Dallas Comic Con Pictures

We headed out to the Dallas Comic Con this weekend to promote the documentary and had a great time. Here are some pics:

A semi-naked R2-D2 entertained the crowds:
These happy days are yours and mine:
Hawkgirl smash! And Catwoman does something as well:
Album selections include the Archies, Green Hornet and Popeye:
These guys might have an explanation for the recent Tardis sightings at MIT.

Clip: Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan

Here is a clip from the Comic Book Literacy documentary that features the "Echoes of the Lost Boys" graphic novel which tells the story of young Sudanese refugees.

We mentioned awhile back that we shot an educational event that had a curriculum that was based on this graphic novel and we look forward to doing a follow up on the story soon.

Clobbergate

I'm not a stranger to, or fan of, McDonalds or Happy Meals in general but of course I always keep an eye out for comic book-ish Happy Meal surprises that I simply can't live without. But when I came across the newest Marvel promotion my enthusiasm ranged from moderate to low.

Not that the somewhat crudely designed figures are horrible, they just did nothing to draw attention to themselves...or so I thought.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has started a letter writing campaign to have these toys removed from the land of the Golden Arches. What's their beef?

A concern that upon laying eyes on the Human Torch figure, kids will immediately douse themselves with gasoline and proceed to "Flame On!" Urban legends state that this may or may not have been a concern before but another FF member is also fanning the flames of controversy.
The catchphrase of a certain ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing is also facing a rocky relationship with the CCFC. According to them, "It's Clobberin' Time" will incite violence within the playground. They fear that drive-by clobberings will run rampant.

Will this lead to a full scale recall? Probably not, although collectors are certainly hoping for one to increase value. (I'm not too invested in the situation since the two I got are going to the nephews.)

You can read more about the story HERE, HERE, HERE and all over the interwebs.

NY School Seeking Comic Book Donations

I frequently get messages from organizations who are seeking comic book doantions for their educational programs. I also hear from people that would like to donate their comics but don't know of any group that needs them. So from now on I'm posting any and all requests to the blog.

If you have a collection that you would like to donate or if you are working with a group that uses comics for education purposes please send me an e-mail and I'll try to help get the word out.
First up is a request from Schenectady, NY:

Our Comic Books Literacy Initiative began as a curriculum mapping project for my administrative degree. Even though the ELA scores in our school (Van Corlaer Elementary School) have been tops in the Schenectady City School District for two years running, we are still looking for ways to be better. Looking at the data from our scores, we noticed a gap between male and female scores, with the girls scoring higher. My own childhood interest in art and reading was dramatically enhanced by reading comic books, so we have decided to use the natural appeal of comics to children to spark their interest in reading.

Our program will begin with the accumulation of a comics library, followed by teachers brainstorming ways to incorporate them into the reading/writing curriculum in their classrooms at ALL grade levels, K-6. We plan on having students produce their own characters and comics, and will form a comic book club. The club will serve as a place for students to read, discuss, and create comics. Along the way, without them even knowing it, we will be using the dynamic medium of comic book art and writing to boost their reading and writing skills.

We are actively engaged now in seeking donations of comic books and graphic novels that would be appropriate for grades Kindergarten through 6th grades. Anybody interested in making a donation of comic books, posters, or anything that could be of use to our initiative can contact:

Walter Mahoski
Van Corlaer Elementary School
2300 Guilderland Avenue
Schenectady, NY 12306
(518) 370-8270

TOON Books Video

TOON Books has a snazzy new video on their website. You can see it below:
We featured Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly from Toon Books in the documentary and it is great to see that the company is still spreading the word about comics and reading.

Shelf Life

In the past it wasn't uncommon to see comic books for sale in grocery stores, drug stores or any other place that a family might stop to pick up the various necessities of life. But these days it's rare to see comics for sale anywhere other than a comic book store.

So today it was a pleasant surprise to see comics pop up in an unexpected place.
Right next to a selection of DC and Marvel action figures (check out the cool "Super Friends" versions of Lex Luthor and Sinestro in the pic) was a display packed with comic books! This was at my local Toys R Us.
Batman, Superman, Spider-Man...and for some reason, Nova. Yep, the gang's all here (and Nova). I'd like to see more of this kind of thing. Getting comics back in mainstream stores will help expand the readership and introduce kids to the format.
Also of note (ok, maybe just interesting to me) is the Iron Man Belly Washer. Yea! It's about time Shellhead expanded out of the world of subpar candy. Still waiting on Iron Man Cereal though...