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Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
Their mutual attraction is ‘forbidden’. What, are the Superhero Romance Police gonna bust ‘em up? Bizarre love quadrangle complications with Lois Lane and Steve? Who the hell knows?
The idea of pairing Superman and Wonder Woman feels like a somewhat natural one on a basic level: He’s the world’s greatest superhero, she’s the world’s greatest super heroine, so why shouldn’t they be a couple? But, for the most part, it’s an idea that was left untouched for the first few decades of each character’s history, “imaginary stories” aside (The two actually married in a dream sequence that appeared in 1983′s Wonder Woman #300).
Plus, these were comics and characters aimed squarely at a kid demographic, what kid wants to read about romantic mushy stuff? But the issue World’s Finest excuse that the two shouldn’t be together ‘just because’ started to fall by the wayside in more recent years, as audiences became less willing to put up with the status quo and creators more happy to push and pull at accepted ideas in the name of a good story – or, at least, a shocking hook to make you pay attention and pick up the book.
A year after DC demonstrated a willingness – one could even say a desire - to shake up expectations of its most familiar characters with the whole New 52 relaunch, playing matchmaker with these two characters without an immediate reversal or get-out clause is definitely a good way to remind people that this is a DC Universe where anything can happen – even if it’s not something that everyone wants to see.
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http://www.newsarama.com/comics/superman-wonder-woman-romance-through-the-years.html
Certainly one of Q101′s most arduous adventures into the wild, is the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). It’s quite a task to work one of these conventions, but Q101 balanced it all with a steady hand!
Q101 found itself in Artist Alley, but look! We had a corner, which means more space. We did what we’re good at, and that’s make a crowd. We talked about Q101, talked with our fans about Jamboree, sold merch, and had an overall great time! Just like this kid, one of our excited interns:
Once we sent up out table, the traffic just kept coming! It was non-stop until around 3pm:
Today was the first of three days, and the fans came out in droves! Here’s to a great day one, and 2 more to come! And tomorrow, be sure to wear your Q101 shirt with pride, and if we see it, you may get some “treats”!!
All photos care of Nina Andorf
ninaa37@gmail.com
Anaheim Convention Center, March 16th-18th 2012 is the Place. WonderCon is the deal. Started in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1987, Wondercon is part of the yearly staple of the “comic-con” world. Moving through several places in its existence, WonderCon has been significant for its early showings of movies like Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins, Fantastic Four, and Watchmen.
Looked at the biggest part of the ‘con by many was the “Amazing Spider-Man” panel with director Marc Webb, and actress Emma Stone. Director Webb went on to talk about the importance of the actors feeling “real”, and speaking on how his experience with the “big-budget” movie world: ”Doing a movie like this, it’s like a sonnet. There’s a form that you have to adhere to, to a certain degree, but there’s enormous flexibility within those barriers and within those restrictions.” He goes on to talk about the importance of Spider-Man’s costume in his reboot : ”He is, I think, one of the only superheroes whose whole body is covered, you know? You don’t see skin color, and that is — in one of the marketing meetings very early on, they said, ‘Spider-Man transcends all these different countries because everybody can see themselves in him.’”
On top of the Spider-Man discussion, the were other comic and entertainment greats like:
Mike Mignola (Hellboy, B.P.R,D,)
Joe Hill (Locke & Key)
Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: TNG, Stand By Me, Toy Soldiers, The Guild, Big Bang Theory)
J. Michael Straczynski (Superman: Earth One, Thor)
Jim Lee (Co-Publisher: DC Comics, Artist: Justice League, Batman: Hush)
Always a good time, the pop-culture convention circuit has the staying power and dedication on NASCAR, with a yearly visitor total that is on par with NASCAR’s per race totals. Check more out about the Comic-Cons here.
DC Comics, which is a part of Warner Brothers Entertainment, made huge waves last year, with their announcement that they were “rebooting” the entire DC universe, and there was a lot of trepidation as to whether it was going to be successful, but the men that run the show like Jim Lee, Dan DiDio, and Geoff Johns were adamant and positive about the reboot, allowing continuities to streamline, and let titles stand out on their own. This was a huge deal in the comic universe, and a potentially great opportunity for people who either lost their way in the universe, or newbies who were interested in getting on the bus.
The reboot was more successful than DC’s creative imagined, with some of the new #1 titles getting 2,3,4,and 5 reprints. It was a huge success, and the formula that they used in the 1980′s with “Crisis On Infinite Earths” worked again.
Another reboot has come across to DC. Their website, DC Comics has been completely re-done, and their logo has been streamlined to something drastically different. Long gone is the star circle “bullet” that we remember, and now, we see this:
DC is making some giant leaps, and big changes. Stay tuned for more.
It’s a red, and blue, and black, and yellow, and green letter day for DC Comics, with the announcement from Diamond Comic Distributors that the “New 52” has sold the F out. There are some that have sold above, and beyond, to the excessive, and unexpected, and some that are getting there. This was a historic re-launch for the company, parented by Warner Bros., and for all intensive purposes, it can be considered beyond simply successful. Let’s look at the numbers that we know so far:
Justice League #1, by Jim Lee and Geoff Johns, has by far blown anything out on the market so far this year, with an unbelievable 200,000 plus copies sold. A 4th print has already been filled for Justice #1. There haven’t been sales like this since for DC since Death of Superman.
And Justice League isn’t the only series that blew expectations out of the water; also, Action Comics #1, and Batgirl #1 are already on their 3rd prints, while a few more join Justice #1 in the 200,000 plus copies sold class, not surprising some:
Batman #1, and Action Comics #1 have hit 200,000 copies sold in the U.S., and there’s no sign yet of slowing down, as subscriptions for further issues into the series are still high. That’s not all, there’s more news. The following issues that are part of the “New 52” launch have hit the 100,000 copies sold, according to Diamond:
- Aquaman #1 by Geoff Johns, and Ivan Reis
- Action Comics #1 by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales
- Batgirl #1 by Gail Simone and Ardian Siaf
- Batman #1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
- Batman and Robin #1 by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
- Batman: The Dark Knight by Paul Jenkins and David Finch
- Detective Comics #1 by Tony Daniel
- The Flash #1 by Francis Manapul
- Green Lantern #1 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke
- Justice League #1 by Jim Lee and Geoff Johns
- Superman #1 by George Perez and Jesus Merino
This had been huge for DC. The creators themselves didn’t even expect this kind of reaction, so now the next step is to see if they can keep an audience that large engrossed, and entertained with their endeavor.
By Q101.com Blogga “Comicbookjockey“, a guy with too many opinions, and too little time. He’s crass and articulate, and enjoys hot sauce, talking about nerdy stuff, and cleaning up after himself. Too see and hear more: The Twitters, The Website,The Blog, The Email
Think you have what it takes to be a Q101 Blogga? Prove it: http://bloggas.Q101.com
Expect a visually jarring start to this series re-launch by DC Comics: we walk into a holding area, where two un-named Green Lanterns have locked someone in a cell. It was actually an uneventful opening to a new #1 issue in a series…. then BAM! Violence! Murder! By the 3rd page, yours truly was shocked by the sudden carnage before my eyes; however, I couldn’t stop turning the pages.
Another good beginning, where it seems DC’s method is to suck you in with a &*%#$#^ moment before the titles and credits a few pages in. The artist for this series, Fernando Pasarin, does the inside of someone’s body justice, with his vivid, shocking depiction of viscera, with a killer unknown to us, but known to the Lantern in her last moments.
There are also so amazing, and well-detailed set pieces in this book, on Earth and elsewhere, which can make the stingiest comic hater stand back, and rethink their stance. The deep colors, the disgruntled detail on some of the faces, It really gives this new run series a very science-fiction feel, and whether the creators were going for that or not, it’s a very good thing.
The next part of our story leaves us in a planetarium, re-introducing us to a DC favorite from what could best be described as the “school of I’m human, but I’ll still take you on”, Guy Gardner. We see have as the bad luck guy that he’s always been, struggling to find that fine balance between being a Lantern, and being Guy. Trying to find a regular job on Earth can be pretty daunting when you can project hard light constructs through a ring on your hand that’s powered by your will and imagination. That has to be a tough one to fit onto a resume.
Switch now to a completely different end of the spectrum. Former Marine, and another current Green Lantern, John Stewart with his code of honor and loyalty that makes him a poster boy for the G.L. Corps. We see him here, as an architect that refuses to compromise safety, which IS this character, through and through. Even using his ring to “prove a point” to those that he’s working with, that are more concerned with filling their pockets.
Doing a little “stretching the legs” in space, Guy and John go to the Lantern’s planet of OA, and find themselves out on a rescue call with other Lanterns, only to find a dead planet, decorated with a few more Green Lantern Corps bodies.
What’s being established here, is that having a ring with these fantastic abilities, and traversing the universe fighting evil, does not make one as powerful as you think. And just like soldiers, that have seen non-stop battle for a long stretch of time, these Lanterns are finding it very hard to acclimate themselves back into “normal” society. And war, and battle, is not pretty, nor glamorous, but somebody has to do it.
The event that DC Comics has been psyching everyone up for is finally happening: the roll out of their so-called “New 52″, which is a continuity restart for 52 titles. Some new, some old, all starting at #1. This is a big deal in comicdom. Titles like Detective Comics, and Action Comics, were creeping close to issue #1000. Action Comics would have made it in less than a decade. Now as a whole, these wouldn’t be the first comics in the world to make that milestone. There are titles around the world that have hit the 1,000 milestone. Opinions and questions fly rampant about the reboot and what impact it will have.
So why did the co-publishers of DC, Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns decide to make this monumental leap? Here are a few reasons for this endeavor:
Why Not?
Earlier this summer (as is usually the case) DC was behind Marvel in market share (the amount of titles from each publishing house that are ordered, bought, etc.), monthly sales were trending down, etc. So, the thinking goes, this is the shock to the system that DC needs by using this “reboot” as a public relations cornerstone. Sure, you’re going to have some perturbed, or even downright enraged readers and subscribers that are going to throw a fit about the renumbering (starting back at #1), and dropping storylines, and characters. But the potential for sales to skyrocket is massive. News sites, reporters, etc., always will write or talk about big changes, and happenings in the comic book universe. Look at all the comic conventions year round. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the country, pour into what’s become a hell of a mainstream annual event, which in turn, always holds the attention of major reporting outlets.
Making the announcement of halting the current continuity with some of the highest–grossing properties in the world will make anyone worth their salt drop what they’re doing and pay attention. Big shake-ups mean more of that attention than normal. Which equals curiosity. That, in turn, will bring deals to comic stores and dealers. For instance, subscribing to, or buying an X amount of these new #1 issues. It’s bringing bodies in the stores, peaking the interest. And so far, it seems to be working. Early results say sales are building, and could continue to grow. This may be the genius move DC needed to make for the chance to wave at Marvel in their rear-view mirror.
52 Teams Strong
52 titles. Some of these are re-launches of current ones, and some are brand-new titles. Fresh and new ideas written down, and drawn out by a 2-man creative team (the standard in the industry. 1 writer, 1 artist) some have more, some do not. There’s as many chances to succeed as there are to fail. You’ve got industry veterans, new blood, and guys that have just gotten their feet wet in the last few years. To the reader (consumer), this can be exciting.
And for those who just fell off the proverbial turnip truck, this initiative gives newcomers to the brand a chance to not feel like a fool, or intimidated by reading an issue numbered in the high 500’s or 600’s and left feeling like it’ll be impossible for them to catch up or understand what’s going on. Every series that’s given a restart and makeover will also being able to stand on its own, without any of the scattered continuity crossovers. DC streamlined their characters and continuity in a little universe saga known as “Crisis On Infinite Earths” in 1986, and was a hit, and helped revolutionize, and usher in the “modern” way of comics, and DC is looking for that again with the “New 52”.
Change in the comic industry is good. You can’t let your books get stale, with repetitive story telling, and sometimes locking your characters into a certain way or place. A lot of this is done by “retcon” (adding in history after the fact in the simplest way to sum it up) but this can only be done so much before it begins to look ridiculous to the reader. Yes, this is a fantasy world in print, but I pay my 3 to 5 dollars per issue to be entertained and enthralled by the words I’m reading, in combination with the art that is flying off these pages and assaulting my frontal lobes. So, in short, sometimes a little revolution is a good thing.
To see a full list of the “New 52”, and other info, click me. Hard.
By Q101.com Blogga “Comicbookjockey”
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