Hey, That's My Cape! – Dreaming in Digital [Comics]

There comes a time in every comic reader’s life when you stop and look at the amount of boxes piling up around you. Long boxes, that is. I’m not a collector of comics per se but I’m not a disposer of comics either. Some titles I keep because I know I want the chance to read them again in the future, but for the most part? The thought of throwing away hundreds upon thousands of dollars of product makes me want to cry.

I’ve gone through my boxes a few times in the past, weeded out what I definitely didn’t want and donated them. I’m a charitable person but giving away my entire collection? Even with a tax credit it still makes my bank account scream at me. But am I going to take the time to sell them and make back a portion of what I spent? I don’t see that happening either. It would be a full-time job. So what’s there to do to ensure this doesn’t become a growing problem? I know, it pains me to say it too. Digital comics.

Find out how my first foray into digital comics went in the most recent Hey, That's My Cape! at Newsarama.

Catch up on CRAZY SEXY GEEKS!

Alan Kistler and I have stopped slacking off now that the holidays are over and have all-new episodes of Crazy Sexy Geeks for you to enjoy!

We've had lots of fun topics and fabulous guests on the podcast recently. Back in December we spoke with DC Comics writer on Green Arrow, Captain Atom and more, J.T. Krul. And just a few weeks later I got the opportunity to interview one of my favorite writers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Once Upon A Time's Jane Espenson! We had an in depth talk about writing in the industry, plus her new web series Husbands. (I also gave a wrap-up of this interview at The Mary Sue)

And just a few weeks ago, Alan and I got to chatting about the shake-up in DC's New 52, 6 titles cancelled, 6 new ones announced. We also discuss Marvel's upcoming cartoon block. In the most recent episode we talk about the great SOPA blackout, a FOX affiliate calling comic books porn while showing them to middle school kids and Snooki discussing the X-Men. Crazy, I know.

All that plus lots of geeky dating advice and stories shared as well. Make sure to catch up on all the past episodes you may have missed and look out this week for another special guest appearance...Chase Masterson from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!

Hey, That's My Cape! - I Love My Job

Writer/producer/creator Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Once Upon A Time) wrote an article recently titled, Is TV Writing The Best Job Ever? It caught my eye. A lot of people envy those in the entertainment industry simply because of who they get to rub elbows with, but is the job all it’s cracked up to be?

According to Espenson, it is.

So it got me thinking about my own job and how much I enjoy it. Not everyone can say that. I’ve had to good fortune to evolve my career in such a way that I’m now writing full time about comics and pop-culture. Sometimes I still thank my lucky stars for that.

Head to Newsarama for this week's Hey, That's My Cape! to find out why I love my job so much and hear some advice on what to expect if you have aspirations of writing about comics and pop-culture.

Hey, That's My Cape! – Jim Henson's TALE OF SAND

Among visionary creators, Jim Henson is probably near the top of the list the general public unanimously adores. From Sesame Street to The Muppets and Fraggle Rock, Henson built a legacy that would last long after he was gone. But there’s a project of his, unlike any of his puppet work, that has now found its way into comic book form and if I’m right, comic book history.

Tale of Sand from Archaia was a long time in the making. When I spoke with Archaia’s Editor-in-chief, Stephen Christy, last year at C2E2, I was blown away to hear that they were going to be producing an old Henson screenplay that until recently had been locked in archives. Henson and frequent creative partner Jerry Juhl, had written Tale of Sand in the 1960s but couldn’t manage to get a studio to pick it up, even after several rewrites. Lisa Henson, the creator’s daughter and CEO of the Henson Company, supervised the transfer from screenplay to comic that might never have happened had Henson Company archivist Karen Falk not unearthed it. Along with art provided by Ramón K. Pérez and color by Ian Herring, Tale of Sand is a unique work from innovative minds that belongs on your shelf.

Read my full review in the latest Hey, That's My Cape! at Newsarama.

Hey, That's My Cape! - Why No Women in COMIC BOOK MEN?

I can’t believe I’m starting my year off with this.

First, let me be clear, I don’t think having a show for and about men is a bad thing. I think they certainly have their place/market and can be enjoyed by all sexes even if they are made for one demographic. The problem I have with Comic Book Men is – it sounds really boring.

My first Hey, That's My Cape! of 2012 caused quite a stir. Read what all the fuss is about at Newsarama.

Axe Body Spray Comic By Scott Lobdell And You?

That's a commercial for Axe body spray, something called Anarchy. What kind of cop needs a gun when you're pursuing a criminal? Pft! Whatever, this is along the lines with their regular marketing. But then I saw this on Robot 6.

Axe is doing an interactive graphic novel where fans on Facebook and Twitter can help write the story, which is all about hot chicks (which looks like soft-core porn now and will probably be straight up porn by the time users are done with it). And who did I spot in this commercial? None other than Scott Lobdell.

Call the timing perfect or unfortunate. Axe Anarchy is making a comic book to promote their sexy, sexy spray and Lobdell just happens to be one of the creators on the project. I can't find confirmation of this anywhere online but sources have told me that this is indeed Lobdell. Yes, the creator who made us so angry last year with his new take on DC Comics' Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws. Oh, the irony.

(x-posted on The Bird and the Bat)