Got Gifts? ComicBook.com’s Holiday Gift Suggestions!
Well boys and girls of all ages, the countdown to the Christmas gift extravaganza is already underway! It’s December, if you can believe it, and the joys and stresses of gift giving are not foreign concepts to many, especially as we approach the days after Black Friday! For those planning on giving gifts to comic book fans this year, the task of picking out a gift certain to wow your fanboy or fangirl can prove more stressful than anything else. Fear not! Here at ComicBook.com, we strive to serve, so here are a few suggestions for those comic book fans near and dear to you, based on some thoughts or questions the seeker may have! Read more
Lady Gaga Just Dances her way Into Comic Book Form
She’s been conquering the music charts with her infectious pop hits, the pages of magazines and blogs with her unpredictable fashion choices, and now it seems that Lady Gaga is poised to land in another medium of expression, the comic book. Debuting in the pages of pop culture artist Brian Einersen’s work Lady Saga, the singer-songwriter will use her, according to marketwire.com, “fashionable wit”, to send up fashion luminaries such as Christian Dior and Yves St. Laurent. Lady Gaga has always been associated with fashion and design, recently performing for designer Marc Jacobs at a party of his. Read more
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Early Reviews Not so Favorable
While Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will probably end up being the number one movie at the box office when the dust settles on this weekend’s movie receipts, early reviews of the film suggest that this could be one of the worst comic book/action figure/sci-fi adaptations of all time. Michael Bay has received sharp criticism for his work on the film over the first two installments, and judging from some of the rather pointed comments made about this entry into the Transformers’ universe, it could very well be warranted.
Noted film critic Roger Ebert, in giving the film one star, pulled no punches, stating in part of his review that the film, “is a horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments.” Ouch!
Ebert went a bit further, hammering away at the actual robots themselves by saying, “They are dumb as a rock. They share the film with human characters who are much more interesting, and that is very faint praise indeed.”
Comic Book Characters With Big Heads
There are predominantly two types of comic book characters with big heads: super-villains and children. Superheroes do not have big heads as a general rule, except in special issues where some diabolical menace temporarily turns their head big.
The fact that virtually all big headed adults in comic books turn out to be super-villains isn’t a good sign for the likes of Richie Rich, Charlie Brown, and Casper the Friendly Ghost. Just think of the criminal empire that Richie Rich could establish with all his wealth. But somehow, I just can’t see a middle-aged Charlie Brown knocking over a bank or old man Casper terrorizing a family. Here is our list of notable big headed comic book characters.
The Leader
The Leader is one of the most famous of all the big headed super-villains. The Leader was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko over forty-four years ago. The Leader doesn’t just have a big head, but he also has a super-sized brain, which makes him super intelligent. The Leader has been an ongoing nemesis for the Hulk in a battle of high IQ versus brute strength. If another Hulk movie gets made, then it’s likely that The Leader will be the villain in the film.
Will Comic Books Survive The Next Great Depression?
Some recent news stories have touted that the comic book industry is thriving, while others have suggested that the comic book industry might be on its last legs. There is no denying that comic book movies ruled the box office this past summer. And based on trailers for The Watchmen and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, comic book movies are likely to dominate the box office again this year.
However, is the movie success translating into more comic book sales? While comic book graphic novels are certainly finding success at book stores, there are mixed reports on how regular comic books are faring. With huge retailers like Circuit City falling victim to the current economy, do small independent comic book stores have any chance?
While many retail chain stores benefit from branded advertising campaigns, there are very few comic book store chains. Most comic book stores are one or two store businesses run as small mom and pop operations. While some stores are generating decent revenues selling comic books, other stores are kept afloat more by the owners’ passion for comic books than profits.
