Monday, March 28, 2011

Life in Hell

Blinky, Sheba and Bongo (Above)


Overview

The comic is about anthropomorphic rabbits and gay brothers Akbar & Jeff. It explores topics like death, work, love and sex. The comic often has serialized story lines.

History

Life in Hell was a self-published comic book created by Matt Groening. Matt gave copies of it to his friends and sold them at a record store he worked at. The strip later appeared in Wet magazine and the Los Angeles Reader. While he never fully gave up on the strip, he has trouble doing it due to his involvement with television.

Recurring Characters



  • Blinky- He is main character and an everyman despite being a rabbit. He is often bitter and depressed. He usually has a dead end job and embodies alienation and dread. He often sees a therapist and has a bad apartment. Despite this, he usually is full of wise sayings.

  • Sheba- Blinky's girlfriend. She and Blinky are often used a generic couple when the plot demands one.

  • Bongo- He is Blinky's one eared illegitimate son. Matt has made several references to him in cartoons he works on.

  • Akbar & Jeff- Two "brothers or lovers... and possibly both". Matt claims they are gay. They have Charlie Brown-like shirts and fezzes and own many businesses such as Akabr & Jeff's Bootleg "Akbar & Jeff" T-Shirt Hut. They some time appear in 16-panel grid strips that only they appear in. Unlike most of the characters, they are human.

  • Matt Groening and his sons sometime appear as rabbits.

  • Snarla- A cat that looks like Lisa Simpson. She is Bongo's love interest and classmate.

  • Mr. Simpson- Blinky's dog boss. He predates The Simpson cartoon.

  • Gooey, Screwy and Ratatouille- A parody of Huey, Dewey and Louie and are Akbar and Jeff's triplet nephews.

Recurring Situations and Gags



  • Fake Magazines

  • How to Guides

  • Miniseries- Strips told in a mock textbook-style

  • Akbar & Jeff Discussing About Their Relationship

  • Binky Tries to Meditate

  • Ads for Akbar & Jeff's Shady Businesses

  • Bongo Trapped In Detention

  • Bongo Being Unhappy With The Huge Amounts of Gifts He Gets For Christmas

  • Shadow Rabbit- Blinky's shadow towering over Bongo, when did something wrong despite his claims he didn't (even though it's obvious he did)

  • How to Draw Blinky

References:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_In_Hell

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Liberty Legion

History
The Liberty Legion were a group of B-list Golden Age superheroes assembled by Bucky in 1942 to save the Invaders from the Red Skull. The heroes included: the Blue Diamond, Jack Frost, Red Raven, the Thin Man (no connection to the movie), the Whizzer, Miss America and the Patriot. After saving the Invaders, they became superhero team protect America from the Nazi, while the Invaders fought them overseas. Many of the LL's members that been re-introduce into the Marvel Comics continuity.
Liberteens
The Liberteens (pun on "libertine") were a morden day teenage version of the Liberty Legion, with each member being based on a LL member. During the Secret Invasion, it turned out that their leader Revolutionary (based on Patriot) was a Skrull sleeper agent. The skrulls tried to kill the Liberteens via pioson gas, but Whiz Kid (Whizzer) saved her team mates.
References:

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Flaming Carrot Comics

Titular Character
The titular character is a surrealist parody of superheroes. The Flaming Carrot was once a normal person, but became brain damaged after reading "5,000 comics in a single sitting" to win a bet. He decided to become a superhero (likely because of his mentally instability): the Flaming Carrot. He protects Palookaville (where he lives) and Iron City (which happens to be near by).
His dialogue tends to be disjointed and peppered with non-sequiturs and odd pop culture references. He is often a womanizing, hard-drinking and mentally unstable individual (likely a parody of the "grim and gritty" antiheroes), but somehow still is on the side of the Establishment and once acted like a "clean cut, all American" superhero. He also often reflects on pieces of philosophy, why someone would become a superhero and the side effects of having a speaker transplanted into one's chest (don't ask).
So far, FC has stopped a Communist take over of Iron City, 3 alien invasions, the Man in the Moon, an army of clones of Hilter's boots and Death itself. He also formed a group of blue-collar superheroes called the Mystery Men.
Powers and Abilities
His mask has live flames on the top of it (hence his name) and a secret compartment for odd gadgets (such as a nuclear-powered pogo stick). He has a utility belt full of seemingly useless stuff that still proves lethal in combat. He wears flippers on his feet in case he needs to swim. Unlike most superheroes, he is completely willing to use firearms and has been seen using a semi-automatic pistol.
References:

Friday, March 11, 2011

Limited Series

A limited series is a comic with a fixed amount of issues.
History
In 1979, Dave Sim was hospitalized, due to overdose of grass and LSD. During this time, he came up with the idea for Cerebus the Aardvark and to limit it to 300 issues. Cerebus was the very first limited series (although somehow Dave failed to realize the latter).
DC Comic, which was suffering from the damage of the DC Implosion, decided to experiment with this style of story telling, which proved successful. Later, Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics adopted the style of story telling.
Length
Although 4 to 6 issues is the norm, the number of issues can vary. Gen13 ran for 4 issues, while Squadron Supreme and Watchmen had 12 issues. Usually, an issue of a limited series will say on the cover what the limit of issues is.
References:

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Batman

Publication History
Creation
Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Bob's early design of Batman was a Superman-look-alike with a domino mask and stiff bat wings coming out of his back. Finger gave several suggestion to improve the character's look such as him having a cowl and cape. Batman was influenced by Zorro, the Phantom, the Shadow (who is often mistaken for Batman-knock off), Doc Savage and Sherlock Homes. Although many stories did not actually give credit to the creators in that time, later, the title panel would every now and then give Bob credit.
Early Years
First appearing in Detective Comics # 27, Batman started out as a hero who had little remorse for killing the villains. The character evolved over time. In issue 29, he got his trademark utility belt and in issue 31 he got the Bat-Plane and bat-shaped boomerangs. His origin wasn't revealed until issue 33. By issue 38, the character was be soften up by introducing the first Robin to act as his "Watson". Batman got his own comic, which not only introduced Joker and Catwoman in the first issue, but also his "no killing" rule.
1950s and 1960s
Due to the criticisms of Seduction of the Innocent, Batman became much softer and a less dark hero and had more female supporting characters. The comic started to become more sci-fi oriented and introduce characters like Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound, who would later be erased from the Batman mythos. He also became a founding member of the Justice League.
New Batman
Editor Julius Schwartz made major changes to Batman such as removing Bat-Mite and making the comic more detective-oriented again. Due to the popularity of the Batman television show featuring Adam West, the comics gained a campy touch. Writer Dennis O'Neil would later try and keep Batman away from the campy overtones. But, sales were bad.
Back to the Basic
Thanks to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Batman regained popularity as well as returned to his dark roots. A notable event was when fans could vote on if Jason Todd (the second Robin) would live or DIE! Lets just say things did turn out too good for Jason. In "Batman R.I.P.", Batman was killed. In "Battle for the Cowl", Dick Grayson (the first Robin) became the new Batman.
Character Biography
Origin
Young Bruce Wayne was leaving a movie when his parents where mugged. The mugger (later revealed to be Joe Chill) killed his parents. On his parent's grave, he swore to fight crime. After spending years of training in fighting, he decided to become a vigilante. But, he wanted to inflict criminals with fear... but how? One night, a giant bat flew into his study. Taking his as an omen, he decided to become "a bat" and became Batman. By day, he was an irresponsible playboy.
Golden Age
After several years of brutally fighting crime, Batman witnessed the Flying Graysons killed. He took their son (Dick Grayson) under his wing and dubbed him "Robin". The duo would fight many enemies such as Catwoman, Joker and Riddler. Batman had a few adventures with the Justice Society of America. Later, Alfred Pennyworth became his butler (in this version this is the first time Batman met him) and discovered that Batman and Bruce Wayne were one and the same. Also, Vicki Vale (a Lois Lane knock off) became Batman's first girlfriend that didn't try to kill him.
Silver Age
The Golden Age Batman was rewritten so he existed in a reality known as Earth-Two, where he married Catwoman. The main reality Batman's origin was given a new twist: Joe Chill was hired to kill Batman's parents. It was revealed his dad (Thomas Wayne) stopped a mobster called Lew Moxon. Lew hired Joe to kill Thomas and his wife (which he did). This Batman became a founding member of the Justice League of America (the Silver Age counterpart to the JSA). Later, Robin decided to go solo. Batman's stories became darker such as his arch-enemy Joker became more sadistic and psychopathic. Later, Batman quit the JLA and joined the Outsiders, only to quit later too.
Modern Age
Batman was rebooted to be much darker. Also, Alfred was rewritten to be a father figure to Bruce. Batman got a new Robin: Jason Todd. Jason tried to find his genetic mom... only to get beaten half to death and blown up by the Joker. This caused Batman to become even more dark. However, he still had more Robins. A villain called Bane broke his back and Batman gave Azrael the mantle of the Bat, while he recovered, which he did. However, upon battling the god-like Darksied, his mind is sent to parallel worlds. However, it seems more like Darkseid actually killed him. Dick Grayson ends up becoming the new Batman. Through a complex series of events, Bruce gets back to normal and decides to open up Batman Inc.

Homosexual Interpretations
The before mentioned Seduction of the Innocent accused Batman and Robin of being a gay couple and them a "homosexual fantasy". However, creators disagree if Batman is gay or not. While Alan Grant says Batman isn't gay, Frank Miller views them as a "homophobic nightmare". Devin Grayson, a writer, said while he doesn't think Batman is gay "It depends who you ask".
References:

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Thor

Marvel Comics

In version of Thor, Odin thought Thor needed to be taught a lesson in humility. So, he transformed him into a medical student named Donald Blake with a lame leg. Donald had no idea he was Thor. However, he found a walking stick and upon striking against a rock, it became his hammer and he became Thor. Thor became a staple superhero in the Marvel Universe.

DC Comics

A more traditional version of Thor appears in The Sandman. He is over-musclar idiot with a hammer able to change size. In "Seasons of Mists", he accompanies Odin to the Dreaming and keep an eye on Loki, while they tried (and failed) to convince Morpheus to give them the key to hell. In the "Kindly Ones", he taking Loki back to Hel, but Loki nearly tricks him into killing him (Hel is much worse then death), but Odin stopped him.

Comico Comics

Here is a wannabe hero that often causes more help than harm. He appears in the Elementals series.

Willy Vandersteen

Willy, a Flemish comic artist, created a caveman called "Tor" (in Dutch the difference in "T" and "Th" is rarely noticed). However, the actual god Thor appears as being very powerful, but bound by responibility.

Valhalla (comics)

Thor (the guy in the picture above with the red hair) appears in a comic called Valhalla, which, despite being base on mythology, makes jokes involving other pieces of fiction and current events. Here is he a powerful, but honest, god. In this, he is married Sif.

Others

  • Weird Comics featured a scienist that gained the powers of Thor from a lightning bolt.
  • Thor appears in Life Eaters.
  • Image Comics have had two villainous versions of Thor.
  • The comic strip BC has caveman named Thor.
  • El Cazador De Aventuras, an Argentinan Comic, featured Thor in it's Ragnarok remake.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(Marvel_Comics)
The Sandman "Seasons of Mists" and "The Kindly Ones" TPB

Monday, March 7, 2011

Shade, the Changing Man

Steve Ditko Years
Rac Shade was a secret agent from the Meta-Zone, an alternate dimension, which is part of the even bigger Zero-Zone. Rac was framed for treason and was sentenced to death. Of course, Rac went on the run and tried to clear his name. He used the M-Vest that allows him to generate force fields and cause his appearance to change depending on the mental state of the viewer (hence "the Changing Man"). Mellu Loron, his former girlfriend, wanted to kill him, because she (incorrectly) thought he killed her parents. However, she changed her mind upon discovering that he saved her from the Area of Madness, which causes people to waste all their bodily functions on screaming. However, Rac is immune to the Area of Madness, due to his M-Vest. He was finally caught and put on trial. But, he leaped into the Area of Madness to escape. He joined the Suicide Squad, but ended up accidentally killing one of his own friends. Feeling guilty, he went back to his home dimension and hasn't been heard from since.
Peter Milligan
During the "British Invasion", Pete revamped Rac. Now, he was a poet sent to Earth to stop it's ever-growing madness. In this version, his vest was the "Madness Vest" and granted Shade reality warping powers. Despite the surreal nature of the comic, it took place in the DC Universe. The series used controversial (for that time) ideas and concepts (such as transgenderism and the JFK assassination). So, DC Comic created an imprint company for it and the other controversial comics called Vertigo Comics. The comic got a cult following, despite not selling in large numbers, and ran a full 70 issues.
Similar to Doctor Who, Shade had the ability to return from the dead, but with a new form. He has had a total of five forms: "the red-head poet", "the Changing Woman", "the black-haired lunatic", "the heartless mod" and "the bedraggled obsessive". Currently, he is a supporting character for John Constantine in Hellblazer.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Kingdom Come

Promotional Art for Kingdom Come
Plot
10 years prior to the story, the Joker killed the staff of the Daily Planet. He was sent to trial, but a new superhero called Magog killed the Joker and people called him a hero. Upset that the public is treating this murderer as a hero, Superman withdraws from world at large. Due to Superman not being a role model for superheroes anymore, superhumans simply battle each other without cause or concern for the bystanders.
Impending Disaster
The story is told from the point of view of Norman McCay, who gains from the Sandman the ability to see into the future. With the help of the Spectre, he jumped through time and space to see what's happening. Magog's Justice Battalion tried to kill Parasite, but Parasite tore Captain Atom open... causing an explosion and killing millions of people.
Second Coming of Superman
Superman finally decided to come back and try to stop the rogue superhumans. He reformed the Justice League to include some of the "old" heroes (Green Latern I, Hawkman, Dick Grayson [now called Red Robin]) and reformed superhumans like Avia (daughter of Big Barda and Mr. Miracle). However, Batman thought that Superman was being too idealist and formed the Outsiders (which consisted of non-powered heroes [such as Green Arrow] and second and third generation heroes). Lex Luthor formed the Mankind Liberation Front (consisting of Silver Age villains and third generation villains).
Pact
The Justice League created a superhuman prision, but it was filled up within two weeks of its creation and pressure built as the superhumans started riots. Meanwhile, Batman discovered that Lex Luthor has brainwashed Captain Marvel. The prisoners of the before mentioned prison killed Captain Comet and Captain Marvel frees them. This leads to the JL and the rogue superhumans to clash.
Armageddon
While things get worse, the U.N. decided to nuke the superhumans. Wonder Woman and Batman stopped two of the planes with the bombs. But, one got pass them. Meanwhile, Superman and Captain Marvel clash. But, Superman managed to free Captain Marvel from the brain washing. Captain Marvel used his lightning bolt to cause the bomb to explose in mid-air, but it killed most of the superhumans.(Green Lantern managed to save a few) Superman went mad and runs amok (he thought everyone else died). However, Norman talked him out of this saying this was why humans fear the superhumans.
Epilogue
Batman opened up a hospital for the superhumans harmed in the previous battle and Superman restores the farm lands destroyed by Captain Atom exploding.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Come_(comics)

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Webcomic

Xkcd (the comic above), a self-sustaining webcomic
Format
One of the reason people choose to make webcomics is because of the "infinite canvas" (the idea that on the web comics can spread out in any direction infinitely), rather be confined to the "finite" canvas of a piece of paper. Some web comics, such as Argon Zark!, have animation and interactive elements. Most webcomics use a traditional 3 to 4 panel format, although some comics use a style similar to comic books and manga.
Content
Webcomics (due to their independent nature) usually manage to escape the censorship of mainstream comics, hence enjoying freedom similar to the Underground Comix movement. However, the content can cause trouble, like when the Catholic League complained about the "blasphemous treatment of Jesus" at the hands of artist Eric Monster Millikin.
History
Starting around the 1980s, the first webcomics included Witches with Stitches and T.H.E. Fox. However, more and more people started to make webcomics to the point of an estimated 38,000 webcomics being published.
Business
Some webcomic creators have actually been able to work full-time on their webcomics, because they make money off them from banner ads on their site. A notable example is Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik (who make Penny Arcade). Others (such as Kaja and Phil Foglio) use webcomics to reach out to a wider audience. Some comics such as Order of the Stick and Diesel Sweeties have seen print.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webcomic

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Marvel Apes

Plot
In a loose parody of Marvel Zombies, Gibbon's (a mutant with a simian appearance) finds his whole life went down the tubes when his wife left him. Due to boredom and depression, he let Fiona Fitzhugh experiment on him. Fiona discovered that he is "connected" to an alternate reality. Unfortunately, she accidentally sucked them both into this reality (later designated as Earth-8101), which was full of simian versions of the Marvel characters (such as Spider-Man's counterpart, Spider Monkey). While there Gibbon helped the Ape-Vengers (counterparts to the Avengers) stop Doc Ooktavius (an orangutan Doc Ock) and was allowed to join their ranks. Meanwhile, Fiona tried to get this reality's version of Reed Richard's (a baboon) help. Gibbon got to known the members of the Ape-Vengers... only to see them brutally kill Doc Ooktavius. While a gorilla Captain America chases him, Gibbon discover that "Captain America" is actually Baron Blood's counterpart (a vampire) and was using the Ape-Vengers as a way to get food. With the help of a group of heroes, Gibbon found the real Captain America frozen in ice. Then, he thawed him out and the duo stopped Blood.
Sequels / Spin Offs
The comic has several sequels such as Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution, where the Marvel Zombies meet the Marvel Apes, and four one-shots: Amazing Spider-Monkey, Speed Ball Special, Grunt Line and Prime Eight.
References: