Freak Comics

Stephen King will be teaming up with Marvel to create a new series based off of the main character from his epic Dark Tower series. The comic will launch April of 2006 and will be illustrated by Jae Lee (Marvel seems to have a fixation on guys with the last name Lee).

If you’ve read my past articles, or listened to the recent podcasts, you know that I have a distaste for Marvel. I’m not a huge Stephen King fan either. The few stories I’ve read of his were OK, but I didn’t find him to be the most eloquent writer. When his books are translated in to movies, they are just terrible (Secret Window, case in point) as is oft the case with any book. Stephen King’s ideas are good though, and I’m interested in seeing what he can pull off when he turns his talents to a comic book.

I really doubt this will give a massive boost to Marvel. For that to happen they need to scrap their writers and start fresh.

At the beginning of September Image saw fit to remove their existing site and replace it with an ugly splash screen… for nearly two months! Today they finally released their new design and it’s… um… well it’s better than their last one.

Image was going in a good direction, even with the poor design execution.

Simplicity was obviously key, and the color scheme, and lack of information overload reflects this. There are no moving elements outside of the link roll, and I’m happy to find that flash is no where to be seen.

You can finally check a new release list, which is very nice because checking DiamondComics.com was the best way to get this information in the past… and sometimes the best is also the worst. This was one of those cases, but all has been made right in this area.

There is also a blog on the site now. Here’s what Image had to say about it in the official press release:

The blog is a place where any creator working on an Image Comics title has a voice to talk about not only their upcoming work, but to share artwork, concepts, previews and more!

This is a good thing… for now. But it could go downhill. I could see this space turning in to a big advertisement for their comics. I guess it all depends on how much leeway they give their employees.

I am really very disappointed at the lack of creativity shown in the overall design. It could have redefined comic book websites, but instead it failed. The visual elements are weak, and I just don’t understand the layout.

The worst part of the new site is the navigation. It’s a jumbled up mess. I sat there starring at my screen for nearly a full minute trying to make sense of the header before I realized what I was looking at. Someone PLEASE explain this design decision to me. Is it simply a take on tag clouds? Those things are bad news, why imitate them?

Last, but not least I would like to touch on the development aspect. The markup is insanely long on the home page, due in part to the use of tables. The site is far from valid as it currently spews out 187 errors. There is also a style sheet. What the style sheet lacks in errors (only 1 at the moment), it makes up for in warnings(too many to count).

Image seems to be a bit more pleased with the results:

The sleek new design, by Steven (Hawaiian Dick) Griffin and Image Comics own Production Artist Allen Hui, has been in development for months and sports a host of features, including:

Sleek? In development for MONTHS?! Unbelievable.

So was this site worth the wait, and was it smart of Image to take down their site 2 months before releasing a new design?

No, not in the least.

Read The Adventures of Stickman #42

This podcast starts out with an argument between Bill and myself over his comments about the Power Cosmic. We also discuss several of our favorite comic book movies, and a few we don’t like.

Listen to the Freak Comics podcast: Movies (episode 2)

I have had an extremely hard time coming across comic books as of late. As far as I know, only two stores carry them in my area: a comic books shop, and a gaming shop.

I distinctly remember being a kid and walking in to just about any given grocery store, book store, or drug store and having a large selection of comic books to chose from. Now everywhere I look comic book sales are extinct. Even Barnes & Nobel has stopped selling monthly titles (you can still acquire graphic novels).

It’s really hard for me to make it to the comic book shop, too. Many times I make my wife do the dirty work because they close at 5pm tuesday, thursday and friday. Saturday and Sunday I’m usually too busy to make it there. Monday’s they are closed and on Wednesday they’re open until 6pm, unless business is slow and then they close early.

The gaming shop is pretty much useless for comic books. They have a few on the rack (mainly consisting of old Connan issues and a hefty supply of Dork Tower) but they are in bad shape. The other issues are kept behind the counter because they’re special order only.

Things are different these days. Is it because I am no longer living near Chicago and this area is full of inbred aliterate hicks? Or is this a trend being seen throughout the country?

Read The Adventures of Stickman #41

I am often heard saying that reading a comic book in itself does not make one a dork. Unfortunately if you are seen with a comic book in your hand, ‘dork’ is the exact label you will be given by the general public. Before abandoning your hobby, check yourself against this list. If any of the scenarios below describe you, then you are a definitely a dork and have no chance at getting either a girl, respect, admiration or normal friends. You should throw away all of your comic books, or better yet, send them to me.

1. If you had the chance to date a supermodel but it meant burning your comic books in a cerimonial fire and never looking back, you would weep bitterly at the impossibility of such an act and bury your nose in the latest X-Men graphic novel.
2. You think personal hygiene is for dorks.
3. You first met most, if not all of your friends at a comic book shop.
4. You wear costumes to comic book conventions.
5. You have a hard time deciding whom you would rather date: Jean Grey, Mary Jane or Catwoman.
6. When relating your past ‘adventures’, it becomes evident to the listener that you are actually describing Role Playing Game scenarios from your last gaming session.
7. You believe that wearing black from head to toe makes you one or all of the following:
   • Attractive.
   • Cool.
   • Instyle.
   • Approachable.
   • Thinner.
8. You regularly participate in collectable card tournaments… and you’re 35 years old.
9. You enjoyed watching Electra.
10. Your priorities, in order are:
    1. Comic books
    2. Collectable cards
    3. Movies with comic book themes
    4. Cartoons with comic book themes
    5. Money
    6. Food
    7. Sleep
    8. Girls

My friend Bill and I got together a couple of days ago and recorded our first podcast. I have to say, it turned out really well, but don’t take my word for it, Listen for yourself. The entire show is a little over one hour in length but manages to stay interesting.

You can subscribe to the podcast with feedburner. This link was also added to the sidebar under the ‘Extras’ heading.

Be sure and post a comment with your suggestions and opinions. We love hearing from our readers and listeners!

This got posted with a bum link. It has been fixed, so read on fearless reader!

Read The Adventures of Stickman #40

I got an “invitation” in my email today. Apparently I’m invited to waste $4.99 of my hard earned cash on a comic book celebrating the 40th wedding anniversary of Reed and Sue Richards. If I throw my money to Marvel, they’ll also include some recycled content!

Thanks for the invite Marvel, but I’d rather blow my face off with a shot gun.