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Even the Batman requires some respite every now and again…

via Geekologie

Last week, Marvel Comics announced the availability of select titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch devices via in-app purchasing options. I have the Comics application by Comixology installed, though I don’t use it at all that often. The primary reason is the fact that the free content available holds little interest for me and I don’t have the time to research some of the independent comics available on that platform. The promise of Marvel Comics titles is a bit more interesting, if only due to the fact that I know many of the characters and storylines. The fact that the Marvel titles are available only within the US was of little concern – I have a US iTunes account. Strangely, Comics shows no Marvel content whatsoever…

Providing a wide choice of applications something the iTunes Apps Store cannot be criticized for. I downloaded the free Panelfly reader to the iPhone and launched it in anticipation. Marvel Comics? No problem! As a service to you, the loyal reader, I attempted to purchase issue #1 of the Astonishing X Men: Gifted.

The comics cost USD 0.99 each and are downloaded rather speedily. That’s the good part. The bad part is the important one: reading a comic on a minute screen and having to zoom in and out whilst panning around the page.

Panelfly is able to show an overview of all pages in the current book for easy selection.

Reading any of the content in the full page view mode is pretty difficult, unless you have the habit of carrying a microscope permanently attached to your forehead. Rotating to landscape mode makes little difference and simply necessitates more scrolling.

To zoom in is tedious and takes time. It also made me lose my position on the page. It’s not the ideal reading experience.

So, even though I’m able to get to the Marvel content, it’s unlikely I’d consider this a viable comic book reading experience. Now, if Apple would consider producing a device with a 10″ touch screen, that could all change…

Today, 50 years ago, Goscinny and Uderzo created one of my all-time favourite comic book characters, Asterix. The wacky cast of characters appeared for the first time in a French magazine and legions of fans have followed the adventures of Asterix and Obelix in over 30 comic books, each of which has been translated into almost every language imaginable.

In the time since the first book has been published, more than 300 million copies have been sold. A number of animated and live-action movies have brought the creations of Goscinny and Uderzo to life on the silver screen over the years.

For the 50th anniversary of the popular franchise, a special comic book has been prepared: Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday: The Golden Book will be on sale. The 56 page book is a collection of unpublished illustrations, blended together into a tale of a birthday celebration for our two intrepid heroes. Almost all characters that have featured in some form or another in previously published books make an appearance. As is usual, the friends will get themselves into some kind of an adventure before being able to enjoy their roast wild boar …

The official Asterix website can be found here.

Bon anniversaire!

The Internet is a wonderful place for finding almost anything. From those rare collectibles on eBay auctions to out-of-print writing preserved in digital format. For comic book lovers, the following resource is likely to become an oft-visited site: Steve Cottle‘s collection of newspaper dailies from the days of yore.

You’ll find Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek and many, many others from as early as the 1930′s. The archive is being updated constantly and there is a ton of stuff to keep any reader of comics very happy.

My recent read of the excellent graphic novel Joker was augmented by a quick look at the latest Batman title from DC: Batman and Robin.

This is probably nothing more than another way of enticing existing and new comic book readers to spend some money. That’s been my experience with the comic book industry and though I haven’t followed any title from any publisher in over five years or so I can’t imagine that their modus operandi has changed. Where a #1 of any title was an event that enabled serious collecting the last ten years have seen a slew of #1 titles being produced to revive flagging interest, introduce new creative teams or reboot a character due to sinking sales figures. The major occurence of Superman‘s apparent death in some or other continuity of the DC Universe has now been repeated with the recent apparent demise of the Bruce Wayne Batman. Have no fear: he’s still around somewhere, whether in the current dimension or another one. DC is providing a brief interlude with the introduction of a new Dynamic Duo consisting of erstwhile Nightwing Dick Grayson as Batman and the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia, Damian, as Robin.

Writer Grant Morrison is well-respected and I enjoy his style. The artwork by Frank Quitely is eye-catching and falls in a category I prefer: realism and detail, though there could be more detail. The story is fast-paced and I was able to pick the issue up and read it without any knowledge of what has been going on during the past few issues. That’s good. The Circus of Strange has invaded Gotham and the Dynamic Duo get to try out their flying Batmobile early on to apprehend Toad.

Depending on how long DC decides to carry on with this title is a question only they can answer. For now, I’m keen to see how issue #2 of Batman and Robin pans out…

It’s been a long time since I read anything comic-related. I sat through at least ten or so viewings of  The Dark Knight, which featured a very twisted and cruel Joker.

It’s a great movie and a superb silver screen representation of the Batman universe.

Heath Ledger‘s portrayal certainly brought a classic villain to life better than anyone could ever have expected. In the DC graphic novel simply titled Joker, writer Brian Azzarello borrows heavily from Ledger‘s on-screen presence, as does illustrator Lee Bermejo.

The striking cover caught my eye and I decided to have a read. I like the artwork: it’s clean and precise, but conveys the mood of chaos and anarchy the Joker causes in Gotham City upon his release from Arkham Asylum very well.

Somehow, he’s managed to convince his psychiatrist that he’s no longer crazy.

Jonny Frost is a common thug who volunteers to pick the Joker up from the asylum and becomes his right-hand man. The story is told from the point of view of Frost who uses his contact with the Joker to try to rise from a lowly thug to someone with a bit more clout in Gotham‘s underworld.

But for the fact that Frost is a criminal, his character evokes some sympathy. His multiple incarcerations have ensured a divorce and separation from the rest of his family. By the time his demise is imminent, Frost has experienced first-hand the destructive power of the Joker. There is no question that this is a dark and disturbing read. The excellent artwork complements the writing style.

The Joker is super-violent and consumes a fair quantity of booze and drugs. He seems to have little motivation other than to cause chaos and destruction.

Harley Quinn plays the silent and subservient part of the Joker‘s girlfriend.

A whole host of other well-known Gothamites make an appearance, including a menacing Killer Croc, Penguin and Riddler. Joker is intent on taking back his position as criminal kingpin. To achieve his aim, he causes murder and mayhem without regard for life or material.

Once again, only the Batman can stop the Joker, and his involvement is brought about, rather surprisingly, by Two-Face. The fact that Batman appears only once and for a very short time does not detract from the quality or enjoyment of the graphic novel. It’s a great read all round.

Joker is another excellent addition to the ever-expanding Batman mythos. Suggested for mature readers, this is not standard comic book fair.

The first X-Men movie was good, the second interested me very little and I gave the third one a miss. It was with much interest then that I followed opinions and reviews of the much-hyped Wolverine movie, a motion picture focusing on a single character of the mutant superhero team. Hugh Jackman certainly looks the part – his hair styled into those pseudo-ears together with the beard and sharp chin makes him a dead ringer for one of the more popular characters in the Marvel universe. Whether he could hold his own in an origin story was an interesting topic of conversation.

Reviews and opinions range from the hyperbolic to the disappointed. I, for one, think the movie as a whole was well executed and it stays true to the Wolverine backstories I’ve been exposed to. Young James and his half-brother flee home after a violent night in their home sometime in 1845. By virtue of their mutation that enables their bodies to be healed, both James and Victor get enlisted in every armed conflict known to the USA, from the American Civil War to Vietnam. In modern times, Major Stryker enlists them into a team of mutants from which James Logan departs, sickened by the violence the team exhibits. His half-brother is still in the service of Stryker some six years later, when the Major starts hunting down mutants for experimentation and the creation of a super soldier. It is at the hands of Stryker that Logan receives his adamantium skeleton and becomes the Wolverine.

The movie is fast-paced and I enjoyed some of the more exxagerated shots of Jackman on his motorbike, being pursued by a chopper and two Hummers – almost carbon copies of panels one would expect to find in a comic book. Jackman plays his part well, as does most everyone else. A number of other characters from the X-Men universe make an appearance, but they seem to fit in well and aren’t used to simply fill up the running time. Once again I remembered the Weapon X program, something I had completely forgotten about and that’s a graphic novel I need to dig out of my collection.

There was nothing much I disliked about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. To come up with something would be nitpicking. It was an enjoyable spectacle for the comics geek and should appeal to those in the mood for an action picture, too. Though you’ve undoubtedly heard many opinions and made up your own by now, I’ll give you mine: if you enjoy the X-Men mythos to any degree, you’ll want to see this movie.

Like all other fanboys the world over, I can’t wait for the release of the Watchmen movie on 6 March. For an event we’ve waited almost twenty years for, another week isn’t too long to go. If you haven’t read the acclaimed graphic novel yet, I highly recommend you seek out your nearest comics retailer and pick up a copy.

It will take some effort to read and a second pass is a good idea. To get into the storyline in more detail, check out the excellent annotations at Cap’n Wacky.

If that’s too much work for you, I can recommend the Watchmen motion comic for the iPod Touch, which is a direct translation of the comic book including narration. A Watchmen video journal documents the making of the movie.

Boing Boing Video has a sneak peek at the Watchmen in a recent episode and Wil Wheaton has a spoiler-free write-up.

6 March 2009. Almost here.

For all those getting their Lego Death Star models together. This one’s from Rooster Teeth, early January:

Quite funny…

Since Batman‘s name contains no L‘s and no R‘s, it’s logical that this cult comicbook hero would have found an ardent following in Japan.

In 1966, Bob Kane requested a Japanese manga expert to create a localized version of the popular comic books to tie in with the Batman TV series due to be launched in that country. Understanding his audience, Jiro Kuwata applied a fair bit of artistic license to modify the content of Kane‘s original material. Since Japan is the home of Manga, it was only logical that the Japanese Batman would have to fit in with that style. The 1960′s were also a period filled with a fascination for bizarre and unlikely technology, alien encounters and a generally bad dress sense…

Though the original material was thought to be lost for ever, many copies of the original Japanese comic books were found and restored. Some of these are collected in a colourful coffee table edition titled Bat-Manga! Secret History of Batman in Japan.

I picked up my softcover copy at the post office this morning, brought to me by the wizards at Amazon. In true Manga fashion, start reading at the end, not the beginning. There are some interesting colour prints of the original covers and concept artwork included in the 352 pages. The original comicbook pages have not been completely cleaned up, giving the bound collection an authentic feel. Thankfully, the smell of yellowing paper is absent

The stories don’t hold up to modern scrutiny, but are a lot of fun. This is a piece of history and a great addition to any Batfan‘s bookshelf.