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Tom Lyle and his Inner Voice – Comics for Beginners podcast episode 11

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We’re often told to listen to the voice inside ourselves. But what if that voice is preventing you from working on the thing you love most? This morning I went back to the New York Comic Con to talk to Tom Lyle (tomlyle.blogspot.com), comics artist known for his work on Spiderman and Batman & Robin and teacher at the Savannah College of Art & Design (https://www.scad.edu/). And I was surprised and encouraged by the fact that this 28-year comics veteran also hears voices. So it’s not just me!

Give it a listen and leave comments below.

Tom Lyle signing for one of his long time fans at NYCC 2013
Tom Lyle signing for one of his long time fans at NYCC 2013

Great Advice from Comics Writer Jim Zub – Comics for Beginners episode 10

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I met Jim Zub, writer of Skullkickers, Samurai Jack and the Pathfinder comics at the New York Comic Con and grilled him about why he is letting everyone in on the secret to making comics. Turns out it’s all because of roleplaying!

For more of Zub’s great advice, go to http://www.jimzub.com or follow @jimzub on Twitter.

 

Ben Affleck as… Superman?

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Hi, I'm Batman. And Superman. And Daredevil...
Hi, I’m Batman. And Superman. And Daredevil…

There has been a lot of debacle over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming Zack Snyder movie Batman vs. Superman, but no one seems to akcnowledge Afflecks earlier superhero performances.

No, I don’t mean Daredevil. The reviews and word of mouth has been so bad that I spared myself of that one (wish I had been smart enough to do the same with Die Hard 4 and 5). But who knows why that movie tanked? All of it can’t be on Affleck.

I think what a lot of people have forgotten, is one of Affleck’s finest performances was in fact as… Superman. In the 2006 thriller Hollywoodland, Affleck plays the 1950’s TV Superman actor George Reeves, a not very talented actor and pretty boy. And – surprise -Afflecks nails it!

When I first heard of Affleck’s Batman casting, I thought (and perhaps secretly hoped) that it was a joke. But then again, casting is somebody’s else’s profession, not mine. Would I have cast Michael Keaton as Batman, a comedy actor? Christian Bale, a skinny, blonde brit? Would I have cast Heath Ledger as The Joker? Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman?

The answer to all of the above would be a roaring NOO! And I would be wrong.

And what about the seemingly obvious, spot-on casting, such as Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Or Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in the first Spiderman movie. All they had to do was paint his face green – Boom! And yet in the movie, Dafoe’s was not the most impressive of performances. Largely because they chose to put a full face helmet on him…

Movies turn out for the worst for a million reasons. Casting is but a small part of it. Script and director is much more important. Maybe we should give anyone involved the benefit of the doubt, and maybe stop bitching about stuff that is beyound our control.

Does the casting of Ben Affleck take anything away from our enjoyment of Batman as a comics character, or even earlier incarnations? Come on. It’s just a movie. DC and Warner Brothers don’t care what we think, as long as they sell tickets. What we CAN do, is stop buying their crap JUST because it has Batman in it, and do a little research, find the good stuff and vote with our wallets.

I  just think there should be a limit to how many iconic superheroes one actor can portray. Three strikes and you’re out!

Here’s what former Batman, Val Kilmer says, and I concur:

ben-affleck-as-batman-internet-reactions-40

Who would you see as Batman, or any other superhero, if you had a say in the matter?

 

Are printed comic books going away?

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Printed books are down for the count and Kindles, iPads and other electronic devices are preferred for consuming written content. Or..?
Printed books are down for the count and Kindles, iPads and other electronic devices are preferred for consuming written content. Or..?

The printed book as a medium is coming to an end. At least Seth Godin seems to think so.

My friend Mike from the L.A. comics store The Comic Bug brought this article to my attention:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/08/an-end-of-books.html

Godin talks about the reasons the printed book is going to be hard to come by in the future. And with the end of books, comes the end of the bookstores.

“The death of the bookstore is being caused by the migration to ebooks (it won’t take all books to become ‘e’, just enough to tip the scale) as well as the superior alternative of purchase and selection of books online. If the function of a bookstore is to stock every book and sell it to you quickly and cheaply, the store has failed.”

Especially in the comics scene, people have been talking about the death of “Floppies” or Monthlies for years. They still seem to have a place in the market, although the generations brought up with “bagging and boarding” (putting your comics in a plastic folder with a piece of cardboard to protect them from wear and tear) are starting to get rid of their storage longboxes.

To me it does seem more and more counterproductive to chop trees in order to print and ship words (or pictures) on a page. With 100.000 iPads being sold every day, it won’t be long before everyone has access to cheap comics without having to make the trip to the comics store – which in many places of the World could be a four-hour drive away!

However much I enjoy having books on my shelves and pulling them out once in awhile to flip through them, I do see Godin’s point: There is no stopping this. But I will continue to buy trade paperbacks for a looong time, if for no other reason than habit. And I seem to actually read them, where the books on my iPad live in oblivion…

What is your take on the whole digital vs. print discussion? Please comment below!