I’m With Coco!

On Sunday, 1/17/10, Golden Apple threw a signing event supporting Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco, selling I’m With Coco posters and with artist Mike Mitchell in attendance. Mitchell told everyone about the rally going on the next day, in front of Conan’s studio at the Universal Lot. He also mentioned the Red Cross will be there as well, asking people to donate money for charitable causes, such as the Haiti earthquake crisis. A long line of people braved rainy conditions and came out to support Team Coco and bought posters. Here are some pictures of the event:

Spiderman 4 News

With the news that Spiderman 4 has been scrapped and they are planning a massive reboot, what should the new plot be? I would love to see a script where Spiderman battles it out with the Vulture (John Malkovich would be awesome!), and featuring the Black Cat. I’m hoping that the minor characters (JJJ, Dr. Conners, Aunt May) will be retained, even though both Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are out, along with director Sam Raimi. I’ve set up 2 proposed casts (one if they cotinued the storyline, and another if they go with “Ultimate Spiderman” and cast the characters back in HS) that might fill Spidey’s big shoes:

Peter Parker/Spiderman: Jake Gyllenhall
This almost happened for Spiderman 2. They look so much alike, they even played brothers in a movie titled Brothers.  Gyllenhall is a capable actor and more than ready to sling the webs.

Ultimate Peter Parker: Joseph Gordon Levitt
Joseph Gordon Levitt can portray awkwardness and nerdiness in typical Parker fashion, but can also sound and portray Spiderman if need be. He’s even got the floppy hair that is shown in Ultimate Spiderman.

Mary Jane Watson: Christina Hendricks
In the comics, MJ is a supermodel. It’s time we got a girl who can fill that role and really make men think that we just hit the jackpot everytime she lights up the screen.  A natural red head to boot and has the acting chops to go with the looks.

Ultimate Mary Jane: Evan Rachel Wood
Ultimate MJ is a little geekier than her regular Marvel continuity predecessor and is best friend to our hero, as well as being the damsel in distress. Evan Rachel Wood can do all 3, and as a bonus, she even looks great as a red head. Heck, she would have been cast in Spiderman the Musical had it gone through.

Black Cat: Rachel McAdams
I know we heard the rumors of McAdams playing the sultry Black Cat. And why not? Can you imagine her in that costume? YOWZA.

Ultimate Black Cat: Megan Fox
A man can dream, right?

Director: James Cameron
Hey with his track record, he could probably make a blockbuster with rubber bands and empty soda cans. The man is a genius.

Realistic Director: Jon Favreau
Why not? He did a great job on Iron Man, can easily infuse humor and action, and bring Spidey up to date in the modern era. Maybe he can make a cameo too as Happy Hogan.

Any suggestions?

Golden Apple 30th Anniversary!

Golden Apple, Hollywood’s Comic Shop to the stars, held their 30th anniversary this past Saturday, December 12. Even with the rain, fans showed up in full force as several publishing companies, such as Archaia, Aspen, Top Cow, and Boom Studios, helped celebrate the anniversary with limited edition comics and prints exclusive to the event, as well as huge sales for comics. In addition, Hero Initiative got Whilce Portacio, Image Comics co-founder, to show up and sketch for the fans for donations. Everyone had a great time, and afterwards, a party was held for all the contributors to this great event. Without further ado, onto the photos of the event!

The Art of Mike Mignola

On Friday, December 4th, I was able to attend the Art of Mike Mignola gallery at Secret Headquarters in Los Angeles. Not only did they have original art hanging around the store with complimentary wine, but they sold beautiful limited edition prints of Mignola’s Hellboy. Mike was also mingling with the guests, and was sketching for everyone in line. A wonderful night with free alcohol, a happy artist, and delighted fans made this a great event for everyone. Now, onto the pictures.

Pete Wentz and Fall Out Toy Works!

Disney Buys Marvel for $4 Billion!

This morning, the comics industry was hit with huge news, stating that Disney had bought out Marvel for $4 billion dollars. What does this mean, and what implications will they have for the books we’ve come to know and love?

According to twitter responses and press statements, the reaction seems generally positive for the most part. Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada states,  ”Welcome to this moment in history. Everyone relax, this is incredible news and all is well in the Marvel U. ”

Marvel powerhouse writer Brian Michael Bendis quotes on his twitter, “to the lovely reporters who have emailed and follow me here. no comment. i am too dumb to understand high finance. me write funny books.”

Marvel editor and writer CB Cebulski on his twitter: “Allow me to reassure you right now, guys, that Marvel’s going to continue to produce great comic books the way we always have.”

While most are enthused of the pre eminent entertainment company joining forces with the creative forces of Marvel, there are some creators that are more wary of the transaction:

Artist Jamal Igle: “To Marvel.. good luck with the new ownership. You’ll soon find out why they’re referred to in animation circles as Mouseschwitz.”

Colorist Christina Strain: “Not pleased by morning news.”

I feel that as long as Disney does not hinder any creative decisions and stifles potential ideas for stories, this is a win win situation. The marketing power of Disney and the recognizablity of both companies can only add to the popularity of the characters we know and love.  CBR posts some of the implications of this deal here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22747

Hopefully, this is the dawn of a new and great era!
And on a funny note, Brian Michael Bendis adds, “no, i did not kill the wasp to make way for tinkerbell. but she would be a kick ass avenger”

Suru Gallery: Celeritas!

On August 16th, the gallery will close this awesome exhibit. If you can, please go and look at the beautiful art in person. If you can’t make it, here are some photos I took of the exhibition’s opening night.

For those who can make it, come out before the 16th and enjoy these sights in person!

MAYHEM!

For the past few months, Tyrese Gibson has been on a marketing rampage. At Comic Con, he was a constant presence all over the show floor, selling advanced copies of his comic book, Mayhem. On Wednesday, that day had finally arrived. Meltdown Comics, voted the best comic store by LA Magazine, organized an event for this long awaited debut. At 6 PM, Tyrese himself showed up with the entire creative team who worked on the book, as well as Dave Johnson himself, who supplied a limited edition Meltdown exclusive variant cover for Mayhem.

After the signing, Tyrese and his crew had set up a stage for a small concert in the back. Performing some of his hits, including playing his newest track made especially for his comic book, he thrilled the crowd with his vocal skills. He also took the time to sing a lullaby to a child, and had to regretfully decline taking his shirt off as his shows were PG-13 because children were present.

I have to say, Tyrese is a marketing genius. From throwing himself out there, going out to Comic Con, talking about Mayhem in talk show interviews, to twittering about Mayhem non stop and getting the name out there, it’s no wonder that Meltdown pre ordered 10,000 copies!  I can honestly say I’ve never seen someone be as enthusiastic and passionate about the comic they’re producing more than Tyrese. For those that have bought copies, what do you guys think? I’d love to hear your feedback on Mayhem. But congratulations to Tyrese, Mike Le, Will Wilson, Tone Rodriguez, and Meltdown Comics for Mayhem and it’s extremely successful event!

100 Bullets Party!

 

 

 

 

David Wohl, Sonia Oback, and Mike Choi talk shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anime Expo 2009

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