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AudioShocker Podcast #91 - Cape Crisis! Chris Giarrusso On His New G-Man Comic

Published

on August 4, 2009

. 0 Comments

Chris Giarrusso joins Nick to talk about G-Man: Cape Crisis #1, his new comic book hitting shelves on August 12, 2009. They talk about the plot of Cape Crisis miniseries, Chris G's writing process, the inspiration for G-Man and other characters, the issue structure, future issues of G-Man: Cape Crisis, and the story behind the Christmas tree tale from old school G-Man strips included in the G-Man: Learning to Fly digest. Then the guys talk about the 2009 Comic-Con International, discussing con stories and commissions. To wrap it up, Chris talks about his new project with Scholastic Books and Jake Bell, The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks.

AND... listen for a special appearance by Neal at 1:07. He tried to call in and join the conversation, but Nick and Chris completely missed it (or ignored him). After the end theme, Neal explains what happened on his end.

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AudioShocker Podcast #91 [44:19m]: Play Now | Download

Nominate Phantom of the Attic Comics for the Spirit of Retail Eisner Award!

Published

nick marino

on March 24, 2009

in Comics

. 24 Comments

San Diego Comic-Con International is only a few months away and I have a special request for comic book fans everywhere: nominate Phantom of the Attic Comics in Pittsburgh (Oakland neighborhood) for the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award.

In the words of the Comic-Con and the Eisner Awards themselves, this award "is given to an individual retailer who has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large." That's a perfect description of Phantom of the Attic Comics right there.

[Need a visual aid? To catch a look at Phantom's awesome retail space, check out this Phantom of the Attic Flickr album I made to show off the store's new digs.]

Okay, back to the award. You wanna know why, right? (Unless you shop at Phantom now - then you already know WHY.) Here's the criteria used by the Eisner's to judge the Spirit of Comics Retailer Award:

Support of a wide variety of innovative material.
Knowledge.
Community activity.
Quality of store image.
Adherence to standard ethical business practices.

Phantom fits all those criteria (and then some). Point is, it's a great shop (in business for over 25 years!) run by a great crew that does great things for the comic book community in Pittsburgh.

To nominate Phantom for the award (DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, APRIL 17th 2009!!!), go to the Spirit of Comics Retail nomination form. I've made it easy by providing all the info that you need to complete the nomination (feel free to personalize your version). So let's make this happen - Phantom of the Attic Comics for the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award in 2009!!!

NOMINATION INFORMATION

Retailer's Name(s): Jeff Yandora

Store Name: Phantom of the Attic Comics

Store Address: 411 South Craig Street

Store Phone: 412-621-1210

Store City: Pittsburgh

Store State/Prov: Pennsylvania (PA)

Store Postal Code: 15213

1. Support of a wide variety of innovative material:

While Phantom of the Attic Comics has tons of new books every Wednesday and a comprehensive selection of backissues, what truly makes Phantom unique is its embrace of indie comics, local creators, and offbeat mainstream work. Take Street Angel, an indie comic drawn by Pittsburgh artist (and Phantom customer) Jim Rugg. When this book first launched, it was an under-the-radar title with no mainstream hype. Phantom of the Attic Comics championed it, putting it next to the register and recommending it to countless customers. Now Street Angel is an underground success and the inspiration for a high-profile short film. But Phantom's loyalty was never dependent on public visibility or success - the store just wanted to promote the exciting independent work of a local artist. This happens all the time, whether it's the store owner buying ashcans off of an up-and-comer to put onto their shelves or promoting a wide range of unique comics through word of mouth and high-visibility placement.

2. Knowledge:

If you've been to Phantom of the Attic Comics, this question seems like a no-brainer. The staff is extremely knowledgeable on comics modern, classic, and everything in between. Phantom's employees aren't high-turnover teens that stand behind the register and read comics all day. The staff at Phantom is highly interactive with the customer base, knowing the majority of repeat consumers on a first and last name basis. Jeff, the owner, makes the rounds on the store floor constantly, greeting friends, striking up conversations, and answering questions. Wayne, longtime sales and customer service employee, acts as Phantom's ambassador to the creative comics community in Pittsburgh and the store's comics historian. And the list keeps on going - every employee at Phantom has a special niche that they fill for customers, providing extensive knowledge and great customer service.

3. Community activity:

Basically, Phantom of the Attic Comics is a hotspot for the creative comics community in Pittsburgh. In their new expanded space, Phantom supports creator signings and customer appreciation events. Free Comic Book Day at Phantom isn't "buy a comic to get a free comic book day" - it's "welcome to Phantom... this is customer appreciation day." Free comics flow like wine and friends connect for an all-day event. Phantom is also known for supporting the works of many comic creator customers in the Pittsburgh area. And Phantom's latest community activity may be their biggest yet - working with Pittsburgh's new Toonseum cartoon museum to promote comics around the Pittsburgh and its surrounding area.

4. Quality of store image:

Phantom of the Attic Comics is highly regarded as a comics retailer by the creative community, fans, and the shopping public of Pittsburgh. The shop was voted Best Comic Bookstore for 2008 in the Pittsburgh City Paper's Best of 2008 readers' poll... and that was before their upgrade to an innovative retail space that quadrupled their size. All the racks, shelves, and displays in Phantom have been custom-built, utilizing unique visual design never seen in any other comic shop before. Even the backissues received specially designed drawers built to support the size and weight of two longboxes. Phantom's allows the store to spotlight a wide range of books, from indie to manga to superhero to hardcovers to digests to collectibles to discount offerings. Most importantly, Phantom's unique design is stocked with care and thoughtfulness. Seasonal displays feature products to interest both new and returning customers, while new comics are always well organized and easy to identify.

5. Additional Comments:

Personally, all I can say is that Phantom has been a huge part of my life for the past eight and a half years. Because of the opportunity provided by the store, I've delved further into the medium of comics than ever before. I've made friends at the shop. I've debated and discussed comics for hours when I just meant to swing by the shop to pick up a single issue. And I can say honestly - without any exaggeration - that Phantom of the Attic Comics is the single best comic shop I've ever been too. I'm serious. I've been across the United States buying comics from Phoenix to San Francisco to Chicago to Nashville to Philadelphia to New York City. I've even bought comics off newsstand racks in Italy. And I always go back to Phantom of the Attic Comics in Pittsburgh because I know it's the best.

More: Check Out Phantom of the Attic's New Retail Space

And more: Podcast #52 - Live from Phantom of the Attic Comics

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Some Thoughts on the End of Book 3: Fire

Published

nick marino

on July 25, 2008

in Movies and TV

. 18 Comments

Thanks to my (at the time) 5-year-old nephew, I became hooked on Avatar: The Last Airbender. I showed it to Justique. She loved it. She showed it to her friends. They loved it. Then I showed it to Neal. He loved it. Now there are at least eight of us between the ages of 20-26 that have a serious Avatar addiction.

Last week's end of Book 3: Fire has left me with mixed feelings. [SPOILER ALERT from here on out.] I think that this Avatar season culminates in a fashion that might be a bit too happy for my tastes. We've still got villains in the form of a demoralized former Fire Lord Ozai and a chained Princess Azula. But just about everything else ended up in a nice, neat package.

The only cliffhanger / dangling plot thread is the mystery of Zuko's mom (and potentially Katara's mom as well). It's vaguely interesting, but nothing too compelling. It feels like the creative team on the show planned for three seasons and stuck to their guns even when Avatar got renewed for three more seasons (making a total of six Avatar "Books" last that I heard).

And I think it's awesome that they stuck to their guns. Too many "great" tales have been turned to "good" or "okay" by giving into the push for an endless bevy of serialized stories that can be marketed to an exhausted audience (*ahem* Star Wars *ahem*). But this ending is so happy that I actually wish the characters were in a bit more pain. The triumphant conclusion isn't gratifying -- it actually feels hollow. Where's the suspense?

This time last year, I was absolutely riveted by the ending of Book 2: Earth. Now I feel a bit tired of the Avatar Universe. With so many missed airdates and never-ending plot teases, my patience was beginning to wear thin before Book 3 even ended.

I also feel like Nickelodeon has severely mismarketed this property, continuing to aim it exclusively at an adolescent demographic when the stories have an obvious appeal to the Generation Y crowd.

Speaking of marketing Avatar, what's up with the Avatar trilogy of films directed by M. Night Shyamalan? He was quoted as saying that his first film would cover both Books 1 and 2. It's hard to imagine how he would still make a trilogy out of this presuming that Books 3 and 4 would combine to make film number two.

So what does the future hold for this franchise? Do we follow our heroes as they rebuild a diverse world that's free from the controlling hand of the Fire Nation? Do we get to see Aang restore the Air Temples now that he's in touch with the spirit of the nature itself (a.k.a. will he "create" new airbenders now that he can give and take bending abilities)?

I would actually be fine if this was simply the end of Avatar. It could be nice to revisit the Avatar Universe down the road when Aang's all grown up. Or maybe Nickelodeon should skip ahead in time significantly and let the story follow the next Avatar (you know, the one that would follow Aang). I guess all I'm wondering is: have we seen the last of the Last Airbender as we know him?

EDIT: I ask and Nickelodeon answers. According to an SDCC Avatar panel from this weekend's Comic-Con International in San Diego, Avatar: The Last Airbender was always intended to be three Books / seasons. Furthermore, it's just a bad rumor that there are going to be six seasons of Avatar. As we know it, the show is over.

As for the Airbender movie by Shyamalan, the first film will be a direct adaptation of Book 1: Water. At the panel, creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko also said that they're working to get an Avatar show soundtrack released.