Free Comic Book Day 2013

FCBD 2013 was a blast! I managed to hit three comic book stores this time around: Magnum Comics & Cards, Jim Hanley Comic Books, and Midtown Comics! You can check out my adventures and top picks this year in the vlog:

 

While at Jim Hanley’s, I actually ran into some of the folks from Wayward Raven and did my first on-the-street interview! They have some free digital goodies available for you to download on their site, too.

FEATURE: Watson and Holmes

A look at one of my favorite projects from New Paradigm Studios: Watson and Holmes. Good stuff! See more samples of the art and get your own copy of the comic on the official Kickstarter page.

Happy Birthday, Superman!

I’m celebrating with Superman comics and a look at the new Man of Steel trailer!

My favorites:
All-Star Superman
Superman: Secret Identity
Superman: Earth One
Superman: Birthright

Click here to check out the Gender Through Comic Books class I mention in the video.

New York Comic Book Marketplace Recap

[Indie Friday] Power Play #1

Cover of Power Play #1

Welcome to Indie Friday, a segment in which I review awesome self-published/independent comics and graphic novels. This week’s pick is the first issue of Power Play. In the illustrator’s words, it was “created with a digital format in mind, and tells a story in a very innovative way.” I couldn’t agree more!

Power Play was created by the dynamic duo of Kurt Christenson, writer, and Reilly Brown, artist. Now, if you’ve followed my site, you probably know that I’m already a big fan of Reilly’s work; he’s illustrated some of my favorite Marvel books, and draws one of the best Deadpools I’ve ever seen. So when I met him at Philadelphia Comic Con last yearand heard he was working on his own comic, I was excited! So excited, in fact, that I registered on Comixology just to purchase the first issue– priced at a very reasonable $1.99, who could say no?

Take note that Power Play is only available online. It takes advantage of the digital realm in a way I’ve never seen before, playing out almost like a little movie complete with transitions and suspense that is up to the reader to break with the press of a button. For me, this was all facilitated by Comixology’s unique interface. Having never used Comixology to read a comic before, I found Power Play’s layout to be an amazingly fresh approach– while it still gave me the familiarity of reading a physical comic and flipping pages, it somehow amplified the qualities that make comics great by focusing on single panels and creating genuine excitement and tension through the read. It’s something you have to try out to understand!

The story centers around a group of teenagers gifted with superpowers, who battle each other in the heart of New York City for the title of competition champion. I may be showing some bias here, but I love that this all takes place in my home town. The Big Apple seems like the perfect setting for such a wild, adventurous, and (maybe literally) out-of-this-world group, and it warms my heart to see some of my favorite landmarks pop up in the pages. Even one of my most frequented comic shops, Forbidden Planet, makes an appearance! Not to mention that one of the characters is an NYU student… Bobcat pride!

I took a picture with Gowanus Pete from Power Play and Reilly Brown at NYCC '11!

Each “power player” is introduced with his or her own little scene and caption, a setup that is both convenient and fun. With such a variety of personality types in the characters, everyone is going to be rooting for a different favorite to win the game (and you can bet that I’ve already picked mine). I don’t want to spoil too much, but the super powers that these kids display range from ice-conjuring to… well, whatever Gowanus Pete (see left) classifies as. Of course, the best part is seeing these super powers actually clash: the battle sequences are top-notch, with Reilly’s art carrying a lot of Kurt’s witty writing. Speaking of wit, humor is a very big element throughout the story, which makes this a light-hearted book. Even so, I would recommend this title most to audiences that can fully appreciate the humor of… well, college life, and all that entails (you guys know what I’m talking about).

Power Play #1 really does feel like it’s setting up the basics for what promises to be a fantastic series. I’m genuinely left wanting more. Thankfully, the creators have made full use of the Internet and all its glory– Power Play has its very own Tumblr that you can follow for updates, contests, and more. Reilly and Kurt both have Twitters, as well. And if you’re eager to dive right in, you can even read a FREE preview on Comixology with issue #0. Come on, man, free preview! And the first issue isn’t even two bucks! Stop reading this and go read that!

Are you an independent comic creator? Do you want me to read your work and maybe even post about it? Click the “Contact” tab at the top of this page and let me know!

Spotlight on: Latino Characters in Mainstream Comics

Did you know that Kyle Rayner, the Green Lantern, is Mexican-American?

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I’m sure most of us are aware by now that the newest character to take up the Spider-Man mantle is a half African-American, half Puerto Rican kid by the name of Miles Morales. This was received as pleasant news, of course– it means that the “Big Two” are putting some real effort into showcasing minority characters in their more mainstream titles. Rightly so, considering how diverse the real world is. As alien-infested and constantly-on-the-brink-of-destruction as the comic universe seems to be, one would hope that it was at least a little reflective of that real world we all know and love!

Still, thinking about Miles today got me interested in something else– how many other, say, Latino characters are there in mainstream comics? To Twitter!

List mainstream Latino superheroes and/or supervillains. GO.

More than a dozen of you responded, and here are just some of your answers:

Sunspot (Brazilian), Spider-Girl (Anya, Mexican/Puerto Rican), Reptil (Mexican) (@dethtron5000)
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes, Mexican), Power Man (Victor Alvarez, Afro-Dominican), Rictor (Mexican), El Gaucho (Argentinian) (@comicbookchris)
White Tiger (Hector Ayala & Angela del Toro, Puerto Rican) (@IXIGeorgeIXI)
El Gato Negro (Mexican) (@felipegarza)
Spider-Man (Miles Morales, African-American/Puerto Rican) (@anghellzz)
Bane (fictional Caribbean republic), Bat-hombre (South American), Wildcat (Hector Ramirez), Darwin (African/Latino) (@Comicnerd1988)
Kyle Rayner (Mexican), The Darkness, Empath (Spainiard) (@seanachie)
Spider-Man 2099 (Latino/Irish) (@bradcandoit)
The Question (Renee Montoya, Dominican) (@lesvillainettes)

* I realize that some of these, like Darwin, are “generic” Latino characters without a specified country of origin, that others like Kyle are American-born, and that still others, like Bane, are actually European, but I’ve still chosen to include them on the premise that their roots are somehow from a Spanish-speaking country.

Did you know that all these characters had a Latino/Hispanic background? I sure didn’t. And you know what? That’s kind of disappointing. As Jennifer Margret Smith writes, “…For these characters, Latino culture has been pushed to the background to a greater or lesser degree.” At least from what I’ve read, Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle is one of the few whose original run was (I’m happy to say) peppered with references to his culture, including an entire issue in Spanish. It seems the vast majority of these characters are labeled Latino for the sake of… being labeled Latino. Their heritage is rarely referenced or called upon as part of their story. If it is, it’s usually not in a mainstream book.

There’s hope, though! Characters like Miles, with his mixed heritage and prominent position in the Marvel Universe, are definitely steps in the right direction. So, here’s to all my Latino brothers and sisters– we’ve got some comic book heroes to look up to after all, with what I’m hoping are plenty more on the way.

[I'm hoping to make these kinds of entries into a series, so if you have any suggestions for the next topic, feel free to let me know! A spotlight on Asian comic book characters is next.]

  • About Me

    1Hey there! I'm Marlene, an NYU graduate, former Marvel intern, and personality on MTV's "My Life as Liz" TV show. I love comic books and writing about 'em - so here you'll find my reviews, creator interviews, indie suggestions, and more!

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