Podcast - Episode 104: The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens (with guest J.Bone!)

It's an exciting week guys. Not only are we talking about The Rocketeer, one of Dave's favourite things, but we are also joined by our pal -- and frequent Rocketeer artist -- J.Bone! We love him!

We read The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures, which collects all six issues of Dave Stevens' Rocketeer comics. We also watched the 1991 Disney movie. So we are totally ready to talk about the high flying adventures of Cliff Secord.

Just real quick, too, the books I read and recommended this week were Becky Cloonan's By Chance or Providence (Image) and The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne and Veronica Fish (Super Genius). I also recommend the prose novel, Peter Darling by Austin Chant, if you want to read another beautiful reinterpretation of Peter Pan.

Dave recommended the first issue of Elsewhere (Image) by Jay Faerber, Ron Riley and Sumeyye Kesgin.

Next week we are reading The Thing: The Project Pegasus Saga (Marvel) by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, John Byrne and George Perez. We are both very excited about it. It is technically out of print, but can be found in a number of formats that may be kicking around your local comic shop. First of all, it can be found in issues #53-58 plus issue #60 of Marvel Two-in-One, so you may be able to find the original issues. Or you can find it in black and white in Marvel Essentials: Marvel Two-in-One vol 3. Or you can find the hardcover collection that was published in 2010. Or, if you're like Dave and me, you have the old trade paperback from the late 80s. It's also available digitally on Marvel Unlimited and on Comixology, if it comes to that. The hardcover (which is what is on Comixology) has extra content, by the way.

See you next week! Thanks, J! And thanks for listening, everybody!

The Future's so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades When I Read Previews

I know the ISB has dissecting Previews covered, but I did at least five spit-takes reading this month's catalogue, so I had to write about it. It's full of crazy crap, as well as lots of stuff that I'm super stoked about. It's a rollercoaster ride of emotion.

First off, the cover:

Nope, those are not stautes. They're not busts, or action figures. These are photos of heads pasted onto the bottom half of busts. I know the July 2010 release means there's many months of sculpting time ahead, and believe me, I'm excited to see a little cold-cast plaster version of Vampire Bill. But seriously. Maybe wait until you have something substantial before you put it on the front cover? Even if it is the back front cover.

Who photoshopped this? Me? My cat? Actually, if Scrapperton did this, good job. But to anyone else, for shame.

I like how this is written like a newspaper headline; "Local Lad Krueger Makes Good in Neighbourhood Nightmares." This whole little piece of copy just rules. God, I'm seriously jealous. Writing for Previews is the best job in the universe. Especially making up the titles for those t-shirts.

Good lord, Marvel. This is some Krusty the Clown level merchandising. Do you have a sick mother in the hospital who desperately needs you to pay for an operation? Or do you have, say, a serious smack habit?

Hurray! Vertigo is making a figure of my favourite chocolate bar-loving, antler-headed cutie pie! A lil' Sweet Tooth to put on my bed side table!

OH. NO.

Ziggy is read by more than 75 million people every day. No joke here. Just a fact.

 

A phrase never spoken by anyone at LBW:

 

RASL #7? In February? So we've had like, one issue this year, but now THREE will come out in the next three months?

Riiiiiight. Maybe scientists will also discover that cheeseburgers are the best food for weight loss. And I'll inherit a cheeseburger factory. Jeff Smith, I love you. That's why your lies hurt me so.

BUT, you know what's exciting? Raina Telgemeier's comic about braces. And the first issue of the new Demo series!!! So awesome. In my head, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan are BFFs who live together in a big comic-themed house and get into wacky, comics-related high jinx together. Could be true. You don't know.

See? A lot of ups and downs here. Well, until next month, Previews. Maybe in January you'll have learned not to put Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose on the same page as a bunch of kids comics. But don't go changin' just to suit me, Previews.