Comic Books

This--and apparently a few other variations--was available for local theaters to use as giveaways to promote the low-budget 1958 American-International horror movie, HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER--sort of a follow-up to I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF and I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN. Anyone know who did the artwork?

VisitEngland, the UK’s national tourist board has recruited Wallace & Gromit as 'Tourism Trailblazers' to inspire Britons to take a holiday at home this year. (It's a busy time for the duo - earlier this month, they notched up the 1000th daily Wallace and Gromit strip in The Sun, created by the Titan Comics team). The campaign kicked off with Wallace & Gromit exploring the country’s most exciting holiday spots on their motorbike and sidecar, plus the duo are now starring in a new animated TV ad, which is going out across TV and cinema screens in the UK. Nick Park, Creator and Director of Wallace & Gromit, said “Leisure time has always been very important to Wallace & Gromit, so it’s great to see them making this holiday choice. A nice cup of tea and some tasty local cheese is always a favourite so they won’t be disappointed with their holiday in the UK. The ad was produced at Aardman studios in Bristol and you can take a sneaky peek behind the scenes in the video here.

This is one of those odd, tragic stories that you see so often in the comics industry… a particular injustice that was the final contemptuous boot in the ass to a talent that the comics industry had already beat like a piñata for most of his career. Probably you already know about Batman, Bob Kane, [...]

The Challenge of Smoke Wade, 1951, Robert J. Hogan Sometimes it takes a lot of character to refrain from pointing out the unintentional homoeroticism of western paperback covers…

Each week we gather up all the incredibly spectacular comic art that will never appear in actual comic books. The reason they won't is because artists often draw sketches for fun or commissions and post them on their websites, blogs and Tumblrs. We all love comic art so we need to make sure each amazing piece is seen and admired. Some artists arrange commissions or sell original art through their sites so be sure to check them out for more information. Terry Dodson was recently at Supanova and posted another commission on his Deviant Art Page of Death. Peter Nguyen posted a W.I.P. sketch of Wonder Woman he's doing for a friend's mom on his Tumblr. Skottie Young posted some more Daily Sketches on his website. He sometimes offers these for sale in his online store. Phil Noto recently posted a bunch of sketches on his Tumblr. They may not be directly comic related but they are absolutely worth checking out. Todd Nauck is a drawing machine. Check out this great pieces he posted on his Tumblr and Instagram.Dave Johnson posted a couple sketches from Dallas Comic Con on his Instagram. Adam Kubert posted this "quick" sketch for a friend's 9-year-old on his Tumblr. Imagine what he could do if it wasn't a "quick" sketch! Michael Walsh posted a Swamp Thing and Abby commission on his Tumblr. Rafael Grampa posted a couple amazing sketches on his Instagram this week. Gene Gonzales has a sketch cover up for auction on eBay. There's not much time left. He also posted a Sailor Jupitor commission on his blog.Yildiray Cinar posted a Wizard World pre-show commission on his Instagram. Ryan Stegman is at Motor City Con and has posted a bunch of Spider-Man commissions already on his Tumblr. Sean "Cheeks" Galloway posted this rad Magneto pic on his Deviant Art Page. He titled it "Magneto Sends His Crushing Love." Marcio Takara has been posting a lot of W.I.P. sketches on his Tumblr. I wonder if we'll ever see the finished products. Mahmud Asrar posted a digital sketch from Game of Thrones on his Tumblr. Brett Booth does a lot of character designs for DC. He posted an unused Relic sketch (a new character appearing in GREEN LANTERN) and a Superman sketch on his blog.Ale Garza posted some commissions from Motor City Comic Con on his Instagram. Francis Manapul has been making his Instagram followers drool as he posted a step by step process of this sketch featuring Spider-Man, Batman and Hellboy. That's it for this week. With the conventions continuing this weekend, we're bound to see a lot more great sketches pop up during the week.

Is Peter Parker a baby killer? Check out my view on the latest hullaballoo, and keep the debate alive in the comment section! THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9  “Troubled Mind Part Two [sic]: Gray Matters” WRITER: Dan Slott ARTIST: Ryan Stegman COLOR ART: Edgar Delgado LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos   PLOT POINTS: Ghost Peter, Otto explains, is a consciousness manifested from the remaining memories in Peter’s brain. Using the brain scanning helmet he retrieved last issue, Otto attempts to erase Peter’s memories, thereby destroying Ghost Peter. Doctor Octopus and Ghost Peter battle within Peter’s mindscape. Ghost Peter summons the memories of his friends to aid him, while Ock calls upon a mental army of villains. As the war turns against Ock, Ghost Peter makes Otto admit that stealing Peter’s life was bad. Otto, however, starts rationalizing his actions as giving the world a “superior” Spider-Man. Otto turns the tables by forcing Ghost Peter to admit that, in issue #8, Ghost Peter attempted to halt Otto from performing life-saving brain surgery on a child because in doing so Otto would gain access to the brain scanning helmet and discover Ghost Peter. Ghost Peter collapses, allowing Otto to purge Peter’s memories and seemingly delete Ghost Peter. Otto awakens, claiming he is free. OPINIONS! Superior Spider-Man #9 provokes considerable controversy, but thankfully little of that controversy concerns the notion that Peter Parker actually “died” this issue. I guess we all finally know better. Rather, folks mostly seem mad that Ghost Peter, to protect himself, obstructed Otto’s curing a dying little girl. Who enjoys seeing their childhood role model jeopardize an innocent life to save his own non-literal skin? I get it. But I loved this issue’s ending. Yeah, I see you there, hitting your caps lock button, ready to verbally crucify me in the comments section. Hear me out. I perceive at least three factors that mitigate this plot development’s so-called travesty. Mitigating factor 1: Ghost Peter isn’t REALLY Peter. Otto defines Ghost Peter in the panel below. We can trust Otto’s conclusion because this is a scientific matter within the story’s context, and therein lies Otto’s expertise. Thus, Ghost Peter represents a “version” of Peter Parker that was not “created” until after Otto removed Peter’s consciousness from Peter’s body, but left Peter’s memories intact for Otto’s access. Peter Parker’s original consciousness died inside Otto’s body in ASM #700. Ghost Peter is a distinct entity–he’s all those leftover memories taking on their own life. So if you’re upset that the Peter Parker we know and love tried to let a little girl die, don’t be. He didn’t. Nevertheless, I do think Otto’s line “it seems we are the sum of our experiences” suggests that Ghost Peter, being the product of Peter’s memories, is cut from the same cloth as the original. I suspect that Ghost Peter mirrors Peter such that they’d behave identically under identical circumstances. Any characterization of Ghost Peter characterizes Peter by extension. I prefer that interpretation because I have no interest in Ghost Peter independent from what we can learn about the real Peter through him. Mitigating Factor 2: Ghost Peter wasn’t CONSCIOUSLY looking out for himself. Let’s look back at #8’s key scene: Notice Ghost Peter’s words here, stating that his reason for stopping the operation is that Otto is arrogant, that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Pop quiz: to whom is Ghost Peter speaking? He addresses Doc Ock, but he can’t intend for Doc Ock to hear him, not if Ghost Peter’s real objective is to evade Ock’s detection. No, the true answer is that Ghost Peter is talking to himself, and that means he has no reason to lie. So the reason he gives in the moment for hindering Ock is what he consciously thinks at the time. Only later, after forced introspection, does Peter realize that he had the deeper, subconscious motivation to protect himself. And as soon as

Every day this week will see me feature a brand-new Cool Comic Book Moment. For this week only, I’ll be specifically featuring cool moments that happened just this year. Here is an archive of all the past cool comic moments that I’ve featured so far. Today we look at Jennifer Blood #24, where Al Ewing [...]

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #15 DAN SLOTT (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C) “Run, Goblin, Run!” Part 1 of 2 • What’s it like to be a villain in the Marvel Universe…once the Superior Spider-Man sets his sights on you? • Find out, from Phil Urich’s point of view, in what might be the final days of the Hobgoblin. • Plus, what is the secret of “The Tinkerer’s Apprentice”? Who’s been helping the Terrible Tinkerer? And how is he, of all people, the reason everything in Spider-Man’s life will be changed forever?! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #16 DAN SLOTT (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C) “Run, Goblin, Run!” Part 2 of 2 • How has the Hobgoblin evaded the Superior Spider-Man for so long? And does that hold the key to the Superior Spider-Man’s greatest success — or greatest failure? It’s the end of the line for Hobgoblin, and possibly an end for a big chapter in the history of Spider-Man. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM UP #2 CHRISTOPHER YOST (W) • MARCO CHECCETTO (A) Cover by PAOLO RIVERA SIBLING RIVALRY BEGINS HERE! • Because you demanded it! Parker versus Parker! The Superior Spider-Man Versus Scarlet Spider! • Kaine has come to New York to check on Peter’s ‘superior’ behavior, not realizing Doc Ock has taken over Peter’s life. But Ock sure knows who Kaine is…Kaine, the man who once KILLED Doctor Octopus. And now it’s payback time. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99 SCARLET SPIDER #20 & 21 CHRISTOPHER YOST (W) • CARLO BARBERI (A) CoverS by RYAN STEGMAN Issue #20 – SIBLING RIVALRY — PART TWO! • Scarlet Spider has come to New York City to check on his ‘brother’ Spider-Man! But their reunion has been interrupted by an army of mutant spider-clones! • Can Spider-Man and Kaine put aside their differences to deal with the Jackal? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99 Issue #21 – INTO THE GRAVE PART 1 (of 3) • After last issue’s shocking ending, everything has changed for Kaine. His second chance at life is over. • At his lowest point, he comes face to face with the one man that’s fueled his obsession, hate and guilt his entire life… BEN REILLY. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99 SUPERIOR CARNAGE #2 (of 5) KEVIN SHINICK (W) • STEPHEN SEGOVIA (A) Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN VARIANT Cover by RAFA GARRES • CARNAGE IS CAPTURED! But can the Wizard and Klaw subdue him long enough to create their SUPERIOR CARNAGE? • KEVIN SHINICK (Avenging Spider-Man) and STEPHEN SEGOVIA (X-Treme X-Men) perform unspeakable acts to create their own monster issue! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99 THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #2 NICK SPENCER (W) • STEVE LIEBER (A) Cover by ED MCGUINNESS Variant Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ • With superior villains come superior problems as the year’s sleeper hit continues! • Out of bail and aiming to stay out of jail, Boomerang must get his cronies on target – but does the PUNISHER have them targeted already? • Nick Spencer (AVENGERS) and Steve Lieber (HAWKEYE) continue this most evil exploration into the Marvel U! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99 VENOM #39 CULLEN BUNN (W) THONY SILAS (A) Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY • Venom’s secret identity is discovered! And not by whom you’d expect! • A hit has been taken out on Venom’s life–and cold-blooded killers are crawling out of the woodwork to collect! • Even in tough times, every super hero needs a sidekick, right? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99 MORBIUS: THE LIVING VAMPIRE #8 JOE KEATINGE (W) VALENTINE DE LANDRO (A) Cover by DAVID LOPEZ “The World Breaks Everyone,” Part One of Two • Everything has been leading up to this momentous conclusion! • Morbius just found out The Rose has an Ultimate Nullifier in Brownsville. • The Rose just pressed the trigger. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99 THUNDERBOLTS #14 CHARLES SOULE (W) • Jefte Palo (A) Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO INFINITY TIE-IN • New Ongoing Creative Team! • While the Avengers are away…the THUNDERBOLTS STRIKE! • Can they take out all of NYC’s mafia before…anything goes wrong? 32 PGS./Parental Advis

The Aquaman Shrine's Twitter feed went off like fireworks last week, upon news that the Sea King made an guest appearance in...Deadpool #9?!? Yes--in "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (by Brian Posehn, Gerry Dugan, and Tony Moore), a certain blond-haired, orange-and-green-clad swimmer shows up on page twelve and...well, it's a good thing that this isn't really Aquaman: ...'Nuff Said?