Comics

Why not get that smell of burnt Watchmen toast out of your pores by indulging in some Avengers perfume?

by Jimmy Aquino --

The Bristol Comic Expo was held in Bristol, UK this weekend on May 12-13 at The Passenger Shed in Brunel's Old Station. I was over to cover for my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER and The Beat as well as see friends. I've attended Bristol Expo 2 previous times. First in 2008 when it was the train station like this year. And again in 2010 when it was split between the Ramada and Mercure hotels. I was happy to see it back in the station as it kept everything (except for panels) in one place. When I first came back in 2008, it was the biggest comics show in the UK. Now, with the massive proliferation of other shows, some feel it has been hurt by this trend especially since there are literally 2 more in a row in London. I still found it quite a vibrant show with lots of great UK talent exhibiting. From small press unknowns trying to make a name to the big names in UK comics, it was a great array of comic folks. 

Yes, it is PRODUCT DAY here on The Beat! And this one is pretty darned cool. Converse has long had a design-your-own Chuck Taylor's program on their website. And they've just added a DC Comics themed range to the site. The designs feature the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman, and, of course, Batman himself.

We'd like to think that even Alan Moore could smile about this one at some point: Dynamic Forces has partnered with Warner Bros. for a a line of licensed toasters. Properties include The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Story, Where the Wild Things Are, The Goonies, Gremlins, Little Shop of Horrors, Watchmen, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Mad Magazine, Friends, and so on. And yes, these toasters will burn Gizmo or Freddie Krueger right on to your toast for breakfast thrills!

An interview with Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward about the post-apocalyptic movie genre, Dungeons and Dragons, the Adventure Time licensed comic, Bob's Burgers and more. With special guest appearances by cartoonist/animators Jesse Moynihan, Levon Jihanian, and Andy Tauke!

Marvel is having another news-breaking conference call this afternoon, and we'll have all the details soonish, but it has to do with The First X-Men, and involves Neal Adams and Christos Gage. And here are the covers.

Classics Illustrated, the comics Cliff Notes series that has been around in various iterations for over 60 years, making the line a classic in and of itself—they've just gone digital with ebook publisher Trajectory. Over 120 titles will be launched from both iTunes and the iBook store, selling for $4.99 each. These look to be the '50s original Classics Illustrated, celebrated in rhyme and song.

After previous shooting sprees from Punisher and stabbing sprees from Wolverine, Marvel decide to combine the two for their new miniseries 'Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe'. Stabblam!

Dynamite has landed a new comics license in Pathfinder. Pathfinder, if you're not current on role-playing games, is a sort of spin-off of Dungeons & Dragons. Essentially, the D&D 3.5 rule set is available for licensing via a "Game System License" and Pathfinder jumps off from that point. Tor talks about Pathfinder as being like D&D "3.75" and an alternative to the latest rule revisions to the mother ship.

The juggernaut that is the Avengers movie (as opposed to the Juggernaut in the X-Men films) is still rolling. How did it do this weekend? The weekend box office estimates for the U.S. are for $103M. That brings the global total to $1,002,082,000. Marvel has to be feeling pretty good.

Marvel release a new X-Men teaser image, create a sensational wall of vagueness as to what said image means

While THE AVENGERS has been hailed as a feel-good ball of action-comedy that kicks off the summer with smiles and cheers, in one regard it is a bit unsettling. You see, it is yet another in a long, long line of movies that has trashed Manhattan real estate in a willy-nilly fashion. For about a hot minute after 9/11, destroying Manhattan in entertainment was considered crass—who needed fakery, when you had the real thing?—however, it soon came into vogue again as a symbol of the unsettled post 9/11 era.