Comic Book Candy

....a chance to see the comics industry through the distorted view of the mass media! Yay! As more cons garner coverage from traditional media outlets (IMDB has San Diego Comic Con coverage on their front page), opportunities for the the industry and fans to be seen in new ways are squandered, and con attendees are often presented in a not so pleasant light. Features lean towards the goofy and / or scantily clad, and creators are almost never showcased. Whether the spotlight is on fans, vendors, or special celebrity guests, the photographs are almost never flattering. Although fans relish the opportunity for their hard work to be seen by the masses, it's safe to say that most cos-players would rather have their costumes unseen than have it in the local newspaper, poorly photographed. Just look at this year's Philadelphia Comic Con coverage from this local Philly news website : For all we know, this (surprised) fan is dressed as The First Slayer. The vague caption and unnecessar...

My pulp novel / crime noir kick does not seem to be ending anytime soon. I stumbled across a first print hardcover of Darwyn Cooke's Parker: The Hunter this week at a local comic shop, and this was one impulse buy I could not resist. Cooke's graphic novel adaptation of the pulp novel classic was unsurprisingly fantastic, as pretty much everything I've heard / read about it guaranteed that it would be a good read. That being said, a review isn't necessary. The accolades and praise heaped upon this novel from the past year pretty well prove that if you haven't read it yet (like me) that's probably because you've had a hard time getting your hands on this oft-sold out graphic novel. I will give you the "reading rainbow" version of a review: Parker is a hardened professional thief who specializes in one time heists, and never takes on a setup with too many risks. When a job falls through, Parker goes against his gut instincts and joins an operation...