Cowabunga, dudes!

ToyFare recently did an amazingly rad feature on the 20 craziest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys, the good guys and the bad, which you MUST check out…

20 CRAZIEST NINJA TURTLE FRIENDS AND FOES!
It’s mutant mayhem as ‘ToyFare’ counts down the most bizarre and hilarious members of TMNT’s supporting cast.

I couldn’t resist plugging the story here because I have a mad-crazy nostalgia-inspired hard-on for all these wacky old toys—way too many of which, I spent my hard-earned allowance on! Anyway, check it out!

Getting by with a little help from my friends!

Hey Folks!
If you enjoy what I’m doing over at Wizard Universe and you’re on Facebook, well put two and two together and become a fan of the site!

Click HERE to become a fan!

Or, if you just dig the magazines, become a fan too!

Talking about the Hispanic presence in comics: A conversation with Jai Nitz

Hey folks! A while back when I first saw the solicits for DC’s new miniseries El Diablo written by Jai Nitz with art by Phil Hester and Ande Parks, I got really excited. Being the huge Blue Beetle fan that I am and seeing the writer behind the all Spanish issue of BB bringing another Hispanic reimagining of a DC legacy character to the DCU proper, well, I was so excited I decided I needed to talk with Jai about it, so much so that I had mentioned the idea to a few people around the office.

Jai ran into some Wizard folk at SDCC and mentioned doing some promotion for El Diablo, they passed him my way knowing I was already interested in the book, we chatted a bit and that led to an interview with Jai and Phil about the book (Check that out RIGHT HERE!) and a long email conversation with Jai about Hispanics in comics, including a lot of talk about Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle and his new incarnation of El Diablo.

Here’s the conversation. I had a great time chatting with Jai about this, so I hope you all have a good time reading it!

—————————————————————-

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: I guess I’ll start by asking about the all-Spanish Blue Beetle issue, as that is what led to my desire to have this conversation in the first place. Who’s idea was it? Yours? The folks at DC? And was it difficult getting it picked up by the powers that be there? What was the process like leading to that issue?

JAI NITZ: I was working on El Diablo when I got a call from DC editorial about the BB issue. Dan DiDio had the specific idea.

My initial pitch of El Diablo was to add another Hispanic character to the DCU, so they knew I’d be up for an all-Spanish story. They called and offered it to me. I took it.

Then we had a meeting to talk about the ground rules. We agreed to no “Spanglish”—it had to be all or nothing. We agreed that it wouldn’t take place in Ciudad Juarez or Mexico in general—that was too much of a story cheat , we wanted to show BB speaking Spanish in his native element. We agreed that Traci Thirteen would be our doorway into Jaime’s world. Once we had that, we batted around some story ideas, then I wrote up the issue. DC was very encouraging.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: It seems like the first step of making the new Blue Beetle Hispanic and that series’ success with fans has really opened the floodgates for the potential of a greater presence for Hispanic characters in the DCU. Obviously that’s encouraging to see, especially—as you said—since it’s being handled in a way that makes sense for the stories and not just for the sake of going, “Hey, let’s just make them speak Spanish for the heck of it!”

NITZ: A couple of things about that. First, it really should be noted that the folks at DC know what they’re doing. They aren’t throwing darts at a poster full of heroes and villains and plot points. They are trying to facilitate creators. They are trying to make sure the best people are in the best positions to succeed. That’s why my experiences on El Diablo and Blue Beetle have been so good.

Second, I read a thing in the paper this morning that says Whites will not be the majority in America by 2050. The fastest growing minority in the U.S. is Hispanics. Politicians know it. Coca-Cola knows it. MTV knows it. They’re planning for the future. Now, that’s 42 years in the future. Iron Man is about 42 years old, and he’s becoming a global icon. You’d think it would be smart to start sewing seeds now for a future Hispanic global icon. Makes sense, no?

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: Oh, it absolutely makes sense. But, in my opinion, the nicest part of it all is that companies are trying to do exactly what you described: facilitating creators who want to help grow this area of comics. Growing any area of comics is bound to succeed if it’s about good storytelling and great art instead of just marketing books for the sake of marketing books.

Based on that, how did El Diablo come about? How was the pitch received and what was some of the basic process behind that in relation to what we’ve been talking about? And on a story related note, is he going to be part of growing the Hispanic community in the DCU with Blue Beetle crossovers and the like?

NITZ: I had an idea to do a new Hispanic character at DC. Remember El Dorado from the Superfriends?

He was a Latino superhero that was made up just to add some color to the traditional Justice League characters. He followed Apache Chief, Samurai and Black Vulcan—actually, this wasn’t a bad idea, look at the Superfriends sometime, it’s a bunch of white dudes and Wonder Woman every now and then. El Dorado was seven kinds of terrible. Just awful. He was basically the only Latino character I saw in comics or in cartoons growing up.
Basically, it was him and wrestler Tito Santana.

Then there was the 1989-90 El Diablo comic from DC by Gerard Jones and Mike Parobeck. That character was also Latino, and just as bad as El Dorado to me—Please note: I’ve gone back and read those comics and talked to Gerry Jones about his approach, and I have a much greater understanding of the character than my initial reaction.

I knew editor Jann Jones at DC was open to me pitching her. I went to New York to visit the DC offices and pitched her the idea. She said that it was great and I should write it up. I reached into my bag and handed it to her. She told me she’d get it to Dan [DiDio], and I wandered down the hall. I was talking to Mike Marts when Jann poked her head in and asked if I’d be around. I said I would. She said that was great, because I had a meeting with Dan DiDio in fifteen minutes. Marts looks at me, dead serious, and says, “Don’t blow it.” So, I pitched Dan and the rest is history.

El Diablo will crossover with the DCU in his own book, but I don’t see him appearing anywhere else just yet. I could see him showing up in Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Secret Six or a half-dozen other titles. It’s really up to DC.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: So, seems the market and the publishers are ready for this, do you think Hispanics in comics are only going to rise? Or is it still a rocky road ahead? Especially in superhero comics, where so many of the established characters and teams lack some of the diversty and color you mentioned. I mean, you have Hispanic cast members in Vertigo books like “The Exterminators,” but that is really a whole ‘nother ball game.

NITZ: I think the publishers see the big picture and they’re getting ready for more diversity in their superheroes. It’s a combination rocky road/uphill battle.

Look at the flak DC caught for making the new Blue Beetle a Hispanic character. I’d argue that there was less argument about him being Hispanic than there was argument over how they handled getting rid of Ted Kord, but there were still detractors because of his race. I say, you can’t make an omelette unless you break a few eggs. Maybe comics would be higher profile if Hawkman was Asian? Maybe more readers would check it out if a new Robin was Black? You never know until you try. I firmly believe that Jack Kirby would have made a more racially diverse Marvel Universe if he was given the chance. Look what he did with the New Gods!

As far as Vertigo is concerned, you nailed it, it’s a whole ‘nother ball game.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: It should be really interesting though to see how publishers continue to expand in this arena. I think one of the things that sold me on Jaime as Blue Beetle was the whole idea that he would be El Paso’s hero. It just felt organic. It wasn’t just tossing some kid into Gotham or Metropolis and being like, “Oh, also, he speaks Spanish!” It expanded the DCU to have this new geographic corner along with the new landscape for the legacy character in Blue Beetle. And it’s been so great to see books like Manhunter tackling issues like immigration and seeing Blue Beetle show up, because it makes sense—she’s by the border, he lives by the border, odds are they could logically meet.

Now, I know you mentioned not wanting to do the all Spanish Blue Beetle issue in Mexico as it was kind of an easy cop out, but it’s been awesome to see a book like Marvel’s Captain Britain and MI 13 crop up and give the status of that universe in another locale. Is it time to see that type of international book in the DCU in a Spanish speaking country?

NITZ: I love the idea of Gotham and Metropolis, but I hate that they exist in the DCU alongside New York and Chicago. The fictional cities of a shared universe are hard to explain to non-comic folks. I was really happy they just set BB in El Paso instead of “Dos Rios” where the ‘89-’90 El Diablo took place. I agree with you. It’s organic. It flows together. It doesn’t feel forced. I’m all for a moratorium on new fictional cities in America.

I would love to see DC do a book set in a foreign country. I’d love to see a Canadian superteam written and drawn by creators that can capture the nuances. I’d love to see a Great Ten book, or a Super Young Team book. I’ve always wanted to do a book set in modern Russia, with a Russian superhero. I think a Global Guardians book would be cool. Why not? Let’s do books that expand people’s worldview.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: Especially with superhero movies making so much money around the globe! I have a friend from England who was begging me a while back to tell him anything and everything I knew about British superheroes. One of my gripes with comics has always been, “Really that much happens in New York/Metropolis/Gotham?! Why doesn’t the Joker just go to Paris and run the show?!”

NITZ: I agree with your buddy; why not go to Paris? Why not go to London? Why not go to a city where crime pays like Moscow? Why stay in Gotham and get your butt kicked all day.

Okay, the Joker needs Batman and vice versa, but if you’re, oh, the Mad Hatter, why not move on? Obviously, most logic doesn’t apply to superhero comics. Still, make your stage the world, to turn a phrase.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: Switching gears backwards a bit, with a book like El Diablo that has the potential to add some distinct diversity to the DCU and draw a new audience, what is the goal? Is it always—first and foremost—good story? Is it a gateway for people who can relate more to that character? Or is it a combo of both?

NITZ: The purpose of El Diablo was to tell a good story that had Hispanic underpinnings. Life is different for minorities. Life is different for people in America that come from other cultures. That interests me and gets my creative juices flowing. I wanted to tell a story about that. I wanted to take the well-worn DCU legacy story and turn it on its ear. A good story is a good story, but I wanted to tell one from a more diverse point of view.

At the same point, the life of a superhero is a very different life than that of a regular guy. What have been the challenges of getting across the differences of life as a minority while having to deal with the obvious differences the life of a superhero brings with it?

“Crime” plus “minorities” has a certain connotation. Crime in minority communities in America is complicated. Hell, crime in minority communities around the globe is complicated. I love it when people try to simplify the problem and sound like idiots. “Crime” plus “superheroes” has a certain connotation. People are mad that I’m making a drug dealer into a hero [in El Diablo], because a drug dealer could never be a hero—that’s ludicrous, but never mind that.

El Diablo isn’t a hero; he’s a protagonist. He’s the main character. That doesn’t make him a hero. He very well may become one, but for now, he’s just a guy trying to do what he thinks is right. Part of what makes El Diablo interesting for me to write, and hopefully for people to read, is that the connotations of crime in his society and in superhero society are two different things.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: That seems to go back to a lot of the duality of character we talked about in our conversation about “El Diablo.” (Check back for that interview later today, readers!) Does that add a reality to this character and a humanity that just making him “Juan I-Speak-Spanish” wouldn’t?

NITZ: That’s exactly it. Speaking Spanish or being Latino does not add a duality to a character, even when juxstaposed to an English/White world. Being a criminal to some and a savior to others is a duality. Being a Kryptonian alien while pretending to be human is a duality. That’s what I’m shooting for.

THE LOUDEST MONKEY: So, taking this whole conversation in as context, what comes next?

NITZ: Micro-scale? I’d like to have an outlet for the stories I want to tell. I want to tell stories about the duality that makes heroes interesting.

Macro-scale? I’d like to see every comic company embrace diversity. I’d like to see those comics get optioned to other media and show the world that the superhero isn’t a genre, it’s a tool to tell fables and parables about the human condition. It’d be great if everyone could see that the human condition doesn’t apply to only one race, color, or creed. It’d be even better if everyone got that lesson from comic books.

—————————————————————-
El Diablo #1 (of 6) goes on sale tomorrow (Sept. 4), go pick it up!

And read more about El Diablo in my interview with Jai and artist Phil Hester!

Check out our WU’s newest blog: ‘Chewing On Poison Ivy!’

A few weeks ago, ToyFare Managing Editor Kate Napolitano came to me suggesting a blog by a woman (namely, herself) and focusing on all things in comics and pop culture from a woman’s point of view. I said, “Sounds awesome! Let’s do it!” and after much discussion about what the name would be, we now have our newest blog on WizardUniverse.com—“Chewing On Poison Ivy!”

Here’s the teaser image and the official introduction…

Hey—ya like girls? ToyFare Managing Editor Kate Napolitano does too. Kate’ll be bringing you both coverage of, and her own thoughts about, all the women—animated, professional, celebrity, superheroic, factual and fictional—that make pop culture rock.

Kate just put up an awesomely long introduction post that sets the blog’s tone, so go check that out now!

Why I’m loving Paul Cornell’s ‘Fantastic Four: True Story’

Week in and week out, as comics stream into Wizard HQ, I end up reading quite a few books each week: the good, the bad and the ugly.

So after all that reading, when I end up finding a writer that constantly delivers for me as a reader—in this case Captain Britain and MI 13 scribe Paul Cornell (go read his Marvel Max mini Wisdom for a great intro into the crazy goodness he’s been bringing to the 616)—I get really excited to see their names attached to a new project.

On top of that, I am always drawn into a comic that has an awesome and original premise. Hearing Cornell was doing an FF mini got me pretty psyched. Then I read the solicit text, which explained that the book would be an in-continuity tale where Marvel’s first family has to venture into the world of fiction to battle evil alongside characters from the works of Jane Austen and Mary Shelley—among other famous authors—well…yeah…I’m sorry, do I even need to explain how awesome that is?!

Now, that would normally be enough to have me raving (and so far, it is!), but Cornell’s humor and handle of the FF in this super self-aware tale is just a joy to read. So, here are a few of the moments that led to the gush-fest that is this blog post:

Instead of being yet another writer working with the FF trying to write new—and usually stale—dialogue between Ben and Johnny when they’re fighting/arguing, Cornell takes a completely different and hilarious route and gives a cool nod to anyone who’s ever read a Fantastic Four comic. No need to say what’s already been said 700 bajillion times, ya know?

And six pages later…

Ok, maybe I found this funnier than most as I’m possibly the only comic fan out there who shamelessly has the soundtrack to the Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid-starring “Josie and the Pussycats” on his iPod, but the idea of Earth’s biggest brain being a big fan of that flick is definitely worth a good laugh either way.

Another fun little nod as these “real world” heroes—from a fictional work, obviously—enter the world of fiction and can see their own speech bubbles. It’s the only way—as readers—we’ve ever seen them talk, so just seeing them get a kick out of it is fun (and when was the last time we saw a Reed Richards just having fun with discovery and not fretting about Skrulls or ruining his marriage with too much work? It’s great to see the guy in good spirits again!). Plus, it helps establish how crazy things are set to get if “talk bubbles” are just the tip of the Fictoverse iceberg.

Really, really enjoyable writing aside, how can you not get giddy for some amazing Niko Henrichon covers?!

Not enticed to check it out after all that?

First, that’s crazy!

Second, check out my interview with Paul Cornell for more on the series that should turn you around if I haven’t made a believer of you yet.

It’s my pick of the week and I highly recommend any fans of truly imaginative tales give it a shot. It’d be near impossible to be let down by this story, and it’s only issue #1!

‘Punisher: War Zone,’ my god, what have you done?!

I’m not sure how many of you have caught the new Red Band trailer of “Punisher: War Zone,” but here’s just a list of initial reactions I’ve heard after having the link sent to me and passing it around to some others (friends, colleagues, etc)…

“This is the goriest trailer I have ever seen.”

“This could either be the best movie ever or the worst movie ever…there is no middle ground for a movie like this.”

[In response to above comment] “…or it could be the best movie ever BECAUSE it is the worst movie ever…I could get behind that!”

“If that is the trailer…this is a snuff film.”

I could grab some screen caps of the crazy gore and post them here, but honestly, I don’t want someone to walk into those without some forewarning. So, if those comments have piqued your interest, or you’re the “it mght gross me out, but now I have to see it” type, then click here and watch the trailer. But be warned, it is a gore-fest the likes of which has never been seen in a “superhero” film!

Now, I’m a big fan of HBO’s “Rome,” so hearing Ray Stevenson was going to be the new Punisher was awesome news for me. I’d seen him cut down gladiators, so heck yeah I’d be up for seeing him chop the mob into bits! Early photos from the set had me pretty psyched, as well! It looked good, dark and pretty cool. Then, the first trailer hit and featured far too much chandelier swinging which kinda led me to move from psyched to apathetic about the film.

But now, after this trailer…it’s like…I don’t want to say I want to see it…but, hell yes, I will see it! It might be awful, or it might be surprisingly good…that’s up to you after you watch it.

Me? Well, I can see this movie being a bit like a semi-serious “Shoot ‘Em Up” and just being so much ridiculous fun that it’ll be great. Conversely, it could easily just be too much gore to work, even with the Punisher.

I just hope they aren’t aiming for super-serious, because they’ve already lost that with Frank Castle punching in faces like they’re month old pumpkins.

The New, More ‘Mortal’ Iron Fist!?

So, I just checked out Duane Swierczynski’s first issue of Immortal Iron Fist.

Being a huge fan of Brubaker and Fraction’s relaunch and run on the book, I was as bummed as everyone else to hear they’d be moving on. But, when Marvel announced the Swiercz would be taking the reigns, I had this quiet hope that the book would continue it’s radness. Sure, he only had one or two issues of Cable under his belt when the announcement was made, but something told me he had the chops to rock this chop-socky book in a way that would live up to what came before while taking the book in a whole new direction.

I’m happy to say that after one issue, as far as I’m concerned, the Swiercz is on target and kickin’ this book like a kung-fu foot through a few planks of wood!

Seriously, don’t be deterred by the change of team. If you liked this book before, you’re still going to like this book. There is no drop-off at all, which is saying something as the book was definitely of a high-quality before, and the story is super cohesive with everything that was set up in the previous arc. I don’t want to say to much, because you should really read it…ok, there’s a dragon-man who hunts down and kills Iron Fists, an old west Iron Fist flashback story and some Danny Rand/Misty Knight sexiness! It’s pretty awesome!

My only real gripe is David Aja’s not on art duty anymore. New artist Travel Foreman’s style takes a little getting used to, and while his more talky scenes aren’t really to my liking, when the guy can draw actions scenes like these…

…well, that’s really the most important aspect of drawing Marvel’s Immortal Weapon!

So—as if it weren’t already obvious—my recommendation is to go pick it up!

Also, we ran an interview with the Swiercz yesterday over on Wizard Universe proper, so go check it out if you’re craving more info on the book.

Blogging it up at San Diego Comic Con…well, not me…but other people!

Well hello again, fair readers!

Seeing as you’re here reading this blog, I can only assume that means you enjoy reading blogs (or ended up here accidentally while searching for a fan forum about gibbon monkeys, but I digress). So, with San Diego Comic Con—the Christmas Feast of the comic book community—beginning in only a few hours, and me sitting behind a desk in suburban New York ready to captain WizardUniverse.com through the squall of comic book news of Comic Con from afar, I figured I’d shoot you all some links to two of our blogs that will be posting live from the show floor all weekend.

Staff writers Kevin Mahadeo and Steve Sunu have commandeered The Convention Report in order to post all the breaking news, best stories and fun tid bits from the entire crazy weekend.

Anyway, head over to ConReport.WizardUniverse.com for more!

Also, Indie Jones’ Dave Paggi has headed off to Comic Con for vacation, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking a vacation from his blogging duties! The man with the Indie inclination will be reporting on all the Indie news and general rad news from the show, and likely grabbing some Lockjaw sketches while he’s at it.

So, make sure to check into IndieJones.WizardUniverse.com for more!

‘Dark Knight’ trailer + kids = hilarious!

Wizard TV’s doing it for the children!

Video Editor Alex Kropinak wrangled up his little brothers to reenact a version of the trailer for “The Dark Knight,” and it’s hilarious! Check out the video here!

It’s darn funny and just more evidence of the great Wizard TV stuff you can see at WizardUniverse.com, so get your butt over there and give it a watch!

My absolute favorite part has to be when Batman rides by the Joker on his tricycle batpod…it’s flawless!

All’s FARE in love and war!

Well, it was only a matter of time, but it’s finally happened. Everyone’s favorite toy magazine (Yes! ToyFare!) has just launched its brand spankin’ new burst into the blogosphere: FarePlay!

That’s right, it’s the official blog of ToyFare magazine and it’s already relaunched magazine favorite feature “Big Shots” and has posted Twisted ToyFare Theater storyboards and behind-the-scenes goodies, as well!

So, if you’re even remotely intelligent, get your butt over to ToyFare.WizardUniverse.com right now!