Culture

Hi, I’m Ali. And I’m a Comic-Con Virgin. That’s right, next week I’ll be flying out to San Diego for my First Time with the biggest, baddest, craziest, most epic, mother of all comic book conventions. Some how, I don’t think SDCC will be gentle.

For those of you happily staying home in NYC instead of braving nerd prom, you are being rewarded by an amazing event: The Fine Art of Comics, with Gary Panter, Art Spiegelman, and Chris Ware at the Whitney Museum on July 20th. Held in conjunction with a show on Lyonel Feininger, this trio of masters will talk about comics and fine art.

In conjunction with the Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, Diamond is helping launch the Fandom Advisory Network, a collecting oriented advocacy network for all kinds of collectors. The organization will launch at Comic-Con of course, with signings and a contest to be named the Ultimate Fan of 2011.

When DC released a bunch of October Bat-book covers the other day, it was quickly noticed that Starfire's costume had gotten much smaller, a natural move for the exhibitionist alien. It was also noticed that part of the Red Hood had gotten bigger.

Douglas Wolk is blogging about Judge Dredd . The author of "Reading Comics," has presented us with several specialized comics blogs in the past -- like his amazing 52 Pickup analyzing all the metadata of DC's 52 -- but now he's wading right in to the world of the ultimate law, and one of Britain's most popular native characters:

TRIPWIRE, edited by Joel Meadow is an excellent magazine about comics and their satellites. Like most paper-based periodicals, it's found a new distribution method as a e-magazine -- but you can still order the ppaer version from Diamond. Meadows' blog has a preview and come highlights:

Less than 24 hours ago The Beat and several other websites linked to a Kickstarter page forWomanthology, an all-female anthology of comics by both established and new creators. Less than 24 hours later not only has it met its $25,000 goal...it is OVER the goal with $27,454 in pledges. In case you haven't noticed, there's been a SURGE of interest in comics, video games, books, movies and TV from females readers, nerds and geeks out there. I have already pointed out how successful female cartoonists and writers are on the bestseller charts. It would seem that everyone who has been squawking about this has spoken with in the loudest way they can -- not with Twitter, or Tumblr but the DOLLAR.

I can totally relate to Lauren Weinstein's latest comic, The Sit Down Test. But not because I've recently spawned - I just failed the sit down test miserably and there's photographic evidence of it! Check that evil dressing room mirror, ladies. And be sure to check out more of Weinstein's work over at Vineyworld.

First Comics is coming back in a relaunch led by co-founder Ken Levin and Larry Young.

THE WOLF BOOK RELEASE PARTY! at The Secret Headquarters Comic Book Shop 3817 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 FRIDAY, July 8th, 2011 8-10 pm See some of the original art! Get your books signed! Come on down and party!

Pioneering web cartoonist and prolific graphic novelist (with publishers such as Top Shelf, 1st 2nd, and DC), Derek Kirk Kim , can now add pioneering web TV series creator, writer, and director to his CV. Kim's new web series, Mythomania, just debuted on the youtube and it's GREAT.

To help them celebrate their 25th Anniversary, metro Washington DC-based comics shop chain Big Planet commissioned cartoonist Nick Abadzis to create “The Alternative Endings to Laika Show” . As you may recall. Abadzis's graphic novel LAIKA concerns the true like story of the Russian pooch who was shot into space in 1957...never to return, making her the space race version of Old Yeller. However in these comics there is ...a different outcome. Click for MORE!