Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Cinebook Ltd Newsletter 193 - January 2024
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Saturday, 27 January 2024
Friday, 26 January 2024
Thursday, 25 January 2024
First Appearance of Marvel Comics Black Knight?
The con -and it is a con- seems to be that Avengers #48 features "the first appearance of the Black Knight"
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Sellers asking (UK) £75-170 for a copy. The claim is false of course and the sellers obviously want people to believe that the appearance of Dane Whitman (the THIRD Black Knight) in the failed Eternals movie is marking his appearance as Black Knight in an upcoming movie. The fact is that Marvel Studios has already stated that they are NOT deve4lop-ing the character -following its sharp turn away from stories to virtue signalling movies.
The First Silver Age Black Knight (Sir Percy of Scandia) appeared in 1955 as shown below
The second was a villain (Nathan Garrett), of course and Dane Whitman took over from him. Garrett's BK appeared in This villainous Black Knight appeared in The Avengers #6, #14–15 (July 1964, March–April 1965) cover below
So do not get conned out of a huge sum of money. Search around if you really need a copy but the 1955 book is the first Black Knight.
I recall that when the Black Panther movie came out ridiculous amounts were being asked for a copy of Avengers because..."First appearance of named Wakandan". Seriously. So what about the issue with the first and only appearance of "Charlie" and his putty knife? It can go on and on and you buy a comic based on this and as people have found out before no one really wants to pay the $180 once you have!
This on Ebay is listed as US $199.99 Approximately£157.47 and, of course the $20 for postage because every cent counts
1968 MARVEL AVENGERS #48 1ST APPEARANCE OF BLACK KNIGHT KEY GRAIL RARE GERMAN
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Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Monday, 22 January 2024
Tower Tales
Right. I am still alive. I checked by holding a mirror over my mouth this morning. It was awkward as it is attached to a wardrobe but it confirmed I was still alive.
Sunday, 21 January 2024
Saturday, 20 January 2024
More Action On Covers??
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Thanks to covid (which apparently loves me so much it does not want to leave) the new look Black Tower Super Heroes which will contain one story from vol. 3 number 1 one starting with The Year of the Werewolf (with threads to other stories in later issues) as well as issue 2 The Parallel Motion are delayed. The last 5 pages of Werewolf are in my head and once done I start lettering issues 1 and 2 and they both vary in page count.
The stories for issue 3 onward are in my head but let's face it getting the current two out will be a major victory.
Also, I want to change the style of covers as I have avoided the usual mainstream comic type but what the hell -more action!
We'll see.
Friday, 19 January 2024
Vida Storefront Closed
As regulars will know I had a Vida store front with Black Tower related T-0shirts, baseball caps, coffee mugs, etc.
Late last year Vida sold out to Threadless. So I did everything I was supposed to do and my storefront was ready for 2024.
VIDA & Threadless Join Hands to Help Artists Sell Products Online
Thursday, 18 January 2024
News -Wooden hat 2024 for Pekka A. Manninen (psst! It's not actually made of wood -or is it?)
The Finnish Comic Society has honoured the creator of Kapteeni Kuolio, Pekka Manninen the wooden hat. But what is a wooden hat?
The original article can be found at https://www.sarjakuvaseura.fi/fi/suomen-sarjakuvaseura-ry/puupaahattu
All material (c)2024 Finnish Comic Society
(Photos: Henry Söderlund / Finnish Comics Society)
The Finnish Comics Society has decided to award the Puupäähattu recognition award to cartoonist and doctor of education Pekka A. Manninen (b. 1959).
Manninen has always been interested in cartoons that move in the borderlands of darkness and especially in intentionally or unintentionally parodic stories. Folkloric, mythical characters started to appear already in his early comics. They were initially published as a comic for NonStop's readers and in Sarjainfo, and soon Manninen's pen mark could be seen in numerous small and large publications. Your first self-published book, Milan's miracle, was published in 1981. Inspiration was given, for example, by superhero comics freely published in Finnish, such as Man of Steel and the horror magazine Shokki. Manninen's own favorite character is Doctor Strange, who holds the Marvel universe together.
Manninen joined the Tampere comics club in its early stages, and he has been the main editor of the club's most important product, the Sarjari magazine, since 1982. It is the only regularly published Finnish comics magazine. The theses for the University of Tampere were about cartoons, and Manninen received his doctorate in education in 1995. His dissertation Vatarinna äälineistö: About the meaning of cartoon hobby was Finland's first dissertation about cartoons.
(Photos: Henry Söderlund / Finnish Comics Society)
In his research, Manninen shows how children and young people can use cartoons to create their own language of expression, for example by parodying the prevailing reality. At the same time, adults have often condemned cartoons in their lack of understanding as a tool that impoverishes language and other expressive skills. Since 1976, more than 5,000 comic pages drawn by Mannen in a rough style have been published.
His long-standing characters include the scientific militia Igor Motor, the future cyborg policeman Teräslilja, and Captain Death, who protects his hometown from everything supernatural.
The most active of these are Teräslilija, which appears in Tähtivaeltaja magazine. Täräslijja literally blows up disgusting fashion phenomena and nauseating celebrities.
Captain Kuolio, a regular character of Sarjari magazine, also has his own album series, where the magical and mystical hidden reality of Tampere is revealed. Kuolio is a schizophrenic in civilian life, sick pensioner Veikko Eloranta. The character sees what so-called normal people don't, even though things are happening right in front of their eyes.
In addition to his own drawing work, Manninen teaches comics at a visual art school for children and young people, raising new artists to understand the world of screens. The slanted perspective of Manninen's cartoons corrects our views on folklore, history, and current reality as well.
Pekka Allan Manninen
b. 1959, Ruutana (Kangasala)
Doctor of Education 1995, University of Tampere
Teacher, Sara Hildén Academy School of Fine Arts
Illustrator, SANARIS Oy
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
The Three WORST Marvel Movies Ever and Why Feige Should Go
After a quick re-watch because they were that bad
1 Thor Love and Thunder
2 The Eternals
3 Wakanda Forever
It was a hell of a fight but the characters destroyed by a movie that was such a mess Kevin Feige should have lost his job over. But this virtue signalling travesty despite some great acting by Christian Bale (never expect less) Hemsworth's "I'm British/Australian/American" accents and....it was just a big heap of rancid dino poop.
Again, some good acting in The Eternals but the rampant virtue signalling and editing so bad that at times I had to keep asking "Is this now? The past or...what?" Dane Whitman (NOT appearing as the Black Knight) helped many a scammy comic seller push up asking prices for Avengers (vol. 1) no. 48 which has no significance for the movies and rumours are that Whitman will not show up again (the mysterious voice that talks to him was Kang...apparently and Kang is now out). After the utter mess of a film we are then introduced to "B side" singer and NOT great actor Harry styles as Eros???? Hey, good publicists and celebrity news pushers really can make a turd a brick of gold. I hope to NEVER see another Eternals film. A chance blown away and Feige STILL has a job
Oh..Wakanda Forever. Well, I heard the Sub-0Mariner, Namor was going to appear and as a fan from when I was a kid and with a full Silver/Bronze ages comic series I was looking forward to this. Then I noticed that a gay blogger started using the term "Gay Pride Namor" and I had no idea what was going on...until I watched the movie. Oh boy, again the movie franchise idea of a good, solid and well plotted story fell apart and I do mean "fell apart" as in "shredded in a grinder". Some good acting BUT the virtue signalling was what took over and the editing was again a complete mess and at times -the battle on the huge Wakandan ship for one (that was so ridiculous ad nonsensical
I kept asking "if the Wakandans are being wiped out in huge numbers...where are all the Wakandans coming from?" The constant "oh look -more Chadwick Boseman clips/images just to try to give the movie a semblance of credibility" and I do not think anyone deserved an award for anything to do with this...
oh the constant (virtue signalling) racism of referencing white colonialists got to a point that it was no longer funny. I assume that no one involved had read anything of African empires and tribal feudalism including invading and killing members of other African nations/tribes and how they profited from this by not just having personal slaves but selling off Africans to slave traders? This cleaning up of historical facts to promote virtual signalling to a small group of politicals who probably never read the comics, saw the full movies or read history.... oh. Of course; only white folk can be racist so Feige who took another massive dump on Marvel characters and history...kept his job.
Most Marvel movies I have watched several times but these three are in a slip case sealed with tape and I will NOT be watching again.
Saturday, 13 January 2024
Friday, 12 January 2024
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Tuesday, 9 January 2024
No More Small Press News and Reviews
Since 1998 Comic Bits Online has offered small pressers free and unbiased reviews of their books to a world wide audience of thousands per day.
Most it seems are still complaining no one takes their books seriously but offers to review their books...ignored as they continue to moan.
I have also just had the fourth (it might be fifth but I couldn't care less) slap down from a local zine event.; Applied as soon as the event was announced but "Oh so many applied -sorry" (yeah, cliques and mates).
Someone suggested "maybe its because you publish super hero books? How fecking ignorant can you be? I DO NOT "just publish super hero" books as anyone who ever visited the online store or checked out the CBO posts should know I publish across all genres as well as books on wildlife and history (real books with lots of words).
So after all of these years here is my new policy:
NO MORE SMALL PRESS REVIEWS UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING EXCEPTIONAL ABOUT THEM.
Quite honestly the small press as well as what are left of comics -including events- in this country have been taken over by people with no real interest in the genres. It is all a closed old pals or cliques.
UK comic events lost my support over this and so, too, has the "small press". The Zine Zone blog is being closed as of today.
Saturday, 6 January 2024
Friday, 5 January 2024
Thursday, 4 January 2024
THE CANCEL HAUS -Guest review by Paul Ashley Brown
THE CANCEL HAUS ISSUES 1 & 2 by Hroge, Strawman Publishing ( 36 pages full colour comic book )
It's been a long time since I've felt the urge to review anything comic- book wise ( as my esteemed host Mr Hooper knows only too well !) .There's very little these days in Comic Book land that makes me feel even the vaguest hint of genuine drooling excitement,, whether it's sat on the shelves of your local comic book store ( sorry friend Meesh !) or the rear corner of your trendy Bookshop's Graphic Novel selection ( sorry nobody !). Oh sure, I'll occasionally pick up some overhyped title or latest lauded GN I'm meant to care about,to see what the fuss is, and yet a split second later put it back on the shelf - I couldn't tell you if it's written well because usually the artwork is so appallingly awful and visually uninspiring I can't get past the first page.
Every now and then though, even a jaded old curmudgeon like me can be suddenly lulled out of their all-too- snug cynicism by something that suddenly drops into view. So it was a week before Christmas, aptly enough, when a parcel arrived that made this tired old Ebeneezer Scrunge suddenly be reminded that there may well be hope and redemption, even when all seems lost.That was when I opened the package containing the first two issues of The Cancel Haus by Hroge.
What? What's a Cancel Haus ? And what's a Hroge ? I hear you ask.( And if you aren't then you really should !!)
It's a very good couple of questions to which I still don't know the whole answer. What I do know is that Hroge is the writer /artist of The Cancel Haus, which is a planned 15 issue comic book series that he's been working on in splendid isolation for the last 12 years ( !!!), seperate from the somewhat hysterical and overhyped Emperor's New Clothes of the current comic book landscape, which he's got off the ground via a Kickstarter, like a lot of people whose work otherwise might never see the light of day. I've always had somewhat conflicting views on the value of Kickstarters, so it's rare for me to go and back one, but when I saw the artwork teases posted on the site, I felt it was my artistic duty to show support for what appeared to be a genuinely promising-looking project. I'm happy to report that on the receipt of the physical first two issues, I'm really glad I did.
Firstly, it's a rather beautifully printed book on some quality paper stock that has the added bonus of also smelling really nice.( yes I am the kind of person that sniffs paper stocks in art shops and strokes the textures of drawing papers and art boards if you must know !!! ) As well as the 24 pages of full colour artwork per issue, there are additional pages featuring quotations, lists of films and music playlists compiled by Hroge and mysterious design collaborator Esther, that act as almost supplementary indicators of influences and mood, and pull the whole thing into a very simple yet sophisticated overall design package, which suggest some serious proper thought has gone into creating a whole world for the reader to enter. It's the small details like this that impress me; in its modest way it's similar thinking to how each issue of the original Watchmen was a conceptual piece in its own right while being part of a bigger whole. Or the way Vaughn Oliver might design an album for 4AD say. Congrats to whoever Esther is, but she deserves kudos for her collaboration here.
Anyway, what about the actual comic-strip content ?
The first two issues introduce a lot of characters and locations. There's a man in a stetson sat waiting for a motorbike courier to arrive in an exotic location who may or may not be our reliable narrator or veteran covert spook operative. There are a group of French detetives/police/ covert undercover operatives in the palais de justice, a bunch of twatty twentysomethings hiking in the middle of Scotland that come across a remote pub called The Broken Cormorant., some young women beachcombing and a couple of dodgy geezers robbing some reasonably well-off yuppie thirtysomething. Then there are some dodgy blokes in a curry house plotting something and talking bollocks that may be in for a surprise when their taxi turns up and a young woman pouring through a bookshop for hidden messages. And who is taking dubious snaps of a young woman on the hospital bed at the end of issue 2 ? Don't ask me, but I'm definitely intrigued already.
These moods and tensions are ably aided and abetted by the art in the book, a significant part of that due to the thoughtful and considered colour palette that complement these narrative tonal shifts. As to the actual comic-strip technicalities on display here, let me firstly state this . I'm someone who rarely has time for a lot of the reductive, poorly observed and badly-drawn visually empty nonsense that passes for comic strip artwork these days. There are still a few out there whose work suggests all is not lost. I can assure you Hroge's drawing here can be more than added to those quality few. It was a pleasure to find a whole comic resplendent with beautifully rendered, observed and considered drawing, perfectly realised and imagined consistently throughout, and having an understanding of how to move a story graphically along in comic-strip narrative language and form, utilising well paced and ,pleasingly constructed layouts and neatly visualised panel compositions.Initially Hroge's work reminded me of classic British artists like Arthur Ranson and John Ridgeway, beautiful drawers and immaculate renderers, yet he's definitely his own man, who's certainly made his own mark with the content here. It's rare for me these days to find a comic I'm drawn to by the sheer quality of the drawing alone, but this one's got it.
The Cancel Haus is both an aspiring and auspicious debut which, in an intelligent, reasoned and nuanced cultural and critical landscape would be being rightfully lauded as a major new work by a major new artist. Personally, I'm not entirely sure that's where we are right now, but I really hope people out there recognise just what's being done here. It's an incredibly striking and commendable achievement thus far. I look forward to what comes next.
Paul Ashley Braunhaus
Wednesday, 3 January 2024
Monday, 1 January 2024
John M. Burns 1938 – 29 December 2023
