Aaron's Comic Books Blog

The Eisners, thought of by many as the Oscars of comic books, are happening tonight. The awards are being touted as the most diverse yet, with such categories like Best Reality Work, Best Digital Series, Best Publication for Kids, as well as all the usuals such as Best Writer, Artist, and Comic. This is a well watched and much talked about event so be sure to keep an eye out for the winners. There are many comic awards out there but the Eisner Awards are considered by many to be the best.

Image Copyright Comic-Con International

The pop-culture phenomenon officially starts today and over 100,000 attendees will descend upon the convention floor this weekend. This is the Super-Bowl of the comic book world and you can be sure there will be some big announcements. Seems most publishers and creators want to have something to "reveal" or "showcase" at Comic-Con and with the huge turnout of creators and publishers, there's bound to be something juicy.

Like it or not, the Comic-Con has surpassed comic books to encompass movies, television, books, websites, and a whole lot more. Seems everybody that has something they think a "geek" will like will be at Comic-Con, hoping to score some buzz amongst the fanboys and fangirls. This years Comic-Con is no exception, as you can see A-List celebrities talking about their movies right alongside indy creators with a comic pamphlet hoping to gain the attention of a publisher or even just one fan. This bonanza of comic goodness is the highlight of the convention circuit as it is the largest comic book convention in the USA and a place that helped launch conventions like it all over the states. Get to know more about the San Diego Comic-Con International and see why it is so big.

Image Copyright Comic-Con International

There are a lot of opinions about what you should do, see, and take with you to comic con. Some of it is good and some of it is not. Whatever you do, be sure before you go to Comic-Con, or any con for that matter, that you are prepared. This four day event is spread over a half mile of landscape that you will have to walk back and forth over and over. If you don't take just the right materials than you could wind up in a bind. The funny thing is that just about every guide is labeled as "The Ultimate" or "The Survival Guide" or something else like that. I've taken some of the best I could find and put them together in one great list of guides to the Comic-Con International. Be sure you take some time to do your research before you go as they might just have that golden nugget that will save you time, money, and even some aches and pains.

I imagine one of the things that rubs Alan Moore the wrong way about having his properties made into movies is all the tie ins that go along with it. The toys, books, games, and other materials may seem to take away from the work that he put his heart and soul into. I wonder what he thinks about these new Watchmen Collectibles that are already being pushed to coincide with the new Watchmen movie. Some of them are a bit silly, others are pretty cool, my choice being The Comedians pistols. Whether you love or hate this kind of thing you can bet comic book fans will be inundated with all sorts of Watchmen products in the coming months. I just hope the movie does some justice to the comic.

Image Copyright Warner Bros.

Related Material:

• Watchmen Photo Gallery
• DC Comics Profile

Comic book movies are all the rage lately, and for good reason. The comic book has become a perfect tool to see how a story will play out. Some comic books are being created just so that they will be able to pitch it to movie studios. Storyboards have often been done by comic book artists to help the director see how shots will work and give an overall visual telling of the story. Hollywood has comic book fever and more and more comic books are being turned into movies, but is this a good thing? Sure, right now, some comic books are getting a boost in sales because of their movie counterparts. I'm sure there is a renewed interest in Iron Man, and with The Watchmen trailer being shown with The Dark Knight it is currently #2 on Amazon.com's best selling list.

I'll have to admit, I have really loved many of the comic book movies to come out lately. They seem to be directed more and more by people that enjoy comics and the stories they tell. After 300, director Zack Snyder probably could have had his pick of A-list movies to direct, but he chose The Watchmen instead. Jon Favreau called in many of the Iron Man comic writers to form a "brain trust", which to me showed great respect to the comic book and all the history that it has.

My worry is with the influx of bad comic book movies that will undoubtedly be coming to us soon, the comic book movie bubble will burst. For quite some time, comic book lovers have been the butt of jokes and quite honestly looked down on. Now comics and especially comic movies are "mainstream". But for how long? Will it take a few disappointments or just one big flop to send Hollywood rushing off to seek the next big thing. How much can the public handle this huge influx of comic book movies? I think the current freak out about comic book properties will eventually come to an end, or at least there will be a time where they are much less frequent. Until that time, comic books will hopefully strike now to bring in new readers to become the next generation of comic book movie-goers.

Image Copyright Warner Bros.

I absolutely loved this movie. The Dark Knight had so much going for it - a fine cast, great special effects, a solid storyline - all this and more. This movie brought Batman even more to the dark and gritty roots of the recent comic book stories from the likes of Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and Grant Morrison. It was a long one too, just over two and a half hours, but I didn't notice it much. The movie was very fast paced and had a lot of action sequences. As is true of many comic book movies, you are only as good as your villains, and The Dark Knight nailed it with Heath Ledgers performance as The Joker. Do yourself a favor and go see this movie, you won't regret it. Then come back and read a review of The Dark Knight, and see if we agree.

Image Copyright Warner Bros.

There are lots of great comic books out there, and The Walking Dead is one of my favorites. There is a reason why this comic has reached fifty issues. Writer Robert Kirkman pulls many a Whedonesque moves, meaning you never know who is going to live or die and just when things start to feel safe and warm and fuzzy, that is when he chooses to strike. The comic has almost gone full circle with it's cast of characters, starting with the first issue with a very small cast and closing with issue fifty with again a small group of survivors. Couple this with Charlie Adlard's rough black and white scenes that really lend to the dark and grim future that awaits humanity.

If you don't know, The Walking Dead is about how people survive horrible situations. It just so happens that this one is a zombie apocalypse and doesn't seem to have an end anytime soon. The story focuses on Rick Grimes, a sheriff who wakes from a coma to find his world completely changed. He takes the lead of a group of survivors and seeks to find a place to make a new life. But zombies aren't the only ones to fear, as other human beings can be even more savage than their undead counterparts. It is a hard hitting story that brings be back time after time waiting to find out what happens next. When it is over, it always seems too short. You should be reading this comic.

Got a comic we should be reading? Drop me an email and let me know and maybe I'll share it with the others here. Please note, this isn't a forum to share your comic, rather it should be the work of someone else. Till next time, go read yourself a comic.

A group of do-gooders seek to put the "comics are for kids" back into comic books. They dress up in costumes, visit ill children in the hospital, go to the mall to pass out coloring books, and plain ol geek out about comics. Seems more and more people are dressing up as their favorite hero. In my hometown, there was even an event based on heroes and villains that raced across the city doing games in the local taverns. So hat about you? Is dressing up too much for you? Or do you embrace the cosplay aspect of your hobby and eagerly wait each Halloween and comic con? Post your comments below.

Image Copyright Steve Rankin

Librarians are a rare breed of people. You need many skills to be a good librarian which include being organized, a teacher, an advocate, manage, coordinator, and more. One of the things that is very important to a librarians job is cataloging, or determining what information goes into the catalog system about a book. It was that this information was done with typewriters and small index sized cards, then housed in long drawers in a cabinet of some sorts. It was time consuming and took up a lot of space. Now, with computers, everything is done electronically. There are almost 500 possible pieces of information that can be put into the cataloging system about a book. It is a huge task and now that more and more comic books are entering into the library system, it is up to librarians everywhere to figure out how they fit into the system. Do you want to know what kind of comic is a headache to put into the system? Manga. There is so much information to put into system about Manga, and it is downright confusing.

Most Manga has many different titles and series titles that it is very confusing for librarians, especially if they do not know much about the product. Take a simple Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. Yu-Gi-Oh! is not only the title of the comic, but the series as well. It is also a Shonen Jump Graphic Novel series and there is a alternate title of the volume as well. Getting all of this information in an organized manner is a daunting task and one that basically requires a certified and trained professional to enter it into the system. Libraries are becoming a driving force for graphic novels so let's give them a break with the confusing titles okay? Thanks.

Related Material:

• Manga 101
  
• About.com - Manga

I saw a great article over at The Dallas Morning News and thought I'd share it with you. The article talks about how comic book art is continuing to rise in price and value, especially from those older and vintage comic books. One collector says, "If I have the original hand-drawn cover to, say, an issue of X-Men, that's the only hand-drawn cover to that issue of X-Men." The price is somewhat staggering for what people are prepared to pay, such as the Batman #11 cover that went for $195,000. I've recently discovered the joy of collecting comic book art, and my pieces continue to grow. It is a small collection, but one I hope to continue to add pieces to. What about you? Do you have any pieces of comic book art? Post your favorites below.

Related Material:

• How To Buy a Piece of Comic Art
• Cheap and Easy Ways to Get Comic Book Art