Culture

When alt-comix superstar Brian Chippendale reviews mainstream comics, the result illuminates us all this episode he examines the X-men, the new UNCANNY #1, and fanboy style, suggests that consecutive numbering didn't hurt X-MEN #94:

The latest round of outrage over the matter of women in comics was sparked off when DC's relaunch had only three "distaff" members. In all the talk-talk there was some along the lines of Adam P Knave's Why Aren’t There More Women in Comics? which points out the lack of a welcome mat for female creators.

Knave takes pains to point out that he's talking "mainstream" comics, but this got me thinking about how obsessing about women at The Big Two is really like worrying about the number of saunas in the Kalahari.

Golden Age artist Lew Sayre Schwartz, best known as one of Bob Kane's ghosts of the Batman comic, died over the weekend of complications from a fall, according to his son Andrew. A memorial service is planned for July.

Judging from the images released so far, it would appear that the relaunched versions of Superman and Superboy will be different from previous versions. Superman will no longer be wearing red shorts over his blue tights, and his belt, boots and S-symbol have also undergone notable alterations. Somewhat more dramatically, Superboy is sporting a black shirt and pants, a black-and-white S-shield mini-cape attached to his back, and a stylized red S-shield tattoo. It also appears that both characters will have significant changes in their continuity, most notably Superman’s age and his relationship with Lois Lane. This changes in the Superman costume are in themselves not likely to provide a solid foundation for erasing the Siegel heirs' ownership interest. However, the costume changes and other shifts in continuity are consistent with DC's arguments for limiting what the Siegels now own.  

In the white hot days following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, a lot of art was planned and some executed. One near legendary project was Frank Miller's Holy Terror, Batman, which was just what it sounded like...the Batman taking on the terrorists. With Miller's increasingly right-wing views, it was expected to be a real barn burner. However, it turned out to be a little too hot for DC-- as did the project's editor Bob Schreck, who left for IDW and now a start-up line at Legendary Pictures. With a main character recast as "The Fixer," the book is now planned to come out this September, in time for the 10th anniversary of a day most people would rather forget. The Legendary Comics line has been quietly ramping up for some time -- a publishing arm for Legendary Pictures, the powerhouse production company behind the Batman movies, The THE HANGOVER, and many more films. Editor Schreck was seen hanging around the Comics Pavillion at BEA with new assistant editor Greg Tumbarello, and the imprint is busy setting up a distribution deal yet to be announced.

In a blog post, Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams reveals himself as a male-basher who thinks all men need to be castrated to ensure a smoothly running society because all they want to do is rape and tweet pictures of their junk to co-eds:

Bob Haney and Del Connell are the writers selected to received this year's Finger Award. The Finger Award is presented each year to writers, one living, one dead, who for whatever reason, have not received the recognition they should have for their creative efforts. It's named for Bill Finger, who created much of the Batman mythos we see today while Bob Kane got the credit.

Shannon O"leary is back with a rundown on the week's Hollywood doings and brewings.

I would read the hell out of this comic.

Wow, we've linked to some amazing LIFE Magazine photo galleries before, but here is a doozy:MAD Magazine: A Semi-Secret History with photos of MAD founder Bill Gaines from the files of current editor John Ficarra. LIFE made a few images available, but each is accompanied by Ficarra's commentary on the site with even more history and insight.

Although right now you might want to support the valiant Stark clan with a Robb Stark T-shirt -- one of three Game of Thrones character shirts now on sale at HBO.com-- who can resist Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, the cunning, caustic, hard-living, altogether irresistible member of the scheming, incestuous house of Lannister? Plus, New Jersey-born Dinklage is one of the few US actors who can keep up with the acting chops of the largely British cast. Clan Morristown!

There are a lot of Green Lantern merch tie-ins out there, and here's a cool one, a Hex sport watch band suitable for ipod Nano. It isn't actually a Green Lantern licensed product...but it's the right color. You can win this or a pair of tickets to see Green Lantern by going to the ShopHex Facebook page and answering some questions. Today's quiz: "IF YOUR HEX WATCH COULD GIVE YOU ANY SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?"