Wizard Cancells Magazine; My Experiences and Thoughts Thereof

So word has gone out that Wizard is ceasing publication of their magazine immediately. This announcement was made the day after Wizard World announced that it was going public and publishing a web magazine. This makes Wizard a company that Though I have not been an active reader of the publication over all of its 19 years of publication, I do have some experience and opinions regarding it.

I first became aware of it when I started working at a comic book shop called Comic Mania located next door to the School of Visual Arts. I started work there the very day it opened, which was the day that my Freshman year at that school began. This was at the height of the comic book boom that was spearheaded by Image and Valiant. Wizard magazine seemed to be the greatest cheerleader for this boom, and for Image Comics in particular. Their “hot picks” repeatedly highlighted the latest works from Image, and their prices of back issue Image Comics seemed to escalate faster in their price list than any other. IT was often packaged in a plastic bag with collectible premiums like trading cards and comic previews. No doubt it was bought up as much for its collectible value in that bloated market of the day as for its content.

As the years passed, the comic book industry busted, and I drifted away from the scene a bit. Then I got involved in working for the Big Apple Convention. As my responsibilities in working for that convention increased, I became more aware of what was going on, and I noticed that Wizard was holding conventions. Image Comics had eveolved into a company that, frankly, had better comic than when they first started out, and Wizard Magazine gave more balanced coverage of the comic book industry, market, conventions, and related culture and media. In fact, the magazine became pretty much the pre-eminent publication of such matters.

At this time, the Big Apple Con was the only comic book convention in New York that managed to survive from the mid- 1990’s to the mid 2000’s. Then Reed Exhibitions came along and set up the New York Comic Con at the Javits Center. After a few years, Reed and Wizard started buying or starting conventions in different cities, and scheduling these events at times that sometimes made it difficult to attend them all. Wizard bought up Big Apple Con, re-naming it Big Apple Comic Con.

At the latest of these conventions, Wizard gave out free copies of their latest issue. It seemed thinner than I remembered the magazine used to be, and the content seemed light and sparse. Now the magazine is gone from the newsstands, and the content will only be available on line.

Se we can all add Wizard to our bookmarks, in the same file as Newsarama, Ain’t it Cool, and all the other sites that post up the latest announcements from the comic book, movie, TV, toy, and convention companies. WE can wonder if Wizard will or will not be interested in promoting those things that will be appearing at their conventions over those that will not, and we can wait and see if they will give insight into news items that will make their content as worth perusing, if not more so, than any of those other sites.

R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen

When I watched a DVD of "Superhero Movie" last week (a film that I felt was a thin spoof of "Spider-Man," with but a few references to "Fantastic Four" and X-Men" and could have been so much better if they opened it up to spoofing more superhero movies) I noticed Leslie Nielsen looking a little old. I realized the guy is no spring chicken, but I thought part of the look was makeup and costuming for the role. Then I saw the picture in the obit at New York times Obituary. He looked like a gaunt masque of death.

I never knew that Mr. Nielsen had a serious acting career apart from "Forbidden Planet." He was just so great at the comedy and slapstick. But I guess it proves that talent is infinitely adaptable.

Some Thoughts About the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2010

The shong from Memphis is a fabulous Broadway musical number...just like every other fabulous Broadway musical number. It kind of made me think I was watching Family Guy, which has a lot of fabulous Broadway musical numbers.

The guy playing Jerry Lee Lewis in "Million Dollar Quartet" has totally got the moves of the Killer down. From what I saw here and on the Tony awards, though,makes me wonder if this is a musical play or a tribute concert.

Crystal Shawanda's Native American/County/Pop fusion fascinates me.

The U.S. has become a cultural colony of Japan. There were appearances by Hello Kitty, Takashi Murakami, Power Rangers Samurai, and Pikachu, and the NYPD Marching Band played the theme to Space Cruiser Yamato.

Those dancing penguins are cute!

HAAPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Pieces of April - nothing original, but well done

When a movie is just like every other movie of its type, it really has to be done well to be tolerable.

In this case, "Pieces of April," written and directed by Peter Hedges and released in 2003 (which was just broadcast on PBS, Channel 13) hits a lot of notes of a young indie director's movie:

Hot girl in counter-cultural clothing and makeup - check.
On-location shooting - check.
Estranged family that doesn't understand her - check.
Arguments between mom and dad - check.
Road trip - check.
Oddball urban characters - check.
Rough, trash-strewn, graffiti-covered urban landscape - check.
Generally quiet soundscape - check.
Girl breaks down in tears - check.
Bikers - check.
Reconciliation with family at the end - check.

It was a story of a young woman (Katie Holmes) living in an inner-city neighborhood with her boyfriend (Derek Luke) preparing Thanksgiving dinner for her family. The family happened to include her terminally-ill mom (Patricia Clarkson), and this was the first time that the girl had ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

This film proved that just because a film is a lot like many other films doesn't mean it can't be very good.

"The Patriot," on the other hand...

RIP: Harvey Pekar

RIP: Harvey Pekar

There's not much I can say that has not been said by others. His work proved that an ordinary life can be incredibly complex and quite fascinating. He cut through the bull and said exactly what he wanted to say. His honesty and truthfulness will be missed.

I had always been vaguely aware of comic book "American Splendor," but was more into superheroes and science fiction , so I never really looked into it. My mom saw the movie and insisted that I see, but I never made it to the theater while it was out. I finally saw the film when it was shown in the public library at Glens Falls, NY.

As a movie, I found it very original and unique. It was refreshing in it's honesty in showing the "unglam" life of the subject, and even admitting that actors were better looking that the real people.

So here's to the man who made uncommon use of the common life, and expanded the possibilities of the comics form.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/07/cleveland_comic-book_legend_ha.html

Soime thoughts about the Tony Awards this year....

Does Sean Hays remind me of Jon Cryer, or does Jon Cryer remind me of Sean Hays, especially when Jon is doing something "gay" on "Two and a Half Men?"

Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Holmes looked like Frodo and Arwen in "The New Adventures of Middle Earth" on the CW Network.

It's good to see my old Stuyvesant High School classmate, Lucy Liu back in town. I wonder if she made it to the last couple of reunions we've had that I missed?

I am constantly wondering if I am missing some of the gay in-jokes.

Kelsey Grammer in "La Cage Aux Folles" looks like Tony Curtis.

Almost every nominee is a well-known movie actor.

Catherine Zeta Jones is one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in teh history of women, but "Send in the Clowns" always depresses me.

The Jewish chick from "Glee" is frickin' awesome!

Miley Cyrus is finally old enough to be up late enough to be on "The Late Show."

Superhero movie actors nominated for awards:
Kelsey Grammar - Beast "X-Men 3"
Alfred Molina - Dr. Octopus "Spider-Man 3"
Scarlet Johansen - Black Widow "Iron Man 2"
Liev Schreiber - Sabertooth "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
Christopher Walken - "Batman Returns"
Rosemary Harrris - Aunt May, "Spider-Man 1, 2, 3"
...and all of them were in superhero movie sequels.

When I tuned in, Green Day was opening the show. I have not really been keeping up with trends on Breadway like I used to, but I remember whn it was in such a state that having a modern rock band at the R=Tony;'s would be a sign that they were desperate. But perhaps its a sign that Boradway is not more accepoting of a greater variety of musical forms that ever before.

After the musical numbers from "Million Dollar Quartet" and Memphis" I was really in a mood to hear more "birth of rock & roll" music in a movie. So I watched "Great Balls of Fire."

Brilliant, just brilliant, having Sean Hays come out in the Spider-Man costume. Between that, Rosemary Harris, and Alfred Molina, who needs a $42 million musical?

Nothing thrills and excites the soul in quite the way a well done Broadway musical number does.

A Midsummer Night's Avatar depression

Tonight I had the pleasure of enjoying the Trevor School’s version of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and now I know what “Avatar” depression is.

I had heard that folks were getting suicidally depressed after seeing “Avatar,” and I couldn’t understand why. When I saw the movie, it inspired me to do things, like fight in a grappling tournament (see my review from Feb 8, 2010). Then I saw this.

The play was set in a mostly bare, open, piece of floor in front of the seats with multi-leveled platforms. It opened with gentle mystical sounds being made by the fairies. A freaky figure, who we would later learn is Puck, entered, moving in a not-quite-human way and observing the audience. A character dressed in shirt and tie then entered, put on a sleeping cap, and lay down. The fairies pulled a strip of paper out of his hear revealing the title of the play.

From there, the play began. The fairies were portrayed by 5 lovely young ladies in motley leather vests, torn stockings, and face paint, contributing as a sort of punk-pagan presence to the proceedings. They served as a sort of Greek chorus, and furniture, and background, and framing device for the entire play.

The performances of the actors ranged from the enthusiastic to the excellent, utilizing the natural talents of the performers well. Notable were Helena’s ballet, Bottom’s gift for physical comedy, and Lysander’s flexibility.

The cast brought an excellent sense of unity to the world of the play. They had a remarkable synergy that enthralled the audience, making us eager to embrace the world in which they lived.

A particularly nice touch was to have Titania enter and relate to Bottom as he went through the suicide scene in the player’s play at the end of the show. It gave a sense of development, and a degree of depth to both characters, and made the play a bit more affecting than a mere comedy.

The last bit of action had the sleeper at the top of the play waking up and finding the banner with the title of the play. This represented the fact that the entire story was a dream, and gave the piece a symmetrical close.

Oddly, while much of the action was very funny, I didn’t find myself laughing out loud as I do at certain TV shows, or as much as the rest of the audience. But at the end, when the lovers had been united in wedlock and the players and done their play, when the lights went down and music came up before Puck’s epilogue, I found a great sadness coming over me. The music was a familiar melody that felt, in context, like a beautiful sunset at the end of a very good day. It was the perfect ending, but it was an ending, and we will never have that day back again.

The effectiveness of the play even came through a sub-optimal viewing set-up. The seats were on a set of particularly deep bleachers of gradual elevation. This meant that the back rows were very far from the action without being high up, and thus their view was were blocked by people’s heads. For a piece with such a strong environment, it would have been nice to be more physically embracing of the audience. Perhaps they could have figured out a way to do it in the round, or to have allowed the audience to sit on the floor within the performance area.

Midsummer Night’s Dream is probably Shakespeare play that is most adaptable to various media. Its location on the borders of a fairyland allows the production a lot of leeway to use its media. It got me to thinking of ways to do it with various movement vocabularies I have been familiarizing myself with lately.

But the fact that I will never be able to recapture the precise magic of this particular production if very sad.