Well, it’s still Wednesday in Hawaii, right? Sorry, computer glitches on my end.

Here we go with the second of four. I had three different joke ideas for this image, but went with the least overt. Because I think you’re all that smart. That’s it.

As promised, here’s the first of a set of weekly Wednesday Zingers! (And yes, it’s not fully in color because, when all was said and done, I liked the black and white over a colored background on this one. Maybe a weird choice, but it satisfied me artistically.) Seeya next week.

Burnhamania. com’s other regular content includes New T-Shirt Tuesdays (t-shirt designs that aim to amuse, or be bought, or both) as well as sketches, musings, and reviews throughout the week.

Drop on by.

http://www.burnhamania.com

First,
CLICK HERE for the t-shirt we all should be wearing right now.

Second, my June commission sale is going pretty well, with about a third of the slots I’d opened sold (which is keen!) Look over at some of the stuff posted (and which will continue to be posted) over at www.burnhamania.com.

That’s enough self-serving for now, I’d say.

Remember when I mentioned, in my last post, four weekly Zingers for Monitor Duty? They’re still happening. I got one or two weird character ideas, but I haven’t picked anything yet. If you have any characters you want to see star in the strips, let us know with a comment.

And now, some brief review snippets:

The International: One of the worst movies I’ve seen in quite some time. Disjointed, it expects to be taken very seriously… and then includes a chalk outline at a crime scene. Plus, no real resolution for our hero at the end of the movie. Stay away.

Wii Punch Out: Awesome. Fun. Nostalgic. And they made Glass Joe a challenge. (Plus, if you’re lucky and good, you can take on Donkey Kong!)

Burn Notice Season 3: Two episodes down so far, and yes, the show is still a must-watch.

Friday the 13th ’09: Jason is now, apparently, Rambo. For some, this works. For others “it’s dumb.” The latter folk do seem to enjoy the three-chapter sex scene, however. (Just like the old days, in the 1980s, when kids had lots and lots of sex before the slasher got to ‘em!) Also: Jason runs. Jason is smart enough to set traps. And… Jason throws down with a bow and arrow. So yeah. Rambo Voorhees.

And that’s about all I have at 5:45 in the AM.

Now, naturally, I want to promote it — but I’d never take up MD time to do JUST that. (Well, I would, but then Hutch would think less of me.) So to make up for what would otherwise be spam, I’m putting together a new round of Monitor Duty ZINGERS cartoons. (Look! News and future entertainment!)

I’ll do one each week in July, just to see how they go over with you guys. So four new Zingers next month! Now, who would you guys most like to see starring in these cartoons? Let Hutch know your choices. Marvelites? DCers? Indieholics? Let your favorite characters be teased in pixelized form here on MD. If I hear nothing, well, I’ll just have to get creative (which I’d do anyway, but I like to let you guys have a voice, democratic chap that I am.)

Now that you’ve read the above post, let’s gauge how much this will raise Michael’s blood pressure: I think I may start a side bet.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in July! (;

Instead I’ll say: George, it wasn’t worth 15 years of waiting for you to get your way on those plot points…

But I loved that last scene. Yes, I did.

And the whole sand-trap revelation scene. (Not that it was surprising, but it was well executed.)

45 minutes of great stuff, though, puts it on par with Temple of Doom.

I’m going back to Raiders now, thank you!

Check it out, it’s all for a good cause!

SiB’s Charity Auction

Be sure to check out the strip every day, and pop over to the Down Side forum at Comic Related to let your thoughts be known!

And to those fans of the Zingers — every Sunday I’ll be running a superhero gag! First one features Iron Man and is up today!

I want to come up with a great way to promote the Down Side’s eventual (Feb. 25) exodus from the thrice weekly format.

So I’d like to see what can be done, so I’ve decided on a contest — with two winners!

So here’s the deal:  once again, On Monday, February 25, the Down
Side will be going daily – that’s right, DAILY! – and I want to get the
word out in a big way.  So the contest is about promotion.

I’ll have one prize for the person who comes up with the best
[workable] promotional idea and one for the person who refers the most
folks to the strip (as signified by mentions in the comments section of
the Feb. 25 strip.)

The prize is winner’s choice of an original sketch of winner’s choosing or an original, unique Down Side strip.
What say ye?  Feel free to make your intentions know at the comments section, the Down Side message board at Comic Related, or by email.

Both winners will be announced March first.

Hutch here. The popup isn’t working right…which actually makes it all the funnier, so I’m not going to fix it.

There’s been plenty of demand (well, more than I expected, anyways.)  I’ve only lacked an “easy” way to return the strip… and I’ve found that with the excellent ComicsPress blog system (via WordPress.)  I tumbled onto this thanks to Scott Kurtz’ PvP, which uses the same.

I grant you, neither my site nor the strip look as slick as Kurtz’, but I’m shaking the rust off the strip and a newbie at this kinda code monkeying!

Now go forth, my minions.  Be fruitful.  Multiply.  And point all generations to Burnhamania.  Thankew.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

If you feel like taking a peek at what’s up for bid, hit this link

And wish good luck to LS and his wife!

Cockrum, who was long suffered with diabetes, has a severe case of double pneumonia and a bacterial infection in his lungs and blood.

He has been reported in stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit at Bronx Veterans Administration Hospital in New York.

Comicon.com’s Pulse site reports that a benefit book is in the planning stages with contributors including Murphy Anderson, Chris Claremont, Peter David, Harlan Ellison, Tony Isabella, Johnny Romita, Len Wein, and Marv Wolfman, and added that a benefit auction is also being planned.

Cards can be sent to:
Dave Cockrum
c/o Bronx VA Medical Center
130 W Kingsbridge Road
Bronx, NY 10468

This news originally reported via the Industry News Scoop by way of the Super Hero News list.

I saw it at SuperHeroHype.

You’re seeing it here.

Michael Caine has been officially cast as Alfred Pennyworth in the next Batman flick, Intimidation Game.

In Lee’s words: “The only reason I’m able to say this is because it was on the internet and has been for some days. I only heard recently. As far as I’m concerned, I’m only telling you this because it has been revealed on the internet, someone has talked and it certainly wasn’t me. Of course I am very shocked, that’s all I can say. If you want to know why you would have to ask the company New Line or director Peter Jackson and his associates because I still don’t really know why. I can’t say any more because I signed a confidentiality agreement and I honored my word.”

Perhaps the scenes were cut due to the rumored four hour running time of the film, perhaps there’s another reason.

Maybe it’s even a misunderstanding… though I don’t know the likelihood of that. Maybe the scenes, if cut, will be reinstated…

We’ll find out when the film comes out next month.

Originally, the following text was found in this message: “What if… Avengers #4 happened today?”

I repost it here in case there are any future message board glitches that prevent someone from accessing that text.

Now then, the post by board member NuMarvel:

“Can’t take credit for this one. I thought it was interesting though.

CAPTAIN AMERICA TO JOIN THE AVENGERS

Stan Lee thrilled old-time readers today when he announced that Joe Simon’s famous creation, Captain America, would be revived in Avengers Volume 1 number 19. The six issue story arc will be appropriately entitled ‘Captain America Joins the Avengers’. Fans may recall that a fake Captain America (revealed to be the Acrobat) appeared recently during a story arc in Strange Tales 684 – 689.

Lee gave a run-down of what fans can expect.

“Issue 19 deals mainly with the fallout from our last story arc, in which the Avengers fought Sub-Mariner and the Hulk. At the end of this issue we catch a glimpse of you-know-who encased in ice.”

Issue 20 features Cap’s revival and initiation into the Avengers. Much of it is a flashback in which he recounts his last adventure in WWII.

In issue 21, Cap will see modern New York for the first time. But as he adjusts to being a ‘man out of time’ the Avengers are attacked by a strange new foe…

In 22, Cap has to track down this new enemy, and in doing so discovers the bizarre tale of an alien who inspired one of the great characters of Greek mythology.

We wrap up the arc in 23, which features a terrific battle with Subby and his undersea legions.”

“The Avengers has been going a year and a half with the current line-up, explained Lee. Jack and I felt it was time for a shakeup. And frankly, Jack was getting very restless. He keeps telling me we could do these stories in half the time. He’s quite a kidder. On that note, I don’t think people appreciate how much effort it takes to think up two stories (ie two story arcs) per year.”

Will the issues feature special covers, perhaps to attract ‘impulse buyers’ into trying the series?

“Yes indeed,” replied Lee. “Each will feature a generic picture of an Avenger, much like the previous 18 issues.”

And what of the rumoured controversial scene between Giant Man and the Wasp?

“Well…we thought a lot about it before including it”, admits Lee. The consensus was that the story is much stronger for it. Besides, there are so many darn pages to fill…”"

And that sums it up.

In a fun little dig at the Ultimate books (and, really, many comics in general these days come to think of it) this article, whoever wrote it, points out some noteworthy differences in comics past and present.

Do the covers have anything to do with the interior? Sometimes. Rarely, though. Much easier to do a pinup. DC is the company I notice more often than not having relevant covers, although certainly they’re guilty of pinupitis every now and again as well.

Does a story that would fit into one or two issues get drawn out to a 6-12 month arc? Good Lord, the pacing is horrendous in some comics, and very rarely does all that extra space provide anything meaningful. Sometimes, yes, there are brilliant character bits in there. Sometimes it’s just fluff. Often, nothing happens at all and for that, my friend, you must pony up three bucks.

Or wait for the trade.

But if you don’t buy the monthly, there will be no interest on your part, obviously, in a trade.

Oy.

I tend to like dense comics. I also have no problem with drawn out storylines. I prefer it, of course, if the story warrants the space.

Mostly, though, I just want a satisfying reading experience. I think that’s all any of us want.

…But I must digress or I’ll be typing this for a lot longer, and I have to get to work.

I had a pretty good idea of what I was in store for with this latest, direct-to-DVD, installment of the Batman animated franchise, but I was still in for a few pleasant suprises.

I will try to keep spoilers out of my review, but I’ll warn you of their possibility anyway…

The general story is: a new vigilante appears in Gotham — she is the Batwoman, and her tendencies are violent. Batman doesn’t appreciate her presence — or her choice to model her look on his.

But who is she? The list of suspects includes Kathy Duquesne, daughter of a Gotham gangster… Dr. Rocky Ballantine, a scientist specializing in metallurgy for WayneTech, and Detective Sonia Alcana of the GCPD, the latest partner of Harvey Bullock.

The mystery is one that befits the family-friendly nature of the show, but it allows for more logical twists and a conclusion that plays fair with the facts… unlike many of the Batman comics.

But I digress.

Each of the Batwoman candidates has a motive to put on a cape and fight crime, and these motives happen to involve – to a large extent – the Penguin and Rupert Thorne, voiced by David Ogden Stiers and John Vernon, respectively. (As a side note, the Penguin was thankfully redesigned, erasing any and all connections to Tim Burton’s bizarre caricature of the character and returning him to a neo-Kane look.)

Bane also makes an appearance.

The villains are played seriously enough to get the movie a PG rating… less over the top than anything you’ve seen in any one of the live action films, and I’ll stop with this unsurprising train of thought and move on to my overall impression of the piece.

I liked it.

Plain and simple. All the characters had a third dimension, there was more story and action in the movie than the just-over 74 minute running time suggests, and it allowed for equal parts lightness and darkness. Not quite as grim as the Mask of the Phantasm, but of equal quality.

And Alfred remains as quotable as ever.

The cast includes – in addition to the returning voice talent – Kelly Ripa, Kyra Sedgewick, and Hector Elizondo.

This movie’s something Batfans of all ages can watch without feeling a distinct insult to their intelligence. It may not be enough for some, but it does have something for everyone.

And who’da thunk such a musical number would actually fit Batman? (I’ll let you hear it for yourselves.)

Thumbs up, folks.

Oh, before I forget — amongst the special features is a seven minute short entitled “Chase Me.” It has nothing to do with the main feature, but it’s a load of fun — and is completely free of dialogue. I’ll spare you any more details, but I bet it puts a smile on your face.

So, assuming you don’t have west nile virus or a low iron count… and also have blood running through your veins, it’s something to think about.

Took me a little less than six minutes to fill a pint.

And I got a cookie.

That’s my good deed for the day.

With visuals by Jason Howard and Terri Boyle, Stealing Justice looks to be a crime/suspense/adventure/noir mix. Of course, I only have the first episode and a teaser image to go by, so it could become blatant philosophizing by next week!

Graphic Smash will debut a new episode of Stealing Justice each week — Mondays — which is viewable for free. But, like all other Modern Tales sites, the archives are subscription only.

So if you’re cheap, get on the ground floor of the story today!

Recently, as in this past weekend, he found a little more Hollywood success as the movie he’d written (and had a supporting part in) hit #1 in the US Box Office.

The movie? Underworld – a Romeo and Juliet-ish story with vampires and werewolves.

Grevioux played one of the werewolves of the piece. He’s hard to miss; look for a tall, musclebound black man, appearing right off the bat in the opening minutes of the movie and intermittently thereafter. That’d be him.

Kevin’s a commanding presence. He also has a degree in microbiology. And is working towards a masters in genetic engineering. He’s writing a sci-fi novel…

…Not to mention the fact that he’s a comics geek. (Or, at least, a Marvel Zombie, just as the title of the article says.) Kevin also recently started a small press comics studio of his own — DarkStorm Studios.

I learned all this after an impromptu IMDb visit following a screening of Underworld (by the way, I enjoyed the movie — it was simple, good old-fashioned monster-fighting fun with comic book influences aplenty!)

Here’s wishing the multifaceted Mr. Grevioux as much good fortune with his upcoming efforts as he had with Underworld!

Frank Cho and Scott Kurtz will be debuting their new comic strip, Summer Days, at this weekend’s Baltimore Comicon via a 10 page story published in MORE FUND COMICS. A cover image by Cho can be seen here.

It’s a complete collaboration – they both wrote and drew it.

Cho said on his message board; “…it’s been a hoot creating this with Scott. It’s like we’re on the same wavelength. The story wrote itself.”

The crux of the strip is a broken-hearted city girl inheriting a business in a small town…

That’s what I heard, anyway — I could be wrong.

Either way, it should be a fun read. Both of these gentlemen know their way around a comic strip.

Here’s the rundown from Variety, by way of SuperHeroHype:

“The Flash, an ordinary man with superhuman speed, is headed for The WB’s Fall 2004 schedule, as the network has committed to a pilot based on the DC Comics superhero. Writer/producer Todd Komarnicki is writing the pilot and will executive produce.

Each week will have self-containted storylines, or missions, in addition to ongoing plot points. A mentor will train him and there’s a legacy of Flashes before him.”

This has the potential to be pretty good.

…Or make us yearn for the days of John Wesley Shipp fighting Luke Skyw– uh, Mark Hamill. We’ll know in a year.

The movie was written by Nolan and David Goyer, and will begin filming early in 2004.

I’ll admit, Bale has never been my first choice, but at least the man can act. (Reign of Fire notwithstanding… heh.)

Further information can be obtained at SuperHeroHype, including a potential revelation of the film’s villain. Further casting news will be forthcoming.

The long and short of it? Not only is a movie in development — so are more episodes of the show…

The article with the details is right here.

My only question: how on Earth does one come to conceive of Tony Stark as a liberal character?

The result was… “Boy Wonder (I Love You)”. (There’s also a B-Side, but that’s neither here nor there.)

If you enjoy Zappa, the 60′s Bat-show, or off-the-wall humor… go check it out. It’s hilarious.