Green Lantern

Has The Coolest Symbol!

As Reported From The 2008 SDCC Comic Con  International!

You see a lot of people wearing a lot of different T-shirts at Comic Con.

Some are "clean" some are not (What else would you expect from Samuel L. Jackson?!)

Some I have no idea what they are about.

One T-shirt that always turns my head is the simple, clean look of the Green Lantern. 

They just make a statement. Maybe it's that they're peacekeepers, but it looks intriguing and noble.

Maybe it's the Irish in me, but they look a little Celtic to me.  Probably because of all that green!

Michael knows I like them so he took my picture with this member of the Green Lantern Corps.

And, if you've got a Green Lantern T-shirt, wear it with pride!

Tina !

BTW, We also have an ongoing Comic Con  and Pop Culture convention here at Make It So Marketing, what with our daily blog posts and listings of items for sale!

Michael

Heroes The Movie?

Kind of ... It's Called "Push"!

As Reported From The 2008 SDCC Comic Con  International!

Summit Entertainment gave the Comic Con Hall H audience a sneak peak of it's upcoming film, Push.  If you like NBC's Heroes, you'll want to see it since it plays many of the same notes:

The cast is comprised of young people with "special abilities" like watchers (who see the future), movers (wo are telekinetic) and pushers (who put thoughts in your head).  Hmmm, sounds familiar so far.

Did I mention they're fighting a clandestine group that wants to control and/or destroy them?  No, it's not a "paper company."

Comic book movie fans will be happy to see Chris Evans (The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies) play the reluctant hero opposite Dakota Fanning (who's grown up a lot since War of the Worlds).

Director Paul McGuigan played clips that I suspect may be the best part of the movie:  the opening which details the advent of the "special abilities" -- Nazi experimentation that never ends; and an extended scene in a fish market where Evans and Fanning are attacked by "Bleeters." 

The Bleeters have to have the coolest power in the movie, and the worst name for it.  Basically they can put the Screaming Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle to shame.  Fish tanks explode (ala Mission Impossible). You'll want to bring ear plugs to the theater.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Tina! 

Michael

James Warren At The Comic Con!

Part II - Famous Monsters of Filmland

As Reported From The 2008 SDCC Comic Con  International!

I was able to attend the first half of this special program, and started blogging about that in Part I. (Click Here.)

Now I continue where James first bought articles from Forrest Ackerman.

Forrest had seen James' 'After Hours' Magazine issue #2. He sold a few articles to James as a result of writing to James.

As stated in the previous blog post, James ceased publishing the magazine due to authorities enforcing moral standards of the time in Philadelphia.

He then flew out to California with his last $400 and went to see Forry for a one-shot magazine that would be written for 'a eleven year old level'.

Monsters were coming back to movies and TV in 1958.

James stated it was tough for Forrest to write the magazine as he had "a superior mind".

James also stated that 99% of what Forry wrote for the next 25 years for the FM magazine was on a level for children. But it was a viable formula and made money!

Forry was in his 40's at that time, and James was 28 years old.

James stated that with his first visit to Forry, they worked around the clock for three days, and FM issue #1 was the result.

James then told us a background story of the cover of issue #1 pictured to the middle right. It was Verne Langdon's (see his photo in Part 1) company that sold the Frankenstein mask to James to use.

Additionally the model on the cover agreed to pose for $25 as long as her name wasn't used in the magazine!

That magazine is one of the most famous covers in this genre today!

By the 4th or 5th issue FM magazine was a success.

So he needed more advertisements aimed at boys 9 - 19 yrs of age.

Almost all advertisers without exception laughed him out of their offices!

So he started his own ads. Then he started his own mail order company to satisfy requests coming in for merchandise.

That was 50 years ago! It was 50 years ago this year that Famous Monsters of Filmland first hit the stands!

As I was getting ready to leave to go to another program, James brought up the reason for his success. He did it all without 'meetings'!

"Meetings destroy creativity and almost everything else" he said!

"Meetings are good for consumption of coffee only!"

With that, I had to press on...

James is a character that I was glad to see in a special program. My thanks to the Comic Con for honoring his 50th Anniversary of the Magazine!

Michael

James Warren 

At The Comic Con!

Part 1 - After Hours

As Reported From The 2008 SDCC Comic Con  International!

I was able to attend the first half of this special program.

Since I had not seen James Warren in person before, I wanted to see as much of his program as possible inbetween two other programs....

The program was listed to be as follows:

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on James Warren— the legendary publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella joins Comic-Con in a rare convention appearance! Jim Warren celebrates the 50th anniversary of FM along with the legendary Hollywood makeup artist Verne Langdon, also a Comic-Con special guest! Famous Monsters fans will recognize Langdon’s name from the pages of that beloved magazine. Room 4

James was asked questions by a moderator, Phil Kun (sp?).

Since James is deaf, those questions were repeated by his friend Verne Langdon who sat close to James during the program James said he had been deaf since 20 years of age.

James basically stood the whole time I was there. He basically started off by talking about his 'reputation', but stated that he "only picks on the big guys".

He stated that he started 'After Hours' magazine because he thought he could compete with Hugh Hefner of Playboy.

'After Hours' only lasted for 4 issues! Because, as he told us, he ran a nude centerfold with Bettie Page in 1955 and was arrested in his city of Philadelphia. Arrested, and charged with pornography at the age of 26!

James went on to start a Sci-Fi magazine and became sucessful with that. Which is opposite of Hugh Hefner, who started with Sci-Fi, didn't make it with that, and went on to start Playboy!

Below is a cover from the long running Vampirella Magazine that James Warren published from September 1969 to March of 1983: 

Michael

Joe Ruby

And

Ken Spears At The Comic Con!

As Reported From The Floor Of The 2008 SDCC Comic Con  International!

They were best known as Ruby-Spears Productions to their fans!

Individually they were Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. 

I was lucky enough to see them both twice at programs during the 2008 Comic Con International in San Diego. 

Both times the host of the program was Mark Evanier, who knows what the fans would like to hear from his guests, as he is still a fan himself of those that are invited to the programs he hosts!

Joe and Ken appeared at the special program on Friday from 2:00 to 3:00 titled 'That '70s Animation Panel, and then again on Sunday morning for the Annual Jack Kirby Tribute Program, because Jack came to work for them after leaving Marvel Comics in the mid 1970's!

This is just a first blog post of a few planned for these two Con guests and I'll start with listing just a few programs for TV that they did:

Thundarr the Barbarian, Scooby Doo, Dynomutt, Fangface, Jabberjaw and many more!

Below is an archived blog post about Electra Woman and Dyna Girl that has been seeing renewed activity from bloggers this past week, ending up in our Top 10 List: 

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl!

This live action TV show was created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears.

Michael