Cyclops: Follicularly Blessed, So Why Hide It?

Cyclops: Follicularly Blessed, So Why Hide It?

Jul 31

Today, I finally had a very important nerd breakthrough. I figured out exactly why the versions of Cyclops’ costume wherein his head is completely covered bother me so much.

Unpopular Opinions: I Hope That IS Emma Frost

Unpopular Opinions: I Hope That IS Emma Frost

Jul 29

Our pal Rich at Comic by Comic has some Wolverine trailer footage up. Go see.

Also, over at io9, a detailed screenshot breakdown.

Done looking? OK. So lots of griping going on about which characters they’ve plunked into this movie. Now usually, I am not exactly slow to join the Bitching Chorus, particularly when it looks like MEAN OLD HOLLYWOOD has taken our precious geekiana and made it ALL WRONG.

But you know what? I hope that is Emma Frost.

“But it doesn’t make sense for…” Don’t care.

“But unless there’s a Hellfire Club explana–” Don’t care.

“But it completely fucks with all forms of continuity and changes The White Queen FUNDAMENTALLY and…” Don’tcaredon’tcaredon’tcare.

I want to see Emma Fucking Frost in a movie and I don’t really care how she gets there. Bring it.

The X-Files: I Want To Care

The X-Files: I Want To Care

Jul 29

I went to one of the first “official” X-Files conventions and it was pretty sad. There wasn’t really any merch to speak of, save for a glossy, overpriced poster featuring half a giant Mulder head and half a giant Scully head staring back at you, urging you to believe. I think one of the Big Two was supposed to be there, but canceled. We did get Cancer Man and Langly — the latter was especially cool, doing a spritely q&a session/improv exercise and fielding the usual “can I have a hug/a lock of your hair/YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL” queries with panache. There was an underlying frisson of excitement — the thrill of a new genre phenomenon coming into existence — but also the overwhelming sense that this entire event wasn’t very well-planned, that they just kind of threw a bunch of X-Files-y stuff into a room and assumed everyone would eat it up. And at the time, we were all too willing to do so. You know where I’m going with this, right? Because, damn…a lot sure has changed.

Warning: There are SPOILERS for the new X-Files movie behind the cut. Although you probably don’t even care about that, do you?

Why Does DC Suck at Marketing & PR?

Why Does DC Suck at Marketing & PR?

Jul 29

I don’t usually try to shit where I eat–that is, I work in PR and marketing for a living (business to business mostly) but I don’t necessarily feel a great urge to dissect the PR and marketing campaigns for the entertainment I shovel into my mouth like so much Laffy Taffy.

Over the SDCC weekend, though, as I watched the events unfolding from afar, I was overwhelmed with a very specific, very unfortunate sensation, and it’s this:

DC Comics is doing a piss-poor job at marketing and promoting their product.

SDCC08 Postscripts

SDCC08 Postscripts

Jul 28

My last SDCC 2008 post. Promise.

* In the Marvel vs. DC news battle, I’m not sure there was a clear winner; DC’s Sunday announcement of Gaiman doing Batman was pretty explosive, but other than that, DC seemed to be offering lots of old shit warmed over–“We got the Archie characters! And Milestone! And Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver doing another Rebirth mini for another fetishized Silver Age hero!”

Marvel’s news was at least NEW, but none of it shattered my earth, at least–a sorta-side event to Secret Invasion, a few new exclusive artists, Andy Diggle on Thunderbolts…I can’t even remember what else.

In the battle for ownership of geek minds, however, DC clearly emerged victor. As fabulous as the Wolverine footage may have been on Thursday, Friday’s Watchmen panel was without a doubt the convention’s great gigantic orgasmic buzz event, or at least it seemed that way from a distance.

* I’ve given Hero Complex, the new LA Times “geek blog,” a college try, but it’s not for me. This post pretty well sums it up–shameless star-fucking disguised as golly-gee-whiz fandom, and the “OMG Comic-Con’s not about comics anymore” rant delivered three or four years too late.

I know comics reporters get a lot of shit from others for their verbatim recitation of regurgitated hype bullet points–me, I slurp up second-hand PR gasbaggery like it was candy–but that site has them all beat. If you have a few hours to kill and want to spend it reading thousands of words about less than nothing, read some of those celebrity interviews. Absolute wasted access to famous and occasionally interesting people. It made me dumb.

* Over at io9, Graeme McMillan scrapes a bit at the unusual step by Paramount to show no footage from the Star Trek reboot at Comic-Con. He’s right; it’s silly to blame Fox for Paramount’s strategy, but it was a bone-head move regardless, right? Maybe they feared (and rightly so) that Watchmen’s buzz would sweep Trek’s buzz tidily under the carpet?

* This piece in the San Diego Union-Tribune features several high-profile comics retailers complaining about Comic-Con’s loss of comics focus, and by extension, what a hassle it’s become to sell actual comic books there. Here’s a fascinating quote from Mile High Comics’ Chuck Rozanski:

“There’s actually a movement afoot to pull all the comic-book dealers out of Comic-Con and move to a separate venue,” he said.

That would be a fascinating development. I’m not sure what it would mean, or how it would even work–is there any alternate space in San Diego large enough to host a couple hundred comics dealers the same weekend as Comic-Con?–but it would certainly put some pressure on Comic-Con organizers to take a more “poop or get off the pot” approach to the whole “Where will Comic-Con be after 2012?” question.