Holiday Roundtable: Personal Bests 2007

Happy New Year everyone!

continuing our Holiday Roundtable with three more questions!

Looking back at the past year in comics, what was your favourite/proudest moment from your own comics?

Nate Cosby: I'm most proud of MINI MARVELS. Chris Giarrusso continues to confound and surprise and amaze me with his creativity and ability. I feel so lucky that I'm involved with the highest-quality writer AND artist working for Marvel right now. If I had to put a finer point on it time-wise, I was exuberantly excited that I was able to get G's interpretation of Planet Hulk/World War Hulk in two high-selling books (World Breaker and Aftersmash). Expect as many new Mini Marvels (AND Chris Giarrusso-written comics!) as I'm allowed to put in Marvel books.



Cecil Castellucci: I would say that getting to be a part of the launch of the Minx line with THE PLAIN JANES was pretty amazing. I feel so proud to be writing graphic novels for young adults and hopefully getting girls to like comics.

Cliff Chiang: I'd have to say the last issue of DOCTOR 13.

Paul Cornell: I was very proud of the ending of WISDOM, of being able to complete the story in a proper way.

Jason Aaron: Really, the whole year has been one long favorite moment for me. But if I have to narrow it down, I'd say getting my first trade paperbacks in print over the summer. That'd be THE OTHER SIDE and SCALPED Volume One, both from Vertigo.

Nicola Scott: Drawing Gail Simone's last issue of BIRDS OF PREY. There was a brutal smack down, a showy four page splash and tears.

Mike Carey: Probably that X-MEN Marauders plotline referred to earlier. I thought it hit all the beats I wanted and needed it to, and since I was manoeuvring the biggest cast I'd ever handled, it could all have fallen apart really badly. Favourite actual moment within the plotline... probably Iceman and Cannonball's last stand against the combined might of the Marauders and Mister Sinister himself. They can't win, but they go down fighting and snatch a kind of victory from a really desperate situation. It was just a blast getting to tell that story - kind of, Mutant Massacre act 2...

Christos Gage: Just in terms of sheer fun, WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN was an absolute blast for me to work on, and I was glad people enjoyed it.

It's a pity - Tanya Stephens

Recently redubbed and released in Greek by my favourite singer, Alkistis Protopsalti as 'Pame Hawaii' (Let's go to Hawaii)

Wonder Woman, Puppy Slayer

Beautiful panel by David Lopez. Source: Countdown, DC Comics (no, really)

Green Arrow / Black Canary #3

...a story in pictures.

DC warns: 'The action in this issue will make you crap your pants!'

Last we saw them, Black Canary and the Arrows had travelled to Themyscira (Amazon Island) to save Green Arrow. The Amazons had replaced GA with mr plot device: the shapeshifter Everyman, and then had him commit suicide in order to get the grieving Black Canary to renounce men and join the Amazons.

Yeah.

This being Judd Winnick, he of course chose to 'enrich' the plot with a deeper meaning to flesh out the characters:

Amazon villainess cackling out about her evil plot:

Black Canary, asking the obvious question any self-respecting super-heroine would have formed in this situation:

Gee, Dinah, self-obsessed much?

Anyway, the Amazons didn't actually kill GA, but only kept him locked up on the island, while inviting Canary to pass the tests to join their ranks.

Huh.

This of course leads to a succesful rescue attempt and a boat getaway and reunion. Again Judd Winnick knows how to bring out the best out of the characters in such an emotionally charged situation:

The conclusions are yours.

Ladies Of Soiled Virtue

This panel is, of course, pure Fraction. Art by the Nocturnals' Dan Brereton.

Source: Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1, Marvel Comics

Merry Beary Christmas

She packed my bags last night, pre-flight. Zero hour nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

Christmas Roundtable 2007: All Ages

Manolis: If you could give out a comic book or tradebook as an x-mas gift to get a young person interested in comics, what would that be and why?

Nate Cosby: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. BEST graphic novel, BEST fictional biography. It's the Watchmen and Citizen Kane of fun comics

Cecil Castellucci: Robot Dreams by Sara Varon. I think that it's a beautiful book about friendship and love. It has no words so it can be understood by anyone, at any age, not only a child, but even your grandma, even your Italian boy/girlfriend that speaks no English. I think that once a person sees the joys of what a great graphic story can do, they will seek out other books like that, and they will no longer say "I don't read comic books." Robot Dreams is a great book to get someone started with

Cliff Chiang: For someone in high school, I'd say Fables or Y: The Last Man. Younger than that, I'd go with Runaways. I think those are good ways to break into American mainstream comics.

Paul Cornell: Would it be tasteless to give a young person Jeff Smith's Bone? And I'd do that if I was being serious too. Or any of the Asterix books.

Heidi McDonald: I'd give the first volume of BONE, or perhaps a Tintin volume.

Christos Gage: Owly. It's perfect for readers of any age, 3 to 93. The term "all-ages comics" is usually a euphemism for something aimed solely at small children, but Andy Runton' delightful books are truly something anyone can enjoy -- and should!

Jason Aaron: Well, I actually just gave my young niece the first volumes of BONE and OWLY, and those seem to have worked like a charm.

Nicola Scott: I am giving my god-son (who's five) some Batman Strikes

Christmas Roundtable 2007: Santa's Gone

Manolis: Santa has gone missing, and you need to choose one comics character to replace him in time for Christmas. Who do you choose, and why?

Cecil Castellucci: I think it's Theater Jane. She's got the costume know how and the Ho Ho Ho in her to pull off a fabulous christmas. Besides, she's also got all the other Janes and James to help her out by becoming her Christmas Elves. And they'll totally do it. They'll totally all save Christmas.

Cliff Chiang: Frank Miller. Wait, you mean he's real?

Paul Cornell: Superman would surely be able to do Santa's job, perhaps better. But he'd tell Batman that he was sure he could get the job done equally well


Nate Cosby: Oh, no doubt Bobby Drake. The Bobby knows what it takes to make EVERYbody happy (especially the ladies). The Bobby can shoot straight down everyone's chimney (cuz he's so skinny and can ice up to avoid burns) and leave sweet frisbees and sleds. And when the kids check the freezer the next morning, there's 1/10th scale models of The Bobby made out of ice!!!

Heidi McDonald: Milk and Cheese. They will get the job done

Jason Aaron: MODOK. 'Cause I'm evil like that

Nicola Scott: Misfit. She's a teleporter so would get the job done quickly. Though she's likely to get everyones gifts wrong, she'd look pretty cute/ridiculous in Santa's coat and boots.

Tom Brevoort: Wolverine. Because he can be everywhere all at once, and he's the best there is at what he does

Christmas Roundtable 2007: Presents Under the Tree

Manolis: The Fourth Wall breaks, just in time for Christmas, and long enough for you to give a special Christmas present to one of your characters. Who's the lucky sod and what is he/she going away with?

Paul Cornell: I'd give Pete Wisdom Kitty Pryde's e-mail address

Cecil Castellucci: I think this year it's Brain Jayne and I'm going to go the the star registry and get a star in the night sky named named after her

Cliff Chiang: Doctor 13! He gets a copy of Doctor 13: Architecture & Mortality, so HE can be the one to turn that last page…

Nate Cosby: Merry Christmas, Cyclops. Here's a personality.

Jason Aaron: If I wanted to be a nice guy, I'd give Dash Bad Horse from SCALPED a free psychiatrist evaluation and maybe some anger management classes. But if I did that, I'd have no story, so better luck next year, Dash

Nicola Scott: Barbara Gordon. I'd give her the key to The Jokers cell at Arkham. To, um... spread Christmas cheer

Mike Carey: Okay, this year I'd like to give a bit of Christmas cheer to Sam Guthrie - Cannonball. He'll be spending Christmas in the infirmary at the Xavier Academy, recovering from injuries sustained while fighting the Marauders, and you know that's got to suck. So I'm sending him a pair of socks and a polyester tie - but with a bottle of good bourbon tucked way down at the bottom of the Christmas stocking. To quote from Are You Being Served? (not something I do very often) "Ho ho ho, little boy - have I got a surprise for you..."

Christmas Roundtable 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS from LYS@D!

Continuing our annual tradition, LYS@D welcomes ten of my favourite comics people for a festive roundtable. Find out who is punching in for Santa this year, what presents are waiting under the tree for their favourite characters and what's the best x-mas present for our young comics readers! For the last three Christmas Roundtables check out these links: 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003

Thanks to: Mike Carey, Cecil Castellucci, Tom Brevoort, Jason Aaron, Cliff Chiang, Nate Cosby, Christos Gage, Heidi MacDonald, Paul Cornell and Nicola Scott!

Introductions:

Mike Carey : the cornerstone of our holiday festivities for a fifth year running, and our site's lucky charm! He's the fan-favourite writer-of-all-trades, juggling X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Crossing Midnight, Voodoo Child, Minx graphic novels and his own prose novel line, and still finding time for his fans!

Cecil Castellucci : the geek celebrity: novelist, indie rocker, and film director who made her comics debut with the Minx launch book the PLAIN Janes, to highest critic and fan praise!

Cliff Chiang : the lucky recipient of last year's prestigious (sic) Nexus Award for Best Artist, for his work on the Spectre and Doctor 13. This year he's just relaunched Green Arrow/Black Canary with writer Judd Winnick and hi star is only just rising!

Paul Cornell : another successful comics acquisition from a different genre, a succesful writer on the Dr Who british Tv series and a successful novelist. This year he made heads turn with his work on Marvel's Wisdom series, and he's only just getting started!

Nate Cosby : one half of the fan-favourite Marvel Comics editorial team with Mark Paniccia (another X-Mas Roundtable alumni), their books are synonymous with FUN. Only this past year they've given us the thrill-a-minute series World War Hulk, MODOK's 11, and the Marvel Adventures books!

Heidi McDonald : the most popular comics blogger with the daily 'the Beat' and co-editor of Publishers Weekly's Comics section, Heidi has constantly been a force in the comics community, ever since her days as one of Vertigo's most prominent editors.

Christos Gage : the writer with his hand in most jars, Christos has been won over by comics after his beginnings as a screenwriter. This year alone he's relaunched Stormwatch: PHD and Authority: Prime, written World War Hulk: X-Men, House of M: Avengers and is currently involved in almost the entire Wildstorm line! Plus, you know, he's Greek!

Jason Aaron : after Vertigo's critic darling 'The Other Side', Aaron made his big bang with new ongoing series 'Scalped', leading to new ongoing writing stints on Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost Rider!

Nicola Scott : the powerhouse who finally quickly became the perfect fit for DC's Birds of Prey with writer Gail Simone, and wowed fans with her realistic and powerful portrayal of the company's superheroine community.

Tom Brevoort : needs no introduction as Marvel's veteran editor and head editor on the industry's best-selling titles!

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

Love Will Tear Us Apart - Nouvelle Vague cover

Uncle Cthulhu

Courtesy of Boom Studios:

UNCLE CTHULHU "I WANT YOU" POSTER

Cthulhu calls, yet again, this time taking on the guise of the iconic Uncle Sam, poster boy for liberty. Featuring art by FALL OF CTHULHU cover artist Patrick McEvoy, this 13" x 19" print features a never before seen take on Cthulhu, this time in the style of the classic U.S. Army recruitment poster. Limited to just 1,000, enlist today and show your support for the coming darkness!
13" x 19" FC
Diamond Code: DEC07 3490
Price: $11.99

Santa's Baby / Santa Raped Me!

Four Days Till Christmas! Get your birth control ready...

Kick-Ass Viral

This video has been making the rounds on the internet for the past few weeks. A sneakily fake video, a lot of people have assumed it's part of a viral advertsing campaign.



But for what? Watchmen? Too trashy. Dark Knight? Too flashy.

but what about:

The greatest super hero comic of all-time is finally here. WOLVERINE: ENEMY OF THE STATE's team of MARK MILLAR (CIVIL WAR) and JOHN ROMITA JR. (WORLD WAR HULK) reunite for the best new book of the 21st century. Have you ever wanted to be a super hero? Dreamed of donning a mask and just heading outside to some kick-ass? Well, this is the book for you--the comic that starts where other super hero books draw the line. KICK-ASS is realistic super heroes taken to the next level. Miss out and you're an idiot!

KICK-ASS is the new mini-series from Mark Millar, with art by John Romita Jr, telling the story of the real world's first super-hero, a normal kid who takes to the streets in a hood/mask to stop criminals. Familiar, eh? On top of that Millar is the one obvious choice from the comics industry who could aspire/stoop to this kind of stunt/advertising. And it would be a brilliant move in either case, as this video is gathering more and more attention blogsphere-wide.

More preview images in the Newsarama article

EDIT: Well, as indicated to me by Rich Johnston, I'm not the first one to make this connection, as there already is a thread on Newsarama and some comments I conveniently missed on the youtube page! At least I reached the conclusion on my own -yay me-

DOUBLE-EDIT: and the viral has been confirmed with the launch of the official MySpace site for the comic! Cosmic Convergence and all that

I Got Soul, But I'm Not a Soldier

Justin Timberlake covering the Killers, from 'Southland Tales', the Richard Kelly movie

Facebook Chain-letters

I've long rallied that Facebook is the most brilliant internet website that is not owned by google (yet?).

It came in out of nowhere and succeeded where all other previous networking websites simply struggled to stay afloat. For me, the attraction is beyond the networking, in the applications it supports.

You can really do anything on Facebook. You can have live chats, group chats, send e-mails, share videos, you can tag your friends on photos (and find out when you get tagged) -which is by far what won me over in the first place-, you can dedicate songs, rate movies, take quizzes, meet dates, grow virtual pets, play board games or even platform games (Zelda, b*tch!)!

It's the internet shrunk down to only include you and your friends!

If there was ever proof of that, it arrived with the first Facebook spoof chain-mail!

Attention all Facebook membeRs.
Facebook is recently becoming very overpopulated,
There have been many members complaining that Facebook
is becoming very slow.Record shows that the reason is
that there are too many non-active Facebook members
And on the other side too many new Facebook members.
We will be sending this messages around to see if the
Members are active or not,If you're active please send
to other users using Copy+Paste to show that you are active
Those who do not send this message within 2 weeks,
The user will be deleted without hesitation to create more space,
If Facebook is still overpopulated we kindly ask for donations but until then send this message to all your friends and make sure you send
this message to show me that your active and not deleted.

Founder of Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg

Honestly, what do you really need email accounts for anymore, you can get spammed more effectively on FunWall!

To actually go in depth about how obviously fake this message is, is to stoop down to the level of all those brainless trolls (a.k.a. over 100 of my friends) who keep circulating this message on a daily basis). Really now, Facebook is not only bothered that it is too popular (i'm sure their advertisers are causing a ruckus there), but they have hired people to weed out the extraneous profiles (including anyone who has gone on mroe than 3 weeks holiday). They're of course not gonig about that business by -oh, I dunno- checking the mini-feeds provided by Facebook on every profile, but by hiring people to monitor each user's Fun/SuperWall, an outside source application!

Oops, I couldn't resist a little ran there. Anyway.

Now as soon as they introduce Facebook Blogs, the rest of the internet can go the way of the dinosaur ;)

Holy HOLIES, Batman!

collecting the Robin one-liners from the Holiest of Batman seasons, number 3

No, I'm not dead, Vasili

...but it's like this:

1st, the server where i have been hosting the images breaks down, along with the entire Comics Nexus website (where I am the editor these days)

this means I have to go ahead, track down all my images from all of the hundreds of blog posts and re-upload them on the new server and cross-link.

That would have been a simple hassle, if only my motherboard didn't pick this specific time to call it quits on me (bad mother) and produce a corrupt BIOS fault, shutting down the entire system.

So what happens now? I've got a new pc in the box waiting to be assmebled this friday, and a backlog of reviews and articles to get posted in my head, so you need to wait until this weekend for LYSAD's triumphant return. After all, it's 7 days to Christmas and our traditional Holiday Roundtable!

November 2007 H-O-T Grade

At the close of every month, LYSAD will be putting out the absolute and final word on what was H-O-T in comics.


1. SCOTT PILGRIM VOL 4 SCOTT PILGRIM GETS IT TOGETHER GN (Oni Press)

2. Y THE LAST MAN #59 (Vertigo)

3. ASTONISHING X-MEN #23 (Marvel)

4. GIRLS COMPLETE COLLECTION Deluxe HC (Image)

5. WONDER WOMAN #14 (DCU)

6. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #8 (Dark Horse)

7. CASANOVA #11 (Image)

8. SUPER VILLAIN TEAM UP: MODOKS 11 #5 (Marvel)

9. THE ORDER #4 (Marvel)

10. IMMORTAL IRON FIST #10 (Marvel)

Site downtime

apologies for the Site downtime since Friday. The Insidepulse/Comicsnexus servers have been down along with most our images cache, making the site unreadable...

Hopefully this will be resolved soon

Friday! You know what that means.

Smells Like Mutant Teen Spirit

Nirvana, by way of the New X-Men.

Load up on guns
Bring your friends


Its fun to lose
And to pretend


Shes overboard
Myself assured
I know I know
A dirty word




Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Hello Hello

With the lights out its less dangerous



Here we are now
Entertain us



I feel stupid
and contagious



Here we are now
Entertain us

A mulatto


An albino


A mosquito


My libido


Yea

Im worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed



Our little group has always been
And always will until the end.

(An ode to New X-Men #44)