Yup, you read that right. Only downside is it’s an auction. And for that you need money, and lots of it. But here’s the details: as I’m sure you know, Bill Watterson is a very private guy. He keeps to himself and very few pieces of original art from Calvin & Hobbes exist in the public realm. This is a 13″ x 10″ watercolor and ink piece that was once owned by Rick Marschall. Bidding goes until February 22nd online and is currently at $17,000. Worth it? That’s up to you. Read more…
Digital comics have been growing fast and both DC and Marvel have had to make many changes to adapt to changing technology. How do they do it? MashUp Radio, hosted by Peter Biddle, will be featuring Marvel’s Ryan Penagos (the Editorial Director for Marvel Digital Media Group and Marvel.com), and they’ll be discussing it in-depth on their podcast. It’ll go live at 3pm, so if you can, be sure to tune in for what is sure to be an interesting discussion!
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 25, 2012 in Comic Books
I’ve never been fond of collage work myself, mostly because I associate it with stalkers and psychopaths. That said, if I were going to make a collage, it’d have to be of something awesome — like my favorite comics. I imagine some of you can probably get past the whole stalker thing, but wouldn’t know where to find one of these awesome collages. Well, you’re in luck. Meet Mike Alcantara, an artist who spends his free time crafting these awesome comic-themed collages. His canvas pieces range in size from 12″ x 12″ to 24″ x 36″ and vary in price between $100 to $400 each. That said, they’re all one-of-a-kind. Currently he only has one piece, featuring Green Latern, valued at $250, but plans on crafting more pieces for sale in the near future. To purchase the piece or keep up with his future releases, be sure to check out Mike’s Etsy store, as he plans to keep it updated.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 23, 2012 in Comic Books
What were fanboys and fangurls reading fifty years ago? Well here’s a selection of over fifty comic books from January 1962. The first thing that’s interested about this selection is the variety of genres — superheroes only represent a percentage of the titles that were on newsstands: In 1962 you could find comic books that took place in the old wild west, World War II, outer space and there were also romance comic books for the ladies and quite a few cartoony kid friendly titles as well. Read more…
Like many of you, I had my reservations about Spielberg and Moffat’s The Adventures of Tintin. Based on Georges Remi’s classic comics, the film served as an attempt to revive the series with state-of-the-art 3D animation. After having the pleasure of seeing the film in theaters, those reservations were laid to rest. While the 3D animation may initially appeal to kids, the films plot, littered with a healthy dose of violence and alcoholism, befits a more mature audience — especially those of us who grew up with the comics. Back in November, Weta released a hardcover coffee table art book giving fans a glimpse at the creative process behind the film. Now they’re taking it a step further with its digital release.
This has to be the third or fourth spoof I’ve seen for The Dark Knight Rises trailer, and it’s probably the best one yet. Editor and director, Brad Hansen, decided to sync the audio from the trailer with clips from Disney’s The Lion King. It’s pretty amazing how it all fit together so well. It’s certainly more entertaining than the original trailer, but that’s not too hard to manage.
Check out Kotobukiya’s latest DC Comics Batman ARTFX statue. Does it look familiar? It should — it’s a re-release of their first Batman ARTFX statue, which featured the blue & grey batsuit from Jim Lee’s Hush graphic novel. Now discounted, that original statue was among Kotobukiya’s most popular to date, and while it’s out of print, this latest edition more than makes up for the loss. Kouei Matsumoto’s masterful sculpt still stands as a perfect testament to Lee’s work, and the new black cowl almost makes it worth owning twice. Thankfully Kotobukiya tends to keep their figures and statues reasonably priced for the most part — I’m estimating ~$125. The statue should hits stores next July. Read more…
If you’re looking for the ultimate gift for the Spider-Man fan in your life, this may just be the ticket. Sadly, it doesn’t come out till the second quarter of 2012, but this Black Suit version of Spider-Man from Spider-Man 3 is one of the best Spideys I’ve seen. The joints are all hidden under the fabric of the suit, which looks fantastic. Not only that, the sculpted head of Tobey Maguire is up to the usual Hot Toys standard of ‘looking almost as real as the person’s actual face.’ Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 20, 2011 in Comic Books
I might have procrastinated a bit this holiday season, but thanks to the magic of the world wide web, and the recent proliferation of digital content, I’ve been able to fulfill most of the leftover shopping without having to leave the comfort of my house. Of course, I’m not sure that’s a good thing but I digress. If, like me, you’ve grown fond of your fireplace and would rather curl up next to one than fight those last minute lines, here’s a nice alternative. It might not be the answer for any of your Comic purists, but Marvel is currently offering 30% off their annual digital subscription service. Find out how to save after the jump.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 19, 2011 in Comic Books
Desert Island is a very dangerous comic book shop for me to visit — I always find myself wanting to buy every book that I see in the shop! What makes the store so special is that every inch of it is packed with a wonderful selection of indie comics from all over the world. But in addition to their wonderful selection of books and zines they also have beautiful window display which is a work of art on to its own: Read more…
