by Damon Martin
In a real world context, Benjamin Franklin may have very well been right, but those rules don’t apply when talking about the comic book universe. Like a bad soap opera where the lead character is bound to find out that his wife – whom has just made a full recovery from a terminal illness – is also his long lost sister, comic books are notorious for never letting any character stay dead for too long.
That leads us to the February 2011 Marvel Previews in which they tease us with the “Death of Spider-Man.” Sure, the sticky guy has flatlined a time or two in his day, but this will be the first major run where the character is billed as meeting his ultimate demise. While Marvel is apparently being very hush-hush about the events surrounding the eventual “death” of Spider-Man, the big goal of course is to raise sales for the Spider-Man titles before they rub him out.
Comic book deaths however are a cautionary tale because the concept is rarely very final in the land of the superhero. The genre has exploited this device for years, and many fans tire of the ubiquitous “dead hero/miraculous resurrection” storylines. With Peter Parker apparently the next hero on the chopping block, let’s look at some famous comic book deaths and how the heroes came back to life:
[..]
by Damon Martin
After a stunning debut that drew in over 5 million viewers last week, AMC’s new series The Walking Dead has been picked up for a second season with a 13 episode run already approved by the network. Indeed, the zombie filled show, based on Robert Kirkman’s comics of the same name, has broken cable records for viewership among adults 18-49.
Now that The Walking Dead can be called a legitimate hit, television networks will likely mine the comic book world vein, looking for more material that can be turned into TV gold. Shows like NBC’s Heroes and ABC’s No Ordinary Family have drawn upon the superhero myth, but weren’t actually based on any established work. So as The Walking Dead continues on AMC, let’s take a look at five series comic book series that have the potential to make it big in TV land.
[..]
by Damon Martin
On Sunday night, the The Walking Dead came to life on AMC bringing with it masses of the undead to stalk Sheriff Rick Grimes and his happy band of wanderers. The show, based on Robert Kirkman’s longstanding, Eisner Award-winning comic book series of the same name, was optioned for TV in late 2009 and made its television debut on Halloween night, 2010.
[..]
by Damon Martin
It’s been announced that 300 and Dawn of the Dead director Zack Snyder will helm the latest installment of the Superman film franchise. The news has been much anticipated after producer Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) met with several major directors including Tony Scott and Darren Aronofsky.
[..]
by Damon Martin
DC and Marvel have both made major announcements recently concerning the pricing of their comics. Seems the companies have more-or-less simultaneously decided to drop the price of many of their more expensive titles starting in 2011.
The move will see more than 80% of DC’s ongoing series drop priced at $2.99 (instead of $3.99). Days after DC made their announcement, Marvel also confirmed upcoming reductions on an as yet to be named “select” group of existing titles, as well as new books debuting in 2011.
The move sent a wave of relief over many financially strapped comic book connoisseurs, but let’s dig down deeper into the price adjustments to see if DC and Marvel really have the fan or the bottom line at heart with this recession-proofing move.
[..]
by Suri Suicide
[Kaylie McDougal a.k.a. Tigermassacre]
Artist / SG Member Name: Kaylie McDougal / Tigermassacre
Mission: “I’m from a small, southern town. All I ever dreamed of was getting out and seeing the world. After getting out and seeing very small pieces of the world, I can honestly say I’ve yet to feel truly at home anywhere. But I’m still looking. Besides my love of travel, the only other constant in my life has been my love of art – in particular, drawing comics.
[..]
by Nicole Powers
“She’s a bit of a skank.”
– Rufus Dayglo
It’s been a couple of years since Tank Girl made her dramatic comeback. Since then she’s been kicking a lot of physical and metaphorical butt. After a hiatus of over a decade, the punk rock comic character is making up for lost time, with a slew of new adventures in book and comic form.
Created by anarchist wordsmith Alan Martin and artist Jamie Hewlett, Tankie (as she is affectionately known to those in the know) first made her debut in the pages of UK comic magazine Deadline in 1988. Her “fuck you” attitude instantly resonated with Britain’s disenfranchised, Thatcher-abused youth, and it wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling. However MGM’s 1995 film, which captured the look but not the spirit of the comic strip, pretty much stopped Tank Girl in her tracks.
[..]
