Culture

The Bonfire Agency came on the scene a year ago with some great ideas for giving all levels of the comics industry more information; this month they are spotlighting one of the best, FanPan, a consumer input panel of 500 pop culture users and influencers. It's free to join FanPan, but brands and products can then avail themselves of FanPan input to test how their products will be received by the highly vocal and internet-savvy early adopters.

A whole lotta Game of Thrones news, a hilarious Samuel L. Jackson press clip for The Avengers, a tidbit about the latest offering from Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, etcetera...

The link is probably NSFW and some of the pieces are VERY disturbing. And mesmerizing.

As a lagniappe to the current "All Things Alan Moore" wiki currently going on in our comments, here's Pádraig Ó Méalóid with a little-remembered crossover between the Watchmen and the Question...that took place all the way back in THE QUESTION #17, June 1988. Think of it as "The Five Doctors" of this particular timeline.

Coming to this year's MoCCA-fest and feeling peckish? Veterans know that although not known as a culinary mecca, the area around the Lexington Armory still has some pretty decent, cheap grub, some of it prepared under the auspices of renowned chefs. This is our third year presenting an eating guide. We've updated last year's listings with a few new spots. As usual, foodie heaven is only a cab or subway ride at any of the city's famed eateries but here's where to grab a quick, cheap lunch or a special trea

Dynamite has just revealed these exclusive sneak peaks of their July releases. Take a look at the covers for GAME OF THRONES #10, WHEEL OF TIME #27, and FULL MOON #7. Expect these on your radar in July!

On Monday, digital distributor iVerse announced a new initiative that would allow libraries to download books from their digital library on a cost per checkout basis.

WOW, Creator Rights day on the Internet rolls on with what we might call Stan Lee's Hilary Rosen moment: an unforced error that cannot be rolled back. In an interview with Moviefone, of ALL PLACES, Stan is asked POINT BLANK about whether Jack Kirby should be credited on THE AVENGERS:

My—hopefully—last post on Before Watchmen and Alan Moore and the role of the comics creators.

The date was December 9th, 2011 when cartoonist and Center for Cartoon Studies professor Alec Longstreth shaved off his beard and shaggy do. A promise to himself in 2008, he decided to chart his progress through pictures of his hair and beard growth that would undoubtedly remind him daily of his commitment. Living in a small town with a beard as his shadow, Longstreth went from industrious Fellow of the school to an instructor of both summer workshops and graduate classes to the Acting Director (while James Sturm takes a much-needed sabbatical) . Even after all the excitement, he is still growing and evolving, deciding to learn watercolor on the side. Venture on to read more about the amazing cartoonist Alec Longstreth.

Stan Lee is chatting right now with Geoff Boucher at EPIX about his new movie With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story.

In celebration of Earth Day, The Beat gives a hoot-out to Woodsy Owl, public servant.