Comic Book Candy

At its best, comic book cover art gets you to buy a comic you would otherwise pass by. At its worst, the art is ridiculed and overshadows the content of the comic itself. But good or bad, how often does one mention cover art in a comic book review? Even the best designed cover may get a quick mention, but rarely is cover art extensively evaluated. When the series itself is under-appreciated, the cover art is even less likely to be discussed. One artist worthy of more recognition is David Yardin, who is doing standout work on the Marvel series X-Factor. The Peter David penned series about mutant private eye Madrox and company has remained under the radar since its relaunch in 2005, which is unfortunate since it is consistently one of Marvel's best books. It is hard to imagine that any title could survive for that long at Marvel without Captain, Amazing, or Wolverine in the name but the book has a lot going for it. From the stable character roster, humorous yet moving stories form D...

When DC first introduced readers to Kate Kane, the character and her story were met with universal praise. Not only was the story unique for featuring a gay female super heroine, but she was headlining one of DC's oldest properties, Detective Comics, and shocking above all else? It was really good. The stunning artwork of J. H. Williams III combined with Greg Rucka's pitch perfect take on the new character made for a memorable introduction, and it was an origin that was a hard act to follow. Over the last year since the beginning of DC's New 52, Kate Kane's solo title Batwoman has attempted to live up to that legacy forged in Detective Comics. It has failed to reach the same level of quality, proving that artwork alone cannot maintain a series. Greg Rucka knows how to write women. Sadly, this is still a unique skill among comic book (and film and television) writers. Any writer, male or female that write women well (and the ladies don't do it well by default) is...

8-16-12 UPDATE:  Via their twitter , C2E2 organizers have confirmed that they are in fact keeping next year's show at McCormick (hears collective sigh of relief from fans) . Consider this story as seen through the lens of speculation, but several retailers at this past weekend's Chicago Comic Con (at Rosemont) were questioned by organizers of C2E2 concerning their convention location preferences. When it comes to feedback, C2E2 organizers Reed Pop are known for maintaining an open dialog with retailers, fans, and exhibitors. The McCormick convention center has been equally praised and derided by fans, and it is perhaps one of the only aspects of the show to be continually mentioned as a complaint. Hands down, Rosemont is more conveniently located to public transportation and has far more hotels considering the vicinity of the large O'Hare airport. But if you ask anyone attending C2E2 or Wizard World's Chicago Comic Con, convenience aside I would bet most would tell...

Every year comic con gets bigger. The lines get longer, the guest list fills with more celebrities, the ticket prices go up, and a vocal group of fans are sure to lament how much it has changed. No, I'm not talking about International Comic Con, the show co-opted by Hollywood and universally lauded for being too big and too different from its previous incarnations. The comic con brand continues to be more about spectacle and less about comics, and that is as true of the Chicago show as San Diego. Despite it embracing the mainstream, San Diego remains the go-to convention for comic readers and creators. But with a complete absence of any comic book publishers on the con floor, Wizard World's  Chicago Comic Con has become less relevant to the comic book community. It is not the same show it was 10 years ago (or even 5), but it is still a fun undertaking for fans that know what to expect of it. The big draw this year was no doubt the impressively large amount of ce...

Not too long ago, cosplayer Molly McIsaac expressed her desire to crowdfund her breast augmentation . Our response to her initial blog post garnered a lot of discussion, from other blog posts to angry unintelligible tweets. We reached out to Molly for a series of follow-up questions and she graciously answered; but before we get to her response, I'd like to talk a little further about the initial post / the response received. First, I wanted to give the blog a break from b00b talk hence the delay in posting this interview. The recent search terms that have led to my blog have been heavily skewed towards breasts and that's something I'd like to avoid in the future.  Despite all of the disappointed individuals that make their way to these posts in hopes of finding "comic book boobs" or "power girl porn", they can still stick around and read about the portrayal of women in comics and one woman's desire to have comic book boobs (they will immed...

Graham Crackers Comics Ladies' Night is a monthly meeting of female comic book fans at the Chicago loop comic book store. The next event taking place tomorrow, August 1st, will be a charity benefit. In addition to the usual comic book related discussion, artist Jenny Frison will be on hand to create sketches and sign comics with all of the proceeds going towards the Hero Initiative , a charity that helps support creators in their times of need. All are welcome to join us, men and women alike, though the discussion will be the usual group of ladies only. The event begins at 6, but feel free to come early as we are expecting a large turnout.

Earlier this week I started receiving frequent mentions on twitter, all with the same content: " Photoset:› @comicbookcandy:›› AVENGERS AND POKEMONS ASSEMBLE!››(By: *[FerioWind] ) ". Initially, I thought it was well targeted spam (because I'd totally be interested in some Avengers and Pokemon mashup artwork). But then I cautiously followed the link and it became clear where the confusion stemmed from: another blog with the title Comic Book Candy . A tumblr comprised of various comic book related artwork, gifs, and movie stills, I began to worry that readers may become confused by what site I write for. I've begun to attend conventions as a member of the press with my small comic book related blog, I have contributed guest posts to other blogs as Comic Book Candy, and I comment on various websites as Comic Book Candy. There is no question that we do different things; the tumblr blog is an aggregator while I focus on creating original content in articles, reviews,...

"A debut issue is a challenging beast in comics; this is doubly so for a book that is re-introducing an established character to old and new fans alike. It is a delicate balance between showing what we know to be true while still offering a fresh perspective. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Dexter Soy bring us a first issue that attempts to reconcile the needs of all readers, and it is not always successful. Though the focus may shift between keeping old and new fans interested, one thing that is unwavering throughout is the voice of Carol Danvers, and that’s definitely something new...." You can read the rest of the review over at my guest blog post on the Women Write About Comics blog . Enjoy!

This year's Comic Con International, or "Nerd Mecca", ended yesterday after four days of exciting comic book, film, and television announcements. It would be impossible to cover every single revelation, but here are the ones that got the most people talking, the most retweets, and reblogs, and maybe a few announcements that we're just a little more excited about than others. Neil Gaiman to write Sandman prequel for 2013 release, JH Williams III will be artist DC's got the prequel fever, but unlike Before Watchman, Sandman's original creator Neil Gaiman is willingly spearheading the project. The five issue mini will focus on revealing the background of Morpheus leading up to his unexpected imprisonment. Everyone is still heartbroken over the cancelation of Firefly, but that's okay As if missing Comic Con International wasn't hard enough year after year, 2012 was particularly difficult to miss due to a cast reunion of Serenity, a show havi...

On the eve of San Diego Comic Con and having passed the 4th of July weekend, we've reached the pinnacle of summer in 2012. What better way to celebrate than with a final look at the 94' Marvel Swimsuit Special? It's been a titillating journey, but this comic proves that yes, you can have too much of a questionably good thing. However, here at Comic Book Candy we are considering tracking down Marvel's other classic pin-up collections for further analysis should public demand prove sufficient. Until then, enjoy this final visual feast before you and fondly remember the 90's comic book landscape.   Doc Samson is Marvel's resident psychiatrist, and frankly I'm a little disappointed with the lack of creativity displayed in this depiction. Maybe some bookish glasses, a notepad, and Doc wearing these same swimmers while inviting us, the viewer, to lie on his couch, now that's something that would demonstrate the "allure of science" as Uatu say...