Comics

Recently, the Hooded Utilitarian polled a bunch of comics-type people to answer the question "What are the ten comics works you consider your favorites, the best, or the most significant?" The results of the poll have been unveiled this week. Over 200 replies were received, so it's a pretty representative sampling. The #1 was revealed this morning and it's not a big shocker -- neither are any of the other Top 10:

Well now. A new day, a new action-oriented reveal for a WB movie character, in this case, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle in next year's THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Textured catsuit? Check. Goggles? Check. Red lipstick? Check. Big-ass motorcycle? Check check check.

There have been about 42 multigabillion reactions in the media to the new multi-culti-ultimate Spider-Man, and we're not going to link to all of them, but here are the three best that have crossed our desk today. Perhaps we'll update this post if more good ones come in. • As you can see Stephen Colbert weighed in last night with some funny, funny jokes. Colbert is an avowed comics fan with many crossovers in his resume already, including having Joe Quesada on as a guest, and guesting himself in an issue of Spider-man.

Steam Crow is a publishers/novelty/poster/art company we've noticed at shows before because of their great display and attractive merchandise. They are not an outright comics publisher, as they concentrate on buttons, prints, art and so on but they do publish some books. Their style is distinctive -- a cute/horror/steampunk kind of mashup . They's just posted selling tips from San Diego that EVERYONE SHOULD READ, as it contains solid advice about making sales at the show -- despite being across the aisle from a giant movie booth. Although their product line makes this a bit different from a comic-only booth, the reality is that selling ancillary merchandise is a major revenue stream for most comics publishers these days, small and large, and these observations are valuable for just about everyone. A sample:

Warner Bros. has released the first picture of Henry Cavill as Superman, and as opposed to previous reveals, they have decided against a standing poser and gone for something way more action-filled and dramatic. And it works. While the trunks are in shadow, this does seem to be the traditional, red-pantied Superman look. Gone, however is the spit curl. The look of the photo is more than a little "Jim Lee-esque" with its heavy grading and dramatic lighting. In our opinion, not a bad update -- but what do you guys think?

Tonight, at the Strand Bookstore located at the corner of Twelfth Street and Broadway, Craig Yoe and Patrick McDonnell will discuss the art of George Herriman, focusing on his masterpiece, Krazy Kat. The fun begins at 7 PM!

It's a week of changes for DC. The last remnants of those who are moving West have packed up shop, and the WildStorm offices in La Jolla are closing for good, ending nearly 20 years of history, innovation and comics. To mark the event, an alumni lunch was held. Apparently the turnout was insane. The final group shot awaits, but above is a sampling, with Hank Kanalz, John Nee, and Carla and Jim Lee. Jim Lee tweeted:

Every day in July the great Gabrielle Bell a href="http://gabriellebell.com/2011/08/01/31/"> posted a comic. . Out own July was a bit too chaotic for regular reading but it's all up now -- but only until August 15th. We caught up with our own reading, and it's a fascinating trip into a world of nosy supers, computer cables, post office frustration, lost keys, self doubt and survival. Check it out while you can ...and congrats Gabrielle.

Cameron Stewart's Eisner-winning webcomic Sin Titulo has been appearing sporadically due to his busy schedule, but a new page is up, and this time, he promises, he's going to be able to stick with it for a while.

August 31st will be quite a day for DC. On that day they will offer only two comics for sale -- Flashpoint #5 and JLA #1. And stores will be able to sell them at midnight:

When last we saw former Tokyopop owner and publisher Stu Levy, he was in Japan, sleeping in a truck on his way to deliver food to the victims of the March 11th Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that left parts of the country devastated. At the same time that Toykopop was shutting down for good, Levy announced his intention to spend a year making a documentary about the disaster and the survivor's heroic efforts to help others through the tough times. Well, now there's a trailer for this documentary and a Kickstarter page looking to raise $20,000 for post (color grading, etc) and marketing for the film, whose purpose he explains thusly:

Some lucky guy got an awesome commission.