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Press Release: “A SPOILERVERSE CHRISTMAS CAROL” LAUNCHES IN SUPPORT OF GIVE COMICS HOPE

Press Release: “A SPOILERVERSE CHRISTMAS CAROL” LAUNCHES IN SUPPORT OF GIVE COMICS HOPE

Posted on by PCS Staff

Press Release:

Wednesday December 23. 2020, Seattle –

Spoilerverse.com, the universe of pop culture podcasts based in Seattle (home of the Spoiler Country, Misery Point Radio, Narrative Gunslingers & Hard Agree podcasts – and many more) announce the launch of their annual “A Spoilerverse Christmas Carol” podcast, this year in support of Give Comics Hope.

“A Spoilerverse Christmas Carol” is the first of Spoilerverse.com’s annual yuletide charity podcasts and features regular Spoilerverse commentator/podcaster (and EVP of London’s Titan Entertainment) Andrew Sumner performing Charles Dickens’ one-man public performance version of Dickens’ Yuletide classic A Christmas Carol.

http://scpod.net/a-spoilerverse-christmas-carol/

Sumner commented: “we’re coming to the end of a wildly-turbulent & damaging pandemic year, which has left the comics industry’s all-important network of individually-owned comic book stores – the temples of pop culture in which we all worship – hard hit & struggling to survive. William Schanes’ team at GiveComicsHope.org have dedicated themselves to supporting our comic book shops until we can get to the other side of the pandemic. Their mission of community support reminded myself and Spoilerverse show-runners John Horsley & Kenric Regan of Dickens’ own seasonal message of empathy & civic responsibility, so we thought “what better way to underline & amplify Bill’s mission than to return to the words of Charles Dickens himself, the great believer in human society pulling together?”

“A Spoilerverse Christmas Carol” is live now:
http://scpod.net/a-spoilerverse-christmas-carol/

Give Comics Hope Is Still Going Strong

Give Comics Hope Is Still Going Strong

Posted on by Bob Harrison

As we head further into the weirdest Thanksgiving week in memory a lot of people are trying for some way to fill their time while frantically scrolling through an unending deluge of Black Friday ads, we are here to point out some great options from Give Comics Hope.

GIVE COMICS HOPE is an charitable initiative that is rallying together our comics community to help local comic book shops. Our own Ed Catto has been involved from the beginning and wrote about it here. There are plenty of eBay auctions going on for some excellent classic comics. The proceeds will go to support local comic shops in coordination with the Book Industry Charitable Donation (BINC). Continue reading “Give Comics Hope Is Still Going Strong” →

With Further Ado #114: Give Comics Hope Promotes Modern American Optimism

With Further Ado #114: Give Comics Hope Promotes Modern American Optimism

Posted on by Ed Catto

The Thrill ISN’T Gone

The weirdness – and tyranny –  of COVID-19  wasn’t supposed to last this long. I will admit I thought It would all be over by this fall.

I miss in-person comic cons. The lack of conventions is a drag. I always enjoy pawing through long boxes and looking lost treasures. I love seeing the cool vintage collectibles and new toys. But what I really miss are the people. I miss the buzz of the fans. Their unique, positive excitement is, I would argue, unique to Geek Culture. It’s different from fans going to a concert or a big sports game. Although each of those types of events have their own enthusiastic fans, it’s an entirely different flavor than what you would find at comic conventions.

Maybe people are nicer to one another? Maybe they are more excited? Maybe it’s that shared joy that comes from finally finding your own tribe?  I’m not sure, but whatever it is, I miss it.

I miss the old normal of comic shops too.  In my neck of the woods (The Finger Lakes Region of New York State) they are all open again. Finally. But there’s still a stilted caution that is a part of every visit. Everyone’s a little more cautious. Everyone lingers a little less. Everyone finds some excuse to cut short their visits.

Publisher’s schedules are getting backing to normal. I’m hearing positive news, anecdotally, that some publishers are actually doing pretty good right now. That’s encouraging news.

On the other hand, so many comic shops are still struggling. They’ve had to pivot, to adapt and to get ready for the new reality, and it hasn’t been fun.

Give Comics Hope is a new initiative that’s looking to make a difference.  Their premise is straightforward:

Give Comics Hope is an ambitious charitable initiative that calls on all members of our community to rally together to provide vital aid to comic book shops. Continue reading “With Further Ado #114: Give Comics Hope Promotes Modern American Optimism” →

Continued After the Next Page #017: Looking Back At The Good In 2020

Continued After the Next Page #017: Looking Back At The Good In 2020

Posted on by Bob Harrison

Well, we made it to the end of 2020. I am sure that it didn’t turn out like any of us expected. There have been plenty of low lights, and there are too many people who have been irrevocably harmed by the local and global tragedies that happened this year. That is awful.

However, someone told me something recently that stuck with me. Despite the horrible dumpster fire that 2020 has brought, your mental health can benefit from the activity of looking at the good things that happened in this past year. So, that is what this final post of 2020 will be about.

The SquadCast

This year I finally got off my tush and started presenting the interviews that I do with comic book professionals in a podcast format. In the past, I had merely transcribed the interview, but I found that there was more interesting content in the discussions that people would enjoy that didn’t quite fit in a text post.

So, I went to Buzzsprout and created a hosting site for the Pop Culture SquadCast: Interview Edition. I learned enough of Audacity to edit the interviews and splice some sound together, and here we are.

I need to say thanks to our artistic genius Marc Allan Fishman for the logo and episode art. Also Space In Time is the band that we use for the intro and closing music. You can check there music out at Bandcamp.

And of course, thanks to the pros who to took the time to talk to me about their work.

The Books

While all of you Pop Culture Squad Members know about our digital presence here on the site and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there is now physical printed evidence that Pop Culture Squad exists. On the back covers of two trade paperback collections, I have blurb quotes for reviews.

I cannot tell you how awesome it is to see my name on a comic book. I could not even have ever imagined that five years ago.

Both of these books are special to me. Hyperbreed from Louise Simonson and Guy Dorian is a fun YA space story from Storm King Comics. Did you notice that? My name is on a book written by THE Louise Simonson!!!!

I have been following the Love and Capes stories that Thomas Zahler creates for years, and when he told me last year that he would be coming back to that universe, I was stoked. He totally made it work, and I am grateful for his putting my review blurb on the back of the book in some seriously impressive company.

The Comics Industry Adapts and Supports Itself

This year has hit the comics industry hard. Publishers and retailers had to deal with a nearly two month shutdown of new comics distribution. But through it all, people worked hard to support each other and save the industry that relies a lot on in-person contact.

So many great new comics were made and you can check out our list of the years best here.

Fundraisers and charity auctions popped up all over the place. We detailed some of those as they occurred.

Give Comics Hope is one of the charities that we highlighted through the year and will continue to do so.

There were plenty of Kickstarter campaigns launched to find different ways to publish and create comic book content. You better believe that we covered them.

Conventions Happened… Sort of

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit America hard in March, comic conventions were scrapped as we all needed to isolate to stop the spread of the dangerously contagious disease. But plenty of talented people scrambled to turn the experience of seeing pop culture personalities and comic creators in virtual cons.

Some were better than others, and none truly replaced the experience of strolling down artists alley and chatting with creators and friends. However, they were good enough to be a decent placeholder for the time that we will be able to be vaccinated and able to go out and see each other in person.

Geek Culture TV

There was a massive amount of quality television programming that was produced and broadcast this year. There are more outlets, streaming and otherwise that are now committed to delivering high quality shows. Here is a list of some of our favorites in no particular order:

  • SCHITT’S CREEK: SEASON 6 – AMC
  • WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: SEASON 2 – FFX
  • HARLEY QUINN: SEASON 2 – HBOMax
  • THE BOYS: SEASON 2 – Amazon Prime Video
  • THE MANDALORIAN: SEASON 2 – Disney+
  • LOVECRAFT COUNTRY: SEASON 1 – HBOMax
  • THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: SEASON 2 – Netflix
  • STARGIRL: SEASON 1 – CW
  • I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS: SEASON 1 – Neflix
  • STAR TREK: PICARD: SEASON 1 – CBS All Access
  • KILLING EVE: SEASON 3 – BBC
  • PERRY MASON: SEASON 1 – HBOMax

And don’t forget there were some other shows like Tiger King (Netflix) and The Vow (HBO) that left us captivated, or horrified, or both.

Based on the announcements from Disney, Warner Bros, and others, it looks like this trend of high quality serialized episodic programming with continue.

Pop Culture Squad Thrived

Even before the pandemic shut down a lot of the world, we worried that this would be a slow year for PCS. However, we persevered and continued to bring you content as best you can.

If you are not a regular reader of Mike Gold‘s two columns here, you are missing witty and entertaining stories and opinion.

Ed Catto’s regular With Further Ado column finds new ways to look at comics, books, film and other cool stuff.

While we have bigger dreams for what is to come, it was a pretty good year for Pop Culture Squad and we are excited for making them happen in the next year.

Thanks for being here, and READ MORE COMICS!

With Further Ado #117: Horror Pix ‘n Mix

With Further Ado #117: Horror Pix ‘n Mix

Posted on by Ed Catto

Hosting spooky movies for my Screams & Screens series is one of my most favorite things to do. We’ve put it all on pause during Covid, of course, but in normal times, it’s a wonderful celebration of my favorite cinematic endeavors. And it’s all the more fun to see them on the big screen and to munch on movie theater popcorn.

So as I’m missing our kooky and creepy movie tradition, let me make up for it in this week’s column by celebrating creepy comics instead:

Count Crowley, Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter is a recent comic from Dark Horse, focusing on the misadventures of a monster movie host. It’s a lot of fun and just the thing for Halloween.

Bud Plant’s Incredible Catalog isn’t really a comic, but the most recent issue showcases an illustration from the new Bruce Timm book, The Big Tease. I don’t usually save these catalogs (hey, I’m not that obsessive) but I’m going to keep this catalog with my horror comics.

The DCYou mini-reboot from five years ago certainly wasn’t considered a big success, but there were a lot of creative folks producing creative work at that time.  And that’s why I like this oddball issue of Detective Comics (it’s vol. 2 #43 from 2015). Frances Manapul contributed a creepy cover- and he wasn’t afraid to utilize that white space either.

Back in the 70s, I only purchased black & white magazines. For me, the format difference somehow put them in a totally different category from comics. It’s taken decades, but I’ve finally gotten over that misguided mindset. This issue of Dracula Lives (#6 from 1974) is such a treat, with stories by Gene Colan, Dick Giordano and wonderful collaboration by Tony Isabella and John Buscema.

I don’t know anything about this series, Sword of Dracula, but I rescued this comic from a bargain box not too long ago. The cover provides such a fresh, unorthodox take on the Dracula legend — and it’s still pretty creepy!

I’ve long been outnumbered by women in my household. You don’t need a RealClearPolitics poll to tell you that with my three daughters and wife, any man would be outnumbered.  Even though we’re now empty nesters, we still get some fashion magazines and I am often impressed by their creative covers. That’s why I’m including this issue of Allure in my creepy covers list!  Love it!

Comics for Collectors in Ithaca is a shop I first started visiting in the 80s. Now that we’re living in the area gain, I’m so happy to be shopping there regularly. They usually have a fantastic bargain box. I was elated to rescue this issue of Dell’s Ghost Stories from a sad fate of being stuck there forever. I’m not sure who illustrated this creative cover, but I love the blocky lines and the negative effect of the specter in the foreground. It almost looks like something that a modern favorite, Chris Samnee, may have done.

And the Horror Pix N’ Mix imagery comes from ghastly Graham Humphreys. It’s one of the many stunning images from Korero Press’ Hung Drawn and Executed. It’s a book that deserves to be on your coffee table. And maybe  you’ll flip through this book of instead of raiding the trick-or-treater’s candy bowl.  Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

***

And as a way to avoid just being scared and actually doing something, Bill Schanes and his merry band have been working hard on Give Comics Hope. Have you jumped on board yet?  Check ‘em out and I’ll focus on them more next week!