By ANDREW A. SMITH, Scripps Howard News Service
Gift ideas for the comics fans in your life
Need holiday gifts for the fanboys and fangirls in your life? Here are some handsome crowd-pleasers, easy to order online:
Holy plot lines! Big changes ahead in the Bat-universe?
It's been a long, strange Bat-trip, which nobody knows better than writer Grant Morrison.
The Clown Prince of Crime now gets a graphic novel
He's been played by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. He's the principal foe of the world's most popular action hero, and has been around since 1940. His origins may or may not include the movie "The Man Who Laughs," a red hood, self-mutilation or a dump in a toxic chemical vat -- his past, he says, is multiple choice.
Kull is back..
Everyone's heard of Conan, which tends to overshadow creator Robert E. Howard's other major barbarian character: Kull the Conqueror. Dark Horse's Arvid Nelson intends to change that with "Kull" No. 1, out this month.
Top five presidential moments in comics
The extraordinary 2008 campaign is finally wrapping up, after what seems like 5 million years. It's not just true of the real world; presidential politics have often played important roles in the comics, too.Let's take a look at my top five presidential moments of yesteryear:
Droll, deadpan look inside 'The Museum Vaults'
One of the best publishers extant is NBM, which has a large and eclectic catalog of comic gems.
Can DC Comics do right by Supergirl?
It's time to pull some of the better books out of the Teetering Tower of Review Comics. Today's theme: Chicks!DC Comics has been touting its new direction and creative team for the Maid of Steel, beginning with "Supergirl" No. 34 ($2.99), out this month. And I have to say my first reaction was anger.
Dark Horse to the rescue
I've often called this the Golden Age of Reprints. And if I'm right, it may have ridden in on a Dark Horse.
In the Marvel Comics universe, you must embrace change.
"Embrace change."You might have heard that on ESPN2 or MTV, where commercials with this message have aired. Or you might have seen it in the many house ads in Marvel Comics. There's even a Web site devoted to it (see below), including screen savers, webisodes and a Twitter link.What does that mean, to embrace change?
Will economic crisis affect richest comic book characters?
With Wall Street imploding, the obvious question on everybody's mind is: How will this affect fictional gazillionaires? OK, maybe not. But it's fun, and we've got a guide to help us figure it out: the annual "Forbes Fictional 15" (Forbes.com), which lists the richest characters who exist only in our imagination -- and in comics, movies, videogames, etc.
