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COMICS
Mar 6, 2012 14:22:17 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Mar 6, 2012 14:22:17 GMT -6
journalstar.com/lifestyles/misc/comic-book-artist-finds-inspiration-in-ashland-alien-abduction-story/article_27b87be2-3f05-5483-84a9-ad741241a8ba.html "December 3rd, 1967: An Alien Encounter" by Michael Jasorka[/color] Comic book artist finds inspiration in Ashland alien abduction story
By CORY MATTESON / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Monday, March 5, 2012 From the near complete lack of inflection in Herbert Schirmer's voice, the scratches and hisses on the cassette recording and the stray coughs from the audience, one might think he's about to present the world's first PowerPoint presentation. But after introducing himself, the former Ashland police officer launches into a story about an encounter that took place during an early-morning shift on Dec. 3, 1967, when he was 22. "I was looking at him, and he was looking at me ... and ... he said, ‘Are you the watchman of this town?' "And my response was ... ‘Yes, sir.' "He said, ‘Come with me, watchman.' "And we started moving toward ... the spacecraft." Yes, a spacecraft. Schirmer was speaking at a UFO convention about the ship and aliens he said he saw on routine patrol. "Spotted flying saucer at Highway 6 and Highway 63, believe it or not," he reported after returning to the station at about 3 a.m. "He remembered in his training, no matter what, write it in the log," said Michael Jasorka, a Los Angeles comic book artist who came upon Schirmer's story, and the recording, online. Schirmer's report, the matter-of-fact way he shared his story and the fallout from talking candidly about an alien abduction all inspired Jasorka to create a comic book about it: "December 3rd, 1967: An Alien Encounter."The concept of the 50-page book is pretty simple. Jasorka decided early on that any dialogue he would write couldn't top Schirmer's personal account from the convention, believed to have taken place in Florida in the early 1970s. Jasorka instead transcribed the speech, broke up the text and drew corresponding panels for Schirmer's words. "It was this perfect fragment in time as an audio piece that I loved," Jasorka said. "He made this real easy for me." CONTINUE READING: journalstar.com/lifestyles/misc/comic-book-artist-finds-inspiration-in-ashland-alien-abduction-story/article_27b87be2-3f05-5483-84a9-ad741241a8ba.html#ixzz1oMzAu4o1 Buy the story of Herb Schirmer's encounter for $13 on Michael Jasorka's website, www.bombshell-comics.com/.
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COMICS
Apr 5, 2012 13:13:14 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Apr 5, 2012 13:13:14 GMT -6
www.popmatters.com/pm/review/156745-double-meaning-defining-alien-in-saucer-country-1/Double-Meaning: Defining "Alien" in "Saucer Country #1"By Michael D. Stewart 3 April 2012 As the title suggests, Vertigo’s new series Saucer Country is about extraterrestrial aliens and about the Southwest, from which so many urban legends about extra-biological entities’ existence have developed. There’s also another meaning to the title, but understanding that takes an unfiltered understanding of the exact nature of this comic: duality. The denotative meaning of the word “alien” is as diverse as the connotative understanding of the word. In Saucer Country #1, those various meanings are used to create an interesting effect, in so far as writer Paul Cornell uses both the legal and literary definitions to tackle science-fiction and identity politics. This duality in both narrative and subtext creates a convergence of ideas and points of view, but the real appealing facet of the comic is the attachment we have to the lead character after 22 pages. Let’s get this out of the way. Saucer Country is about outer-space aliens as much as it is about immigration policy. It’s a traditional use of science fiction, in that the genre is a lens that examines contemporary problems in analogical settings. No social, political or economic problem is out of the range of science fiction. We are talking about our reality in terms that allows us to escape them, but whereas dystopian futurist narratives take us completely away from the present, Saucer Country is tackling these elements head on. There have been a number of these types of stories recently in various mediums. In comics, as a book like Image’s Xenoholics pokes fun at the various traits of extraterrestrial fiction, Saucer Country looks at its source material rather seriously. Just as zombies and vampires and other horror creatures can be used for varying effects to illicit laughs or scare us to the core, the story developed by Cornell and artist Ryan Kelly leans heavily to the dramatic. The center of that dramatic movement is New Mexico Governor Arcadia Alvarado. Her political ambitions to be President of the United States, personal back story as the daughter of illegal U.S. immigrants and victimization as an alien abductee are on full display. She is the bridge between identity politics and alien encounters, connecting the seemingly divergent topics so that the dual meaning of “alien” in the context of this comic is fully realized. She is also the linchpin of this book. If her characterization were to fall flat, the entire narrative unravels. Cornell and Kelly center their attention on her while also introducing supporting characters, but the weight to which they add to Arcadia bares the load handsomely. The attachment readers’ form with her enhances the startling revelation on the last page. If that attachment didn’t exist there would be no book. CONTINUE READING: www.popmatters.com/pm/review/156745-double-meaning-defining-alien-in-saucer-country-1/
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COMICS
Jul 30, 2013 11:08:33 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jul 30, 2013 11:08:33 GMT -6
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COMICS
Aug 1, 2013 11:13:00 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Aug 1, 2013 11:13:00 GMT -6
www.ebejeebie.com/WELCOME ABOARD! 29 JUL 2013 First off I want to say "WELCOME" for joining my comic strip. After all, being a cartoonist is kind of like being that kid who that loses it in the cafeteria at lunch. You're on the table yelling, and all you can hope is someone is listening to you…but really, you could just be yelling at the wind. This comic is a glimpse into my life and my journey in this crazy human experiment called life. I look forward to sharing a few laughs, thoughts, and experiences with you. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to drop me a line sometime. ….here we go! - Danny Barnfield CONTINUE READING: www.ebejeebie.com/
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COMICS
Aug 2, 2013 12:39:43 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Aug 2, 2013 12:39:43 GMT -6
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COMICS
Jan 17, 2014 13:54:41 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jan 17, 2014 13:54:41 GMT -6
www.comic-con.org/toucan/sign-now-comic-con-international-graphic-novel-book-clubPosted on Jan 16, 2014 MORE INFO ON OUR NEW BOOK CLUBS! Sign Up Now for the Comic-Con International Graphic Novel Book Club!Earlier this week, we announced the creation of our new Comic-Con International Graphic Novel Book Club. We are now offering our Interest Form for consideration in participating in one of these two monthly meetings! In order to be considered as a participant in either our Downtown Central Library group or the Mission Valley Library group, you must do the following: • Fill out the INTEREST FORM and return it to us via email to the address on the form (click here to download the PDF). This is a modifiable PDF; you can type right on the form. Click here to download the latest version of Acrobat Reader, if needed. www.comic-con.org/toucan/sign-now-comic-con-international-graphic-novel-book-club• You must be 18 years of age or older. Some of the books we will be considering for discussion will contain adult themes and content. (We are hoping to add a Young Adults Graphic Novel Book Club in the near future, for younger comics fans.) • You must have a Comic-Con Member ID. If you do not have a Member ID, click here to register for one. It’s free, you only have to sign up once, and Comic-Con does not sell or share your information. secure2.comic-con.org/memberid/• While you can sign up to attend either of the locations, the Mission Valley group is geared more towards women and will feature women moderators. • Submit the Interest Form before Friday, January 24, 2014 for consideration. Space in both groups is extremely limited. If we feel we have enough participants for both groups, we may close the Interest Form before the deadline. We will add a post here on our Toucan blog if we close the Interest Form early. Please keep in mind this is an ongoing commitment. While you can drop out at any time, we will be meeting every month for the foreseeable future. If you are accepted into one of the Book Club groups, we will inform you via email. The first meetings will be: San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101: TUESDAY, FEB. 4 at 6:00 PM San Diego Library, Mission Valley, 2123 Fenton Parkway (next to IKEA), San Diego, CA 92108: WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5 at 6:00 PM These first meetings will be orientation only. There will not be a book to read. We will pick books to read at future meetings. Comic-Con International will pick the first month’s books (for March) at the initial meetings. After that, members of each Book Club will pick the books. Subsequent meetings will be held the first week of the month at these locations. Please note: These will be CLOSED GROUPS. You must be pre-registered to attend them. We will not be able to accept walk-ins, including friends, spouses, and children of registered members, or other interested parties. It is our hope that, if interest warrants it, we can help facilitate other Graphic Novel Book Clubs at additional locations around San Diego County. Get ready to read some comics! Coming soon: Our SUGGESTED Reading List. www.comic-con.org/toucan/sign-now-comic-con-international-graphic-novel-book-club
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COMICS
Feb 21, 2015 12:34:21 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Feb 21, 2015 12:34:21 GMT -6
www.popmatters.com/feature/190606-crashed-saucers-and-contactees-ufos-and-thesecret-origin-of-the-gree/ Comics Crashed Saucers and Contactees: UFOs and the Secret Origin of the Green LanternBy Gregory L. Reece 20 February 2015 It was 1958 and comicbook superheroes were a thing of the past. Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman were still around, but just barely. Their stories were, for the most part, tired and unimaginative. Costumed heroes were just no longer needed after the hard work of the war was over, after the men and women in uniform became the men and women in business suits and cocktail dresses. But that was changing and changing fast. In 1956, DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz led writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino in the revitalization of the old second-string superhero, the Flash. Today we would call what they did a reboot. The 1940’s Jay Garrick/Flash in the Mercury-style helmet was replaced by Barry Allen/Flash in a sleek red track suit and mask. Battles with two-bit mobsters were out and science fiction adventure was in. It was a hit. The Silver Age of comicbooks had dawned. In 1958, Schwartz, along with writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, turned their attention to another old-fashioned hero from the past, the Green Lantern. The original character, Alan Scott, had a ridiculous costume–all red and yellow and green and purple. He was, when he premiered in 1940, an updated version of Aladdin, his magic railroad lantern replacing Aladdin’s mystical oil lamp. Schwartz wanted something different for the new character. He wanted a hero, not steeped in the classic tales of old but built out of something new and modern. Like the Flash, the Green Lantern would have a new origin constructed from the DNA of science fiction. His powers would not come from ancient magic but from outer space, the new horizon, the final frontier. In turning Green Lantern from a mystical hero of the past into a galactic hero for the future, Schwartz was clearly returning the character to the roots of the superhero. After all, the first and most popular superhero, Superman, was the last survivor of a dying world, a strange visitor from another planet. But Schwartz wasn’t just thinking about making Green Lantern more like Superman; he was thinking about making Green Lantern more relevant for the present at a time when the space race was underway and people everywhere were looking to the stars. It’s clear that science fiction was something that Schwartz knew very well. Way back in the 30’s he co-founded one of the very first science fiction fanzines. He went on to be the literary agent for a wealth of accomplished science fiction writers. He knew the genre, loved the genre, helped to build the genre; he believed that the future of publishing was in publishing the future. CONTINUE READING: www.popmatters.com/feature/190606-crashed-saucers-and-contactees-ufos-and-thesecret-origin-of-the-gree/
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COMICS
Feb 22, 2015 12:31:45 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Feb 22, 2015 12:31:45 GMT -6
Over the Moon / a short film from Media Design School PRO 4 months ago A feminist space adventure about kick-*bleep* comic book heroine Connie Radar as she attempts to prevent the first moon landing. Award-winning director James Cunningham and the talented visual effects students at Auckland's Media Design School bring The Comic Book Factory heroine Connie Radar and her bumbling sidekick Julius to life for this intergalactic comedy. Find out more about studying animation and visual effects at mediadesignschool.com
www.supernaturalufo.com/over-the-moon-a-short-film/
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COMICS
Jan 16, 2017 14:12:27 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jan 16, 2017 14:12:27 GMT -6
www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-superman?cmpid=_TWITTER_HISTORY_20170116_774223901 8 Things You May Not Know About SupermanJanuary 16, 2014 By Jesse Greenspan / www.history.com/news/author/jesse-greenspanBlessed with X-ray vision, herculean strength and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Superman has been a pop culture icon since April 1938, when he first appeared in Action Comics #1. A daily newspaper comic strip came next, debuting on January 16, 1939, with a retelling of the character’s origin on the doomed planet Krypton. Since then, Superman has appeared in innumerable comic books, TV shows, movies, radio serials, video games, novels and even a Broadway musical. Below, explore eight facts about the Man of Steel that only the most hard-core comic book fans would know. 1. Superman’s creators first envisioned him as a villain. Recent high school graduate Jerry Siegel self-published a story in January 1933 called “The Reign of the Superman,” featuring a mad scientist who plucks a vagrant from a bread line and gives him telepathic capabilities. This so-called Superman, intoxicated by power, then kills the mad scientist and begins taking over the world until the enchantment wears off and he once again becomes a nobody. Soon after, Siegel and his friend Joe Shuster, who illustrated the piece, revamped Superman as a good guy with an alien backstory, a secret identity and a cape, among other features that would come to define him. For several years, Siegel and Shuster unsuccessfully pitched their comic strip idea to newspaper syndicates. Finally, a predecessor to DC Comics asked them to rework it into a 13-page story for Action Comics #1, which would go on to become the most valuable comic book of all time, with one copy selling for $2.16 million at auction in 2011. 2. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to Superman for $130. Siegel and Shuster earned fairly high salaries writing and illustrating Superman comics. But they received no royalties, having signed away all rights to their character for $130. “Our company has very little to gain in a monetary sense from the syndication of this material,” DC Comics’ publisher disingenuously told Siegel in 1938 in response to one of his many requests for more cash. “Also bear in mind … that we can at any time replace you.” Siegel and Shuster were then fired in 1947 after filing a lawsuit against DC. A financially struggling Siegel returned to the company in 1959, accepting standard pay and no byline. He left again in 1965 and lodged a second, equally unsuccessful suit that dragged on for years. When a Superman movie began production in the 1970s, Siegel put a curse on it as part of a public relations campaign. The shaming strategy worked, as DC’s parent company agreed to give him and Shuster pensions of $20,000 a year, a sum that later went up. Furthermore, DC once more began crediting them as Superman’s creators. Following their deaths in the 1990s, Siegel’s and Shuster’s heirs brought additional copyright litigation that remains ongoing. 3. Superman preceded Batman by a few months. In the spring of 1939 Superman #1 hit the stands, the first comic book ever devoted to a single character. Soon after, DC’s other ubiquitous superhero, Batman, made his debut in Detective Comics #27. Their earliest joint appearance came during a 1945 episode of “The Adventures of Superman,” a radio serial. In the comic book universe, meanwhile, they didn’t meet until 1952, when, in Superman #76, they coincidentally find themselves rooming together on the same cruise. Since then, the two have often teamed up—and occasionally clashed—across a number of different mediums. More meetings are planned for the future, including a 2015 film starring Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman. 4. The U.S. government censored Superman during World War II. During World War II, with the top-secret Manhattan Project in full swing, any mention of nuclear weapons in the popular press drew the government’s ire. DC found this out when it developed a comic book in which Superman’s archenemy, Lex Luthor, launches an attack with what he calls an “atomic bomb.” Though Luthor’s “atomic bomb” in no way resembled an actual atomic bomb, the U.S. War Department demanded that publication be delayed. The War Department likewise censored another comic book, written after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in which Superman films an atom bomb test for the Army, along with a Superman newspaper strip featuring a cyclotron particle accelerator, also known as an “atom smasher.” CONTINUE READING: www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-superman?cmpid=_TWITTER_HISTORY_20170116_774223901
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