Iron Man #120th Century Danny Boy reports that legendary artist Gene Colan’s liver is failing him, according to an email sent by Gene’s wife, Adrienne: My darling, sweet, handsome and brilliantly gifted husband’s liver is failing. The complications are very nasty. This week it’s fluid retention and encephalitis. He’s on powerful meds now to diminish the [...]

This week I toyed with the idea of a Dave theme week–quoting folks in support of Dave Sim’s correspondence policy or Hispanics in support of this other Dave. But both prospects could not hold my attention for long. Instead I opted for the following random quotes, not necessarily all inspired by events of the week. [...]

Iron Man for PSP CoverI recently played the PSP version of Iron Man and while some of the features are impressive, it seems Sega forgot the most important aspect of any game: fun. That’s right, Iron Man for the PSP just isn’t all that fun to play. It seems, especially for [...]

Dave Sim’s new work Glamourpuss has begun to see print and so far the reactions are interesting. Ben Avery gives a generally positive review: Essentially, the comic is Dave Sim musing about what this comic will be. Graphically, he starts out drawing photo-realistic black and white drawings of fashion models and ruminating on how he could do [...]

Dateline NBC The Dateline NBC website has the complete transcript, and partial video, from last night’s episode, which focused on the murder trial of retailer Michael George. George, co-founder of Pittsburgh Comic-Con, was convicted in March in the 1990 killing of his first wife Barbara. A jury found that he shot her in the back of their [...]

Pulp TalesBOOM! Studios and a great line-up of creators are putting together a benefit book for artist Josh Medors, who has cancer. Pulp Tales Benefit Book is due in September and can be pre-ordered on the BOOM! site now: PULP TALES BENEFIT BOOK FOR JOSH MEDORS Contributions by Steve Niles, Josh Fialkov, Kody Chamberlain, Tony Fleecs, [...]

Inner Child Cracked.com ranks “The 6 Creepiest Comic Book Characters of All Time,” with nods to Comet the super horse and his obsession with Supergirl, Ultimate Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s strong bond, and Dorothy Spinner’s Inner Child doll. Not for the faint of heart. Via  

Mystery Tales #40 That comic that appeared on Lost last night was Mystery Tales #40, with the cover featuring the perfect teasers for stories about a “Hidden Land!” and a “Voice Of Warning!” I swear, it’s like the writers went back in time and planted the comic just so they could use it in the [...]

Hercules: The Thracian WarsHercules: The Thracian Wars No. 1 (of 5) Written by Steve Moore, Art by Admira Wijaya Radical Comics, $1 It seems rather unfair that the first thing you want say about a comic like Hercules is “Well, this is nowhere near as awful as I expected it to be.” Nevertheless, that was the first thought [...]

The Trades talks with Atomic Robo artist and co-creator Scott Wegener about his influences, collaborating with Brian Clevinger, and making the kind of comic he wants to read: Atomic Robo #1As far as what Brian and I are doing with Atomic Robo, it’s pretty simple. We both love good old fashioned action movies, we both enjoy [...]

The new Batmobile, from "Batman" #676 You call that a supercar? Pfft. The original supercar — the Batmobile — gets a redesign with next week’s Batman #676, which kicks off the much-anticipated “Batman R.I.P.” storyline. MySpace Comic Books has the first look at Batman’s new ride. Related: The History of the Batmobile  

Paramount sent over the G.I. Joe movie pictures that were released to various sites yesterday, with one noticable addition: Rip Marlan Wayans as “Rip,” as the photo is titled. Edit: actually Rip appeared on CHUD.com yesterday, which I totally missed. I’ve included the rest of the pictures — which include the previously released Snake Eyes [...]

Grumpy Old FanTime is a funny thing. I can recognize that Crisis On Infinite Earths happened in 1985 and know that it was twenty-three years ago. However, it wasn’t until I jotted down some thoughts on each of DC’s line-wide crossover events, and realized that Final Crisis would be Event No. 20* (!!) [...]

"Criminal" poster, by Sean Phillips Sean Phillips says Ed Brubaker will have these beautiful Criminal posters with him this weekend at Emerald City Comic Con. So, if you attend, be sure to get one. While you’re at it, pick me up one, too. I’ll be your friend.  

Emerald City Comicon poster, by Jeffrey Brown The Seattle Times previews the sixth annual Emerald City Comic Con, being held this weekend at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Organizer Jim Demonakos says he expects about 9,000 attendees. Guests include Scott Allie, Kaare Andrews, Tony Bedard, Ivan Brandon, Brom, Jeffrey Brown, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, [...]

Police have arrested two suspects in the April 25 shooting of Grand Rapids, Mich., comics retailer David Pirkola. According to The Grand Rapids Press, James Muriel-Neal Thompson, 18, and Michael-Marquis Jones, 19, were arrested the following day and arraigned on April 28 on charges armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and assault with intent to [...]

Dylan DogBrandon Routh is still playing Dylan Dog Although this has been known since at least October, I’ll play along. Variety reports that Brandon Routh will star in Dead of Night, an adaptation of the best-selling Italian horror comic Dylan Dog. Initial reports had David R. Ellis directing the Arclight Films production. However, the trade paper now [...]

Of course Duke's the JokerOnce again, courtesy of Andertoons.  

The Human ClockAn avant-garde 1960s manga by Tokunan Seiichiro, via the blog Wanted: Cheap Manga (link via Same Hat!). It’s about a guy who turns into a clock.  

Milk & Cheese … or at least the Dark Horse Presents portion of it. The dynamic dairy duo take on (eek) Furries.  

Comics on ComicsBlair Marnell emailed me the other day to let me know of Comics on Comics, a West Coast video blog where three comedians and one comic book creator get together and talk about sequential art — sorta like the NYC-based Comic Book Club, or Politically Incorrect. Their first episode, featuring Brian Lynch (Angel: After [...]

FCBD '08I intended to do a round up of various posts and stories about Free Comic Book Day, but figured I’d waited too long. As it turns out, though, Free Comic Book Day isn’t over yet, as least for one store in Canada — Strange Adventures in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Don [...]

Iron Man. You saw it, I saw it and apparently so did everyone and their Mom in the US (not to mention the worldwide releases). If this is a sign of the summer movie season ahead, then I say bring ‘em on because Iron Man is a a hit across the country. As of now, Iron [...]

Following up on Kevin’s post from earlier today about the new Clone Wars villain and trailer … StarWars.com has the official movie poster for the film: Star Wars: The Clone Wars  

Wizard looks at the events that have shaped the comics cultural landscape since their first issue, and… well, it’s an interesting list: 48. THE SENTRY HOAX (June 2000) When this magazine broke news that Stan Lee had created a heretofore-unseen superhero in his 1960s heyday, fans practically lactated with excitement. Only problem: it wasn’t true. Acting in [...]

Sometimes, I’m just completely out of step with fandom en masse. For example, take Brand New Day. Me, I kind of like it. It’s not the Stern/Romita Jr./DeFalco/Frenz joy of my youth, but it’s pretty enjoyably solid Spider-action on a weekly basis, you know? But then I check Millarworld, and read the following in response [...]

Batman: Dark Victory #13The New York Post’s Pop Wrap picks up on a rumor reported yesterday by Cinema Blend: that the third Batman movie will reference The Long Halloween and Dark Victory – which could mean an appearance by a certain Boy Wonder. It’s obvious from the trailers for Batman: The Dark Knight that director Chris [...]

From "The Spirit" teaser trailer In a show of confidence, Lionsgate has moved up the release of Frank Miller’s The Spirit from Jan. 16, 2009, to Dec. 25, 2008 — prime position for the holiday season. The movie, based on Will Eisner’s classic comic-strip character, is Miller’s directorial debut. Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson and [...]

MarvelMarvel Animation is breaking out its top characters for Marvel Super Hero Squad, a new “super stylized” animated series geared toward 6- to 8-year-olds. The show is expected to debut in fall 2009. It’s unclear what “super stylized” means. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 26 half-hour episodes will feature such characters as Wolverine, Iron Man, the [...]

Steven Weissman's Ballpark Snackbar All-Stars – Steven Weissman’s Ballpark Snackbar All-Stars. Via. – Heidi MacDonald profiles some of comics’ up-and-coming talents like Jeff Lemire, Dash Shaw, Hope Larson and Eleanor Davis. – Apparently they’re making Twilight Zone comics again. – PWCW posts their best-seller list for May. Wimpy Kid rules again. – Ames, Haspiel’s Alcoholic profiled. – [...]

Editor’s note: DC Comics President Paul Levitz returns once again to talk about the Met’s Fashion and Fantasy exhibit. by Paul Levitz Batman, Superman and Wonder WomanPhilippe de Montebello, who’s as close as there is to a one man incarnation of high culture in America, is standing on the platform gesturing to a statue that’s older than [...]

MoCCA The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art has posted the programming schedule for the 2008 MoCCA Art Festival, which is coming up on June 7-8. It features panels with Chip Kidd, Matt Madden and Jessica Abel, David Hajdu, Brian Wood and Rebecca Donner, Alex Robinson and Mike Dawson, Blake Bell and David Heatley, [...]

Can't Wait For Wednesday!Television has its May Sweeps, and comic books has … well, whatever this is — a week when Marvel and DC pull out the stops with several new, and notable, releases. DC’s Vertigo imprint slaps a new coat of paint on the House of Mystery, while the central “universe” kicks off a special [...]

Uncanny X-Men #143Both Cinematical and Ace Showbiz report on a “scoop” from Black Book Magazine — that Gossip Girl producer Josh Schwartz is writing an X-Men prequel film. I’ll put this in the “questionable” file for now, as someone sent me a link to Black Book’s original post over the weekend, but it’s no [...]

Iron Man - suave!Nighttime in New York; a time when all things are possible. The nine-to-fivers scurry home in cabs and trains, heading for the precarious safety of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, the ‘burbs. In Manhattan, however, no one is safe from the pull of the lights, the call of the nightclubs, the cool, dim [...]

“Fringe Benefits” has a double meaning this week. As usual, it means that we’re talking about cool comics you can find on the fringe of the mainstream. But today it also means that one of the side benefits to having this column is that I can occasionally talk about my own stuff. For instance, If you’ll [...]

Creature from the Black LagoonLast I’d heard, the Creature from the Black Lagoon remake had been tabled after Guillermo del Toro realized he didn’t have time to do it. Breck Eisner (Sahara) is the guy in charge now and he’s found his shooting location: the actual Amazon. Eisner says: I want it to be authentic; I [...]

The Abominable Charles Christopher The Abominable Charles Christopher follows the adventures of a dim-witted yeti through a forest full of colourful animal characters. Who is Charles? Where did he come from? Where is he going? He knows about as much as you do - probably much less, actually - and his adventure is just beginning.  

Comic Art Indigène If you’re headed to Santa Fe, N.M. anytime between May 11 and the beginning of the year, be sure to check out the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. It’s upcoming exhibit, Comic Art Indigène, “looks at how storytelling has been used through comics and comic inspired art to express the contemporary Native [...]

The Invention of Hugo CabretIce Age director Chris Wedge has signed on to helm the live-action adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick’s award-winning hybrid prose/comics children’s book. John Logan (Sweeney Todd, The Aviator) will write the screenplay for Warner Bros., Graham King’s GK Films and Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil. Selznick’s 533-page book blends comics [...]