ComicsAlliance.com

Parting Shot: 34 Ways of Looking at the Dean from 'Community'

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-24T18:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Things have been up and down for fans of the NBC comedy Community lately, with a fantastic three-part season finale that included an 8-bit episode featuring the cast as video game characters (that's good!), the news that the fan-favorite show would return for a fourth season (that's good!) but that it would do so without creator and showrunner Dan Harmon, who was fired by NBC (that's bad). As fans ponder what the future holds for the show without the critical creative voice of Harmon, artist Dennis Culver helps soothe their broken hearts with a poster detailing every crazy costume of the flamboyant Dean Pelton, presented in chronological order. A 24"x36" print is available on Culver's website for $40.

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Parting Shot: First Look at Michonne on AMC's 'The Walking Dead'

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-23T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Television, Culture

Entertainment Weekly has debuted the first picture of Danai Gurira as Michonne on the AMC show The Walking Dead. In the Image comic book series by Robert Kirkman, the fan-favorite character is a former lawyer best known for her skill with a katana. Initially teased at the end of the season 2 finale, Michonne will appear in season 3 this fall. While showrunner Glen Mazzara told the Hollywood Reporter that the character would "have some other traits about her that are not in the comic book," we can only assume that she will retain her primary characteristic: being an amazing badass.

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'The Comic Book History of Comics' Collection: The Rise of Manga and Osamu Tezuka

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-23T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

Comic Book Comics, the six-issue miniseries by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey that retold the history of comic books in comic books, finally gets collected today in an IDW trade paperback collection titled The Comic Book History of Comics: The Inspiring, Infuriating, and Utterly Insane Story of the American Comic Book History. Our final exclusive preview details the rise of manga through the life story of its most famous practitioner, Osamu Tezuka.

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Parting Shot: The Official Cinematic Avengers Timeline

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-22T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Marvel

The Avengers movie is an unqualified hit, with over a billion dollars in worldwide box office (and $50 million for Robert Downey Jr. alone). The culmination of years of inter-related Marvel superhero blockbusters, The Avengers melded the heroes and stories of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor into both a superteam and a supermovie. Now, Marvel has released an official timeline detailing the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from its book Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers, which is worth a look for any comics (or comics movie) fan. The full image is pretty big, so click through after the jump to see the whole thing in its scrolling glory.

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Prophet #25: Giants of the Dead Metropolis [Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-22T14:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

A group of hunters from the Earth empire arrive in the now-empty metropolis of Kartanus world to hunt the giant Nephilim, and find more than they bargained for in this 6-page preview from Prophet #25 (originally solicited as Prophet #27). The new issue written is by Brandon Graham (King City) and illustrated by Giannis Milonogiannis with a cover by previous Prophet artist Simon Roy, available online or at your local comic book shop.

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Scott Pilgrim T-Shirt Contest Winners from WeLoveFine (and Guest Judge Bryan Lee O'Malley)

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-21T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

The winner of WeLoveFine's latest comics-inspired t-shirt contest have been announced, and this time around we've got Scott Pilgrim shirts, including several that were selected by Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley himself, with the help of fellow judge (and comics retailer (and the inspiration for Wallace Wells)) Chris Butcher. Each shirt is available in both men's and women's cuts, and costs $25. Click through on any shirt for more details.

"Not So Long Ago," Grand Prize winner by Hugo Dourado

"I'm Waiting," Bryan Lee O'Malley's Judges' Pick by Jarek Pulit:

"Ownership Diagram," Chris Butcher's Judges' Pick by Ann Macarayan

"Seven Deadly Exes," Runner-up by Katrin Astarita:

"sukotto pirugurimu," Runner-up by Hugo Dourado:

"Sex Bob-omb Tee," Honorable Mention by Jordan Pomazon:

"Subspace," Honorable Mention by Paul Platt:

"Scott Pilgrim Versus," Honorable Mention by Jenni Canwell:

"A Hero's Journey," Honorable Mention by Corwin Webb:

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Superheroics and Sidekicks Become Metaphors for Love in 'Girl and Boy' [Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-17T11:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

In Girl and Boy, the debut comic by Andrew Tunney, a heroine named Girl explores her relationship with the titular hero in a story that may or may not really be about superheroes. "We fight crime and loneliness," says Girl as the two masked crusaders race through the streets. "I think he's my favorite sidekick ever." Superhero comics love to pair characters off as heroes and sidekicks (not to mention good guys and their evil counterparts), and Girl and Boy takes a look at those familiar tropes as metaphors for how certain relationships can begin to define us, and what happens to our identities (secret or otherwise) once they're over.

The full comic can be purchased online (and includes NSFW content), but we've got a SFW 7-page preview after the cut.

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'Glory' #26: Time to Move on to Real Weapons [Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-16T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Image, Indie, Previews

In Glory #26 by Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell, the titular heroine helps a young girl named Riley learn to defend herself in order to prepare for the coming war. Read more for a six-page preview of the issue, out today from Image comics with a totally sweet cover by CA favorite Ulises Farinas.

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'The Comic Book History of Comics' Collection: The British Invasion [Exclusive Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-16T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

Comic Book Comics, the six-issue miniseries by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey that retold the history of comic books in comic books, finally gets collected on May 23 in an IDW trade paperback collection titled The Comic Book History of Comics: The Inspiring, Infuriating, and Utterly Insane Story of the American Comic Book History. This week, our exclusive preview from the The Comic Book History of Comics deals with the British comics industry and their Wertham-esque purges in the 1950s, the complex history of the (Captain?)Marvel (Miracle?)Man character, and the rise of a writer named Alan Moore.

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'Saga' #3: It Takes a Village of Ghost Kids to Raise a Child [Exclusive Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-12T10:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie, Previews

In Saga #3, the newest issue of the sci-fi comic by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Alana finds herself tending to a wounded Marko, surrounded by the ghosts of the native murdered by their warring peoples, and faces a terrible choice: saving her husband and making a deal that will affect the very soul of their daughter, Hazel. Saga #3 hits shops next Wednesday from Image Comics. Read more for our exclusive six-page preview!

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Parting Shot: Dramatic Sailor Moon Costume Redesigns by Abraham Cruz

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-11T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

The familiar sailor suits of the Sailor Senshi get a series of dramatic and fashionable reinterpretations by Abraham Cruz aka PandaRojo07 on DeviantArt. Check out his gallery for more (and bigger) Sailor Moon redesigns! [Via The Mary Sue]

Sailor Mars

Sailor Venus

Sailor Nepture

Chibi Moon

Sailor Uranus

Sailor Pluto

Sailor Saturn

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Parting Shot: Digital Now 10% of IDW Comics Sales, 'Definitively Not Impacting' Print

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-10T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: IDW, News, Parting Shot

In an interview at ICv2, IDW Publishing CEO Ted Adams discusses the growth of digital comics to 10% of the publisher's overall direct market sales, and how contrary to the expectations of some critics, print sales have actually increased 25% as digital sales soared. Read the full interview for more.

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Parting Shot: The Pikachu Kitten Hunt [Video]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-09T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Humor

The charming gentlemen of the effects studio FinalCutKing, who previously gifted the internet with their video of a kitten Tie Fighter/light saber battle, have returned to the world of cat/geek video mashups with a new clip about a kitten that is also Pikachu. Don't belabor the logic; it doesn't matter. While I usually view both talking animals and talking babies as two of the most unnecessary and unwelcome inventions of CGI, I'm willing to make an exception here. Kittens, my only weakness, how did you knooooow

[via Topless Robot]

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'The Comic Book History of Comics' Collection: Tintin and the Nazis [Exclusive Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-09T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

Comic Book Comics, the six-issue miniseries by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey that retold the history of comic books in comic books, finally gets collected on May 23 (note: not May 9, as previously announced) in an IDW trade paperback collection titled The Comic Book History of Comics: The Inspiring, Infuriating, and Utterly Insane Story of the American Comic Book History. Our exclusive preview from the The Comic Book History of Comics goes international this week, investigating the early days of French-language comics. Next week, the global tour continues as we take a drive down the Chunnel to explore the British comics industry, Alan Moore and the UK comics purges of the 1950s, which were arguably worse than the ones in the US!*

(* Yes, we said the UK would be this week's story, but the book's new, later release date means you get extra installments of this column. No, no need to thank us. The looks on your faces is enough.)

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Marvel Comics Table Lamps Illuminate Panels of Your Favorite Heroes

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-09T11:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Over at Fab.com, Lamp-In-A-Box is selling a series of Marvel Comics-themed table lamps, currently marked down to $26 a pop (down from the regular price of $39.95). You've got your Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Woman, Thor, Medusa, She-Hulk, and X-Men lamps, along with the unfortunately named "Women's Comics Covers Lamp," which I have retitled for accuracy. The sale ends in less than a week, so grab them soon if you want them!

Iron Man Panels Lamp

She-Hulk Cover Lamp

Incredible Hulk Panels Lamp

~~Women's~~ Romance Comics Covers

X-Men Panels Lamp

Spider-Woman Panels Lamp

Thor Panels Lamp

Incredible Hulk Close Up Lamp

Medusa Cover Lamp

[via Ming Doyle]

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Parting Shot: The Weirdly Psychedelic 'Concrete' Motion Comic from 1992

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-07T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

These days we'd probably call it a "motion comic," but back in 1992 when Dragonfly Entertainment adapted Paul Chadwick's Concrete story "Watching a Sunset" into animation, they referred to it as a "video portfolio." It involves a lot of pixelated waves and trippy music as Concrete decides to take a walk and hang out at the bottom of the ocean (he's made of stone, remember) and maybe do a little light shark-punching. If you have fond nostalgia for the computer graphics and electronic music of the late '80s and early '90s, this one is for you.

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Batgirl and Thor Paper Dolls Let You Mix and Match Superhero Styles

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-07T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Illustrator Kyle Hilton has impressed us before with his highly entertaining paper dolls based on characters from shows like Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Parks and Rec, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Arrested Development, but this week he turned his craft towards a fan-favorite character from the DC Universe: Stephanie Brown. We've also got a Thor paper doll by Hilton after the cut, so click through for bigger versions, and check out the rest of his paper dolls and his full portfolio for more excellence.

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Parting Shot: The Mondo Poster for 'The Avengers'

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-03T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Marvel

The Mondo poster for The Avengers movie has been released, featuring the art of Tyler Stout and available as a limited edition 24" x 36" screen print for $110.

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'The Comic Book History of Comics': Pop Art & the '60s Batman TV Show [Exclusive Preview]

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-02T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Indie

Comic Book Comics, the six-issue miniseries by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey that retold the history of comic books in comic books, finally gets collected on May 9th in an IDW trade paperback collection titled The Comic Book History of Comics: The Inspiring, Infuriating, and Utterly Insane Story of the American Comic Book History. ComicsAlliance will be running exclusive previews from each of the issues each week until the release, continuing today with a chapter on the impact of Pop Art movement on comics (and vice-versa), and the connection between the work of Warhol, Lichtenstein and their contemporaries with one of the biggest super-hero fads of all time: the 1960s Batman TV show.Chicago-area readers can judge Lichtenstein's work for themselves when the Art Institute of Chicago opens a retrospective of his work on May 16.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from The Comic Book History of Comics. Everyone's heard about Dr. Fredric Wertham's anti-comics crusade in the US. But did you know the one in the United Kingdom was actually worse? The Secret History of British Comics, next week!

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Parting Shot: Mark Trail vs. the Marijuana Growers

Laura Hudson — 2012-05-01T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Humor

Ah, Mark Trail. My old nemesis. The 66-year-old newspaper comic about a wildlife photographer and his informative and outdoorsy adventures Mark Trail first came to my attention during a completely insane storyline where a woman who lived near Mark Trail made friends with a deer, a relationship that made her physically abusive husband so jealous that he shot it. He was ultimately gored by the deer, which prompted his abused wife to declare that it was all her fault and promise to have a baby with her husband -- a development that was considered a happy ending. It's not a terribly progressive comic, is what I'm getting at.

So when I found out that the latest Mark Trail storyline involving the nature adventurer fighting the scourge of marijuana, I was pretty excited.Our story begins as aerial photography reveals that someone is growing marijuana on government land, a development that shocks dutiful ranger Tom Martin, who is apparently a terrible naturalist and can barely remember what the plant is called ("it's on the tip of my tongue!"). When Tom goes to clear out the marijuana, he is confronted by two men who are clothed head to toe in khaki. Maybe that's some weird stereotype that I'm not aware of, but it mostly makes them look like UPS deliverymen.

They tie Tom to a a tree in accordance with their moustache-twisting bad guy handbook, which causes him to miss dinner with Mark Trail, and because Tom is usually such a super-punctual guy, that means that Mark Trail is on the case with his giant freaking dog. Then we get to watch Mark repeat the exact same sequence of events -- even reciting aloud what he imagines Tom said aloud -- which is definitely not boring or tedious in a comic that only advances three panels each day:

Unrelated (maybe): I have no idea what this picture of a fish lunging at a squirrel is supposed to signify. I guess danger?

Mark finally arrives at the area where Tom is being held captive by the marijuana growers -- or as Mark Trail likes to call them, "drug guys." Mark helpfully narrates his entire rescue plan aloud to his dog, because he is a weirdo:

Mark sneaks up behind Tom and tells him to lure his captors over with, you know, some sort of casual-sounding conversation. This is what Tom says:

And then Mark attacks them with his giant dog (see above). That brings you pretty much up to date, and while I can't say it's quite as absurd as the deer storyline, it's an odd combination of boring and hilarious that I can only term "borlarious," full of ridiculous caricatures and out-of-date dialogue that rivals the high school slang of Tom Batiuk for their authenticity. If you'd like to follow along, the strip is available online, and the best commentary can be found at Josh Fruhlinger's Comics Curmudgeon.

[via io9]

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