Not-So-Free Art

Recently there has been some works of art sold at some extremely high prices. For instance, the highest amount ever spent for a single comic page is now $200,000, which a major collector has paid for Wally Wood's original cover art for Weird Science #16 (1952). Definitely a classic piece by a master at his peak!


$200,000

Also recently a 1962 painting of Green Lantern by non-comic artist Mel Ramos was sold at $600,000. It is odd to me that this particular picture of Hal Jordan would generate more interest than any art drawn by any of the actual comic artists who worked on GL throughout the years. This piece was created by a "Pop Artist," and like some of the works of Warhol and Lichtenstein, I really can't decide if it is tribute or a satire. Perhaps it is both and that's why it was able to get such a high sale. Two for the price of one!


$600,000

However, what astounds me is a painting auctioned off last month that sold for a whopping $34 million - the most expensive work ever spent on a living artist. The 1995 oil on canvas piece by Lucian Freud is titled "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping."


$34,000,000

Now far be it for me to make any jokes about the size of the lady pictured. In fact, if it were me as the subject instead, you wouldn't see much of the couch! And I have no problem with the style or technique. But 34 MILLION FRELLING DOLLARS!?!?!?! Even if I could fathom having that much in the bank and in some weird Brewster's Millions scenario I had to spend it all on a piece of art, this painting would be far from my first choice. I just don't get it.

Great Books - Free Sketches!!!

This month, DCBS has Jetta/Shi: Arrow of Destiny available for pre-order. The book is a prelude to the upcoming War of the independents comic event which features various characters from a ton of indie books. In this particular crossover, Jetta partners with the legendary Shi to to honor an age-old promise to protect the sacred Arrow of Nobunaga, an item capable of unleashing unspeakable evil.

If all that is not enough for you to order the book, how about this: all orders placed through DCBS, will get a FREE sketch from Martheus Wade as well as a 45% discount off the cover price! You may recall that I got a sketch earlier this year from the Wades at Con Nooga and I strongly recommend that everyone take advantage of this deal. There's just no reason NOT to order this book!


The fine folks at DCBS have encouraged similar promotions recently, and I happily fall for it every time. A couple of months ago, I got the above FREE sketch of Kimoyo by artist Dave Beaty with the third issue of Bushi Tales.

And if you order the trade collection of Horrorwood via InStockTrades.com (a sister site of DCBS), you can get a FREE sketch of your choice by Brent Schoonover. It made a perfect addition to my Dracula collection:


So now you don't have to wait for a con to get a sketch! Though I would always recommend attending not only to get sketches, but to meet these talented and friendly folks in person! Help support them by ordering their books.

And did I mention you get a FREE sketch!?!?!?!

Go Speed Racer Go

It has become an annual tradition - the Box Office Summer Movie Challenge. It began many moons ago between my cousin and me and it has persevered throughout the years and gained the attention of contestants around the globe. To successfully predict the results of the blockbuster movie season requires knowledge, skill, and a bit of luck. I am proud to say that I have had the good fortune of holding the trophy a few times in the history of the event.

But not this year. That Speed Racer flick has mucked up everything...

I admit it was a risky pick. So much so, that I did not feel confident enough to pick it to win, only to place. I really thought it had potential. Yeah many of my friends were not excited by the trailers, but they are not the target audience anyway. As it turns out, who ever is the target audience was not interested either. The film opened in third place with $18.6 million and was beat by Ashton Kutcher and a second strong week of Iron Man.

OUCH!

Such a loss places my entire bracket in serious jeopardy. My 2008 picks were the following:

1. Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2. Speed Racer

3. Wall-E

4. The Dark Knight

5. Iron Man

Whatever happens with for the rest of the summer, it'll be nearly impossible to recover from this loss. Here's some advise, if Robert Meyer Burnett offers you some Kool-Aid, go get a Coke.

Though I may have lost the summer, I'll throw this prediction out there: Both of Brendan Fraser's movies (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D & The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) combined grosses will be less than any single entry in the top five when the summer is over.

NLM News Stew

• Last weekend's Free Comic Book Day was a fun time, despite the no show by Sean and the Batlanta Crime Cruiser (Mr. Tayler had family obligations and the Batmobile does not do rain). Nevertheless, I had a great time talking comics with the fine folks at Galactic Quest (as always), and it was an absolute pleasure meeting artist Wilfredo Torres. If you have not yet done so, I strongly recommend checking out Salem: Queen of Thorns - an interesting story with some great art. It was one of the many freebies I walked away with, and one of the best. Others of note include Project Superpowers: Death-Defying 'Devil, the debut of Ursula Wilde in Ape Entertainment's Cartoona Palooza, Tiny Titans, the EC Sampler, Atomic Robo & Friends, and the "Comics Go Hollywood" book put together by TwoMorrows Publishing.
  
  
• Speaking of low-cost comics...I am pleased to report that Terrence Bernard's Sophia: Awakening #1 is now available for download at the incredibly low price of $1.50! Now you can see what all the fuss was about at this year's NYCC! Visit Parasite Publishing and secure your copy today!
  
  
• This Mother's Day, I honored the "mom" of our feline family with dinner and and a movie. She has a fancy for wuxia films, so we checked out The Forbidden Kingdom. I cannot call it great, but it had plenty of fun moments, and the fight scene between Jackie Chan and Jet Li is reason enough to spend money on it.
  
  
  
  
• Re: last week's episode of Doctor Who. Forget classics like "The Two Doctors," "The Three Doctors," and even "The Five Doctors." "The Poison Sky" features two Marthas! That's the stuff dreams are made of!!!
  
  
• Late last month, BOOM! Studios announced that it has acquired the rights to produce Farscape comics! The creative team has yet to be announced, but you can believe I'll be watching this project with a keen eye. It's about frelling time!
  
  
• It has been a long time since I cared about the NBA Finals, but if this year's features the Boston Celtics vs the Los Angeles Lakers, I'll be watching every game.
  
  
• Last but certainly not least, legendary artist Gene Colan has liver failure and Clifford Meth is organizing an auction on Colan’s behalf. More details can be found here.
  

Kit Fisto Lives Again!

Earlier this week, the theatrical trailer for the animated adventure Star Wars: The Clone Wars made its debut and it looks like all kinds of awesome. If you have not already done so, you can check it out at StarWars.com.

For those wondering why Lucas chose to make a series set during the time between Episode II & III, the answer is very simple...
KIT FISTO RULES!

Movie Review - Iron Man

This past weekend, the 2008 Summer Movie Season began with a BANG! Iron Man is a fun ride, mainly due to the top-notch performance of Robert Downey Jr. and his super-cool suit of armor. Downey takes the role of Tony Stark and makes it his, so much so that is difficult to imagine anyone else needed to audition. It has been a long while since I've seen him in a leading role, but he plays the part with such confidence and charisma, well worth the price of admission. And he gets one of the best props in movie history - a super suit!


IMHO, Adi Granov's armor design is the best in the character's 45 year history and it looks amazing on the big screen! The action sequences in this movie made me understand for the first time the appeal of this character. You will believe a metal man can fly!

I found most of the other aspects of the movie to be adequate. The modern interpretation of the origin works very well and seems quite fresh, though the main conflict is fairly by-the-book. The supporting cast is fairly one-dimensional, particularly Gwneth Paltrow, who often looks lost in the role of Pepper Potts (not sure she is as much to blame as the writers though). Jeff Bridges wonderfully chews up the screen in his over-the-top performance as Obidian Stane and it left me wanting more confrontational scenes between him and Stark outside the suits.

My only other complaint is the music. The score was dramatic enough, but once again I lament the loss of character themes in recent movies. Did the fine work of John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith teach today's film composers nothing? How lazy is it to not have a powerful new Iron Man theme during the end credits, but instead rely on classic Black Sabbath to do the work for you?

And speaking of the end credits... The "bonus" scene was well worth the wait! A very awesome fanboy moment which gave me goosebumps! I hope it comes to fruition during my lifetime!

As the first entry in this summer's blockbusters, Iron Man delivers and sets the bar for this season. Not only did I enjoy it a lot, but my girlfriend who is not a superhero fan, was absolutely giddy leaving the theater. I would hardly call it the best comic movie ever, but it is a fun ride. And here's a fun fact: one of the executive producers was Peter Billingsley (Ralphie in A Christmans Story).

Free Stuff!!!

For many (like my girlfriend), The First Saturday in May signals the most exciting two minutes in sports. However, for fanboys and fangirls everywhere there's a whole day of excitement with FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!


I'll be spending most of the day at my LCS, hanging out with comic writer Sean Taylor and artist Wilfredo Torres, and may even take a ride in the Batlanta Crime Cruiser.

If you can't make it to a comic store on Saturday, fret not! You can still get some freebies online. According to Tom, the editor of the super cool magazine Hogan's Alley, everyone who sends him an email on Saturday will be sent a FREE issue!

"No obligations, no strings attached; the only thing it will cost you is several hours as you enjoy the issue. (This offer is valid for all U.S. residents, whether you’re a current subscriber or not.) Remember the one condition - we must receive your e-mail request on Free Comic Book Day, not the day before or the day after. The email address is hoganmag@gmail.com."

You can also get a FREE Star Wars book for a limited time! The ninth and final book in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series will go on sale May 13th and to celebrate, Del Rey is offering the first book, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, as a FREE downloadable PDF, audio book, and eBook. This promotional offer will run for two weeks, from 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, until midnight on Tuesday, May 13. The free download, which can be shared, e-mailed or printed, will be available on www.legacyoftheforce.com.