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Monthly Archives: July 2014

Justice League vs. the Color Stealing Man

Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.

Who sucked all of the color out of the DC Universe? Everything is so drab. I’m really hoping the Justice League film will be Justice League vs. Instagram Color Filter Man.

In this context Wonder Woman looks more bad ass than Bats and Supes. Batman looks like a stuffed sausage who fights crime by bear hugging evildoers into compliance. I’d be okay with skipping the Justice League film and going straight to a Wonder Woman origin film (if it isn’t completely sepia tone).

And whats with all of the glowing eyes? Was Batman all like “Oh, you have glowing eyes? Well check this out!” *pushes button on utility belt* “BATGLOW!” *stare* What color do you think Wonder Woman’s eyes will glow?

BATGLOW!

Mission: Today, we are all Batman

Today is Batman Day. This DC promotion encourages visitors to slip into their best Batman gear and go visit a participating local comic book shop. If you do you’ll be able to pick-up a copy of the new Detective Comics #27 which features Brad Meltzer’s re-imagining of the original Bob Kane and Bill Finger story. Flipping through the various facebook pages, twitter feeds, and websites of our Bay Area stores only turns up one, Mission: Comics and Art, actively promoting an event. From noon until 8 p.m. you can stop in at Mission dressed like Batman and take part in contests, have a chance to win various Bat-themed things, join a scavenger hunt, have your face painted (like Batman?), and more. Mission is located at 3520 20th Street in San Francisco.

It’s new comic day, so you’ll likely be going to your LCS anyway, but if you specifically want to know if your store is taking part in this 75th Anniversary event I’d suggest calling in advance. We have a handy list of phone numbers.

Singing: Steve Lafler at Mission today and Dr. Comics tomorrow

laflerSteve Lafler is kicking off the release of his new mini-series Death in Oaxaca at two Bay Area comic retailers this weekend. Today the cartoonist and illustrator will be at Mission: Comics and Art, 3520 20th Street in San Francisco, from 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. and tomorrow at Dr. Comics and Mr Games, 4101 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
About the title:

The mundane, the sublime and the bizarre show up in their best party attire in the new comic book series from the creator of Dog Boy and Bughouse.Two expats move to remote Oaxaca, the fabled highland city in southern Mexico. Rex, earnest yet duplicitous, flees from mid-life crisis and fear of death. Beautiful Gertie, cynical but honest, is just plain bored and craves adventure. They contend with Lucha Libre wrestlers and an ancient vampire who prefers chicken, and enjoy the best fresh corn tortillas on the planet.

The title is being published by Alternative Comics. The first issue cover layout is below.

lafleroaxaca

Signing: Bryan Lee O’Malley at Isoptope today!

It’s been a busy two months over here at The Shared Universe. I went and started a new job, which is never good for extracurricular vanity project productivity. As a result, a number of signings and comic-focused events have fallen secondsthrough the cracks. One such event that has nearly fallen through the crack, but I’m snatching up at the last moment is today’s signing at Isotope: The Comic Book Lounge featuring Bryan Lee O’Malley. O’Malley, of Scott Pilgrim fame, dropped a new title yesterday called Seconds and he’ll be putting his autograph on it between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. You might want to get in line now. I would, but see the second sentence.

I lament my lateness in bringing this news, because there will also be an Isotope hoedown with O’Malley tonight after the store closes, but that event is full. Woe to the cocktail drinking comic fan short on low ball glasses. the-bryan-lee-omalley-cocktail-glass-mini

Have a sexy comic time at Bookish Beasts on July 13

Many comics fans like to think of our preferred medium as an insurgent to popular media, but in truth it’s in many ways nothing more than a leg of the same chair. In both comics and media as a whole violence has increasingly become an accepted form of “artistic” expression while the topic of sexuality is still relegated to the backrooms. There have been the hints of a possible sea change coming as publishers like Image and Oni challenge the status quo by not shying away from sexually provocative content while at the same time becoming the new standard-bearers of what mainstream companies should be adding to their superhero formulas. Still, there’s a thick jungle and our machetes are dull, so some of the most progressive and interesting stories addressing sexuality and gender are found at zine conventions, online, or often relegated to a comic book store’s “local creator” pander pile (“Do we carry local creators? Of course, just go dig through that unorganized pile in the very back of the store! We love local creators! Can we recommend one? No, but, um, hey, have you read Saga?“).

bookishbeats

If you live in the Bay Area finding comics about sexuality, gender, and erotica will be much easier on July 13. For the second year in a row San Francisco’s Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission Street, will be hosting Bookish Beasts which is an effort to “expand the audiences of local zine and comic artists who make sexy books.” Over the last month CSC has been highlighting some of the publishers and artists who will be in attendance on their blog (warning: NSFW). Based on what’s highlighted in the posts it’s sure to be a provocative and fun event. It may even be the right level of smutty. More details:

Where: The Center for Sex and Culture at 1349 Mission Street
Date: July 13
Time: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: Free!
Age: 18+

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AMC Metreon 16 is screening “Snowpiercer”

johnhurtI have a love/hate relationship with the Weinsteins. For all of the great film work they bring to the universe they also do a great deal of damage on the independent circuit. For some reason, going all the way back to the days of Miramax, they love to buy up the rights to Asian films and either sit on them or hack the shit out of them (earning the name Miramaxe). I recall 2003 being a rather spectacular year for the Weinsteins when they sat on Shaolin Soccer, Hero, and Infernal Affairs. All three films are now considered classics, but Asian film fans were chomping at the bit waiting for the movies to be released stateside.

I’d forgotten about this tendency until the current debacle with remnants of humanity on a train dystopian film Snowpiercer. For nearly a year now I’ve been waiting for the Weinsteins to trust the U.S. audience by releasing Snowpiercer. Much of the reason for the delay is due to typical Weinsteinian fiddling. They wanted to hack the film and make it easily digestible for a US audience and director Bong Joon-ho wasn’t having any of it. Neither side would flinch and the film has languished – until now.

My God, America, can you believe the Weinsteins are going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you might want to see an uncut foreign film? It’s true! Mostly. A tiny handful of theaters around the country are screening Snowpiercer. In San Francisco, the pleasure goes to AMC Metreon 16.

Snowpiercer is based on Jean-Marc Rochette’s graphic novel of the same name. The English translation of the graphic novels were released earlier this year by Titan.