Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four had a miscarriage

One of my goals for Comic Con 2008 was to track down Fantastic Four issues 276-278 from the early 80's. I had read weird whispers that Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman had suffered a miscarriage in the pages of these funny books years ago but I was skeptical that this had indeed happened. For one, it seemed that this was too serious and adult a subject to have been in a comic book back in these relatively old days. Also this was the most famous family in the Marvel Universe and if they had a second child who died I'm sure I would have heard about it before.

Well after searching high and low across the floor of Comic Con I finally found the books that were rumored to contain these dramatic moments, and the rumors were true.

Possibly the reason this event is not often spoken about is that it isn't handled particularity well. The writing seems a bit childish given the circumstances. On one page Johny Storm is comforting his devastated family but then he promptly heads off to give She-Hulk a tour of the Baxter Building (seriously.) Still, the story is of curious interest simply because of the nature of its subject matter. The immature writing style seem to be exemplary of the unique period in comic writing. The stories were beginning to grow up, and deal with more sophisticated ideas but the market was still aimed very much at the attention of casual and very young readers.

One reason I was so skeptical that this event ever happened was that a couple of years earlier I had heard something similar and went to comic con to investigate. I asked some knowledgeable gentlemen there about the Richards family's other kid. They looked at me with incredulity and laughed me out of the con. Well I am back now with the proof (you bastards.) Here are some selected scanned pages from the original comics.


Here is a page from issue #267 where She-Hulk's thoughts give some back story to the difficulties with Sue's pregnancy (cosmic radiation is involved.)
And here is the final splash page from that same issue, where Reed Richards is given the devastating news. (Click to enlarge.)The beginning of issue #268 starts with this single page image:
And finally here is the majority of the aftermath, right before Doctor Octopus goes nuts and other cliche comic book action ensues:
(Thanks to Sue Ghoulsby with research assistance.)

Boing Boing visits Secret Headquarters

Talk about two great tastes that taste great together, Boing Boing (the world's greatest website) visits Secret Headquarters (the world's greatest comic shop) in the video below.



What a fantastic thing, and next week: San Diego.

Miracleman experimental theatre

People sometimes ask me what my favorite comic book is and I want to sounds like a snobby asshole so I usually respond Miracleman. The reason this response makes me an asshole is that despite it being a superdude in tights title and being written by Alan Moore almost no one has read it. That's because its been out of print forever, and it was only released on a relatively small print run when it was available. I wrote more about it here.

The reason I get to bring up MM today is that IO9 reports there is an Australian stage production being put up based on the comic. (?!?!?!?) So basically all I need now is a ticket to Australia and my obsession will be complete. (In case you were wondering, I already own a complete run of the original comic, complied with much difficulty and cost over the years--see how snobby I am?)

Tomorrow is free comic book day!

I know a lot of the readers of this site don't read comics but you should. Here is a quote from Cory Doctorow that expresses a reason why comics writing is so great:

Living in a space that no one watches too closely is one of the secret ways that people get to do excellent stuff. Science fiction's status for decades as a pariah genre meant that writers could do things with literary style, theme, and political content that their mainstream counterparts could never get away with (games, comics, early hip-hop, mashups, and many of the other back laneways of popular culture have also enjoyed this status).

Well all day tomorrow pretty much every comic shop in the world will be giving away tons of free, new comics. It's the "7th annual free comic book day" designed to encourage people to discover the medium. While there are plenty of amazing non-superhero and alternative comics being offered, I'd highly recommend you pick up a copy of All Star Superman #1 written by Island Zero All Star Grant Morrison. It's a gorgeous book that deftly explores the relationships of comics' biggest hero while exploring the strange reality distortion of a super being.

Joel Silver wants to ruin Wonder Woman

Producer Joel Silver has revealed that he wants the new Wonder Woman film to be a "genesis" story. This is what ruins most superhero films in my opinion. The least interesting thing about a super hero is usually his origin. Who cares that Hal Jordan was a test pilot? Now he's Green Lantern, he's a space cop with a magic wishing ring! Isn't that infinitely more interesting? When David Fincher was attached to do Spider Man he proposed that the entire origin story be told over a opening credits montage rather than an entire film. I'm pretty sure Wonder Woman is doomed now, but please someone bring me a superhero film without a training montage!

Grant Morrison used drugs?

Grant Morrison was very entertaining on a panel this weekend at Comic Con New York. While there he talked about drug use and his creative process, briefly becoming a transvestite, and being transported on top of reality by Aliens in Kathmandu. My favorite line from the Q&A was this: "Like — have you seen the South American dwarf on the Internet? Have you guys seen that thing? That's the world we live in."

This man is my hero. I actually saw him in person walking around the floor of Comic Con in San Diego one year, I freaked out and when I turned around...he was gone. This is because he is magic. He also happened to be dressed like King Mob at the time, which is a character he created. It was weird.

Previous Grant posts can be found here and here.

This story found via IO9.

Adapt this comic

Two things led me to this idea. First is simply the sad boring state of the movies today. And second is the continuing coverage of the film adaptation of Watchmen, the most highly regarded comic book of all time.

The comic book I would love to see someone try and adapt is Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol. I already wrote a bit here about his amazing series The Invisibles, but that story has to actual function as a comic for a number of reasons. If someone tried to make a film out of Doom Patrol it would undoubtedly be one of the most original and outrageous films made that year. Doom Patrol is a classic superhero team story. The team features Cliff Steel, a man trapped in a robot body (who later learns even his brain is machinery and begins to question the nature of identity.) It also features Crazy Jane, a schizophrenic who has different super powers for each of the dozens of identities in her head. The third member of the team is Remus, a half man half woman hermaphrodite covered in bandages and housing a "negative energy spirit." Other significant supporting characters included a sentient roadway named Danny The Street.

It was weird stuff.

The storyline and villains were even weirder beginning with a showdown with a character named Red Jack who claimed to be god and Jack the Ripper. One of my favorite story lines had the DP battling the Brotherhood of Dada. Dada and surrealism were major influences on this comic book as well as other sources such as Czech animator Jan Svankmeyer and William Burroughs.

The effects budget bringing a story like this to the screen would be substantial, and the audience appeal is admittedly a bit limited. But still who out there has the guts to try and pull off a truly ambitious comic adaptation? Consider this a challenge!

DeathBob NotePants

Death Note is a wonderful supernatural suspense manga. It's the best Japanese comic I've seen in a while. I was originally turned onto it by good ole Boing Boing who were turned onto it by my dealer, The Secret Headquarters. In the book, a young boy comes into possession of a magical notebook, and writing any name in the book causes that person to die. The book (and the world of the story) are governed by an increasingly complex and strict system of rules. A taut, driven cat and mouse game emerges from this simple premise. It's a hugely popular book which has been adapted into 2 feature films.

Hence the inevitable SpongeBob/Death Note combination below:


Found via Japanator

Graphic Literature course reading list

The guys over at Comic Book Resources have created a short reading list for a "Graphic Literature course." It's a nice and elegant little list. The biggest surprise being that there is shockingly little outrage in the comments section. A comic book message board can be a scary place and here the readers show remarkable restraint. If you want to increase your comics literacy this would make for a fine start.

The Invisibles

It’s a quiet Sunday here on Island Zero so I’m going to write a bit of a longer piece about a must read comic book.

I talked earlier about wanting a comic adaptation of Miracleman, but that comic is long out of print and unavailable (I have a complete set!) But if you were to press me about my favorite comic book of all, I would probably reply, THE INVISIBLES by Grant Morrison. It's an incredibly complex and rich massive modern mythology with very simple messages behind it. The simple message is this: disobedience. It's more than just a comic book, (in more ways than one) its a wake up call for your collective unconscious, a mind bomb aimed at your mediocre way of life, and an actual magical object shaped like a comic book.

Morrison said that he wrote The Invisibles as a way of describing an experience he had in Kathmandu. While he was tripping on DMT there he was abducted by Aliens. It's an unusual super team book, to say the least.

The story is about a group of anarchist rebels, a secret team known as the Invisibles. You might not even know you are a member of it. The invisibles consist of every counterculturalist you can imagine. The housewife who throws down the shackles of middle class and runs off, she's an invisible, even if she doesn’t know it yet. A lot of the book is about unlocking secret knowledge inside a person. (One of the main characters is a young kid from Liverpool who is recruited by the Invisibles and might be the next Buddha.)

As much as I love volume one (probably my fav) I usually recommend people starting with the thinnest volume, “Bloody Hell in America” to see if they like the taste. It’s a bit more of an action packed introduction but still with all the same ideas, (lots of time travel, chaos magic and tantric sex.)

This comic is one of those deeply rich works that you can lose yourself in further by investigating all the myriad works it references and draws power from. I usually forget so much of what I read that the fact I've retained so much of this comic after the years is a testament to its powerful construction. I encourage you to reach out and grab this book, it will grab you back.

Tim Burton's Superman concept art

This is a link to some concept art created for Tim Burton's unproduced Superman film (titled SUPERMAN LIVES.) Of course the film had many many troubled aspects which eventually led to its demise however, I cant help but look at these images and dream of what could have been. I'm especially impressed by the immense scale of this vision. This is the benefit of not doing an origin story in a Superman film, there is the potential for a true epic. Pictured here is the resurrection chamber.

Miracleman

Following up on my last post, the Alan Moore comic book I would love to see translated into a film would be his other superhero deconstruction, Miracleman. This violent and epic tale would translate much better to the screen. The comic was often about graphic visual explosions of comic book archetypes. The horrific violence that Kid Miracleman inflicts on London alone (see image below) would make for unforgettable images on film. Let's get this book out of its legal limbo and on to the screen! (Or at least back in print please.)

Nobody cares but me

As I mentioned here before, I'm very apprehensive about the upcoming film adaptation of the (greatest modern) comic book Watchmen. It's sort of a lose/lose scenario. If the movie sucks, then people ask me, "what is a good comic book" and I say, "Watchmen" the response will be: "I saw that movie it sucks." Then I hang my head and sigh. Alternatively if the movie is great then people will be like, "hey that movie was great, no need to read it now!"

The fact that it is a book that you hold in your hands and read is part of what makes Watchmen a magical creation. So some more production stills emerged this week and... I'm still apprehensive. At least it looks like it might be a good movie, but still in my heart Watchmen is a book. The film looks to abandon the incredible coloring work done by John Higgins and embrace a gritty/glossy cinematic style.

That being said, there is the 14year old kid inside me who would endlessly discuss with my little brother dream casting for our favorite comic books. The X-Men movie being the rare example of my childhood dreams coming true. So I'm torn, and I will no doubt be attending Comic Con this year mostly for the Watchmen.

The title of this rant is a quote from Watchmen:

Rorschach's Journal: A Comedian died last night, and nobody cares. Nobody Cares but Me.

Buffy the Vampire comic

If you haven't been reading the new Buffy comic by Joss Whedon you have to start. Now. The latest issues brings a bit of silly controversy for including a potential female lover for Buffy. But having this comic in the news is simply an excuse for me to talk about how great it is.

These are the stories that Whedon could have told if they had given him 100 million dollars to make a Buffy movie. And Whedon wisely waited until his comic writing skills had been finely honed on The Astonishing X-Men. His skill with comic book pacing and layout is phenomenal. And the freedom of a limitless "budget" in comics allows for wonderful inventions like the giant-size Dawn and Xander's command castle. Season 8 (as they are calling the comic) is better than I could have possibly dreamed, its fast becoming my favorite thing at the comic shop every month.

ROFLcon

It seems that parts of the internet are breaking free of the compu and wreaking havok on the real world. On the last weekend in April in Cambridge there is an event known simply as ROFLcon. It will be a meeting of various smarty pants and web types but it also has the most hilarious guestlist I've ever seen. The Tron Guy will be there, along with someone known as "Cheezeburger" and my personal favorite Leroy Jenkins. There are also a bunch of serious and smart web people, like the guys who make the comic xkcd and metafilter. But I can't believe that the real Leroy Jenkins is going to be there, that is simply too hilarious.

Repo Man Sequel

This one is a no brainer for me. I'm a huge comics fan. I'm a huge Alex Cox fan (isn't that picture of him hilarious?) I got the unbelievable opportunity to meet him at the festival last year when we screened his latest film. I even got to do the introduction in the theatre! So here is the big weird news, Cox has written a sequel to his beloved early film REPO MAN and is publishing it in comics form. There's only a little sample online, and it looks weird and brilliant like everything he does is.

Additional good news this month is that Criterion is releasing a DVD of his long unavailable film WALKER. If you have not seen this I highly recommend it. It is one of my absolute favorites along with STRAIGHT TO HELL.

Watching out for WATCHMEN

So Warner Brothers is finally going to adapt the comic book Watchmen into a film. I'm quite conflicted about this. I still cant believe they are making this, that after all these years and false starts it's actually shooting somewhere on this planet. It's natural I think to be excited about further exploration or promotion of one of my favorite stories. However, I also feel strongly that comic books don't often translate well into film, nor do they need to be. Watchmen in particular is a prime example of a story's strength coming from its use and knowledge of comics grammar. There are dozens of examples that a deep read of the book reveals, from innovative and extraordinary use of a nine panel layout to the overall color layout of the book being a color palindrome.

I hope the film doesn't tarnish the book, it's a project I'll be watching very closely. To that effect, Zach Snyder is keeping a production blog on the project here. I can't wait for comic con this summer to learn more!

On a sad note, DC Comics has screwed the creators of this book out of their promised ownership rights. the deal was that ownership of the property would revert to the creators when DC stopped publishing the book. DC however, is never going to stop publishing the book, and continues to put out copies of the trade paperback every year.

Amazing comic book ends its run

The critically acclaimed comic book Y-The Last Man ends its run with issue 60 on February 8th. It's a sci-fi book about the last man on earth, like the cliche pickup rejection. One day all the men drop dead and only women are left in the world, and one man. It's the farthest thing from a sexual fantasy that you can possible imagine as the creators of this story delve deep into the reality of what would happen if this bizarre situation really occurred. Submarines around the world are scuttled, Israel has the most battle ready army, when the American government begins to rebuild there is a huge power shift as all the republican leaders have died off leaving only Democratic politicians and Republican widows. It's an amazingly well thought out book and I'm actually excited to see it end.

As a fan of comic books, I used to twist on the hook for years while my favorite characters rehashed the same stories over and over until the became unprofitable. I don't really read super hero books like that anymore. I love stories that are finite (if epic) a great example of this being the TV show Lost which has recently made the historic decision to wrap itself up at a predetermined point. It's something I admire British television for, being able to go out on top and not endlessly pursue squeezing every last possible cent out of a creative endeavor. This is what destroyed the Sopranos for me.

Another great thing about Y The Last Man is that is works so well as a comic, I remember being blown away by the striking visual composition on the final page of the first major story arc. This was something that could never be accomplished the same way in a film version or in any other medium. I strongly encourage everyone to check out this book, its a fantastic example of the strength power and potential for storytelling in modern comics. You can read the entire first issue for free with the first link in this post.