Commentary

In his “Emanata” column at Techland, Douglas Wolk looks at the promotional efforts for an upcoming Marvel story by Jonathan Hickman, singling out Fantastic Four as a series that particularly finds itself in the shadow of its creators:

“As Lee and Kirby established the FF, their premises are inflexible: they're a family. They're explorers. They have adventures together. […] If you stick to those axioms, you're not just making a Fantastic Four story, you're making one in the Lee/Kirby tradition […]. If you ignore any of those axioms, then it's not really the Fantastic Four any more, and the question becomes how, and how quickly, it's going to get back to being the ‘real’ Fantastic Four.”

Although the bus sped off before we could get a good picture, this ad for HSBC Bank had a pretty snappy blurb that went something like "Japanese adults buy more comic books than American children do" with a picture of a Sumo wrestler reading a manga. VERY TRUE.

This week: Kieron Gillen on the prospects of more PHONOGRAM; Axel Alonso on that X-Men crossover with the vampires; and the conclusion of EX MACHINA.

o “Batman Can Take It” Grant Morrison talks to Los Angeles Times blogger Geoff Boucher about his plans for Batman: “Supple is the word. It's really...

This week: Brevoort and Alonso redefine "distinct"; Kirkman talks turkey; get your very own 2.5' adamantium souvenir; collections we need; and more.

This week: Neil Gaiman and the continuity courtroom; Kurt Busiek on track to get the first good superhero movie made; Frank Miller surrenders; WildStorm's new publishing niche; and more.

Many years ago (2007?), Heidi described the new "normal" in Hall H.  Reading her reportage, I pictured a United Nations refugee camp, people packed...

This week: Some Dopey Prequels and Sequels to WATCHMEN probably in the pipeline; Vertigo not really about to give up the ghost; veteran comics creator gets by on two hours of sleep and a handful of nuts; and more.

This week: Is J. Michael Straczynski tugging on Grant Morrison's cape? Can you put any old comic on the phone? What's up with those excited blurbs on your trade paperbacks? Is Newsarama being run by Marvel's robot receptionist? And more.

Batman Forever does something that Batman and Batman Returns were unable to do: it makes Batman a proper protagonist, with goals and desires of his own. Not merely reacting to events, Bruce/Batman is after something in Forever. His various allies and antagonists, seductions and betrayals are all thematically consistent and relevant to his struggle. This does not mean that the finished movie is without flaws. WHAT DOES THE PROTAGONIST WANT? Bruce Wayne wants to lead a "normal life." He wants to be able to fall in love, put his demons to rest and have a fully integrated personality. Life has, as life will, other plans, first in the form of Two-Face. Just as Bruce is motivated by an unending revenge for his parents’ death, Two-Face is motivated by an irrational desire for revenge upon Batman. Two-Face’s sense of justice (arbitrary and cruel) and divided-down-the-middle personality are twisted mirrors of Bruce. Bruce would love nothing better than to put away Two-Face, settle down with that nice Dr. Meridian (astonishingly, yet another blonde with a bat obsession — how lucky can one guy get?) and hang up his cape for good.

This week, a quick one, while he's away: Are Chris Ware and John Romita Jr. working in the same medium? Was Wonder Woman in the Avengers back in 1993? Do you still not care about the World Cup? And does the most interesting new comics release this week start with a "W," too?

This week: World Cup drama, comic-book direct-market retail drama, Dan DiDio comedy, a comic so awful that the New York Times reports on it, and a couple of Kurt Busiek books worth your time.