Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, creator of the first cartridge-based game console (Channel F), died this past Saturday morning in a California hospital.  Lawson was 70 years old.

(view more after the jump)

In the mid-70′s, Lawson was Chief Hardware Engineer and director of engineering and marketing at Fairchild Semiconductor’s.  There he designed the internal electronics for the Channel F console using the complex Fairchild F8 CPU.  Lawson went on to found a game development studio named Videosoft which in the 80′s developed games for the popular Atari 2600 console, spiritual successor to the Channel F.  Lawson also created one of the earliest arcade cabinet games, Demolition Derby, which was released shortly after Pong.  Lawson created the game while working in his own garage at home.  Lawson was also a member of the Homebrew Computer Club in the mid-70′s which also included two of the founding members of Apple, Inc (Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak) .

We here at Popcultureshock.com would like to express or condolences and sorrow over this news.  The contributions of Jerry Lawson and those like him have made it possible for gaming to evolve to the form it has reached.  It has also allowed us to do what we do here.  Thank you for everything, Jerry.  R.I.P.

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of our Fathers

Reggie Hudlin website

Denys Cowan website

Amazon link to buy Black Panther: The Deadliest of the Species TP (the first book featuring the female BP)

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Also this week:

Buffy TVS #34. Pencils by Jeanty.

Authority #21. Co-written by Bernardin.

Spawn: Endgame V2 TP

New Avengers: Luke Cage #1 (of 3)

Gold Digger II Pocket Manga V9

Obama/McCain Election 2008 TP

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Also notable:

Batman and Robin Deluxe HC V1

Hate Annual #8. Uncertain if this is for this week or not. The Diamond site has a pic of the cover listed with this week’s releases, but it’s not on the actual list. But it is due this month.

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Alex Simmons‘ Kids Comic Con is this Saturday, held once again at the Bronx Community College campus here in New York. Details at the website.

From WonderCon this past weekend: the Losers movie panel discussion.

Five examples of sci-fi-themed hip hop videos.

Here’s a piece on a long-forgotten Golden Age-era comics creator named EC Stoner.

Ashley Woods is taking pre-orders for her first Millenia War TP.

Luke Cage Noir

Shawn Martinbrough website

Wikipedia entry for the Marvel Noir books

Nominated for 5 GCAs, including Story of the Year, the collected edition debuts this week.

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Also this week:

Teen Titans #80. Written by Henderson.

Gold Digger #115, GD Sacred Library #3. By Perry.

Obamouse. Dont ask.

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Here’s a piece about Cold Space, the new comic co-created by SLJ and Afro Samurai producer Eric Calderon.

Do you remember AC Hollingsworth?

Now you can get Obama-related political cartoons as an application!

Tintin in the Congo continues to make people irate.

Jerry Craft was on Connecticut TV recently.

Wesley Snipes says he’d consider a fourth Blade movie.

Time article from 2002 on Ho Che Anderson’s King

HCA page @ Fantagraphics’ site

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Also this week:

The Brave and the Bold: Milestone TP

Nextwave: Agents of HATE Ultimate Collection TP

War Machine: Dark Reign TP

Escape from Wonderland #4 (of 6). Written by Gregory.

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Also notable:

Human Target #1.  With the TV show now revived, co-creator Len Wein relaunches the comic as well. (I don’t think this has any connection to Peter Milligan’s Vertigo version.)

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The Princess and the Frog won three Annie Awards this weekend.

A second Onyx Con has been announced, to be held in mid-August.

A couple of pieces by two of this year’s GCA judges: David Brothers talks about the history of Milestone on the occasion of the release of Milestone Forever, and Brian Cronin talks about an unused Barry Windsor-Smith Storm story that was remade with new characters.

Zapiro puts the shower head back on Jacob Zuma’s head.

Here’s an interesting look at how blackface is applied to other minorities in other cultures.

Check out this strip about boxing legend Joe Louis by Golden Age legend Irwin Hasen.

Milestone Forever

5-page preview

Dwayne McDuffie interview @ Comics Bulletin

Wikipedia entry on Milestone Media

The long-awaited mini-series that closes the book on the Milestone Universe (prior to the merger with the DC Universe, anyway).

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Also this week:

Buffy TVS #32. Pencils by Jeanty.

Authority #19. Co-written by Bernardin.

Gold Digger #114, GD Tech Manual #11. By Perry.

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Also notable:

Siege #2 (of 4)

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The submissions period for this year’s Glyph Comics Awards is now over. Thanks to everyone who submitted stuff. We’ll announce the nominees two weeks from today, including the Fan Award, in which you get to vote on the winner.

I totally forgot to post the trailer for Sylvain White’s The Losers, which looks like a lot of fun.

Animator Floyd Norman will be making an appearance at a northern California comic shop later this month. (Thanks to Pam for the tip.)

Darryl Hughes talks about his new webcomic The Continentals, which has landed a publishing deal.

Off-topic: To follow up on last week’s post about performance-capture acting, here’s an actors roundtable featuring a group of probable Oscar nominees for this year discussing the subject. Morgan Freeman calls it “cartoons.”

People around the world are pitching in to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The comics community has organized a fundraising effort called Heroes 4 Haiti.

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Barack the Barbarian: The Fall of Red Sarah

Devil’s Due website

Wikipedia entry on Barack the Barbarian

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Also this week:

Azrael #4

Deathlok #3 (of 7)

Doctor Voodoo #4

NOLA #3

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Fool’s Gold #2

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Also notable:

Green Lantern Corps #44. Blackest Night tie-in.

Joe the Barbarian #1 (of 8). Grant Morrison’s latest Vertigo mini-series.

Dark Avengers #13. Siege tie-in.

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Here’s a piece on the different ways sci-fi reinvents religion, using The Book of Eli as a basis.

Here’s a re-evaluation of a black Golden Age character that comes across as a stereotype at first glance.

Claudia’s starting a group discussion on Bayou.

“Any objections would be easily dismissed with the notion that these were more gentle and less enlightened times where such stereotypes were the norm. And clearly they were. The fact that the art displays beautiful draftsmanship and is historically important ensures that such aspects are easily brushed under the carpet.”

The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century

War Machine #9

AOD: Ash Saves Obama #2 (of 4)

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Also notable:

Blackest Night #3 (of 8)

Captain America: Reborn #3 (of 5)

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New posts at Great Black Comic Books: Why I Hate Saturn and Aya.

The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention is sponsoring a comics seminar in November.

Is there a new Vampirella in our future?

Losers director Sylvain White talks about his next movie, an adaptation of Frank Miller’s Ronin.

A report on the recent Morrie Turner exhibit in San Francisco.

New Shawn Martinbrough interview.

The secret history of Valerie from Josie & the Pussycats.

These are from an unusual website called Comics With Problems, which is similar to Scott Shaw’s Oddball Comics, only it focuses more on PSA-type material. Larry Lieber (Stan Lee’s brother) is named as the artist on the first comic; it doesn’t say who wrote it – and it does have the feel of Silver Age Marvel. The second one is drawn by a brother named Tom Feelings, who had quite the career. They’re both hilariously simplistic parables designed to get out the black vote, but they’re worth looking at for the historical value. (Check out the rest of the CWP site, too – there’s a Fat Albert comic and a very rare pro-segregation comic featuring George Wallace!)

Full list of nominees here.

Also: Here’s a piece about a forgotten black character from the Golden Age.

Also: A Kids Comic Con report, and an Alex Simmons interview.

Anyone wanna take a guess on how much it’ll go for

(Thanks to Christopher Chambers for the link.)

Related: Comics historian Scott Shaw on All-Negro Comics.

Six pages of this strip drawn by Matt Baker can be seen here.

Also: NYPost owner Rupert Murdoch apologizes for the chimp cartoon which may or may not allude to Obama and may or may not be racist.