Here’s a batch of links to tie up a very big week in comics (a bunch of reviews and more coming shortly). Also, here’s the funniest search term that brought someone to the site this week: “I just want to read DC comics for free.” Don’t we all?
- Warner Brothers is holding a meeting today to figure out how to handle The Dark Knight’s marketing in the wake of Heath Ledger’s death. Also, voice looping may or may not have been finished already, according to Slate.com.
- The U.S. Military is using a comic book to turn public opinion against terrorists in the Philippines. The hero of the book is a practioner of traditional Filipino martial arts and protects the poor from terrorists. Before you laugh, just remember the anecdote from Freakonomics about how the negative portrayal of the KKK in the old Superman TV serial was key to turning them into something of a bad joke.
- The G.I. Joe license won’t remain with Devil’s Due, most likely, and Marvel and IDW are supposed to be the main bidders for Hasbro’s plastic soldiers.
- Here’s the snarkiest preview ever for the 2008 slate of comics movies, courtesy of my pals at Doomkopf.
- Fantagraphics is taking submissions for Beasts: Book Two. The first one was great, a dream come true for anyone who loves cryptozoology and comics. And whoever doesn’t have those two loves is no friend of mine.
- Internet comics fans take heart, you can make a difference with your message-boarding (which is slightly less painful than water-boarding)! CBR’s Urban Legends Revealed digs up this fact: Grant Morrison decided to use Emma Frost in New X-Men because a poster on his web site suggested it.
- Christopher Butcher has an interesting thought on the debate over selling debut comics at conventions before they’re available at stores through direct market. From his time selling books at conventions, he said most fans didn’t want to lug books around with them, so they’d ask if the books would be in shops soon. He does say, though, that books at signing tables are another story.
- The Daily Cross Hatch has an interview with Kevin Colden, creator of webcomic Fishtown, which is one of the best webcomics I’ve seen.
- Bunch of new T-shirts from the Hero Initiative (shown at Geek in the City).
That’s all for today. I’m talking to Brian K. Vaughan shortly.
