COMIC BOOK JOBS: Who’s Hiring? Marvel, Wildstorm/DC, Dark Horse, Archaia!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
If you buy comics, read comics, and collect comics, chances are you’re one of the 250,000 fans that want to actually work in comics. Good news – there are some prime comic book jobs that could have your name on them. Especially if you’d like to try working for Marvel Comics, Dark Horse, the Wildstorm division of DC out on the West Coast, and Archaia, publishers of one of my favorite comics, Mouse Guard.
DARK HORSE COMICS: If you’re in the Milwaukie, Oregon area, Dark Horse Comics is looking for you. Actually, they’re looking for a Comic Retail Manager. They want someone to work “in conjunction with Diamond Comics Distributor to service retailers in the worldwide market.” As someone who’s done that before, for a different publisher, I can tell you it’s not a bad job. They’re offering a full-time salary that ranges from $8.40 to $19.23 per hour, and includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Vacation, Sick Leave, Life Insurance, Long-Term Disability, Retirement, Travel Expenses, Education Reimbursement. Got to be at least 18-years-old though. There are a bunch of requirements and expectations, so head over to the listing at Book Jobs and see if it’s right for you. The job just went up on June 2, so there’s still plenty of time to get that resume over there.
ARCHAIA COMICS, the publishers of Mouse Guard, and Artesia are looking for an unpaid Summer Intern to do fun things like reading and writing coverage for film, television and comic book scripts, monitoring and updating Archaia social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and handling shipping and receiving, among other responsibilities.
Click to continue reading COMIC BOOK JOBS: Who’s Hiring? Marvel, Wildstorm/DC, Dark Horse, Archaia!
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COMIC BOOK JOBS: WHO’S HIRING? MARVEL COMICS!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
If you dream of a comic book called “The Fantastic Four And Steve” or “Iron Jimmy,” or “Valerie’s Avengers,” you might be eligible for a job at Marvel Comics.
Marvel is currently looking for a batch fresh-faced students in need of a little academic credit. That’s right, if it’s summer, it must be intern season. Marvel needs interns in ”different departments to keep the old ship going full steam ahead, and we encourage students to apply to more than one department if they feel they have the skills that fit the bill.” A bill that will go unpaid, since these are unsalaried positions.
Details are at the Marvel Comics website, but internships range from handling art returns (yes, some artists are still Strathmore-based), Editorial Operations, Editorial, Production (hey, that’s the legendary “Marvel bullpen”!), Web/Online (analytics, web editorial, web design, web development, project management), Digital Comics (that’s where I’d go), Creative Services, Brand Assurance, Inventory, Business Development & Merchandising, Sales Communications, Legal, Accounting, Licensing & Consumer Products (toys!), Information Technology, IT Desktop, Human Resources (so you could, theoretically, hire yourself some day) and Print Production (learn it while you can). Those interships are all based in Marvel’s New York headquarters. Over in their L.A. offices in Beverly Hills, they need a few locals in Film Development, Marketing, Legal, Animation, and Interactive. I know someone who interned at Marvel Animation, and she had a blast.
If you’ve got the right stuff, and know your many Green Goblins, and the differences between A.I.M, S.H.I.E.L.D., The Serpent Society and Hydra, you’ve got a shot. And if you find out where they keep The Infinity Formula, let me know.
If DC Comics is more your style, you see about jobs at DC in a previous post.
(Artwork: Cover to Marvel Comics #1 © Marvel Comics)
The Return of the Phoenix
Posted by Joel Rosenberg Categories: Reviews, Independent,
Well, the pain pills for my broken wrist have worn off enough so that I can form reasonably sane thoughts. Or so the german would have us believe. People come into my fine comic store, The Phoenix of Westchester, and are always complaining about the new generation of superheroes - dull, trite, been there, done that. Then I tell them MY secret identity as an assistant editor at Marvel. I am going to hire you to write a new Marvel comic. You can have access to 70 years of Marvel’s library. All I need from you is a new super power that no one has ever thought of and a story line to go with it. Not so easy, is it?
So today’s review is of a fine new comic put out by the reputable publisher, Moonstone. It is called M.I.L.F. Magnet. If I have to explain what a Milf is, you might as well stop reading now. The story is about a young superhero named Taser, who, of course, shoots out electricity. He is a poor excuse for a hero who works with the Bastions of Justice whose members ridicule him all the time for his, well, .....shortcomings. Through a comedic series of events, he gets caught up in a love spell which makes his life….interesting. All women cannot stay away from him. A friendly wizard can only modify it so only women over 40 find him irresistible. Much sex and hilarity ensue.
I only brought this book into the store because I found the title hilarious. True, it is border line pornographic and it is surely rated R. But it is probably the funniest book i have read in years. Of course, none of my customers will buy it, but they all have read it and they have all laughed out loud three or four times. It is apparently a one-shot, but I hope they continue it. Real laughs are not easy to come by these days.
WEEKEND READING: BATMAN, GREEN HORNET, WATCHMEN, WALLY WOOD
The many tubes of the internets are always clogged with great stuff. Here’s a few pleasant time-killers to take the edge off a long work-week (for those of us still hanging onto a job) and ease us into the holiday weekend.
WATCHMEN: Still can’t get enough Watchmen linkage from all over the internets? Here’s one more: Doug Atkinson – whose last name means “too much time on my hands” in Esperanto – has gone through and footnoted/annotated all 12 chapters of the graphic novel (or issues, for you original serialized readers) in a highly detailed and analytical fashion. Debate on, you funnybook fanatics.
MORNING WOOD: Over at his blog, My Delineated Life, Tom Buchanan has a great post about Wally Wood’s tryout for Prince Valiant. King Features was looking for a replacement when Hal Foster retired and Woody was one of the applicants (as was Gray Morrow and the winner John Cullen Murphy). Tom’s got the facts and the samples. A must for fans – Wood would have been a great choice to carry on.
(h/t Booksteve’s Library)
WHAT’S UP, CHUCK?: Cartoonist Mike Lynch has a short but fascinating post about the time he met Chuck Jones, the great animation director.
GREEN HORNET I: Writer/Editor/All Around Good Guy Bob Greenberger has a knack for finding the most interesting projects to work on. I missed this post, but Bob Greenberger has announced, some time ago in fact, that he’s writing some new non-comics adventures of the Lone Ranger’s relative (no really, they are related) for Moonstone Books. You can find all about it at Bob’s blog and a little bit more at the Moonstone website.
GREEN HORNET II: Meanwhile, blogmeister Dave Olbrich, an old friend from the Ultraverse, has finally weighed in on the whole “Seth Rogen as Green Hornet” debate. I reserve all judgment – Mr. Olbrich went on record like this once before when he brayed that Michael Keaton was a bad choice for Batman. Casting decisions are always a fun debate – I cringed when supposedly-clean Robert Downey, Jr. was announced as Tony Stark but wasn’t he ten shades of awesome? So it’ll be interesting to see where a Green Hornet movie goes. Besides, true GH fans know that the real star of anything GH is Kato.
GREEN HORNET III: So he’s back in book form, and he’s coming back in comic book form, now what’s left? Oh, yeah, he’s coming back to comic books, too. The Scoop has the, well, scoop.
MARVEL COMICS: Why is Marvel Comics making it so hard for this guy to read and enjoy Marvel Comics?
That’s it for this weekend. If you’re celebrating, enjoy your holiday, and try to bite the heads off as many chocolate bunnies as you can, and then see how many Marshmallow Peeps you can stuff into an EC Comics hardcover slipcase. (My guess is 176.)
APRIL FOOLS: Marvel, DC, Overstreet, Watchmen and More!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
It’s April 1, and I think everyone knows what that means…
MARVEL COMICS will introduce a new Spider-Man one-shot: Spider-Man: Hedge Fund, a comic book that you don’t actually own, can’t read and will actually decrease in value.
DC COMICS will continue their corporate policy of not allowing their employees to comment on blogs or engage in internet catfights. DC employees are, however, still encouraged to dictate letters to their secretaries who will type them up on their IBM Selectrics and mail them to the local newspaper.
To compete with Zuda, MARVEL COMICS will launch a new online initiative for creator-owned comics. It’ll be called Epic Fail.
PLATINUM STUDIOS has announced that they have entered into a joint venture with a pr firm to send out more press releases.
In an attempt to reach out to the digital generation, Marvel Comics will release a new X-MEN title: X-Men: Tech, which will introduce their new heroes: Twit’r, Phacebook, iPhoner, Mashed-Up, Avatard, and Utoob.
On the publication of the 39th annual edition of THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE, Gemstone will publish The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Price Guide.
In an example of a growing trend in COMIC BOOK PIRACY, kids are illegally downloading comics from the Internet…and printing them.
STAN LEE MEDIA has announced today that they are suing everyone named Stan, Lee, Stanley, and Stan Lee.
WARNER BROS. has officially announced the Watchmen sequel: “Watchmen II: Another Thing We Do To Piss Off Alan.”
A new villain based on NADYA SULEMAN will debut in Amazing Spider-Man: Doc Octo-Mom.
Don’t forget to tip your waitress!
WEEKEND READING: Bendis, Spider-Man, Cyanide And Happiness and Batman
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
The weekend is upon us again and the internets have delivered a bounty of excellent reading. From Peter Parker’s love life to Cyanide And Happiness. Check ‘em out.
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS: Paul Morton over at Bookslut has a great interview with Brian. Mostly it’s about his work on Ultimate Spider-Man but there are a couple of detours, including Alias and Jessica’s relationship with Luke Cage. Here’s a nice Bendis quote about Peter Parker’s love life: “Doing my initial Spider-Man research, in going back and reading everything, [I found] for a sad sack this guy was getting laid left and right. This guy had more girlfriends than I ever had in high school. Betty Brant was hitting on him. MJ, Gwen. There were girls everywhere. There is an element of Peter that sees himself a certain way. But the reality is that he’s doing much better than he thinks.”
CYANIDE AND HAPPINESS: As hard as it might be to believe, The New Yorker has a touch of the hip in them. They sent one of their staffers to the recent New York Comic Con and scored an oh-so-brief interview with the guys from Cyanide and Happiness. You won’t learn much, but it’s good for a couple of laughs. After you read the interview, be sure to click on over to the Explosm website for greater goodness.
STARLOG: The old fan favorite is still being published (though it’s $7.99 a copy on the newsstand – if you can still find a copy and a newsstand). Better still, they’re finally back up on the internets. It’s a subset of the Fangoria website, but they’re just getting started and they have a nice Comics Scene section that looks like it’ll expand over time. Starlog has an impressive backlog of material – great articles, profiles, interviews and more, and it would be great to see some of that fun stuff online.
MARVEL COMICS: I would totally buy a Marvel comic that looked like this.
BATMAN: This guy loves him. (Warning: this is graphics heavy so if you’re backwards enough to still have dial-up, ye have been warned)
That’s all for now, have a great weekend and don’t forget to say thanks to the internets whenever you see them.
Q&A: MARVEL COMICS’ ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
As part of its Presidents’ Day Celebration, Marvel Comics has produced a 6-page digital comic - Gettysburg Distress - starring America’s 16th President, Spider-Man and Captain America. That’s right, Abe Lincoln is a part of the Marvel Comics Universe, just like the Skrulls, Nick Fury, Iron Man and Irving Forbush. Here are Honest Abe’s thoughts on today’s comics and the current marketplace.
TOM: Mr. Lincoln, why did you choose to appear in a Marvel Comics project?
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
TOM: Did you use an agent to negotiate your appearance?
MR. LINCOLN: “My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
TOM: Did you know that by appearing in a Marvel comic, they now hold the copyright to your likeness on those pages?
MR. LINCOLN: “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.”
TOM: Did you have any input in picking your creative team or the direction of the story?
MR. LINCOLN: “I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”
TOM: Do you foresee yourself at some point really rolling up your sleeves and duking it out with a few Marvel villains?
Click to continue reading Q&A: MARVEL COMICS’ ABRAHAM LINCOLN
FORGOTTEN COMICS: Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko & Kyle Baker
Jack Kirby. Steve Ditko. Stan Lee. Kyle Baker. Now there’s a line-up of creators you’re probably not going to see together again. More than 15 years ago, Marvel’s Madcap Mort Todd had the enviable task of putting together a 4-issue mini-series called Monster Menace, reprinting some classic Marvel/Atlas stories by Lee, Kirby and Ditko. This was back in comics’ Steroid Age where the idea was to put out as many comics as possible to claim rack superiority and marketshare dominance. Whatever. The first issue is dated December 1993. The wild and wonderful Kyle Baker did the tribute cover featuring fan favorite Fin Fang Foom.
Classics inside include: “I Spent Midnight With the Monster On Bald Mountain” by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko; “What Lurks On Channel X?” by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers; “The Terror of Tim Boo Ba” by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko; and “I Fought The Molten Man-Thing!” by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. There’s even some sort of recent (at the time) goofy 1-page “We’re #1” pin-up by Ditko that feels out of place, but sure is fun to look at.
All in all, a great example of the classic Twilight Zone-ish monster stories that Lee, Ditko, Kirby and the rest of the Marvel/Atlas bullpen used to produce by the dozens back in the company’s pre-Spider-Man era. Overstreet lists the 4-issue series at $5.00 a copy in mint condition, but I’ll bet if you look hard enough, you can grab ‘em cheaper.
If you want to read some great Kirby monster stories while searching out your own copy of MM, check out Monster Blog. They have a lot of great Kirby stories you can read for free.
Review: Invincible Iron Man 10
Posted by Todd Matthy Categories: Reviews, Marvel Comics,
Run to the hills, Marvel has unveiled their “Iron Maiden”. Okay that was lame, but I couldn’t resist it. Now let’s get down to business… reviewing another solid issue of “Invincible Iron Man”. Month in and month out, Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca have been giving us the Iron Man movie on paper. I can’t believe I had reservations about this book when it debuted (I mean did we really need another Iron Man book), but I finally caved, bought the first three issues, and have been coming back ever since.
Anyway, this issue Norman Osborn continues his destruction of everything Tony Stark has ever built. But while Tony’s friends and employees suffer the Green Goblin’s wrath, Tony continues to play it calm, play it cool, and relieve “stress” with Maria Hill as he destroys his armory and goes on the run. And he’s not alone. Building off of events in previous issues, Pepper Potts finally takes up the mantle Fraction had been hinting at since the last story arc, the Iron Maiden, and not a moment too soon because Stormin’ Norman’s stormtroopers are on her tail. (You can thank the Spider-Man movie for that one).
As for Larroca’s art, the character’s designs are a continuation to the actors from the movie, but are unique enough that they aren’t direct traces. Much of this is enhanced by the coloring of Frank D’Armata giving the book an energetic realism.
Overall, if you’re not reading this book, get the first trade then catch up by buying the issues you missed. Trust me it’s worth it.
Thunderbolts 128: A Great Moment in Comics History
Posted by Todd Matthy Categories: Reviews, Marvel Comics,
This week’s Thunderbolts was a gem. It features an appearance by President Barack Obama, but unlike his appearance in Amazing Spider-Man, he actually does something. Instead of punching out the Chameleon, President Obama actually has to do something, evaluate Norman Osborn. Doc Sampson is out to prove to the President that Norman Osborn is what we all know he is, a blithering psychopath called the Green Goblin. Unfortunately, good ole Normie has a back up plan to deceive our brand new President, and it involves his all new, covert, and off the books version of the Thunderbolts.
But that’s not the “great moment in comics history” (as my friend Joel likes to call it). The “great moment in comics history” is the blonde Black Widow’s clever transportation method for Ant-Man. Let’s just say he’s “sandwiched between two pillows”. I’ll say no more, needless to say it’s a great moment in comics history that makes fanboys want to be Ant Man. I’ll say no more.
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