pixar way means allowing Marvel to follow the same independent path that began with a hopping desk lamp and has matured into THE chart-topping summer movie powerhouse it is today. The Pixar method means letting Marvel be Marvel. It means keeping those giant, four-fingered, white-gloved hands to yourself and letting Marvel creators (be they comic, cinematic or otherwise) explore and innovate according to the best stories they know how to tell. It means respecting an existing fan base and putting the faith and backing in new material to expand their audience. It also (hopefully) means getting a taste of the sweet financial muscle the Mouse can bring in amping up a character-driven movie franchise machine that – save for Iron Man – has fallen more than flat lately. (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I’m speaking directly to you here. I want my $9 and the tiny shreds of my cherished childhood mutant fantasies you stole back.)
As for the Disney way…I suppose we can look forward to that magical fortnight when an exclusive, digitally remastered edition of Elektra will be made available for a limited time before it’s thrown back into the Disney vault forever. At $29.99 plus tax, no less.
So you wanna write comic books?
Phenomenal advice for aspiring writers of graphic fictions from personal fave Warren Ellis:
Drug ring used comic books to launder cash
So, apparently one of the largest drug rings in Colorado decided to deal in premium comics to help move their cash. (Save yourself a little time and wait for the video to load and then skip to the end.)
I wouldn’t have thought golden- and silver-age comics would be the most lucrative way to launder money in a down economy. Sure you can get your hands on the books (and probably at a decent price), but who’s going to buy them? Well, besides other meth dealers, that is. Remember kiddies – Selling drugs will never lead to anything…other than one kick-ass comic collection that could put Nic Cage’s once-legendary stash to shame.
(Oh, and be sure to read through this article in order to get more detail than anyone interested in this story could even remotely need to know about how they moved the meth out into the streets.)
Artist Q&A with Eric Jimenez
Soulless artist Eric Jimenez let’s us pick his brain a bit about his career, panel88 projects and why comics are where it’s at.
It could always be worse…
For anyone currently involved in or about to break into the profession of comics, recognize the battles that have been fought on your behalf to open the doors to expression free of censorship. Comics have not always been the accepted forum for interplay between science fiction and social commentary (and, let’s face it, Hollywood movie fodder) that they are today. Hard to believe that comics preceded Communism as the focus for mid-50′s witch hunts seeking to rid society of its ills. Fredric Wertham alone nearly brought about the end of an industry through a quack’s diagnosis of delinquent youths. “If juvenile offenders read comics, then comics must be the cause of their delinquency.” An argument that holds about as much water as “The sun rose the day after the Manson crew killed Sharon Tate, so we’ll need to keep slaughtering pregnant actresses if we want to live to see another day on earth.”
Comic creators – battles have been fought and generalizations overcome to see us into a world where comics have become a hotbed for new, original storytelling in the modern age. Might all our struggles – political, social, racial or otherwise – see as much success.
Artist Q&A with Jordan Gunderson
We cornered Dissension and L.E.A.S.H. artist Jordan Gunderson at the Chicago Comic-Con and got inside his head for a few to find out about his work, past and present, and comics are where he wants to be.
Chicago Comic-Con pics
Just a couple shots I grabbed between rounds of either sweating my ass off or pitching our latest projects at the Chicago Comic-Con.
Another Chicago-Con in the can
The Chicago Comic-Con (or Wizard World Chicago, or whatever the hell they’re callin’ it these days) has come and gone. And, while it might not have had as much glamour or presence from the big guns as it has in the past, it was a great time with great company to be had on the show floor and after hours. Thanks to everyone affiliated with panel88 (and anyone who happened to be even remotely aware of us). We loved seeing you all. If you happened this way after talking with us at the show, give us a shout and let us know what you think of the fine work our creators and artists are churning out these days.
See ya next year.
panel88 artists at Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con
panel88 affiliated artists Jordan Gunderson and Eric Jimenez will be setting up shop in Artist Alley at the 2009 Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con. You can find Jordan at table 3600-3604 where he’ll be selling original sequential artwork and some unbelievable new prints, including some art from our upcoming project Dissension.
Dissension cover - Lust & Wrath
Eric and his team of merry artist pranksters have taken over the entire 4100 aisle of Artist Alley. You can find Eric at table 4104 where he’ll be happy to give you a sneak peak at our latest project Soulless.
Soulless - Page 3
Eric will also be selling copies of his latest labor of love, Temporal. If you just can’t wait until then, swing over to his blog to grab yours now. Either way, get your copy over to Eric at the Con so he can sign it (and perhaps get yourself some original art prints, too).
Temporal - Page 22
panel88 is an emergent creative house bringing together the writing and artistic talent needed to produce fully realized, original comics stories to promote to the creator-owned and top-tier comics publishers. This site is our open call to artists looking to bring their creations to life; and our opening salvo on publishers: We’re gunning for you next.