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by the YMB Staff
Now with bonus 21st question!
Once again, we're turning the tables. Instead of fanboys asking the questions, they're giving the answers. This time, 21 different comic book creators at the 2007 New York Comic Con gave us questions they've always wanted to ask comic book fandom. We then had our usual team of fanboys answer them...
1. Jim Calafiore: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
My XXL replica vintage Hot Topic t-shirt tells me "3".
2. Michael Avon Oeming: What's a good fanboy cure for a hangover?
Re-reading Dark Knight Returns or Watchmen with a warm Gyro and some Red Bull.
3. Peter David: Who, WHO wrote the book of love?
When I was fourteen years old, my mother gave me a book called "Your New Body Changes". It contained an explanation of sexual intercourse and the changes that happen in the male and female bodies. When I finally garnered up the courage to read it two years later, I discovered that both boys and girls go through what the book calls "miraculous transformations" and once they reach a certain level of "age-appropriate maturity" they are able to join together to experience "happy body sneezes". The book was written by Dr. Nina Sarno. Now that I'm thirty-three I can buy my own books that explain the miraculous transformations of maturity that the human body experiences. They are published by Larry Flynt. So, I would say Dr. Nina Sarno and Dr. Larry Flynt.
P.S. Please do not tell my mom about the Larry Flynt books. She'll just take them away again. Thank you.
4. David Berman: Do DC fanboys ever hook up with Marvel fangirls?
I like a good crossover every now and again. If you know what I mean. But you speak of a forbidden love, Mr. Berman... A love that dares not speak it's name.
Now, I had a girlfriend once. You wouldn't know her... she lives in Canada. Problem was she was a Marvel fan, whereas I, obviously, am a DC man. Sure, there were arguments. Superman vs. Thor. Batman vs. Captain America. But the biggest problem was that there was just a lack of common ground to build a solid foundation for a relationship on. I didn't know what Empire State University was. And she kept referring to Kahndaq as "that weird-sounding made-up country."
What could we talk about, then?
Nothing. And sadly, three restraining orders later, I "finally got the hint" and stopped calling her.
5. Mark Brooks: Why do fans get so angry over events in comics when they know it'll just go back to normal in 2 months?
"Go back to normal in 2 months"? Two months?!
I had to write a letter to DC every month for nearly a decade until they removed FGL (False Green Lantern) Kyle Rayner and restored the RGL (Rightful Green Lantern) Hal Jordan. A decade is ten years. Ten years before DC heard my voice and realized the error of their ways. I... I just don't want someone else to have to go through that again.
Besides, I read the Marvel solicitations! Things will never be the same again! Everything we know will be false!
6. Tony Harris: Why do certain fans choose not to shower before coming to a con?
Con floors on a Saturday afternoon get unbearably hot. And even with the pull carts, those longboxes are heavy, man.
We're environmentalists. We know we're just going to get sweaty and have to shower again right after the con.
What are you doing to save the planet, man?
7. Mark Morales: Why are fans such sticklers for continuity?
Mr. Morales... we're not sticklers for continuity so much as we're sticklers for everything we love and care about not getting ruined.
Without continuity, all of my back issues become further devalued. Think about it. If DC were to retcon Bloodlines out of continuity, what would my entire run of Anima be worth? Or my 9.1 CGC graded Superboy and the Ravers miniseries? Nothing. We need continuity, otherwise all of our comic book purchases become worthless.
8. Clayton Henry: Why do fanboys pray that certain titles get cancelled even if they aren't reading them?
Because if I'm not reading it, it's clearly not good. And if it's not good, why spend money publishing it when that money could clearly be better spent procuring the licensing rights to publish a new ongoing ROM:Spaceknight series?
9. Billy Tucci: Where do fanboys go to meet girls?
You see, there's this thing called the internet... you may have heard of it. You might be using it right now!
Also... strip clubs.
10. Tom Raney: Why do you say things online that you won't say in person?
Because this way it's harder for people to hold me accountable for my words.
I mean, crap-on-a-stick, have you seen Beau Smith? Dude looks like he would separate your head from your neck by pinching it off in his armpit.
No, thank you.
Guy Gardner: Warrior was awesome, Mr. Smith!
Sir!
11. Ken Knudtsen: Why don't fans just pick up a program instead of coming over and asking indie artists where their favorite artists are?
Programs? I only have two hands, Mr. Knudtsen. One's holding the variant cover issue of Wolverine and the other's holding a pretzel.
Now, where's the Magic: the Gathering gaming table?
12. Scott Hanna: How do you organize your collections when you come to a con?
I'm glad you asked this. I really think there should be more discussion of how to properly transport a collection at a con. It's that important. They'll have a panel on how to cosplay as an anime fairy person, but they won't have a panel on how to properly traverse the con floor with a comic book collection? Where are our priorities?
I use a three box/handcart system. That's three white comic book half-boxes stacked on top of each other. The bottom box are golden through silver age comics. These may be bartered, sold, or signed in artists alley. And then bartered or sold. Above that are modern books. These are for signing and slabbing by CGC. The edges of this box can also safely hold commissioned sketches. The final box is my product box. Action figures, statues, buttons, Hot Pockets. All on top.
It's really important to invest in a good handcart. You need to be able to trust in it. I use a Blue Max Mover Folding Cart. I hope to someday upgrade to a Tuff Max, though. Or maybe a custom cart with a kick-ass Venom symbol on it or something. The boxes are secured to the cart by cords. There are a lot of fancy, "nu-tech" cords out there. But me? I like to keep it real and old school with Fibertex Bungee Cords.
And for goodness sakes, people, get a handcart lock. Only you can prevent handcart theft!
13. Dustin Nguyen: Can I share a hotel with you?
My hotel is seventee-- I mean $240 dollars a night, we can go half.
14. Steven Sadowski: Comics: bagged, or bareback?
Ribbed!
15. Jimmy Palmiotti: Do you prefer your superheroes drawn with or without a package?
With a package. With my package. My package will be delivered swiftly and safely. That's why my eBay feedback rating is 99.7.
16. Jim Mahfood: Do you own any James Bond records?
Yes, but in my defense, I was 13 and it was called Octopussy.
I never had a chance.
17. Rags Morales: When it comes to costume making, hefty or glad?
I actually prefer the diamond texturing on the new Glad Flex bags. They work best for capes and sci-fi chest plates.
I also wrapped my Chuck Taylors in them once and they looked like pretty cool Bat-boots.
18. Gene Ha: Why is the average gaming nerd smarter than your average comics nerd?
Well, they have to add up their multiple dice rolls or memorize complex Guitar Hero sequences... we just have to "read" the purty pictures.
I heard that gamers are all pedos, anyway. Gotta be smart to be a pedo in this day and age.
19. Sanford Green: Why do you ask 20 questions?
How many fingers and toes do you have, mister?
Now, if maybe my dad was here it'd be 18 questions... but he's not.
20. Talent Caldwell: Why can't hardcore Star Wars fans accept that Episodes 1, 2, and 3 sucked?
I think if you read my fanfic where Jar Jar becomes a Jedi knight, turns to the dark side, and replaces Vader inside the armor, Episodes 4, 5, and 6 will make a lot more sense.
21. Amanda Connor: What super hero chick would you most like to come to life, and what do you think she'd be good at in bed?
Obviously there are... salacious answers to your query. She-Hulk, who I imagine could crush a man... in a good way. Or Power Girl... she's known for her boobies.
But you know what? I've always wondered what wheat cakes are and what they might taste like... so I'm going to say Aunt May.
Read 2006's 20-Odd Questions: COMIC BOOK CREATORS
Or read 20-Odd Questions: WILDCATS #1
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Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:30 AM
by Ash Aiwase
Mindy Owens is living every hardcore comic fan's dream. As webmistress of the premier Runaways fansite, Mindy's enthusiasm for Marvel's Runaways knows no bounds, and Marvel took note. Runaways Saga #1, her comic-writing debut, bridges the gap between Brian K. Vaughan and Joss Whedon's runs on the title.
Mindy took time out of her busy schedule to graciously answer a few questions for us here at Your Mom's Basement.
Tell us about yourself and when you first got into comic books in general.
Though I lived most of my life in California, I was born in Maine and have had this strong sense of Maine pride as long as I can remember. Maine is pretty much known as two thing: Lobsters and Stephen King. Seeing as lobsters are pretty damn expensive here on the west coast, I read as much Stephen King as I could get my hands on instead. And my mom strongly encouraged this even though my teacher scolded her for letting her 11 year old daughter do a book report on The Stand. But growing up on a diet of the spooky and supernatural lead to me to being drawn to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and I couldn't get enough of it. They started putting out a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic and I just had to have it. This forced me into comic shops for the first time and those places are very intimidating to females and people just getting into comics, which I was both.
I was lucky enough to go to A-1 Comics in Sacramento, who treated me great and had no problems that I was only there because of Buffy comics. But it wasn't until the X-Men movie came out and I fondly remembered all those characters from the X-Men cartoon show, which drove me into other comics. Like a lot of people, X-Men was my gateway comic, but I also was a huge fan of Battle Pope and Crimson in my early days of reading. X-Men also brought me to the world of message boards which expanded my comic reading horizon.
Due to message boards, I went from a so-so fan to a hardcore one pretty fast. Maybe it was because of how quickly I became a hardcore fan of comics, that I have a falling out with them. It just seemed that all of a sudden about 5 years ago there was nothing good comic-wise coming out. And it took just one comic to get me back in much harder-core than before. And that was Runaways...
What drew you initially to Runaways? What made you take that extra step from just being a fan to becoming an evangelist for the book?
Runaways was this breath of fresh air for me. It was a really fun book that had likable characters and was well written. It also had really well written female characters which sometimes a lots of comics can't seem to get right without doing the "angst-y good girl", the "bland super goddess", or the "bad girl with a heart of gold". So it was nice to finally read female characters who wouldn't read as archetypes. Even though I love all the females in Runaways, Chase is my favorite character so I'm not sure what that says about my argument.
I became an evangelist for Runaways after I noticed the online presence of Runaways love was really small. It seemed most people had written this off as a kid's book and it was really one of the best comics currently coming out. So I started pimping it out to anyone who would give it a chance and even made a website so people could read up about Runaways and why they should be reading it. And little by little, more and more people started talking about Runaways. Marvel also made an ingenious decision by publishing them as digests, which at the price of 7 bucks, put Runaways onto a really big number of people's bookshelves. Runaways now has a strongly devoted fanbase and many vocal supporters so I'm no longer worried that Runaways is about to be canceled.
What was the time line like for your involvement in Runaways Saga #1? When were you originally approached by Marvel and how long did the process take from conception to delivery? Did your initial involvement change as the project moved forward?
C.B. Cebulski contacted me on New Year's Eve asking if I could help him out with something. The Saga had already been in Previews, so I just assumed he needed some help with some continuity questions. Turns out that help he was interested in was help co-writing the Saga itself. So I summarized all the points we wanted to talk about and C.B. broke it down to specific beats and page numbers. I had the first shot at writing the whole thing in Molly's voice and C.B. then fixed everything and did some great revisions and added his bookend story. We both tweaked it a bit more and I also chose all the panels that would go along with Molly's entries. We did the whole thing in a little less than two months. I don't feel my initial involvement changed much as we progressed in it, as there was a lot of back and forth between us, but I'm very glad and proud of this and honored that C.B has asked me if I wanted to co-write another thing with him.
What was the collaborative effort like? Did you and C.B. Cebulski have delineated pages or was it a more organic effort? Did you work through the story over e-mails and conference calls, or were there more discrete assignments that each of you handled independently?
This was definitely a team project. Aside from the bookend story that C.B. did by himself, the rest was a ton of back and forth via e-mails. E-mailing him the first go at the draft was a nerve-wracking time as I spent so much time fine tuning everything. Would an eleven-year old say it like this? Does this flow right? Have I used this word too many times? Molly's pretty tough to write and doing all those pages in her voice? Yikes. So yeah, I was pretty nervous that C.B. would read it and hate it or find it to be a giant mess. But he loved it and changed some stuff around so it flowed even better and this Saga turned out better than the two of us could have hoped.
We know you've been a fan of the Runaways characters for a long time, but were there any surprises as you started to write the characters directly? Did you find one voice surprisingly hard or surprisingly easy to write?
Well it was just Molly who I wrote, but she's a really tough character. Molly misuses words and acts like, well, an eleven-year old but she's also got this great fierce intelligence too. So when I was writing all of this I had to play a balancing act of that. Go too far in either direction and suddenly she's acting too young or too old or just plain out of character.
Has Brian K. Vaughan seen the story that you and C.B. have put together? What was his reaction to it?
I showed him the first part of the finished Saga to him at WonderCon and he really liked it. And that was after I accidentally called his wife by the wrong name, so I guess that really says something.
We've heard a rumor that you might have some more comic-related work coming up. Can you tell us anything about that or tease us with some information? Did the work come as a result of working on Runaways Saga #1? Will it be for a big company or a smaller company? Pre-existing characters or new?
There are two more projects that C.B. and myself will hopefully (nothing has been signed yet) be working on for Marvel. We've already begun on one and the other will start after we finish the current one. I can't tell you too much info about them other than yes, they came about because of the Runaways Saga. Marvel really loved it and said it was the best Saga they've put out.
When are you going to relaunch Cloak & Dagger with Adrian Alphona?
I wish! Adrian is an amazing artist and I would give my right arm to work with him. As far as relaunching Cloak and Dagger I think every writer and then some have sent in pitches and have all been shot down. I haven't sent in my pitch yet, but I have a pretty good one kicking around in my head that I really should. Cloak & Dagger need some love and they are such great characters, I would love to write those two especially at a time where the two are back to being underground like when they started out.
Now that you're a superstar Marvel writer, are you going to go all "diva" on us and stop hanging out your plebeian friends at the Isotope?
Considering I'm talking 5 classes, working 6 days a week, and doing all of this at the same time, I can honestly tell you guys that I love the Isotope with all my heart and will always want to hang out with you guys. Unless the alcohol runs out. What do you want from me? I'm full blooded Irish...
And lastly, because we must know, did the paycheck have Spider-Man printed on it?
I haven't gotten it yet, but I believe it was sent out on the 16th which means I can tell you guys sometime this week.
Thanks for your time, Mindy. We couldn't be happier for you!
ADDENDUM: Shortly after this interview was completed, Ms. Owens did call the interviewer and informed him that yes, Spider-Man was on the paycheck as well as the envelope in which the paycheck was sent.
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Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:00 AM
The Transformers: Movie Prequel #2
by Chris Ryall, Simon Furman, and Don Figueroa
from IDW Publishing
advanced review by EdC
So... we're now at issue two of the Transformers: Movie Prequel comic, setting up the premise and characters for this summer's blockbuster Transformers movie.
And the question is, what's being set up? There are really only two Transformers in the issue, Megatron and Optimus Prime, and Prime is only in flashbacks. But who are these characters? Will the same fans who nearly rebelled after seeing how different these characters looked from what they were used to react negatively if these same characters act differently, too?
The movie Megatron is more singular and driven in his goals than some previous incarnations. Prime has launched the Allspark into space and Megatron has given chase. The Allspark is obviously meant to stand in for the matrix, but we can't have Megatron searching for a 1999 Keanu Reeves movie, now can we? This Megatron seems to not care as much about ruling over others, he wants only the Allspark, and, in fact, he'd destroy Cybertron to get it. Prime, on the flip side, is just as driven to protect the Allspark. He has sent it far into space, dooming Cybertron to what Megatron calls a "slow death." Whether that means the movie Prime is more ruthless, desperate, or reckless than other versions we're used to, we don't really know yet.
Movie Megatron, rather than throwing underlings at the problem, has thrown himself at the Allspark, nearly destroying himself crossing the cosmos in an attempt to possess it. He crashes through the Earth's atmosphere, and overheated and depleted of Energon, then falls through the Antarctic ice, freezing and shutting down.
The story then jumps forward to 1898 and Captain Witwicky and his exploration team have found something beneath them in the Antarctic ice. The captain, despite the warnings of his crew, starts to dig. And what he finds leaves him both blind and mad.
Two mysterious men, who seem like they might be from some kind of Generation 1 version of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen given the curiosities in their possession, decide to follow up on what Witwicky found and a year later, in their Antarctic research facility, they've unearthed what they call the "Mega-Man".
The story then jumps ahead again to 2003 and to a military base in Colorado that has just confirmed the arrival of an object from space that transformed upon touchdown.
It seems to the military that Mega-Man has a relative...
I honestly wasn't sure I liked the first issue of this mini-series when I initially read it, but, I like it more after this second issue. The art is nice, with flashbacks shown in black and white, nice coloring, and, I must admit I like the look of the movie Megatron more after again seeing him in action (until he freezes, anyway) in this issue. The story jumps forward abruptly here and there, but I really enjoyed what this issue has set up. It moved at a brisk pace, touched on a lot of interesting ideas (I wish we'd stayed in 1900 a little longer), and set up a lot things that will pay off in the movie (at least that's what I suspect based on the movie spoilers I've read).
I was one of those fans who nearly rebelled after I saw the designs for the movie... but I'm liking them more and more now, and, really, if the movie prequel comic can overcome my bitching about how the movie Megatron looks, well, it must be pretty good.
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Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:30 AM
FIGHT BACK: An Ode Against the Cyber-bullies
by Gary Walters
As many of you undoubtedly know, I was recently involved in an Internet Flame War on a certain website that shall remain nameless. As the thread was closed on that site and I found myself undeservedly BANNED from the unnammed site in question... I feel I must make my final response here, in my, column.
First, I should say and demonstrate what happened that caused where we are to take place. I'm still pretty angry about this so my emotional why typing is REAL. This all started a month ago in a thread called "Worst Comic Book?". People were posting their ideas (both right and wrong about what they felt were the best and worst. I was going to correct a poster named ROBOTMONKEY5000, who irroneusly claimed that the "100% Awesome" Millennial Giants crossover in Superman was "tripe" (or some other british phrase), when I saw it. And I was shook to the core.
Someone, and by someone I mean a complete a$$hole sh!tbrain trying to hide their true name and motivations behind the fake user-name "Artesian", had cyberlinked to my articles here on YMsB on my forthcoming comic book called "Even Steven" with the words "Well, this would have to the worst comic book... if it ever got published." I stood there, shooken, just staring at my computer screen, unable to even stand. I had never encountered such hatred and jealousy online before.
And so it began. I will reprint the first exchange below for historical and legal purposes.
DARKAVENGER: I think your wrong. I'd read that.
Artesian: Come on, no one would read that.
DARKAVENGER: Maybe you shouldn't cast stones when you live in glass houses.
Artesian: I live in an apartment.
DARKAVENGER: all the more reason to respect the work of a comic book creator. Its easy to do, hiding behind a fake screen name.
Artesian: First of all, my name is "Art" as in "Arthur", Secondly, "Hello, pot? This is the dark avenging Kettle."
DARKAVENGER: Well, "Art". My name is Darren. that's where the 'DAR" or DARKAVENGER comes from.
ROBOTMONKEY5000: OMG. I did a search on mister 14 posts here and guess what? The vast majority were spams to the very column you linked to.
Artesian:"Darren", eh? Gary "Darren" Walters, perhaps?
What an asshole! I couldn't believe this guy! Acting all superior and! I just knew at that moment that this guy hated creativity and was just there for one reason only. He's one of those Internet vultures and predators who wait for blood and then strike, attacking anyone. And this time, that anyone, that anyone being attacked, it was me, this time.
So, I fought back that night after consulting my attorney, who advised me on stopping cyberbullies.
DARKAVENGER: There are laws against cyber-stlaking and you just broke them. PLease PM me you're address, you'll be hearing from my attorney.
Artesian: Are you joking? And it's "your" not "you're", stupid.
DARKAVENGER: Your stupid.
PandaPants: Come on now, Gary, it is Gary, right? Art's allowed to have his opinion. If he doesn't like your comic, what do you care?
DARKAVENGER: Oh, I see, so it's an Internet Dogpile now, is it? He's allowed to not LIKE whatever he wants, he's not allowed to spread lies about my comic and defame my character with his assassinations of it.
It was then soon after that exchange that I realized what was actually going on. That there were not actually a bunch of people out there that hated my comic book idea. It was just one person, logging in again and again as different logins, trying to tear down my dream and hurt my economic situation Artesian, PandaPants, JimmyThang, Poking Turtle, Millie teh Model, ROBOTMONKEY5000, and Mike the Hutt were all one person. One evil snivelling person.
My ex-artist on Even Steven that I fired, Wesley Gellar. And he wasn't that clever. It was easy to figure it out from the following exchange the following day:
JimmyThang: I think he might be retarded.
Poking Turtle: If you guys want a good supernatural comic, you should check out [ NAME REMOVED ] at [ WEBLINK URL REFERRAL REMOVED ] by Josh Hanlon and Wesley Gellar. It looks pretty good.
PandaPants: That's not too shabby, thanks for the link.
DARKAVENGER: YOU SON FO A BITCH! I KNEW IT WA YOU! I STILL AHVE YOUR ADDRESS SUCKHEAD! MY LAWYER WILL BE IN TOUCH. YOU WILL BE SUED FOR DEFEMATION FO CHARCTER AND STEALING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY!
PandaPants: Dude. [ NAME REMOVED ] is nothing like "Even Steven." For one thing, [ NAME REMOVED ] seems to make sense from that web preview.
DARKAVENGER: WHATEVER WESLEY. YOU WILL HEAR FROM MY LAWYER. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. YOUR ALL INTERNET EMOTIONAL TERRORISTS! JUST LIKE CAPTAIN AMERICA IN CIVIL WAR!
Later on I accidentally called a Mod a "sh!t stain" and I was banned. But in reality, I was banned for telling the truth. The mods must have known that all those accounts were Wesley, and they just let it happen.
Wesley needs to realize though that I'm on to him and am aware that he is trying to attack and undermine Even Steven in fits of woman-like jealousy and rage.
Sorry, Wesley, I mean "Artesian", you won't be drawing Even Steven. And your not getting paid anythign either. You were employed by Walters Comics Limited LLC as an intern, and you know it. You need to get over it. I have a way better artist now, anyway.
I also had my lawyer send him the following letter, posted here for legal purposes:
| Wesley Gellar, I am contacting you on behalf of my client, Gary Michael Walters. It has come to his attention, and the attention of this legal department that you have been using the Internet to make disparaging comments about his intellectual property work, Even Steven. By posing as multiple people on multiple web sites, you are devaluing the property and causing Mr. Walters mental and physical anguish. You must cease and desist all Internet web attacks on Mr. Walters and Walters Comics Limited LLC. Failure to do so will result in swift, costly legal action against you in the form of a legal case in a court of law. Which might result in jail time. Sincerely, Hamilton Merlingperlot, Attorney of Law |
After that, I didn't hear from Wesley again. So there's a lesson here: Always remember to fight back against these kinds of people. You can win! Bullies hide behind computer screen, but if you shine the light of truth on them, they scatter like rats in a strong wind.
Remember: Never let someone else make it so that you cannot live your dreams to take flight!
Next time... More big announcements about the upcoming GOOD comic-smash Even Steven!
And read Volume 2, Issue 4 of The Tricks of Turning Pro
Read Gary's column about losing his artist.
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Posted by YourMomsBasement at 12:00 PM
Not announced at Wondercon... Marvel and DC comics have been in a "crossover" mood. Coming together like a story about a Kingpin and Darkseid team-up written, drawn, and inked by John Byrne, comics' Big Two have buried the hatchet to work together one more time... and make some cash.
Yes, in an attempt to give the gift that keeps on giving (and the moolah that keeps on coming) Marvel and DC are launching a line of greeting cards. Each one has a classic character or two in an iconic pose, with a message of hope or love inside.
Dubbed "Heroes for all Occasions", the first set is due for release this summer.
As usual, we here at YourMomsBasement.com have the exclusive pictures. Yes, believe us, you won't see these anywhere else:
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Posted by YourMomsBasement at 12:00 PM
Part 1
Part 2
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:30 AM
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:15 AM
