Entry Points, Accessibility and Transmedia Potential
It will be interesting to see what other publisher can successfully go the Marvel route; with a $2B+ worldwide box office already in for the Avengers’ on-screen storyworld (one that still bizarrely lives in total isolation from the comics), I’m guessing several will make the attempt within the next 2-3 years. Two gaming franchises I think have some serious transmedia potential are Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls and Activision’s Skylanders, though you might be surprised by which one I think has the most potential.
Free Comic Book Day 2007
This year’s Free Comic Book Day is on Saturday, May 5 — the same weekend Spider-Man 3 opens — and the list of comics that will be available is pretty impressive. My initial thoughts on some of them: Archie Comics (Gold): Archie Comics Little Archie 2007 Archie Comics (Silver): Sonic the Hedgehog 2007 My son
Review: The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One
The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One By Scott Christian Sava (Blue Dream Studios, 2006; $19.95) I have to admit that I was initially put off by the computer animated artwork when I first flipped through The Dreamland Chronicles, especially compared to Diego Jourdan’s more familiar cartoony style in Scott Christian Sava’s Ed’s Terrestrials, which I received
Review: The Guardian Line
Joe and Max #1 By Jason Medley, Claude St. Aubin & Chris Chuckery Genesis 5 #1 By Lovern Kindzierski, Claude St. Aubin & Chris Chuckery Code #1 By Mike Baron, Lovern Kindzierski, Howard Simpson, Dave Ross & Chris Chuckery (All published by The Guardian line, December 2006) Any sincere attempt by a comics publisher to
Review: Ed’s Terrestrials
Ed’s TerrestrialsBy Scott Christian Sava and Diego Jourdan (Blue Dream Studios, 2006; $19.99) There’s few things in comics that I love more than a good, all-ages graphic novel, both for my own personal enjoyment and to be able to share it with my 6-year old son. In the past, I’ve praised the likes of A
On The Shelves: 1/4/07
Reading is fundamental. Don’t waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! Hello, 2007! 2006 was a great year for comics of all types (be sure to check out my Best of picks) and I’m betting this year is going to be even better all-around. Hopefully Ed Brubaker’s crystal ball is in working order:
Best of 2006
In the most glaring sign yet of how much my tastes have changed over the 3.5 years since I started reading comics again, compare my Best of 2004 choices to this year’s stellar roundup (below). Posted nearly two months before the year had ended, that 2004 list was limited to ongoing series, two of which
Review: American Born Chinese
American Born ChineseBy Gene Luen Yang (First Second, 2006; $16.95) When I first heard about American Born Chinese back in July, I pegged it as the highlight of First Second’s second wave of releases purely based on a few preview images and its solicitation copy. After doing so, I crossed my fingers that it would
BORP! — Bumperboy Update
It’s been a while between Bumperboy updates here at CBC, but Debbie Huey just posted a sneak peek at the upcoming Bumperboy.net redesign and it looks pretty sweet. Huey is not only a talented creator, but a savvy marketer and merchandiser, and Bumperboy.net is the perfect example of a comics web site done right. Hopefully
Review: Viper All-Ages
A Bit Haywireby Scott Zirkel & Courtney Huddleston (Viper Comics, 2006; $11.95) I’m a big fan of good all-ages entertainment, and whenever something really good pops up on the comics scene, I’m especially psyched because it means I have something new I can comfortably share with my 6-year old son who’s becoming an avid reader.