Dick Tracy

Here is something I would have loved when I was a kid! Freelancer Bill Walko has created a series of images that mash characters from Marvel Comics up with Bond Girl iconography. Entitled The Women of Marvel/Shaken and Stirred, Spy Vibers will recognize the design motif inspired by Michael Gilette's book covers. The first three are perhaps the most widely known characters and Walko shows a humorous undercurrent by pairing them with specific Fleming titles that relate to their character arcs. Happy Wednesday (new comic book day), Spy Vibers! Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, a Japanese fashion model and spy from 1965! That's right, I've written a novel inspired by Spy Vibe. More info at my website here.Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about Batman '66 and Warhol, our fiendish villains archive, Cold War Comics, Sam Mendes back for Bond, Spy Vibe heroes and Wild Things, book design dopplegangers, Christopher Lee, Bettie Page, Dashiell Hammett, Miles Davis, WWII spy Krystyna Skarbek, recycled James Bond covers, interview with Fu Manchu author William Maynard, Man From UNCLE manga, Orson Welles the Shadow, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, James Bond audio book re-issues, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, my review of SKYFALL and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.Can you help to support Spy Vibe? Please make a small donation with our secure Paypal tip-jar link at the top left of the main page. Nothing is too small to help cover the increasing bills for the domain, web-forwarding and other costs to maintain the site. Thank you!

Today, we bring you part two of Zak Sally’s enormously entertaining interview with Peter Bagge. This time around, they talk Bagge’s recent work, politics, piracy, and how selling convention sketches resembles prostitution. Here’s Bagge on editing Weirdo: While I was the managing editor of Weirdo for that brief period, the harshest criticism I got was from the other contributors, who would be offended by the work of other artists I ran. For example, I reprinted a three-page comic strip by S. Clay Wilson that originally ran in Screw magazine. Screw magazine probably told him, “Be your S. Clay Wilson-est, go crazy and break every taboo.” So he just went nuts, drawing the most sexist and racist and scatological comic he could possibly think of. He really went overboard, and I loved it. [Laughs] So I reprinted it. You see, one of the things that was great about early underground comics is the way they gleefully and compulsively broke every societal rule imaginable. It was very cathartic to see that, and it was one of many things that helped loosen up our culture. But by the ’80s, those rules started to tighten up again, largely from the left, surprisingly, and under the guise of political correctness. The false notion of direct causation—that, say, a depiction of rape causes someone to commit rape—was gaining a lot of traction again, which made it easy again for people to demonize and ban material that they didn’t like. The S. Clay Wilson strip was obviously meant to fly in the face of this new political correctness, yet artists who were offended by it kept saying, “It’s been done before, time to move on.” To which I said, “No, it’s obviously time to do it again.” [Laughs]. I felt that critics of the strip were being disingenuous when they said “Wilson isn’t funny anymore,” since I don’t think they ever thought he was funny. They simply felt that now was the time to say it out loud, and over and over again. A number of artists said they’d no longer contribute if I ran a strip like that again. So I ran another strip by Wilson that was even more offensive. [Laughs] That may sound childish and spiteful on my part, which it was to some degree, but I also thought those strips were very, very funny, so it wasn’t solely about making a point. Elsewhere: —Missed it: Mark Millar got an MBE. —Gilbert Hernandez’s Marble Season was reviewed in The Guardian, and Jaime Hernandez was interviewed at the BD and Comics Passion festival. —Tom De Haven has reposted a 1986 essay on Dick Tracy he wrote for Nemo. —Anne Ishii profiles Taiyo Matsumoto for the Japan Times. —Darryl Ayo starts a rambling but interesting and probably necessary discussion on the state of independent comics and who exactly is reading them, anyway. —This is still a hoax, people. —New Al Columbia!

Two Blu-ray editions of John le Carre thrillers have just been announced. If your spy vibe is Cold War/Berlin Wall/George Smiley stories, this is for you! Criterion posted their upcoming Blu-ray projects today, and among the list of films due in September is The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) starring Richard Burton. The Blu-ray features a new high-definition film restoration with uncompressed mono soundtrack, a new exclusive interview with John le Carre, scene commentary by the director of photography, a BBC documentary, and much more. And the big news for fans of the BBC Smiley/Alec Guiness programs is that Acorn Media has announced that they are releasing Smiley's People as a follow up to last year's hi-def edition of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. This classic sequel to Tinker will hit shelves on August 6th. The other news on the Blu-ray front is a huge sale happening right now on Criterion Collection movies. Best Buy started the trend and Amazon has been price-matching titles as low as $14.99 for Blu-ray discs. Info here. If you are looking to add to your library, now is a great time to pick up these classics! Spy Vibe recommends: Ministry of Fear, Fritz Lang's M, Robinson Crusoe On Mars, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, The Seventh Seal, Night of the Hunter, The 39 Steps, The 400 Blows, 8 1/2, Amarcord, Black Orpheus, Branded to Kill, Charade, Diabolique, Godzilla, Harold and Maude, If..., Island of Lost Souls, Ivan's Childhood, The Lady Vanishes, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, Mystery Train, Orpheus, Quadrophenia, Repo Man, Rosemary's Baby, Solaris, Tokyo Drifter, Wings of Desire. Save and have a summer SPY VIBE marathon. Criterion cover art below. Fans of Batman and Andy Warhol, don't miss our last post here. I have a spy novel coming out. Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, a Japanese fashion model and spy from 1965! More info at Jason Whiton's website here.Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about Batman '66 and Warhol, our fiendish villains archive, Cold War Comics, Sam Mendes back for Bond, Spy Vibe heroes and Wild Things, book design dopplegangers, Christopher Lee, Bettie Page, Dashiell Hammett, Miles Davis, WWII spy Krystyna Skarbek, recycled James Bond covers, interview with Fu Manchu author William Maynard, Man From UNCLE manga, Orson Welles the Shadow, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, James Bond audio book re-issues, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, my review of SKYFALL and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.Ian Fleming on Spy Vibe: recent posts include Fleming birthday tribute, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, and our Ian Fleming image archive link here.Can you help to support Spy Vibe? Please make a small donation with our secure Paypal tip-jar link at the top left of the main page. Nothing is too small to help cover the increasing bills for the domain, web-forwarding and other costs to maintain the site. Thank you!

In honor of Father's Day, a new red band clip from "Don Jon" highlights one of the most special moments a father and son could have: Mutual admiration for "a piece of ass." The short clip features director and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt introducing his new girl -- a voluptuous blonde Jersey bombshell played by Scarlett Johansson -- to his parents, Glenne Headly ("Dick Tracy") and Tony Danza. Related Articles: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Directorial Debut 'Don Jon' Moves Up Scarlett Johansson Nude Photo Hacker Gets 10 Years in Prison read more

Artist Phil Postma previously took the opportunity to show us what would happen if Pixar took on Marvel superheroes, and now he's back, this time with Pixar's take on classic pulp films like Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy and The Shadow.Link Via io9

The title "Man of Steel" tells you what you're in for when you buy a ticket to this immense summer blockbuster: a radical break from the past. The absence of the word "Superman" tips us off that this new picture is less a standard reboot than a top-to-bottom re-imagining. Whether you approve of the result will depend on what you think Superman is, or should be. Either way, this is a 2013 version of the story: big, dark, convoluted and violent, chock full of 9/11 style imagery of collapsing skyscrapers and dust-choked disaster survivors. It's goodhearted and sincere but not particularly funny or sweet. It's Superman all butched-up, alienated and frustrated, chiseled and hunky but not inclined toward courtly romance, defending a planet so terrified by conspiratorial evil and apocalypse threats that it figures anyone who presents himself as good guy must have ulterior motives. Steel is what you need to have in your spine if you're going to be super in this world. Directed by Zack Snyder ("Watchmen," "Sucker Punch") and overseen by producer-filmmaker Christopher Nolan (the Dark Knight trilogy, "Inception"), the movie delivers on the promise of its title and then some. "Man of Steel" largely abandons the sunny spirit, sly charm and kooky humor of the Christopher Reeve-starred '70s and '80s films (as well as Bryan Singer's dutiful homage to them, 2006's reviled "Superman Returns"). It brings the character in line with the recent fashion for gritty, brutal, rather morose tales of superhuman or super-talented loners struggling to defend a world that doesn't appreciate their pain or their sacrifices. (This time out, the big guy's suit isn't Dick Tracy red, blue and yellow, and it's made of what looks like high-tech chain mail that's described as battle armor as opposed to a uniform or costume, and he wears his underwear on the inside, thank you very much.) All in all, the movie's as serious as a heart attack. When humor bubbles up, welcome though it is, it feels odd, like a tonal mistake. Scene-for-scene, it's a first-rate example of a Hollywood fantasy released in the early 21st century, a state-of-the-art, latest-model, new-car-smell summer blockbuster. It has wobbly handheld camerawork that signifies "authenticity," a glum color palette, high-tech hardware whose designs crib from "Alien," "Dune", "Independence Day" and Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," skyline-shattering super-fights, and a detailed mythology that's meant to carry the story through a Dark Knight or Marvel-style series with motifs, Easter eggs and interlocking subplots."Man of Steel" also breaks with past "Superman" films in how it tells its story. The script, which is credited to David S. Goyer of the "Blade" films, begins with a prologue on Krypton, envisioned here as a John Carter-style, fantasy-inflected, heavily CGI'd land of towering hyper-structures, slate-dark "Matrix"-looking hovercraft, and winged beasts. Superman's father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and mother Lara (Ayelet Zurer) are fighting two battles at once: to convince the planet's government that its environmental recklessness is causing the planet's core to melt, and to contain a rebellion led by General Zod (Michael Shannon), who's outraged that Jor-El dared to violate Krypton's biological breeding protocol and conceive a son, the future Superman, the old-fashioned way. Zod and his followers are exiled into the Phantom Zone in ships that look mortifyingly like the hero's spacecraft in the 1970s porn spoof "Flesh Gordon" (the film's design is a riot of phallic and vaginal imagery, as most post-"Alien" sci-fi films are). Krypton explodes. Kal-El zips off to earth and is raised by Ma and Pa Kent (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner), in idyllic prairie surroundings that call for an Aaron Copland score (though Hans Zimmer does just fine). After the very Christ-like timespan of 33 years, we pick up Kal-El/Clark's story just in time for him to unlock the destiny that his father and mother insisted on keeping a secr

[Guest reviewer Zach King blogs about movies as The Cinema King] I'm halfway through the six Criminal collections, and the series has been so delightful that I'm considering purchasing the deluxe edition hardcovers even though I've been borrowing the shorter trades from my local public library. At $50 each, though, they're quite expensive, so a part of me has been continuing to read the series to see if the quality drops enough to warrant not buying the deluxe editions. With the fourth collection, Criminal: Bad Night, I haven't found that qualitative drop-off the cynic in me has come to expect. Instead, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips ... well, what can I say about how good this series is that I haven't already said about the first three volumes? In Bad Night, we get the scoop on Jacob Kurtz, the cartoonist behind the inscrutable Frank Kafka, PI, strips. Presumed guilty after his wife disappeared, Jacob has become an insomniac and a slave to his work; though his innocence was proven when his wife's car crash was ruled an accident, Jacob is dogged by a cop who hates him, to say nothing of the ghostly presence of Frank Kafka himself. As a former counterfeiter, Jacob is kidnapped by one-night-stand Iris and her thug boyfriend Danny, finding himself at the epicenter of a mounting stack of bodies as his tenuous grasp on sanity begins to slip. Maybe I'm the only one who missed it, but the fact that Tracy Lawless's counterfeiter buddy from Lawless is also the artist behind Frank Kafka came as a great surprise to me, one of those great epiphany moments that I have come to cherish with Criminal. Brubaker continues to fill in gaps by proving just how interconnected all the parts are, and his notes on Center City must look something like Batman's map of Leviathan (from Batman Incorporated [vol. 2] #3). It's like Sin City done realistically; each successive volume expands the web, making Criminal ideal fodder for a TV show now that neo-noir seems to be making a comeback. Brubaker's use of Frank Kafka is of particular interest because the comic-within-a-comic doesn't fit into the larger story the way you'd expect. Since Watchmen and Tales of the Black Freighter, we've been trained to expect some sort of meta-commentary within the story. In Bad Night, however, it's a breath of fresh air when Jacob admits that the "total artistic freedom" that comes from his contract with Sebastian Hyde (yep, the same Sebastian Hyde we've seen throughout Criminal) has led to a strip that doesn't make much sense. Instead of going the easy route, Brubaker makes Frank a second psyche for Jacob, spending time with him like an invisible friend. Likewise, instead of rendering Frank realistically to give the book an ambiguous is-he-or-isn't-he angle, Phillips's artwork makes Frank as cartoonish as possible, his permanent scowl and oversized fedora like something straight out of Dick Tracy. Phillips adjusts his style to make Frank an exaggerated caricature in grayscale, cluing us in that Jacob's sanity should always be in question. For Brubaker and Phillips, Frank is the Tyler Durden of Bad Night, and letting us know in advance that he's not real allows the reader to enjoy the book more effectively. It also builds to a fantastic payoff when Frank appears to shoot someone, where any narrative slight-of-hand is betrayed by the artwork, which clues in the reader if they're not taken in by the surreal narrative. That's not to say that Phillips is slouching on the realism of the comic. Rather, he continues to do great work with facial expressions and body language, particularly in the case of sad sack insomniac Jacob. Phillips also does a great job with Iris, ostensibly the first true femme fatale of the series (after The Dead and the Dying did a phenomenal job humanizing Danica Briggs). Now, I'm not the world's biggest fan of cheesecake art -- Guillem March is about all I can take in my book -- but take a look at that cover. Phillips paints a gorgeous

Fans of the 1966 Batman television series are looking forward to a new monthly comic book coming out this summer. Batman '66 is inspired by the pop-art sensibility and campy vibe of the cult classic TV show. DC will debut the new book on July 17th in both print and digital editions. Interview with writer Jeff Parker here.In a related launch event last March, fans gathered in LA to celebrate with Batman star Adam West. The original Batmobile was also there, along with a collection of upcoming merchandise based on the TV show. One item that caught my eye is a Batusi-edition action figure housed in box art depicting a retro soiree by artist, Shag. Keep your eyes peeled and your bat-dancing-shoes handy!The art and graphics of Batman have been celebrated for decades, but did you know that Andy Warhol himself was a fan? He made a short Batman movie in 1964 called Batman Dracula, which was only screened at exhibits and has remained largely obscure. Here are some photos that Esquire ran in 1967 of Andy Warhol and Velvet Underground singer Nico dressed in Dynamic Duo costumes, along with Warhol's piece based on the show's logo.I have a spy novel coming out. Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, a Japanese fashion model and spy from 1965! Stay tuned and follow Spy Vibe by clicking the Follow link at top right of this page. More info at Jason Whiton's website here.Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about our fiendish villains archive, Cold War Comics, Sam Mendes back for Bond, Spy Vibe heroes and Wild Things, book design dopplegangers, Christopher Lee, Bettie Page, Dashiell Hammett, Miles Davis, WWII spy Krystyna Skarbek, recycled James Bond covers, interview with Fu Manchu author William Maynard, Man From UNCLE manga. new James Bond omnibus, Orson Welles the Shadow, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, James Bond audio book re-issues, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, my review of SKYFALL and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.Ian Fleming on Spy Vibe: recent posts include Fleming birthday tribute, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, and our Ian Fleming image archive link here.Can you help to support Spy Vibe? Please make a small donation with our secure Paypal tip-jar link at the top left of the main page. Nothing is too small to help cover the increasing bills for the domain, web-forwarding and other costs to maintain the site. Thank you!

What better way to spend the summer than lounging in your secret lair with an e-reader gadget filled with James Bond adventures. The timing couldn't be better! In addition to the original Fleming stories that are already available as eBooks, Spy Vibers can now dive into the many continuation novels that have been published since 1968. First up is a pair of film novelizations that I didn't expect to see adapted for electronic devices. Christopher Wood's The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker from the 1970s will be published on June 21st, 2013. Cover designs below from Amazon.As of today, most of the John Gardener catalog has been released in eBook format. You can now download License Renewed (intro by Raymond Benson), For Special Services, Icebreaker, Role of Honor, Nobody Lives Forever, No Deals Mr. Bond, Scorpius, Win Lose or Die, License to Kill, Brokenclaw, and Goldeneye. Gardner's remaining five novels, The Man From Barbarossa, Death is Forever, Never Send Flowers, Seafire, and Cold will be published in 2014. John Gardner cover collection below from the Illustrated 007. James Bond novels by Raymond Benson (The Black Stiletto) now available as eBooks are Never Dream of Dying, Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death, High Time to Kill, Doubleshot, and The Man With the Red Tattoo. Benson's non-fiction classic The James Bond Bedside Companion is also available. And if that's not enough, Spy Vibers can also download Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis, Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver, and Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks. For completists out there, Raymond Benson's novelizations, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Anther Day are out of print. Benson eBook cover collection below from Cinema Retro. May the James Bond marathon begin! I have a spy novel coming out. Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, a Japanese fashion model and spy from 1965! Stay tuned and follow Spy Vibe by clicking the Follow link at top right of this page. More info at Jason Whiton's website here.Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about our fiendish villains archive, Cold War Comics, Sam Mendes back for Bond, Spy Vibe heroes and Wild Things, book design dopplegangers, Christopher Lee, Bettie Page, Dashiell Hammett, Miles Davis, WWII spy Krystyna Skarbek, recycled James Bond covers, interview with Fu Manchu author William Maynard, Man From UNCLE manga. new James Bond omnibus, Orson Welles the Shadow, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, James Bond audio book re-issues, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, my review of SKYFALL and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.Ian Fleming on Spy Vibe: recent posts include Fleming birthday tribute, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, and our Ian Fleming image archive link here.Can you help to support Spy Vibe? Please make a small donation with our secure Paypal tip-jar link at the top left of the main page. Nothing is too small to help cover the increasing bills for the domain, web-forwarding and other costs to maintain the site. Thank you!

Deal Alert: For Spy Vibers who love the pop art graphics of the original Star Trek series, Amazon is offering all three seasons on Blu-ray today for only $88.99 (down from $179.99). With iconic episodes like Where No Man Has Gone Before, Space Seed, City On the Edge of Forever, Mirror Mirror, Assignment Earth with Agent Gary Seven (below), and many special features, this is a great way to add this classic program to your library. Details here.I have a spy novel coming out. Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, a Japanese fashion model and spy from 1965! Stay tuned and follow Spy Vibe by clicking the Follow link at top right of this page. More info at Jason Whiton's websitehere.Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about our fiendish villains archive, Cold War Comics, Sam Mendes back for Bond, Spy Vibe heroes and Wild Things, book design dopplegangers, Christopher Lee, Bettie Page, Dashiell Hammett, Miles Davis, WWII spy Krystyna Skarbek, recycled James Bond covers, interview with Fu Manchu author William Maynard, Man From UNCLE manga. new James Bond omnibus, Orson Welles the Shadow, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, James Bond audio book re-issues, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, my review of SKYFALL and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.Ian Fleming on Spy Vibe: recent posts include Fleming birthday tribute, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, and our Ian Fleming image archive link here.Can you help to support Spy Vibe? Please make a small donation with our secure Paypal tip-jar link at the top left of the main page. Nothing is too small to help cover the increasing bills for the domain, web-forwarding and other costs to maintain the site. Thank you!