Paul Karasik presents the Fletcher Hank Experience @ Strands in NYC

Eric Reynolds wrote for the Fantagraphics Books blog: 

MARVEL Comics merges with DISNEY

Happy Birthday King~!!

WE SHALL CONFOUND ALL THE LISTENERS~! (Invisible Web the Podcast Season 4 Episode One)

Season 4 Episode One – We Shall Confound All the Listeners~!

Grant Morrison on Batman and Robin

YuleTide: Santa Klaus and His Companions #5 – REINDEER(and the YULE GOAT)

The Santa Klaus’ most renowned companions are the reindeer who make up his team. This was not always the case as the official animal mascot of the Winter Solstice in most of the Euro-Western world was the Yule Goat. Originally two goat whom were named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr were the mounts of Thunder God, Thor and his hammer Mjonir. It is theorized that these two are the origins of the Yule Goat (note I do not claim Santa is Thor). The function of the goat is to signify the coming feast when a goat (suprise~!) would be sacrificed to diners via roasting. The iconography of the goat lost its prominence since supposedly the tradition of men dressed as a goat for the Yule celebration, knocking on doors to sing carols, spooked small children. Thus the goat is mostly an ornament or a straw effigy to be burned nowadays.

And he whistled, and shouted, and call’d them by name:
“Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,
“On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;
“To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
“Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
excerpt from “A Visit from Santa Klaus (aka, Twas the Night Before Christmas),” Anonymous (1823)

The above poem marked the rise in the reindeer as Santa’s steed of choice in popular culture. As stated yesterday, as there are no reindeer to be found in the North Pole, in Europe, many traditions hold that Santa’s reindeer reside in Lapland, Finland.  In Australia, the traditional story is that Santa unreins the reindeer for  a team of kangaroo as reindeer would overheat in sub equatorial running.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry passes away at age 76

Star Trek the Next Generation was one of my favorite weekly shows during its final three seasons, and one of my favorite weekday shows when the WB was still the WPIX.  One of the premiere charcaters on the show as the mother of Counselor Deanna Troi, Lwaxana.  She was played by Majel Barret, who was married to Gene Roddenberry in 1969, but did not have the Roddenberry surname during much of the credits.  I would later find out she was also the voice of the all the Enterprise and most of the starships on Stra Trek and its spin-offs.  She first started as the Number One officer of Captain Christipher Pike in the pilot episode of the original series.  However, as stated above the recurring character of Lwaxana was one of my favorites because she was in stark contarst to my own parents and upbringing. Except for one or two other actresses, I don’t know if the Lwaxana Troi chracter would have been portrayed right by any others.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the First Lady of Star Trek, passed away at the age of 76 to Leukmia December 18, 2008.  She had finished taping the voice-acting work for the upcoming Star Trek prequel.

(C) Newsarama

Newsarama and the Daily Grail both cover the life and times of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.

Farewell First Lady Majel.  Thank you for the memories.

The Sandman’s 20th Anniversary and Neil Gaiman’s 48th Birthday

When I was a junior high school geek, I was a huge fan of the Japanese artist, Yoshitaka Amano, the character designer for the Final Fantasy series (and Vampire Hunter D). I was elated to know that he was collaborating with a writer for an American comic book: Neil Gaiman. Living in the South Bronx during my youth I only hearing in passing of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman as the issues were not sold in my vicinity.

In the year 2003, the ennui of post Industrial American society hit me. Although I was struck with the epiphany of the 9-5 dot com era corporate society’s perversion in 1999, my depression peaked for a long period in 2003. As an attempt to combat this I decided to take a Philosophy course with a non-vanilla view of the world (I am sorry Rousseau really doesn’t cut it for me): “Introduction to Nietzsche.” Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th Century German philosopher was a revivalist of the Pagan undercurrent (which some Ariosophists would exploit) with his concept of the “Apollonian” and the “Dionysian” undertakings of art. When implementing “mythology” as philosophy, the name most associated with this metaphysical outlook is Joseph Campbell. An Amazon search will direct one to a book comparing Campbell’s philosophy to the works of Neil Gaiman.

Neil Gaiman was born November 10, 1960 in the British town of Portchester in Portsmouth. His early career consisted of him writing for 2000 AD, the popular British comic book series. Early in his career, he was the protege and confidant of Douglas Adams (of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who fame), and then also of Alan Moore. In November 1989, DC Comics released first issue of The Sandman for its Vertigo imprint.

(C) Neil Gaiman

Although The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes was not first trade paperback I read in a decade (or first comic I had read since my 4 year hiatus since 2000) as that distinction goes to The Watchmen (coming to theatres near you but without creator Alan Moore’s blessing), it had a significant influence on my changing world view: 1) comic books are in fact art to be treasured even by hipsters and elitists 2) I cannot hitherto be judged as a psycho for my growing occult perspective, as many people believe that there is more than this materialist world. I consider Season of MIsts and A Game of You some of the finest writing I have ever read. His characterizations of the titular Morpheus (personification of Dreams), Death, Lucifer, and Hobs Gadling has made them some of th most memorable personages in literature. In addition, anyone who has not read American Gods should do so (fastest book I have ever read).

So thus the Invisible Web wishes Neil Gaiman a belated Happy 48th Birthday and extend a belated Happy 20th Anniversary to The Sandman.

The Sandman Library Volume I:Preludes and Nocturnes **** 3/4

The Sandman Library Volume IV: Season of Mists *****

The Sandman Library Volume V: A Game of You *****

American Gods *****

Below is an article by Jennifer Ferris for Finding Dulcinea.

Neil Gaiman transformed a writing career penning rock and roll biographies into a multinational success story. In less than three decades writing comics, graphic novels and various works of speculative fiction, he has earned legions of loyal fans, produced Hollywood blockbusters adapted from his work and been named one of the 10 best authors living today.

Read more.

Neil Gaiman’s Batman story arc, “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” debuts February 11, 2009.

Grant Morrison Talks IDW ‘Doctor Who’ Reprints, Possible Film Ideas

Disclaimer: The Editor-in-Chief of this site does not subscribe to the views MTV and VH-1, and the “culture” of beach bums and jocks presented by their programs. That said Splash Page seems to be getting great scoops on the sequential art (nee comic book) industry.

(C) Grant Morrison

Published by Jennifer Vineyard on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 4:25 pm for (Splash Page).

Before “The Invisibles,” before “Doom Patrol,” before “Animal Man,” even before “Zenith” — there was “Doctor Who.” Grant Morrison cut his teeth on the comic versions sprung from the TV version, writing three stories that 20-some years later, people still talk about. Accordingly, IDW is reprinting them, with the first issue collecting “Changes” and “Culture Shock,” now in color and currently in stores, with other early stories by Dave Gibbons soon to come. And now, Morrison wants to do more

“[These stories] were very early on, when I was starting to work in comics,” Morrison said. “And it came up because I met John Ridgeway through some other work ['Liberators'] on Warrior, so it was kind of through John, he suggested it. I was a big ‘Doctor Who’ fan all my life, so it was a good fit, you know. I absolutely enjoyed doing it, and I would love to do more with ‘Doctor Who.’”

More comics? “Not necessarily as a comic, because I’ve done enough of it in the comics,” Morrison said.

As a novel, as was the rumor? “I’m not so keen on novels,” Morrison said. “I used to want to be someone who wrote novels, but I actually prefer comics. I like to dispense with descriptions and just have images.”

As a television episode? “If I was going to do it, I’d probably do the television version,” Morrison said. “That would be the thing to see. ‘Doctor Who’ for me was always about drama. It was about actually watching it on the television, and the fact that in Britain it was kind of a Saturday night ritual thing was a very primitive, sitting-around-the-campfire kind of feeling. I think that’s the aspect that I always liked: the fact that kids would be terrified, but at the same time, parents would watch it, and they would be able explain to the kids what it was they were terrified about. It was about the communal experience, and it’s become that again, since Russell T. Davies took over.”

Read more.

The latest Boondocks news from Aaron McGruder himself

This was a bulletin Aaron McGruder posted for his MySpace friends:

Hey guys,

Wanted to let everybody know that we’ve been extra busy recently and there’s a lot of exciting news to report.
Be on the lookout for an official Boondocks Season 3 update in a few days (hint: we’re doing it), and in the meantime we’ve started posting some ALL NEW comedy videos on BoondocksBootleg. com .
Enjoy, and please tell your friends!!

Here’s a sample of what’s to come… BLACK JESUS!!! :

Sarah Palin vs Tales from the Crypt

There seems to be a horror even the Crypt Keeper and his friends are wary of.

Hockey mom Palin vs the EC buddies ©2007 William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.

Kevin Melrose in October wrote for Newsarama

“…Later this month Papercutz will release Tales from the Crypt #8, which features on the cover a hockey stick-wielding Gov. Sarah Palin chasing off the three narrators of EC’s horror comics, The Crypt-Keeper, The Old Witch and The Vault-Keeper.

The caricature of the Republican vice-presidental candidate asks, “Didn’t we get rid of you guys in the 50’s?” — a reference to suggestions that, as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Palin sought to ban books from the town library. (It’s contended that her inquiries were “rhetorical”; no books were actually banned during Palin’s tenure as mayor.) Of course, it’s also an obvious nod to the 1954 Senate investigation into juvenile delinquency, and the atmosphere that spawned the Comics Code Authority and effectively brought about the end of horror and crime comics…”

Read more. Kudos to Cathy Gaines Mifsud in pointing out the similarities between the Radical Right movement and the McCarthyism era politics that sought out to destroy her family’s work.

The Invisible Web Episode 20 (The Incredibly Strange Interview)

The Invisible Web Episode 20 (The Incredibly Strange Interview)

The cover of Beer Blood Cornmeal (C) ECW Press

On this episode of the Invisible Web, I interview Bob Calhoun, also known as Count Dante of Incredibly Strange Wrestling, who released his book, Beer Blood and Cornmeal: Seven Years of Strange Wrestling this Summer. We discussed subjects such as V. Vale, Jello Biafra, the original Black Dragon Fighting Society, controversy over Judo Gene LeBell’s autobiography, Feral House, and Jack Kirby vs Stan Lee. Oh and this very stange wrestling promotion called ISW was discussed.

ECW Press

Count Dante and The Black Dragon Fighting Society

Count Dante and The Black Dragon Fighting Society’s MySpace Page

V. Vale and RE/Search Publications

Stephen Colbert makes his Marvel debut in Spider-Man #573

Thanks to Newsarama and Marvel (C)

Marvel is pleased to unveil the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #573 Colbert Variant, illustrated by Marvel EiC & superstar artist Joe Quesada, depicting the first team up between Spider-Man and Stephen Colbert! As the world-famous Colbert continues his bid for the US Presidency in the Marvel Universe, what could force him and Spider-Man to team up? And how will this affect the US Presidential race in the Marvel U? Mark Waid and Pat Olliffe bring you the special eight page story that had to happen!

Plus, don’t miss the stunning conclusion to the sold out “New Ways To Die” from the dream team of Dan Slott & John Romita Jr!

Retailers, please check the Marvel Mailer for special Amazing Spider-Man #573 ordering incentives. For the past few months, fans have been able to follow Stephen Colbert’s campaign in the Marvel Universe at http://blog.indecision2008.com/tag/marvel/, and excitement is building. Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on this landmark issue.

Don’t miss out on Stephen Colbert’s first full Marvel Universe appearance—in continuity!—and the team up that’ll have everyone buzzing! It’s the extra-sized Amazing Spider-Man #573—and no comic book fan can afford to miss it!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573 (AUG082317)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573 ZOMBIE VARIANT (AUG082318)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573 COLBERT VARIANT (JUL088167)
Written by DAN SLOTT & MARK WAID
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. & PATRICK OLLIFFE
50/50 Variant by KEVIN MAGUIRE
Zombie Variant by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Colbert Variant by JOE QUESADA
Rated A …$3.99
On-Sale—10/15/08

We here at the Invisible Web wish Mr. Colbert the best in his endeavors of United States Presidential Campaign of Earth-616. I, the editor, think the Skrulls have infiltrated our Presidential Race but feel that if he is elected, President Colbert needs to come up with a resolution that will mutually benefit both the people of 616 and the Skrulls.

Forget the Presidential Debates. Two Manga/Anime Legends Go Head to Head: Akira Toriyama meets Rumiko Takahashi (1986)

Taken from Terebaru 1986. Translation by Toshiaki Yamada via Rumic World.

It is rare that Akira Toriyama and Rumiko Takahashi, the two most popular mangaka in Japanese manga history give interviews, but we had an opportunity to talk about manga and anime with them.

First of all, we asked them to tell us about their new anime Dragon Ball and Maison Ikkoku!!

You are both writing very different stories than your previous series, going from Dr. Slump to Dragon Ball and from Urusei Yatsura to Maison Ikkoku. Please give us some comments about this?

Toriyama: For one thing, I wanted to change tempos and structures so as to draw a clear line between the old and new series. For example, I drew Dr. Slump in an American-like style and am writing Dragon Ball in a Chinese-like style.

Takahashi: Eventually, if you don’t change the tempos of your stories, making a new story becomes meaningless. And sometimes I can draw new manga because I changed tempos.

Toriyama: It would be difficult to draw manga if you don’t change your stories.

So, what elements did you take special care with when you changed the tempos of the stories?

Toriyama: I made it a rule not to play around this time. I reduced play-things as much as possible. When I wrote Dr. Slump, I really played with my stories. For instance, I myself appeared in the manga…(laughs). But this time the story is important.

How about you, Takahashi?

Takahashi: I have wanted to write apartment stories for awhile. In the past I lived in an apartment in Nakano. And next to my apartment, there was another strange apartment on the verge of collapsing.

So, is the life at that apartment the inspiration for Maison Ikkoku?

Takahashi: To be honest, that is not the only one. My room, for instance…

Perhaps, your room was empty like Godai’s.

Takahashi: Yeah! There was nothing more than what was necessary for living. These days’ people don’t live in shabby houses like that. In my mind, I imagined just a bed and stereo, etc.

Toriyama: I often take my ideas from my experiences as well.

Takahashi: Speaking of which, I think it was a few years after Maison Ikkoku began its run. One day I went back to my hometown, and for some reason I read my diary from my high school days. I was really convinced that the writer of this diary was destined to write Maison Ikkoku. And I thought that showed through there.

How do you create your characters, their appearances and natures?

Read more.

New Episodes of Ranma ½ and Inuyasha!

(C) Rumiko Takahashi

By BZou for Otaku International (August 02, 2008)

In celebration of her 30th anniversary creating manga, Rumiko Takahashi is exhibiting a collection of her artwork. As of 2008, Takahashi has sold 170 million copies of her works, an achievement few other creators have managed. The exhibit itself will be held from July 30th through August 11th in the Ginza district of Tokyo on the eighth floor of the Matsuya building.

For those who do not know who Rumiko Takahashi is, Takahashi is the creator of such masterpieces such as Ranma ½ and Inuyasha. Michihiko Suwa, producer of the Inuyasha anime announces that a brand-new, 30 minute animated special entitled Kuroi Tetsusaiga (Black Tetsusaiga) would be shown exclusively at the gallery. In addition to the Kuroi Tetsusaiga special, there will also be a new Ranma ½ anime special entitled Okumu! Shunminkou, which is based on a story from Ranma ½ volume 34 by the same name.

Read more.

THROUGH OTAKU EYES / Love conquers all, and Takahashi proves it

Kanta Ishida / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Who is the artist who played the greatest role in the “globalization” of Japanese manga?

It might be Akira Toriyama, whose Dragon Ball became synonymous with manga. Or it might be Katsuhiro Otomo, who showed his skill at precise description in Akira, or Naoko Takeuchi, who excited enthusiasm among girls across Europe and the United States with her Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Or maybe it’s Fujio F. Fujiko, as there can hardly be a child in Asia who doesn’t know Doraemon.

All these names are necessary when talking about Japanese manga’s foreign expansion.

But I’m beginning to think it may be the works of Rumiko Takahashi that showed the world the essence of manga more widely and deeply in and after the 1980s.

Read more.

A Rumiko Takahashi Bio

courtesy of Pop-Cult

For more than 20 years, Rumiko Takahashi has created some of the most beloved manga (Japanese comic) titles, which have, in turn, been adapted into popular anime series that are a veritable who’s-who of classic Japanese animation. One of the most popular series created from her manga, InuYasha, has been a big hit on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim for a couple of years now.

Takahashi has amassed an enviable record as the creator of numerous beloved series. Manga and anime such as Rumic World, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and InuYasha are well known to many longtime anime fans, and they’re all Takahashi creations. Even more remarkable about her career is the fact that she is among the few female creators of shounen manga (comics predominantly intended for a male audience, although they can and do have a following among women as well).

Takahashi boasts a clean yet subtly detailed artistic style that can depict action or slapstick comedy with equal aplomb. She’s expert at eliciting amusement with her characters’ exaggerated facial expressions. On the writing side, her love of puns, wacky situations, and romance has led her to create some of the most unique and beloved manga series ever, each of which balances comedy and romance in varying proportions. Her superb and memorable characters have also won her acclaim and adoration by fans.

She also is fond of incorporating references to Japanese and other folklore in her stories. Her ability to produce thousands of pages of superb art and write clever and humorous plots and dialogue for Japan’s weekly manga publications is nothing short of astounding.

Read more.