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"The Prism Guide to Comics" arrives in stores, a zombie musical and more!
- What's gay at the NY Comic Con?
Who's attending the New York Comic Con, this weekend? Queer comics advocates Prism Comics will be helping to bring some gay sensibility to the gathering. On Sunday, Ivan Velez, Jr. leads a "Gays in Comics" panel that asks, "Glorified, Gentrified or Ghetto-Sized?" to a group that includes Phil Jimenez, Tim Fish, Stephen Sadowski and Jose Villarrubia. And on Saturday, don't miss the acclaimed Ariel Schrag's appearance at Jim Hanley's Universe.
- 8 Years, 100 Million, 35 titles:
Electronic Arts bragged this week that The Sims franchise has sold over a hundred million units. There are a lot of reasons behind the game's popularity, I think one important factor is that you can't find a more gay inclusive video game (though it's probably just as important to note how gay friendly its fanbase is). I still remember the thrill of picking up the first Sims game on the release date and figuring out that, yes, you could have same-sex romances. That gets me thinking to how a gay couple in the first game could only move in together, while The Sims 2 let same-sex couples become unioned and enjoy the same wedding ceremonies... I wonder if any more equality will be seen by gay sims in the upcoming third game.
- Old Kingdom, New Screenplay:
While I'm not sure if the devoted fanbase for Garth Nix' fantasy novel Sabriel includes a gay segment, I always figured that to be the case -- don't gay geeks have a weakness for brainy heroines from Nancy Drew to Barbara Gordon? Sabriel fans this week got some promising news this week as Nix announced that he's working on a Sabriel screenplay with gay ally Dan Futterman. Normally, I'd be worried about getting the tone right but considering the last time Futterman adapted a novel into a screenplay we got Capote, I think the project is starting out on solid ground. On and since I've got an excuse, here's the handsome Mister Futterman:
Any Sabriel fans out there? (And who would you cast to play the young, hunky and easily befuddled Prince Touchstone?)
- Raise your hand if 'Huh?':
Well, here's a very surprising bit of news, the next game in the Mortal Kombat series will be a Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game. Honestly, I'm having a hard time imagining this working out to either brand's advantage -- Mortal Kombat wouldn't be the same without the fatalities (even the repetitive ones from Armageddon) while the idea of The Flash (sadly, Wonder Woman is now an inapt example -- thank you very much Infinite Crisis) punching off his enemies heads doesn't sound like the DC game I've been waiting to play. On the other hand the idea of Dick Greyson battling Johnny Cage does have its appeal (or how about Black Canary versus Mileena). What do you think?
- "Get out of the house and play (in someone else's house)!" :
I only just saw this year-old ad for the pen & paper Dungeons & Dragons and I'm curious what people think: 
(In case the image is too small, the ad reads, "If you're going to sit in your basement pretending to be an elf, you should at least have some friends over to help. Get together. Roll some dice. Have fun.") It feels a bit full circle to see the P&P RPG calling another type of game anti-social. That gave me a chuckle, at least.
Submitted by on Fri, 2008-04-18 14:02.
- "It's Spawn but gay":
Gay comics site Pink Kryptonite interviewed Prism Comics co-founder Charles "Zan" Christensen this week. The discussion included his gay-themed comic Mark of Aeacus, the development of Prism and other queer comic creators. Prism has been very effective as a comics advocacy group, working to make it easier for gay readers to support LGBT and LGBT-friendly creators, and Zan's been a big part of that empowerment.
- If you dare wear short robes...
Long time comic readers likely know artist Colleen Doran. A Distant Soil stands out as an early example of a gay male character with a dedicated female fanbase. She also co-pencilled the infamous Legion issue where Shvaughn Erin was revealed as transgender. Right now, Doran is sharing unpublished art from her 1987 Marvel mini-series Fallen Angels, including this scene of X-hottie Jamie Madrox (aka The Multiple Man) in a robe so short it "nearly gave (Fallen Angels) editor Bob Harras a heart attack". It's a fun example of Doran's challenged the exclusionary tendencies of comic book fandom. Besides, it involves Madrox, who's been hinted as having a bisexual side. Doran promises pages that took inches off of Harras' headline all on their own. I wonder if she means this newly-posted page of Jamie fighting for his clothes:  Doran muses that "it’s not every day you get to draw a mighty Marvel mutant in a struggle with a sentient mutant cybernetic lobster for control of a pair of pants." Sadly, true. (BTW, that's just a portion of the art Doran shares, be sure to visit her site for the full pages and more of Doran's wonderful work.)
- Uuuuh, yeah, I guess you could say our priorities are misplaced:
I don't know how to react to this except to shake my head. Parenting game site What They Play asked its readers what they would find more offensive in a video game. The site's users answered that they'd be more offended by two men kissing than a "graphically severed human head". Seriously? At least gay kisses placed a distant second to a heterosexual sex scene. I know American audiences are generally more tolerant of violence than sexuality but still ... these people would rather their kids play Mortal Kombat than The Sims?
- Apocalyptic anticipation:
Since I know there's a lot of anticipation for the third installment in the Fallout series (which has been gay-inclusive in the past) I thought some Week in Gay Geek readers might be excited to see some new teaser screens.  The apocalypse looks pretty good.
- Attention Q-Mart shoppers:
YAOI readers might want to take note that publisher 801 Media announced on their blog that some of their earlier titles are almost out of stock, so if you've been procrastinating on one of 801's titles, "now or never" time might be coming soon. I've had my eye o Ichigenme, a title from Fumi Yoshinaga (one of the creators I highlighted in my look at YAOI comics) since realizing how Yoshinaga nimbly mixes gay issues with escapist romance.
- The week in comic mash-ups:
The first movie I ever saw in the theatres was Race for Your Life Charlie Brown, so I'm probably likely to like anything that puts the Peanuts through a new creative filter and that includes this illustration of the Peanuts characters as the Watchmen characters:  Since I always quibble, I do wonder about how the characters were matched up, Snoopy as Rorschach is brilliant and Charlie Brown as Dr. Manhattan actually makes some twisted sense... but Linus as The Comedian? (I see him as more of a Night-Owl myself) and Lucy as the Silk Spectre? What do you think? How would you mix Peanuts characters with Watchmen mystery men?
Submitted by on Fri, 2008-04-11 15:09.
- I wonder, wonder why the WonderCon:
For those of you who are heading out to Wondercon in San Francisco this weekend, local alt-weekly the Bay Guardian takes a look at what's gay at the convention. Meanwhile, Prism Comics has an even fuller agenda for gay fans. The San Francisco Chronicle also takes a look at the con's gay content. In addition to those panels, the Prism Comics booth is a place where you can usually find a wide variety of LGBT comics.
- Wolverine adds three hunks and Morrison creation:
While most gay bloggers have been quick to notice the increasingly hunky cast of the Wolverine movie (which now includes Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Daniel Henney, along with Hugh Jackman), it's the news that Dominic Monaghan will be playing Beak that has gotten my attention. Beak? Beak? My inner Grant Morrison fanboy is pretty excited to hear that one of his characters is going to be a part of one of the X-Men films. Now, if only we could see signs of how Morrison pushed the franchise (creatively as well as its gay metaphor) forward in his New X-Men run show up in future films. Oh, and because the excuse doesn't come up often, here's an illustration of how abtastic the Wolverine film is getting:
There aren't many guys who can manage to still look hot despite being stuck with Sally Brown's hairdo, but Jackman certainly manages it. (I'd link you to the Tim O'Neil comic I stole that joke from, but I can't find it anymore ... can anyone with better Google-fu help?)
- Wii old school gamers love the Commodore:
One way of establishing your nerd credibility -- at least if you're old enough -- is by reminiscing about Commodore. (I get to mix my Commodore geekery with my marketing geekery by being able to tell people how my parents bought me two of Commodore's failed C64 emulators ... anyone remember the Commodore Plus 4 or the Commodore 128?) Wii owners are going to get the chance to indulge in that nostalgia when Commodore classics become available as Wii Ware titles in Europe. Now, if only someone would realize how the genius Dan Dare video game needs to be introduced to a wider audience. (And is Dan Dare the nexus of video game, anglophile and comics geekdom?)
- Turok the Guykiss Hunter:
Well, this could have made it interesting, a conceptual storyboard for the Turok videogame reveal a cut scene where the game's dinosaur hunter locks lips with another guy.
I'm not sure how the Turok franchise just keeps on going. No matter how much I ignore it, it keeps coming back (unlike Quantum and Woody or other Acclaim title I liked). Is there a quality about this one the rather generic title and bland story descriptions are hiding?
- Boys on film:
The Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic The Boys was optioned for a possible film recently, which I have to admit has me a bit worried. While Ennis' history as a comic writer is mostly gay friendly (we did have complaints about his work on Midnighter and I'm not sure if there's a gay-friendly angle to The Boys' infamous "hamster" cover), his edgy style of humor is the type where some of his gay jokes can take on a homophobic undercurrent if mishandled by the screenwriter (and from what I've read about The Boys the title does have the occasional crude gay joke), this is one film I'll be keeping a cautious watch over.
Submitted by on Fri, 2008-02-22 15:37.
- Steve Gerber, RIP:
Early this week, the comics world was saddened to learn that influential comics creator Steve Gerber had died. Gerber's most important creation was Howard the Duck, which mixed absurd elements with social relevance (including mockery of anti-gay activists like Anita Bryant); Gerber made a lasting mark on comics.
I have to admit, I never warmed up to Howard the Duck but loved his mini-series Nevada (which turned a throwaway Howard gag about a showgirl and her pet ostrich battling a lamp into a series of its own) and his prison drama Hard Time (which included a great transgender character). There's a long list of amazing comics we wouldn't have seen if not for Gerber's influence on the medium. (In case you haven't noticed, all of the images at the top come from comics Gerber wrote, including an issue from his Defenders run.)
- Which raises the question of if the Face of Boe is any different:
On a cheerier note, this could be my new favorite fancomic in ages: Torchwood Babiez, which hilariously makes fun of the Doctor Who spin-off using adorable pint-sized versions of the Torchwood team. There's also a special guest appearance by an adorable pint-sized Doctor... and is that a lil' Rose Tyler with the Dalek dolly?
I always chuckle at the sight of Ianto crying in Jack's arms.
- Thomas Roddy has a Heart:
I wasn't aware of Sequential Heart until Pride High creator Tommy Roddy became a part of the organization. The group works on getting comics that would otherwise end up discarded or destroyed to be donated to homeless youth programs. Sounds like a cause worth paying attention to ... I wonder if they'd be interested in nine copies of X-Force #1...
- Glam and Pride:
Meanwhile, Roddy's Pride High was also one of the recipients of Prism Comics' Queer Press Grant, along with Justin Hall's Glamizonia. The Queer Press Grant is focused on helping LGBT-created and themed comics get published, an additional challenge for independent creators (the major arena for finding gay inclusive comics) that can really distract from the creative process. Both Hall and Roddy say they plan on using the grant to publish collected editions of their series, which certainly make me happy as someone who usually waits for something that'll sit nicely on my bookshelf.
- The gay Wondercon agenda:
And speaking of Prism Comics, those of you planning on attending Wondercon next week should check out the organization's plans for the Bay Area comic convention. As usual gay creators will be spending time at the booth (including Hall and Roddy) and Prism is hosting a panel Saturday afternoon on LGBT voices in comics as well as a reading and mixer at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Center. Prism is also looking for volunteers to help man the booth.
- Releasing Spores:
One of the most highly anticipated games finally got a release date this week. It turns out that evolution sim game Spore will hit stores September 7. If you're not familiar with Spore, it's the latest innovative idea from the same mind that gave us SimCity and the gay-inclusive The Sims, Will Wright. The game will let you control the evolution of a species from the single-cell stage, guiding them through becoming sentient, forming civilizations and developing technologies. I think the last time I was this excited over a game, it was over The Sims.
- The Eiffel Tower lit by the glow of a blue screen:
Lastly, here's a bit of Microsoft schadenfreude humor for you: a photograph of the video billboard outside of the Paris casino in Vegas showing a blue screen of death. Because it's funny when the blue screen doesn't toll for thee. 
Submitted by on Fri, 2008-02-15 15:26.
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