Comic Book Candy

The heat wave continues as we analyze more baffling beachside scenes featuring the likes of Iron Man, She-Hulk, and the Wasp (you'll want to stick around for that one, believe me). Catch up on Part I of our analysis here , then join Uatu in I as we do our best to understand Earth's Mightiest as they enjoy their spacecation. Please enjoy more after the jump, some of these photos are too hot for the front page (and too numerous).  If it wasn't for her Spidey pattern towel, it would be easy to mistake Mary Jane for any number of other Marvel redheaded women. In the description it is implied that Peter invited her on this cosmic vacation, yet he apparently didn't make the cut for pinup depictions. As my husband pointed out, "Why is there a child in this?" A sexy day at the beach does seem an unlikely place to see a child. Uatu observes, "…it's no wonder (daughter) Luna is carefree!" I guess she hasn't gotten a glimpse of mom's...

This year Chicago has added one more convention to the mix, and this one is a little different (and no, we're not talking about Cake). Vert Con, a small venture organized and crowd funded by local high schooler and former Comic Vault employee Everett "Vert" Watford took place this weekend in the basement of the All-Saints Church in the Ravenswood neighborhood. With only one local comic shop in attendance as a vendor ( First Aid Comics ), the majority of tables were dedicated to local creators touting their creator-owned works. Guests of honor included Mike Norton , creator of Battlepug , and Tim Seeley , creator of Hack / Slash. Also in attendance were Batman, Inc. artist Chris Burnham and Atomika creator Sal Abbinanti . Seeing such big names in attendance at such a small gathering made the absence of other well-known local creators more noticeable. Considering the long established Heroes Con in North Carolina also took place this past weekend, it's likely that tho...

Molly is a cosplayer. Molly needs your help buying herself new, bigger breasts . I think I'd like to help Molly another way by offering an alternate solution: quit cosplaying. This may seem like an extreme solution, but it is as logical as buying a new pair of boobs. When looking at Molly's plea for donations to cover the cost of the procedure, several contradictions present themselves. "...I feel more secure and certain of my place in the world than I ever have before. That’s why I am able to finally come out and say this publicly: I want fake boobs." Acceptance of one's body is not usually followed by feelings of inadequacy, unless one is inclined to accept feeling dissatisfied. It is probably painfully obvious to everyone but Molly that this is most definitely a matter of self esteem. Accepting one's body is a lifelong battle for most women, one that rarely ends in total happiness with one's physique. There is no greater voice or opinion more freque...

When it comes to comic books, eccentricity has never been in short order. The silver age of comics  is considered the heyday for the weird and wacky, followed by the gritty reactionary tales of Frank Miller and Alan Moore in the 80's. Like a pendulum, the industry swung back to the zany in the 90's. Clones! Robot Superman! Spawn! One of the more ridiculous books of this time period is the Marvel Swimsuit Special. Released annually between 1992 and 1995, these collections of pinups did not hesitate to embrace their shallow purpose. Not quite poster books and lacking any semblance of a storyline, these infamous tomes embody their place and time in an industry that has since strayed from such blatant fan service. The cheesecake stuck around, but it made its home in every brokeback pose (mostly executed by female characters), while the men left behind their speedos and went back to their stoic ways. By no means do I miss properties like the Marvel Swimsuit Special; but it is n...

This article is not what you might have immediately envisioned. It isn't about Batman uncontrollably spewing his every thought, but rather fandoms' inability to quit talking about the problematic genre of superhero comics (even mainstream media outlets suffer from this ailment ). Even when criticism is well deserved, the amount of time spent shaming the missteps of large publishers is rarely equal to time spent showing examples of comics that actually get it right. Men, women, old fans, new fans, we all have a super-god given right to complain when superheroes let us down, and keep relatively quiet when they succeed in entertaining us. This superhero word vomit that makes fans fixate on the shortcomings of comics, particularly of the tights variety, is the same impulse that applies to any customer service relationship. Think about how much more likely you are to tell a friend about a bad experience you have with a business than when excellent service is rendered. Perhaps ...

Graham Crackers Comics' very own Ladies' Night will again be hosted this first Wednesday of the month, June 6th from 6-8 pm at the Chicago loop location. Organizers decided to give in to popular demand by hosting a craft theme for the night with participants encouraged to bring their own projects such as knitting or sketching, but all will have the opportunity to work with supplies provided by the store. These project include making Infinity Gauntlets Goblets , as well as headband decorating. For more information on this event and upcoming GCC Ladies' Nights, please stop by the official Ladies' Night at GCC Facebook page and Graham Crackers Comics events page . As an employee, I serve as moderator during discussions but will also be taking photos for the upcoming event. We hope to see some new faces this month as the craft event will be a great way for new and old comic book and craft loving ladies to meet and talk comics face to face.