Our good friend Jeffrey Brown is having an Art Show and wants you to come! The opening reception is Friday May 13th, and the good news is you’re invited! All of the nitty-gritty details are attached on the poster below.
And for those that haven’t seen our FaceBook profile pic, Jeffrey Brown drew this for us:
Turns out Balls and our very own Big Shiny Robot like to get some brewskies at the same pub.
It’s time for another installment of This Week IN Comics!
Big Shiny Robot! has a weekly column in the Salt Lake City alt-weekly IN Magazine and every week we bring it to you on the site.
If you live in the greater Salt Lake area, you can pick up a copy of IN Magazine up from one of their ubiquitous newsstands, and we would highly suggest that you do.
You can read the online version of the story here.
In the column for the paper, I was limited to two comic book moms, and we started with Martha Wayne and Aunt May. Below that, we’ll get into some of our other favorite comic book moms:
Others that I would have liked to include, but am doing so now:
Talia al’Ghul: The daughter of the demon, Ra’s al’Ghul, Talia bore Bruce Wayne a son and hid him from the world until she dropped him on the Batman’s doorstep. She’s actually a pretty terrible mother, teaching her son to be an assassin and whatnot, but she did bring to term Bruce’s biological son and current Robin.
Sue Richards: The Invisible Woman is a woman of many talents. She’s brilliant, she’s a superhero, she’s married to one of the most brilliant (albeit difficult) men in the Marvel Universe and she still has time to be a wonderful mother to Franklin and Val Richards. She’s had her share of ups and downs, even leaving her husband and children during the Civil War, but the first family of Marvel goes a long way to glorify the relationships of a strong, solid, loving family.
Stephanie Brown: Some may forget that the current Batgirl was pregnant in her early teens. She was having a baby with a boyfriend that left town in the wake of the Cataclysm, the earthquake that crippled Gotham city. After that dust settled, she was level headed enough to place her child up for adoption, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to provide the life the child needed. That and her father was a supervillain probably had a lot to do with it. She even convinced Tim Drake (then Robin, now Red Robin) to help her through the pregnancy. These were some of the best issues of the Robin comic and it remains one of my favorites in the Bat-family saga.
Wanda Maximoff: Okay… It turns out she really wasn’t a mother, but it was the desire for the maternal that may have ultimately driven her mad. The Scarlett Witch had twin boys (with the android The Vision) which turned out to be nothing but missing shards of Mephisto’s soul. In a bid to ease her mind, her children are erased from her memory, but this proves to be a fatal mistake for many. When she is reminded accidentally of her children, Wanda suffers a severe mental breakdown that leads to her recreating the entire world in her own image with disastrous consequences. (These events are detailed in Avengers: Disassembled and House of M).
Who are your favorite comic book mothers? Let us know in the comments below!
The third episode of season six finds the Doctor and his companions aboard a pirate ship plagued with a siren abducting each member of the crew who becomes wounded.
Knowing there is more afoot here than a simple curse, The Doctor works to solve the mystery in his classic, breathless fashion.
Some might say this episode isn’t as strong as other episodes in the Matt Smith era, but I find it to be a throwback to the single episode, swashbuckling adventures of Doctors past that I felt was sort of missing in Matt Smith’s run. Sometimes it’s nice to take a step back and remember that this show is a pleasurable romp.
And is it just me, or was Amy Pond just absolutely adorable dressed up as a pirate?
But that doesn’t mean this episode wasn’t without its share of dour connecting material to the overarching story in this season. We caught another glimpse of the sliding peephole and the one-eyed woman from the first story, checking in on Amy and a flashback of the Doctor’s death. It serves as an excellent reminder, but I don’t get the feeling we’re being offered substantive clues, just a pat on the head to wait for what’s to come. And the more they string us along like this, the more epic and gut-wrenching I expect the mid-season finale to be.
Perhaps my favorite part of this episode is that there is now a group of raucous pirates in possession of a spaceship, making a better life for themselves. I want to see more of them, that seems like a formula for some incredibly fun science fiction. 1700s pirates thrust into space? Bloody brilliant.
I think the other thing this episode accomplished was to illustrate how much Matt Smith has really come into his own as the Doctor. He has a swagger and a humour completely his own and he looks as though the fate of the galaxy rests upon his shoulders. I’m not looking forward to seeing him move on into a 12th regeneration. And if the episodes we’re watching are any indication, it will be heart-rending to see. But that’s what I love so much about Doctor Who: if you can buy into the mythology and care for the characters, the show will take you on an emotional roller coaster of entertainment. It will make you laugh and care and cry. It’s a tremendous piece of science fiction entertainment and there is nothing out there that can compare to it.
So until next week, here is the trailer of the next episode (written by Neil Gaiman!):
And two preview clips:
I really can’t wait until next week….
When we last left “Captain America” he was in an all out brawl, taking on all comers left and right! Say what you will about movie serials, but they have some well-choreographed fight scenes, Republic’s in particular! Anyway, as the battle ended, it looks like the Sentinel of Liberty was about to be put in tract(or)ion! Will Grant Gardner be able to overcome a vehicle traveling upwards of 5 mph? Watch and see!
Another exciting episode, right? Here are this week’s extras. First, a bit of trivia. While this serial really took some *ahem* liberties with the concept of Captain America, it made its mark on the comics. In the Ultimates, Steve Rogers has a gal-pal named Gail Richards, just like his secretary in this film! Our second item this week is a nice high-red picture of Dick Purcell as Captain America! Until next Saturday, Keep ’em flying!
I’ve been stewing over the movie version of Thor for almost a week and I’m still having a hard time catching my breath.
I’m a big Thor fan and I have been for as long as I can remember loving comic books. There’s something about the rich Norse mythology that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (and later Walt Simonson and others) adapted into comics form that made them like drugs to me.
They’re beautiful tales and the characters and adventures are so exciting and Lee and Kirby did such an incredible job letting Thor straddle the world of the Marvel Universe and the world of Asgard. It’s this balance that might be what director Kenneth Branagh spent the most time fine tuning because he pulled it off flawlessly. The balance between the turmoil on Earth and the adventuring spirit of Asgard is stunning. He’s walked a tight rope blindfolded and crossed over the chasm with ease.
This is a pretty basic Thor movie: Thor is cast out of Asgard for his foolishness (that was egged on by his brother Loki) and Odin falls into the Odinsleep. Using this advantage, Loki tries to take over Asgard and keep Thor stuck on Earth. It’s a story we’ve seen before in the Thor universe, but seeing it rendered so carefully on film in such breathtaking beauty is just… wow….
Perhaps my biggest complaint about this film was that it was too short. I wanted an hour more of this adventure. I wanted an hour and a half more of this adventure. We got a mere taste of what this character can do on screen (as well as his entourage) and it’s just not enough. But in a good way. Isn’t that the best thing to do in show business? Leave them wanting more.
The side characters of this film are all incredibly appropriate and never dominate the movie. I was worried about Natalie Portman’s friend from the trailers but she worked beautifully. And I was worried that the Warriors Three would be either a cameo or a distraction, but Branagh balanced them into the film to perfection. They’re vital but not overbearing, hilarious and charming but not annoying. In fact, I’d kill to see a spinoff movie of these characters adventuring through the nine realms.
I’ve heard complaints that there wasn’t enough time on Earth and there wasn’t enough time with the Destroyer, but I think those people aren’t communicating their criticism well. They fit into the story exactly as they should have. They served the story, but it comes back to just wanting more of everything.
And I cannot say enough about how much each of the actors brought their A game to the table. Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Idris Elba are all incredibly superb, but it’s hard to say they stood out because the entire cast was so pitch perfect.
And can I point out how beautiful Asgard was? And the costumes? (Loki’s horns were perfect AND they didn’t look stupid, something I never thought could be pulled off.) But the highlight of the scenery was hands down The Rainbow Bridge. It was just a joy to look at.
Which reminds me. They packed a lot of great Thor mythology into this and didn’t dumb it down at all. I was surprised that they used things like Sleipnir (Odin’s horse) or the Odinsleep and got away with using them so cavalierly. They treated the world as it existed and didn’t bat an eyelash.
Maybe that’s what I loved about it. It wasn’t a Thor origin story. It was Thor’s introduction to the Marvel Universe. And it was perfect.
I loved it. I think it’s the best of the Marvel Studios bunch.
Yes.
That includes Iron Man.
My only worry is that this raises the bar too high for Captain America, coming in just two months. He has a lot to live up to.
Bryan Young, the editor of Big Shiny Robot! has a new book and physical copies are now available for order.
Lost at the Con tells the tale of a drunken political journalist and his dangerous assignment to a sci-fi/fantasy convention. It’s a blend of fictional Gonzo journalism and geek culture in a way that is sure to please audiences inside and outside the geek community.
There are two shipping options available, one for the Continental United States, and another for anywhere else in the world. All copies shipped through here will be signed by the author. If you want a personalization on the autograph, be sure to note it through paypal or send an email. Also, be sure to check out his collection of short stories, Man Against the Future.
REVIEWS:
“Young’s style is terse and crisp. He writes in a way that compels you to keep flipping pages as you delve deeper and deeper into what is either the strangest of cultures you will ever enjoy or something warm and familiar to all geeks who go to these types of cons.
Young writes with a familiarity of this subject in a way that blends the best of gonzo journalism with comic book/pulp sensibilities wrapped with just a tiny bit of a noir vibe — perhaps that comes from the omniscient first person narrative style. But if I had to compare it to anything else, I’d call it Hell’s Angels meets Breakfast of Champions meets Amazing Spiderman”
Amy Ratcliffe, Geeks With Curves:
“Young’s hard-hitting style pulled me into the story immediately. The dialogue and story move in a direct and snappy tone. No time and words are wasted but nothing is rushed or bland.
This book has appeal for both geeks and new initiates like Cobb. From the geek perspective, it’s fun because you have the inside knowledge and you get to feel a little superior to Cobb. You’ll recognize the setting, but you’ll still be surprised by where events lead. I recommend checking it out.”
Here’s the cover art and synopsis of the book:
A political writer for a second rate, online news magazine, Michael Cobb is assigned by his editor to cover a sci-fi and fantasy convention in a bid to humiliate him.
Since Cobb can’t afford to turn down the job, he heads to Georgia and dives head first into the world of Griffin*Con, renowned the world over as the Mardis Gras of geek conventions. In Atlanta he finds a place that takes geeky debauchery to new heights: science fiction and fantasy, cosplay, booze, sex, comic books, drugs, slash fiction, and more.
Can he make it through this assignment without snapping and winding up on the front page of the paper himself? Or will the entire experience change him in ways he’d never imagined possible?
About the author: Bryan Young is a man of many talents who works across many different mediums. As a film producer, his last two films (“This Divided State” and “Killer at Large”) were released by The Disinformation Company and were called “filmmaking gold” by The New York Times. He’s also published comic books with Slave Labor Graphics and Image Comics. He’s a contributor for the Huffington Post and the founder and editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!
If you’re a member of the press and would like a review copy or request an interview, email a request to editor (at) bigshinyrobot.com
Stumbled across this today and I immediately wanted it and wished I had it a year ago. I hate camera straps, I feel like I have to keep one hand on my camera to keep it from bouncing around, the sling type straps are nice but I still feel like I would constantly need to keep a hand on it to stop it from being damaged. So when I see the Capture Camera Clip System on Kickstarter.com I was hooked. You can clip it to your belt or bag or whatever which I probably wouldn’t do while walking around town but I would absolutely do it while hiking or riding my motorcycle. Last year while in Yellowstone I constantly had to pull over, hop off my bike, open up the saddle bag and grab my camera, with this I could clip it onto my backpack and have it ready. The price will be around $70 which isn’t bad for the build quality and that most straps are pretty spendy anyway. Also they are already planning accessories and extensions. Watch the video by clicking any of the links below and head over to their Kickstarter to order one.
Capture, by Peak Design from Peter Dering on Vimeo.
Jake Black is a friend of Big Shiny Robot! and a writer of some great comics and cartoons. He’s written Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Legion of Superheroes, Ben 10, Batman: Brave and the Bold, Supergirl and much, much more. In 2008-2009, he had cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). He beat the cancer, but he’s still well over $25,000 in debt for his medical bills. It’s a shame, really, but we can do everything we can to support him.
First off, if you happen to be in the Salt Lake City area for Free Comic Book Day, Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection will be holding a raffle that will benefit Jake’s cancer fund. Even if you don’t go for the free comics, the store-wide discounts, Kat Martin’s art, and the Thor contest they’re having, show up and buy some raffle tickets to benefit Jake. Free Comic Book Day is Saturday May 7th. Dr. Volt’s is located at 2043 E. 3300 S. in Salt Lake City.
But even if you don’t live anywhere near Salt Lake City, you can donate to the Black Family Cancer Fund. Any dollar amount will help Jake and his family get out of the debt they’re trying hard to get out of. Jake is also giving away prizes to people who make donations. Since he’s in the comics and animation industry, the prizes are generally of unique interest to geeks like us.
So head to Dr. Volt’s this Saturday for Free Comic Book Day, or donate to Jake’s Cancer Fund now.
Better yet, do both.
Spider-Man is obviously a popular character, he has been since his creation in 1962. A lot of the character’s popularity has to do with the groundwork laid by two men, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spidey’s co-creators. Sadly, while the duo had a good run, creative differences between the creators ended their collaboration after a 38-issue run. Since then, Ditko has no longer been associated with Spider-Man… until today!
Yes, in today’s Amazing Spider-Man Sunday Spectacular Steve Ditko makes an uncredited appearance! The book, collecting Stan Lee and Marcos Martin’s acclaimed 2-page back up tales. It also includes an all new tale called “Identity Crisis” where Spider-Man sees a psychiatrist who looks amazingly like a certain Stan “The Man” Lee…
"Dr. Madder" sure looks like Stan Lee throughout the years.
Over the course of the story, Spider-Man talks to “Dr. Madder” about the insane convolutions of his life, eventually driving Madder, well, mad. That’s when things get interesting. The doctor that Madder goes to see could possibly be a stand-in for Ditko. Having a copy of Atlas Shrugged certainly alludes to Ditko’s known embrace of Objectivism. Still, since he’s shrouded in shadow, there’s no way to know for sure. Then, my geek brain kicked in. It is absolutely Ditko. The proof lies in a story from 1964: “How Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Create Spider-Man!” From Amazing Spider-Man annual #1. In that story, Stan & Steve appear as themselves and tell a humorous, possibly telling, version of their working relationship. When I looked back at that issue and compared it to the one in today’s issue, there’s no doubt.
Not only is that pretty telling, but it’s also pretty cool. I hope that if he sees this, Mr. Ditko will take it as the loving homage that it is and not anything with malicious intent. Well, that’s my independent research for today, hope you enjoyed it!
It seems that on any given day some website out there has a new set of pictures from the set of The Amazing Spider-Man. Some are more exciting and better than others, but this most recent round really caught my eye.
Below are some really cool pictures of Spidey doing some web-slinging around Harlem. I’m sure there is going to be plenty of CG in this film, but it looks like they are trying to do a lot of practical-effect shots of Spider-Man swinging around New York as well. I imagine this is a hard effect to achieve and have look right and fluid using cables and a stunt man, but from these stills it looks as though they are doing a very decent job at it!
At this point I have a lot of faith in what Marc Webb seems to be doing with the Spider-Man franchise, but that is only a judgement from what I have seen from the slew of set pics that have flooded the internet. I’m sold on the costume, I think Andrew Garfield looks like Peter Parker, and Emma Stone has the Gwen Stacy look down! In fact, I included some additional non-action pictures of the two of them just because I’m so pleased with the looks!
The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3, 2012, is directed by Marc Webb, and stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen and Sally Field.
You can check out plenty more set pictures at Splash News Online, and Daily Mail!
