ICv2 reports on the phenomenon of the "hidden manga reader." No, it's not a new super villain, but free-loading "browsers" who plop down and read entire books in the store:
The availability of comfortable reading space and easy access to big manga selections have long attracted readers to big box bookstores such as Borders and Barnes and Noble. The theory of these retailers is that consumers that come to sample will also buy, but there's definitely a subset of visitors to such stores that read the complete manga volume in the store and don't purchase it. Now there's at least some evidence that the problem has been recognized and is being addressed; Shojo Beat contributing editor Eric Searlemen told attendees at a BEA panel that a Borders store he frequented, on Union Square in San Francisco, had begun packaging all its manga titles in plastic, regardless of content.
The real Princess Leia
Actually, the kid's name is spelled Leah--but she's an actual princess. In Norway.
Reuters reports:
Norwegian Princess Leah's name was inspired by a character in a "Star Wars" movie, the mother of the infant princess was quoted as saying on Thursday.
"I must admit that I have always been a big 'Star Wars' fan, and Princess Leia has always been the most beautiful in the whole world," Princess Martha Louise said in an interview with the Norwegian daily Aftenposten.
Princess Leah, born on April 8 this year and fifth in line to the Norwegian throne, was due to be baptised on Thursday.
Reuters reports:
Norwegian Princess Leah's name was inspired by a character in a "Star Wars" movie, the mother of the infant princess was quoted as saying on Thursday.
"I must admit that I have always been a big 'Star Wars' fan, and Princess Leia has always been the most beautiful in the whole world," Princess Martha Louise said in an interview with the Norwegian daily Aftenposten.
Princess Leah, born on April 8 this year and fifth in line to the Norwegian throne, was due to be baptised on Thursday.
More new "Doctor Who" planned
From the BBC:
Dr Who fans will be delighted to hear
that the Time Lord will be returning for a third series.
Just days before the current run of the sci-fi show is due to end, its
makers have revealed that there are at least two more series to come.
On Saturday, Christopher Eccleston will make his final appearance as
the Doctor with David Tennant set to take over.
In addition to two more series, there will also be Christmas specials
for 2005 and 2006, the show's makers said.
That means Dr Who fans have a total of 28 more episodes to look forward
to when the current series ends.
Billie Piper will continue playing Rose until at least the end of
series two.
More Doctor Who.
Dr Who fans will be delighted to hear
that the Time Lord will be returning for a third series.
Just days before the current run of the sci-fi show is due to end, its
makers have revealed that there are at least two more series to come.
On Saturday, Christopher Eccleston will make his final appearance as
the Doctor with David Tennant set to take over.
In addition to two more series, there will also be Christmas specials
for 2005 and 2006, the show's makers said.
That means Dr Who fans have a total of 28 more episodes to look forward
to when the current series ends.
Billie Piper will continue playing Rose until at least the end of
series two.
More Doctor Who.
Batman #11 cover up for bid
Oh to be rich: Heritage Auctions is selling the great Jerry Robinson's cover to Batman #11, starting bid $100,000. The pic depicts the Caped Crusader socking Robinson's creation, The Joker.
Secrets revealed at "Lost" confab
Ok, no big secrets, but spoilers nonetheless. Don't read the full Los Angeles Times account if you wanna stay entirely in the dark.
"Serenity" star rumored for "Wonder Woman"
Angel and Buffy News reports on rumors that actress Morena Baccarin, who appeared in "Wonder Woman" director Joss Whedon's "Firefly" TV series and the upcoming big screen spin-off of that show "Serenity," may be interested in portraying the amazon.
Cassette culture
At the NPR site, read the introduction to Sonic Youth guitarist/singer Thurston Moore's new book "Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture":
...I made what I thought was the most killer hardcore tape ever. I wrote 'H' on one side, and 'C' on the other. That night, while we were in bed, and after Kim had fallen asleep, I put the cassette on our stereo cassette player, dragged one of the little speakers over to the bed, and listened to the tape at ultra-low thrash volume. I was in a state of humming bliss. This music had every cell and fiber in my body on heavy sizzle mode. It was sweet.
...I made what I thought was the most killer hardcore tape ever. I wrote 'H' on one side, and 'C' on the other. That night, while we were in bed, and after Kim had fallen asleep, I put the cassette on our stereo cassette player, dragged one of the little speakers over to the bed, and listened to the tape at ultra-low thrash volume. I was in a state of humming bliss. This music had every cell and fiber in my body on heavy sizzle mode. It was sweet.
"Firefly" returns to the air this summer
Reruns of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series will air on the Sci Fi Channel starting in July in anticipation of Whedon's big screen "Serenity" film, which is based on the show. "Firefly" is available on DVD too.
Listening to the golden age of comics
The Golden Age of Comic Books, maintained by William Jourdain (who also created the wonderful Golden Age of Batman site), now features podcasts in its blog section.
The second offering features a history of Golden Age Batman artist (and creator of the Joker) Jerry Robinson and an interview with former Marvel Comics scribe/editor Roy Thomas.
The second offering features a history of Golden Age Batman artist (and creator of the Joker) Jerry Robinson and an interview with former Marvel Comics scribe/editor Roy Thomas.
"Civilian" has 10 questions about comic books
Jennifer Brummett, staff writer for the Advocate Messenger in Danville, Ky., wrote a column listing stuff that befuddles her about comic books.
Here's her top 10 with my attempts to answer:
1. Why do the bios give the height and weight of the heroes and heroines, as well as, in most cases, hair and eye color? For Halloween costume production? Filmmaking purposes?
Um, cuz fans like to think of these characters as real. Ridiculous amounts of detail goes toward that purpose, as does an insane obsession with "continuity." Comic books, particularly those focusing on superheroes, are set in self-contained fictional worlds, which fans insist must function according to their own internal logic. If a writer contradicts something that happened in a comic way back in 1972, no doubt some fan will get uptight and post some nasty comment about it on his blog. Unless whatever happened back then was negated by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, of course.
2. Why are most of the "cats," whether at DC or Marvel, women?
Because who wants to see a guy in a skin-tight catsuit? Come on!
3. Why hasn't there been a major motion picture done on Dr. Strange? I mean, yeah, there was the 1978 television flick called "Dr. Strange." How many people saw that?
A Doctor Strange movie...cool...
4. Why does the Wonder Woman movie I've been hearing about for the last 10 years or so keep getting stalled? Now, Joss Whedon is attached to direct such a flick. We'll see how long that lasts. Where's the love for the ladies in the limelight? ("Elektra," mind you, was a spin-off of "Daredevil.")
Because it's taken 20 years for the nostaligia factor to kick in. The Lynda Carter TV series, which was ridiculous and silly back in the 70s is now campy and cool. Comic book films don't get made by or at the behest of comic book fans, they get made by folks in Hollywood after the marketing department says its ok to go ahead. The Wonder Woman film isn't being made so much because she's a comic book character (although that helps a lot in the post "Spider-Man" movie climate), but because she was a TV character. Many more people are familiar with her in that context. We're getting a "Dukes of Hazzard" movie, a "Bewitched" movie, etc. So it was only matter of time before they got to her.
5. Why would a creator name a comic book character Umbra? Or Element Lad? Holly Go-Nightly? Abomination? Kang? Soldier X? Thunderbolt Ross? How do they come up with these, ummm, unusual names?
Drugs? Desperation? Dreaded Deadline Doom?
6. Horror movies have crossed the Pacific, as has anime. Could manga be next?
Manga is already kicking the American comics industry's ass in in sales. Go to Barnes and Noble and look at how many manga books are stocked compared to superhero reprints. Kids are loving the manga.
7. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund? Huh?
Comic books have a long history of being singled out as targets for prudes, censors and other types of Republicans. Check out the history of the 1950s juvenille delinquency hearings, the comics code, etc. The CBLD is an effort to give creators and comic book shops some legal protection should they come under attack.
8. Who makes the time for something like this - http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/? Oh. My.
That...is...so...cool! I'm gonna add a link to to that on my Web site.
9. Do superheroes and superheroines sweat? Hey, there's a whole lotta skin-tight hero-wear going on in the comic books. Is it comfortable?
It's all about unstable molecules, baby.
10. I keep reading about a film featuring Batman versus Superman - like, for years and years I've been reading this. Why is this interesting? I mean, Batman doesn't have any super powers, per se - just cool equipment, an extensive knowledge of the martial arts, and know-how about detective processes. Superman, coming from another planet, does have superpowers - flying, super-strength, enormous speed. Wouldn't he whip Batman's butt?
Brains trump brawn every time. Brains and kryptonite.
Here's her top 10 with my attempts to answer:
1. Why do the bios give the height and weight of the heroes and heroines, as well as, in most cases, hair and eye color? For Halloween costume production? Filmmaking purposes?
Um, cuz fans like to think of these characters as real. Ridiculous amounts of detail goes toward that purpose, as does an insane obsession with "continuity." Comic books, particularly those focusing on superheroes, are set in self-contained fictional worlds, which fans insist must function according to their own internal logic. If a writer contradicts something that happened in a comic way back in 1972, no doubt some fan will get uptight and post some nasty comment about it on his blog. Unless whatever happened back then was negated by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, of course.
2. Why are most of the "cats," whether at DC or Marvel, women?
Because who wants to see a guy in a skin-tight catsuit? Come on!
3. Why hasn't there been a major motion picture done on Dr. Strange? I mean, yeah, there was the 1978 television flick called "Dr. Strange." How many people saw that?
A Doctor Strange movie...cool...
4. Why does the Wonder Woman movie I've been hearing about for the last 10 years or so keep getting stalled? Now, Joss Whedon is attached to direct such a flick. We'll see how long that lasts. Where's the love for the ladies in the limelight? ("Elektra," mind you, was a spin-off of "Daredevil.")
Because it's taken 20 years for the nostaligia factor to kick in. The Lynda Carter TV series, which was ridiculous and silly back in the 70s is now campy and cool. Comic book films don't get made by or at the behest of comic book fans, they get made by folks in Hollywood after the marketing department says its ok to go ahead. The Wonder Woman film isn't being made so much because she's a comic book character (although that helps a lot in the post "Spider-Man" movie climate), but because she was a TV character. Many more people are familiar with her in that context. We're getting a "Dukes of Hazzard" movie, a "Bewitched" movie, etc. So it was only matter of time before they got to her.
5. Why would a creator name a comic book character Umbra? Or Element Lad? Holly Go-Nightly? Abomination? Kang? Soldier X? Thunderbolt Ross? How do they come up with these, ummm, unusual names?
Drugs? Desperation? Dreaded Deadline Doom?
6. Horror movies have crossed the Pacific, as has anime. Could manga be next?
Manga is already kicking the American comics industry's ass in in sales. Go to Barnes and Noble and look at how many manga books are stocked compared to superhero reprints. Kids are loving the manga.
7. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund? Huh?
Comic books have a long history of being singled out as targets for prudes, censors and other types of Republicans. Check out the history of the 1950s juvenille delinquency hearings, the comics code, etc. The CBLD is an effort to give creators and comic book shops some legal protection should they come under attack.
8. Who makes the time for something like this - http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/? Oh. My.
That...is...so...cool! I'm gonna add a link to to that on my Web site.
9. Do superheroes and superheroines sweat? Hey, there's a whole lotta skin-tight hero-wear going on in the comic books. Is it comfortable?
It's all about unstable molecules, baby.
10. I keep reading about a film featuring Batman versus Superman - like, for years and years I've been reading this. Why is this interesting? I mean, Batman doesn't have any super powers, per se - just cool equipment, an extensive knowledge of the martial arts, and know-how about detective processes. Superman, coming from another planet, does have superpowers - flying, super-strength, enormous speed. Wouldn't he whip Batman's butt?
Brains trump brawn every time. Brains and kryptonite.
New CD releases of note
June 14
The 101'ers (Joe Strummer's pre-Clash band) Elgin Avenue Breakdown (Revisited)
Ry Cooder Chavez Ravine
Miles Davis 'Round About Midnight: Legacy Edition
Ian Dury New Boots & Panties
Brian Eno Another Day on Earth
The Everly Brothers Too Good to Be True: 18 Unreleased 1950s Sessions
Connie Francis Gold
Stevie Wonder A Time 2 Love
OST Batman Begins
OST Bewitched
DVD Paul McCartney in Red Square
June 21
Jonathan Edwards Have a Good Time for Me
Juan Garcia Esquivel Sights and Sounds of
Chris Hillman The Other Side
Julie London Yummy, Yummy, Yummy
The Ventures Alive Five-O: The Anthology
VA Heaven Must Have Sent You: The Holland/Dozier/Holland Anthology
OST Herbie Fully Loaded
OST Six Feet Under: Everything Ends
The 101'ers (Joe Strummer's pre-Clash band) Elgin Avenue Breakdown (Revisited)
Ry Cooder Chavez Ravine
Miles Davis 'Round About Midnight: Legacy Edition
Ian Dury New Boots & Panties
Brian Eno Another Day on Earth
The Everly Brothers Too Good to Be True: 18 Unreleased 1950s Sessions
Connie Francis Gold
Stevie Wonder A Time 2 Love
OST Batman Begins
OST Bewitched
DVD Paul McCartney in Red Square
June 21
Jonathan Edwards Have a Good Time for Me
Juan Garcia Esquivel Sights and Sounds of
Chris Hillman The Other Side
Julie London Yummy, Yummy, Yummy
The Ventures Alive Five-O: The Anthology
VA Heaven Must Have Sent You: The Holland/Dozier/Holland Anthology
OST Herbie Fully Loaded
OST Six Feet Under: Everything Ends
Making of a new Bat logo
Designer John Spencer tells how he created the new "Batman Begins" bat symbol:
Mr Spencer, who prefers not to reveal how much he was paid for the work, said: "I spent about two weeks looking at the original logo.
"At first I thought it couldn't be bettered, but the more I looked at it the more I thought it looked like a half eaten apple core. There wasn't a straight line in it."
He added: "It was a pretty hectic time." He spent a lot of time going back and forth to Sheperton Studios to check what he was doing was acceptable.
"We finally agreed on a design that has a lot of straight lines. It's much more angular and aggressive than the original, which I think reflects the film."
Mr Spencer, who prefers not to reveal how much he was paid for the work, said: "I spent about two weeks looking at the original logo.
"At first I thought it couldn't be bettered, but the more I looked at it the more I thought it looked like a half eaten apple core. There wasn't a straight line in it."
He added: "It was a pretty hectic time." He spent a lot of time going back and forth to Sheperton Studios to check what he was doing was acceptable.
"We finally agreed on a design that has a lot of straight lines. It's much more angular and aggressive than the original, which I think reflects the film."
Pink Feud
You've probably heard the Pink Floyd is reuniting for one of those "Live 8" concerts, and it's surprising news to anyone who's followed the history of the group.
These guys--particularly bassinst Roger Waters and guitarist Dave Gilmour--really, really have a hard time getting along.
The Independent has a detailed look at one of rock's greatest feuds:
As the new millennium got under way, Gilmour, self-confessedly inarticulate, explained why he still didn't talk to Waters. "Roger's a prick," he said.
Undercutting Waters' old gripes about meaningless stadium rock concerts done for the money, Gilmour appeared in 2001 at the South Bank Meltdown Festival. Three years later, Nick Mason, the only other surviving original Floyd member, published his own version of Floyd history, Inside Out.
Mason, a self-confessed mediator, wrote in his book of the band's early approach to relationships: "We had a style - if there's a problem, ignore it." No change there, then. Typically, neither Gilmour nor Waters originally wanted the book published. Perhaps he should have called it I Used To Be In Pink Floyd, But Now I'm Alright.
These guys--particularly bassinst Roger Waters and guitarist Dave Gilmour--really, really have a hard time getting along.
The Independent has a detailed look at one of rock's greatest feuds:
As the new millennium got under way, Gilmour, self-confessedly inarticulate, explained why he still didn't talk to Waters. "Roger's a prick," he said.
Undercutting Waters' old gripes about meaningless stadium rock concerts done for the money, Gilmour appeared in 2001 at the South Bank Meltdown Festival. Three years later, Nick Mason, the only other surviving original Floyd member, published his own version of Floyd history, Inside Out.
Mason, a self-confessed mediator, wrote in his book of the band's early approach to relationships: "We had a style - if there's a problem, ignore it." No change there, then. Typically, neither Gilmour nor Waters originally wanted the book published. Perhaps he should have called it I Used To Be In Pink Floyd, But Now I'm Alright.
This week's new DVD releases
June 14
The Joan Crawford Collection (Humoresque; Mildred Pierce; Possessed; Women; The Damned Don't Cry)
The Bette Davis Collection (Dark Victory; The Letter; Mr. Skeffington; Now, Voyager; The Star)
Casino Special Edition
Northern Exposure Complete Third Season
The Joan Crawford Collection (Humoresque; Mildred Pierce; Possessed; Women; The Damned Don't Cry)
The Bette Davis Collection (Dark Victory; The Letter; Mr. Skeffington; Now, Voyager; The Star)
Casino Special Edition
Northern Exposure Complete Third Season
Another "Batman Begins" review
From USA Today:
...Batman 5 (* * ½ out of four) reverses the order of Mike Tyson's weekend bout: The early going - say, an hour - is spent in a fatigued daze. A few powerful jabs eventually punch things up.
...The movie finally improves (and starts showing a sense of humor) back home in Gotham. Bruce returns to don the duds and start going mobile in his famous wheels. It's all to fight a nefarious municipal scheme that, among other things, gives Gary Oldman, who is one of many welcome and familiar character actors, a rare chance to play a good guy.
Two more things to note: No fan of cult director Christopher Nolan is going to regard this respectable effort as anything but a comedown from 2001's Memento. And since the previous Batman movies, we've had the potent Spider-Man duo, which impressively gave us "lively" and "brooding" at the same time.
...Batman 5 (* * ½ out of four) reverses the order of Mike Tyson's weekend bout: The early going - say, an hour - is spent in a fatigued daze. A few powerful jabs eventually punch things up.
...The movie finally improves (and starts showing a sense of humor) back home in Gotham. Bruce returns to don the duds and start going mobile in his famous wheels. It's all to fight a nefarious municipal scheme that, among other things, gives Gary Oldman, who is one of many welcome and familiar character actors, a rare chance to play a good guy.
Two more things to note: No fan of cult director Christopher Nolan is going to regard this respectable effort as anything but a comedown from 2001's Memento. And since the previous Batman movies, we've had the potent Spider-Man duo, which impressively gave us "lively" and "brooding" at the same time.
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