The PCS staff would like to give a warm welcome to Rich Watson as he and his Glyphs Online blog settles into their new home here at PopCultureShock. Of course, Rich has been doing his monthly What’s A Nubian? column here for a little while now, but this move will mean he’ll be able to bring you guys news and commentary far more frequently.
As Rich states in his first post on Glyphs 2.0:
Since May 2005 I have been keeping a blog devoted to news, commentary and other information about black comics and black creators, not to mention related work in other mediums like film and TV and novels. Why? Simply put, I felt there was a need for it, especially when there’s quite a deal of quality material out there that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Characters and creators of color have come a long way in the industry, and there’s still a long way to go. Things have improved, but they could still be better. Here is where we’ll explore what’s going on with black creators and comics in the field, what we like about them, what we don’t like, and what we can do to bring about lasting change.
We’re behind you 100% on that, Rich.
We’ve been informed today by a manager at a local EB Games store that the pre-orders for PlayStation 3 will start on tomorrow, October 10th. The pre-order will set gamers back $100. Managers were supposedly told this information today during the afternoon conference call as well as being informed about the quantity each store can expect to have at launch. The launch system allocations were determined by corporate based off the number of software and peripheral pre-orders each store has recieved so far. The stores in our area are all recieving 16 units at launch with one of the stores set to recieve 8.
We’re collecting more information on the subject, but at the latest we’ll know tomorrow.
UPDATE: We’ve sourced this with three different EB Games managers and also a Gamestop manager in our area. I even went to another manager’s house and looked at the notes he took from the conference call.
The stores are only allowing consumers to pre-order the number of units they’re allocated to recieve. This will work out well for consumers for a number of reasons. First is that if you have a pre-order, you’ll be guaranteed to have the unit on the first day. Secondly, after the first shipment is finished, gamers will be able to walk into a store and pick up a unit on first come first serve during any subsequent shipments.
Hello again. For those of you joining me for the first time, this is the new Glyphs Online, now being hosted by my friends at Pop Culture Shock, whom I wanna thank for making this possible. Since May 2005 I have been keeping a blog devoted to news, commentary and other information about black comics and black creators, not to mention related work in other mediums like film and TV and novels. Why? Simply put, I felt there was a need for it, especially when there’s quite a deal of quality material out there that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Characters and creators of color have come a long way in the industry, and there’s still a long way to go. Things have improved, but they could still be better. Here is where we’ll explore what’s going on with black creators and comics in the field, what we like about them, what we don’t like, and what we can do to bring about lasting change.
Let me make it clear once again that I am not nor have I ever been an expert. I do my best to cover this stuff, but I’m gonna make mistakes, I’m gonna forget things, and I’m gonna overlook things. I do not make my living off this (yet) and there are only so many hours in the day I can spare to this blog. With your help, though, I’ll do the best I can. So if you’ve got any news tips, press releases, or if you know about a creator you think I should write about, please drop me a line at cptsisko318@aol.com.
My monthly column “What’s a Nubian?” will be discontinued, since the plan is for me to have commentary and interviews on a somewhat more regular basis within the blog itself. I’ll still have the monthly Previews roundup, though. You’ll see how it works out once we get into full gear.
Kurogane, Vol. 2
By Kei Toume
Del Rey, 249 pp.
 At first glance, Kurogane seems like yet another series about a ronin with a violent past. Reading volume one, however, we quickly realize that manga-ka Kei Toume is indebted to Frankenstein as much as Vagabond for his characters and plot twists. The series opens with Genkichi, an eccentric inventor, social pariah, and former samurai, stumbling across our hero’s mangled body. Recognizing him as the famously lethal assassin Jintetsu, Genkichi salvages Jintetsu’s remains for an experiment in reanimation, resurrecting the young man’s soul in an indestructible steel frame. Jintetsu then returns to the village of his birth, only to discover that you can’t go home again—at least not when you’re sporting a new body and a talking sword.
Volume two follows Jintetsu as he renounces his old life for the open road, settling into a formula familiar from dozens of samurai stories. Ronin crosses paths with an assortment of types—a roguish but honorable assassin, a noble blind girl (who just happens to be a performer), a tough young girl posing as a boy—in desperate need of his skills and courage; mayhem, swordplay, and redemption ensue.
Though other characters comment on Jintetsu’s “steel mask” (or note that “gee, you seem different”), I was both baffled and amused that none of them notice that (a) his sword does all the talking and (b) he’s a robot. My bigger complaint about Kurogane, however, is the occasional clumsiness of the exposition. Toume’s characters lapse into conversations that are meant to illuminate their connection to Jintetsu but sound quite unnatural, i.e. “I’m 7 years older than you and used to live next to your family. Since you didn’t have a mother, I often took care of you.”
Narrative griping aside, there is much to like about Kurogane. Jintetsu is a marvelous creation, with a big gash of stitches across his face, a forelock that conceals a missing eye, and a working eye that is a window into his angry, tormented soul. Toume’s other characters are equally distinctive, with some of the most expressive faces I’ve seen in manga. Whether intentional or accidental, most of Kurogane’s female characters bear a strong resemblance to Otsuki, the girl that Jintetsu leaves behind in Volume 1; the resemblance adds resonance to his interactions with several women in Volume 2.
My real beef with Kurogane lies not with Toume’s storytelling or artwork, but with Del Rey’s sometimes sloppy print job: on several pages, the bottom panels have been unceremoniously cropped mid-image. Dialogue, too, occasionally disappears into the binding, rendering several passages unreadable. Still, it’s difficult not to praise Del Rey for the overall quality of the product, from the gorgeous cover artwork to the fluid translation. The notes are handled well, with essential phrases and names explained in the margins of the book and less important terms covered in the appendix. And for connoisseurs of sound effects, Del Rey offers the best of both worlds: the pows! and splats! appear both in their original Japanese form and in translation in a tiny but legible typeface.
If you’re planning to read Kurogane—and I highly recommend that you do—I would encourage you to read both volumes. Yes, the stories in Volume 2 are largely self-contained, but you’ll truly appreciate the poignancy of Toume’s Frankensamurai conceit if you read the very first chapter of the series, “Dead Man Reborn.” Mary Shelley would undoubtedly approve.
At the end of Civil War #4, the comics world saw the shocking formation of a brand-new team of Thunderbolts comprised of some of the most evil super-villains in the Marvel Universe. But these aren’t the only new members of the team.
Starting with Thunderbolts #110, Warren Ellis (Ultimate Extinction, Nextwave) and Mike Deodato (New Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man) will be coming on board to tell the story of this all-new, all-deadly squad.
Venom, lethal protector! The enigmatic Moonstone! Bullseye, the man who never misses! Songbird, mistress of sound! Chen Lu, the Radioactive Man! Swordsman, master of the blade! The mystery man called Penance! And Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin! They’re America’s newest celebrities, ready to take to the skies at a moment’s notice in pursuit of those secret, unregistered superhumans hiding among us!
They’re the All-New, All-Deadly Thunderbolts —making the world a safer place for ordinary people one would-be costumed hero at a time! In the wake of Civil War, Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato present a dark and disturbing take on Marvel’s most wanted, where the line between hero and villain is difficult to find—if it exists at all!
When New Avengers was launched, the first six issues had variant covers by each of the original Young Guns, leading to quick sellouts rarely seen in the industry. Now there is a new group of artists on the rise looking to make their mark on the next big thing: Thunderbolts! To commemorate this event, the first six issues of the Ellis/Deodato run will feature interlocking variant covers produced by the six Young Guns: Reloaded artists: Leinil Yu, Ariel Olivetti, Pasqual Ferry, Clayton Crain, Simone Bianchi & Billy Tan.
If you haven’t already jumped onboard the wild ride of redemption that is Thunderbolts, you cannot afford to miss the start of an all-era of the T-bolts starting in Thunderbolts #110 as the super-star team of Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato take the helm.
And for fans of the classic Thunderbolts, Baron Zemo’s story continues this February in an all-new limited series, Zemo: Born Better, written by Fabian Nicieza!
Last night’s Project Runway reunion special featured several hilarious clip montages (Tim’s over-the-head vocabulary and of course Laura’s “Serious Ugly”, Vincent’s “Turns Me On” and Bradley’s “???” trademark utterances), but perhaps the most memorable turn was booted designer Keith’s dismal failure to cover up or own up to his ejection.
Among his excuses (pick a story and stick with it Keith — isn’t the golden rule of lying?) was the claim that he never saw anything saying they weren’t allowed to bring design books. This of course elicited unanimous “oh please”s from his fellow designers.
Entertainment Weekly got a copy of the letter each contestant was sent (which is not the same as a contract admittedly):
According to MTV, two of my absolute favorite MCs ever may have beef. Following a recent interview with Halftime Online wherein the R stated Foxxx wasn’t all that ferocious, Bumpy Knuckles has responded with “The King Is Down” (which will appear on his new LP Amerikkan Black Man).
The R is without question one of the greatest and most legendary lyricists ever, to the point of where it’s unthinkable for anyone to put out a diss record aimed at him. But this is Freddie Foxxx we’re talking about.
“I will eat Rakim’s ass alive on any record, any stage,” Bumpy Knuckles asserted recently. “When I finish with him, every bit of legendary status he had is gonna go out the window. I swear on everything I stand on, I will eat that n—a alive, bar by bar. I’ll tell him to his mutha—-in’ face…”
Let’s hope the beef stays on wax, especially for the sake of Rakim, who I believe is about 5 feet and some change compared to the cock-diesel Bumpy Knuckles, a true warrior who has named names throughout his career without retaliation.
EDIT: Just found this little diss Foxx put out there. Certainly far from ferocious at this point, but I still don’t know if you want to bet against Bumpy in a battle.
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