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Can't post vanity fair stuff here, must click through.

A rare copy of the first Superman comic book sold for 317,200 dollars at an auction -- a super hero sized increase on the original 10 cents paid back in 1938. Bids in the online auction, which started two weeks ago on www.comicconnect.com, immediately topped 200,000 dollars and a last-minute surge crossed the 300,000-dollar mark. There were 89 bids and Comic Connect extended the deadline by several minutes to catch the late interest.

And advance orders have been so huge that the Palin issue has sold out and will now get a second printing.

How cynical we Baby Boomers are. And for good reason, too. After all, we devoured comic books like they were cotton candy. And the comics' ten or twelve cent price was subsidized by advertising. But it wasn't just advertising. It was huge, colorful, lavishly illustrated ads for things that, if we could persuade our parents to part with their hard-earned dollars so that we could obtain them, turned out to look nothing like the ads promised. Take, for example, the six-foot Polaris submarines and rocket ships. My beloved Archie and Superman comics were profusely populated by half-page blurbs showing unbelievably...

I learned a lot this week. Namely, Boy Scout leaders are pedophiles in togas. Obviously, that is preposterous and offensive. Sadly, it's part of the information I gathered while reading a comic book produced by the re-election campaign for County Commissioner Brent Rinehart. The whole 16-page affair is expected to be mailed to voters, Rinehart told The Oklahoman. The point was to be lighthearted, he said. Lighthearted campaign materials: Good idea. Insulting as many people as possible with cartoon drawings: Bad idea. Then again, I've never run for political office, so who am I to say what works in the...

Price: 400 Yen ($3.45; tax included?) Publisher: Missy Comics

I just read this on Foxnews.com today. On July 5 2007 they are going to kill off Capt. America. Please go to Foxnews.com for the rest of the story.

Every superhero has their nemesis, every positive has its negative and you can be sure that for every good comic book adaptation there is a bad one, too. Earlier this week we presented you with “The 10 Best Comic Book Adaptations of All-Time.� Now, on the day when fans will decide where Spider-Man 3 fits into the mix, we bring you “The 10 Worst Comic Book Adaptations of All-Time�… 10. “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen� (2003) 9. “Daredevil� (2003) 8. “Superman� sequels 7. “The Fantastic Four� (1994) 6. “Howard the Duck� (1986) 5. “Josie and the Pussycats� (2001) 4. “The...

Just a simple vanity of something I thought funny and ironic and wanted to share. From time to time, I go to the Marvel website and check out new stuff. They have a feature where you can read old and new comics online. I opened up an old Strange Tales featuring the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four. He is fighting some costumed character with the name of Destroyer - not the Destroyer that would later fight Thor. Anyway, the plot has the villian working for the coummunists (this story is from the early 60's). At the end when the...

<p>Mystery writer Mickey Spillane dies after a long illness, a nursing home spokesman says. He was 87.</p>

Publishers of "the world's first conservative comic book" have created a hilarious political satire called "Libarro World," in which a Berkeley professor's flawed duplication ray created imperfect pro-President Bush copies of Sen. John Kerry (a pro-military warrior), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (a sultry anti-feminist), Howard Dean (an unexcitable ultragenius) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (a distinguished teetotaler). In the series, the real four Democratic leaders set out to destroy each of their conservative clones.

American icon - tall, built, brave. And hot. But now, as Superman is set to fly onto the big screen next week, bringing truth, justice and rippling muscles to a new generation of moviegoers, there comes word that the Man of Steel has a secret. The man behind the red cape is a Yeshiva boy. Superman - Jewish? "Only a Jew would think of a name like Clark Kent," says Brooklyn Rabbi Simcha Weinstein. "He's the bumbling, nebbish, Jewish stereotype. He's Woody Allen. Can't get the girl. Can't get the job - at the same time, he has this tremendous...

Conservative comic book publisher of Liberality For All, (which features bio-mechanically altered Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North fighting oppressive Liberals in an alternate U.N. dominated reality), is donating all proceeds from their website to victims in Bantul, Indonesia.

BATMAN TAKES ON AL QAEDA By Michelle Malkin   ·   February 13, 2006 01:50 PM Famed graphic novelist/illustrator Frank Miller is joining the Cartoon Wars. He announced his plans at the WonderCon comic book conference yesterday. Yes! During his WonderCon panel, Frank Miller discussed his next graphic novel. Once again, Miller returns to the world of the Batman, this time with Holy Terror, Batman!. Though the title plays with Robin's classic catchphrase, the book deals with a serious subject. Gotham has been attacked by Al Qaeda and Batman sets out to defend the city he loves. The book, which Miller has...

BERLIN (Reuters) - The good guy in the Wachowski brothers' latest cinematic adventure is a "terrorist" at war with the British government. The masked crusader makes homemade bombs, which he plants on London's subway system, and condones violence in pursuit of justice. The Orwellian authorities rule chiefly by fear. With "V for Vendetta", the scriptwriters who brought us "The Matrix" may be asking for trouble. Starring a shaven-headed Natalie Portman as the foil to the mystery man known only as V, the film is based on a 1980s graphic novel warning readers about the danger of lurching to the political...

TOKYO, Nov. 14 - A young Japanese woman in the comic book "Hating the Korean Wave" exclaims, "It's not an exaggeration to say that Japan built the South Korea of today!" In another passage the book states that "there is nothing at all in Korean culture to be proud of." In another comic book, "Introduction to China," which portrays the Chinese as a depraved people obsessed with cannibalism, a woman of Japanese origin says: "Take the China of today, its principles, thought, literature, art, science, institutions. There's nothing attractive." The two comic books, portraying Chinese and Koreans as base peoples...

My brother shot me a link to ACC studios which is the maker of a comic book called, "Liberality for All" It is the year 2021, tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. It is up to an underground group of bio-mechanically enhanced conservatives led by Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North to thwart Ambassador Usama Bin Laden's plans to nuke New York City ...And wake the world from an Orwellian nightmare of United Nations-dominated ultra-liberalism. Now, this has got some problems obviously. The big thing is G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North. Come 2021, G. Gordon Liddy...

Here’s the unmitigated gall: From the country that published a "how to" manual so Mexican illegals could sneak safely into America, Mexican Foreign Minister Senor Derbez' intention is torestrict movements of US citizens within America so as to allow the unrestricted illegal movements of non-US citizens within America.And if he’s going through California, that’s the notorious 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. You know, the one that forbade the use of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Senor Derbez threatened to take the US to the International Criminal Court when Proposition 200 was first passed - I guess...

To the artist’s own admission, The Probability Broach is full color graphic novel that is also thinly veiled propaganda for Libertarian ideals. Whether it’s viewed as a good comic book story is for the public to decide. But one has to respect the artist, Scott Bieser, for putting his views right out there in the world. Too often when people reveal themselves they are often asked or sometimes even forced to put themselves back where no one can see them. For years comic book writers like JM DeMatteis and Jim Starlin have been accused of foisting their views on unsuspecting...

Making mincemeat of the Mexican government is easy. It's a hobby for border dwellers - on both sides of la linea - to laugh and cry over the actions of out-of-touch Mexico City bureaucrats. We've witnessed too many gaffes and missteps to remember. So when critics howled over the Mexican government's newest blunder, I didn't wince. What's another dumb move, I figured. Last month the Mexican government distributed more than 1 million comic books that advise what and what not to do when crossing the border - illegally. Mexico bashers north of the border had a conniption fit. The pocket-size...

One of the seminal American comic artists. He also did training guides for the U.S. Army during WW2.

Ready to take your fandom to the next level? MTV has opened applications for a new reality show, the premise of which will involve a group of fans who have designed their own super hero characters. Here’s the rub though – the finalists will live together in a house as their hero, and compete against celebrity villains for the grand prize – having their character published in a comic book. According to the production company, a “Legendary Comic Book Creator” As the production company is being mum about further details, it’s unclear if this show is the previously announced teaming...

In a deal it hopes will produce a trove of new properties to exploit across various media, Walt Disney Co. has bought the assets of CrossGen Entertainment, a comic book publisher whose fantasy and sci-fi titles include "Abadazad," "Mystic" and "Route 666." Terms were not disclosed. The acquisition of the more than two dozen titles comes as Disney is set to launch a TV series in the United States based on "W.I.T.C.H.," a comic magazine for tween girls that debuted in 2001 in Italy. Disney says "W.I.T.C.H." is now the fourth-largest magazine in the world in terms of international editions....

Sharon Stone blames US President George W Bush for the absence of a lesbian kissing scene in Catwoman - because of the current conservative climate in America. Basic Instinct star Stone, 46, was keen to enjoy an intimate moment with Oscar-winning co-star Halle Berry, but believes a puritanical streak running through the country put an end to any potential girl-on-girl action. Stone says: "Halle's so beautiful and I wanted to kiss her. I said, 'How can you have us in the movie and not have us kiss? That's such a waste.' "That's what you get for having George Bush...

The Punisher, Marvel Comics’ avenging vigilante, has become a radical. As well as taking out organized crime kingpins and thugs, he’s now taking on U.S. Intelligence and undermining support for the War on Terrorism.  The publication of these comic book polemics coincides with the April release of the feature film “The Punisher” starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta.Leftist propagandizing is not new to Marvel, nor to the author of the Punisher series, Irishman Garth Ennis.  Two months after September 11th, the Punisher was featured threatening the life of President George W. Bush.  The story portrays the President as a slobbering belching...

For America's multimillion-dollar Superman industry, it's a serious problem. This is a guy who's from outer space — he was born on the planet Krypton, let's not forget — but he's also from another time. He debuted in the 1930s, when Americans liked their heroes like they liked their steaks: tough, thick and all-American. Nowadays we prefer our heroes dark and flawed and tragic. Look at the Punisher (wife and kids dead), or Hellboy (born a demon), or Spider-Man (secretly a nerd). Look at Batman: his parents were killed in front of him, and he dresses like a Cure fan....

Though I read them occasionally as a boy, I have never been overly interested in comic books, especially the American sort, the ones featuring superheroes dressed in super-tight costumes fighting super villains, none of whom ever seemed to receive super-long jail sentences for attempting, yet again, to destroy Our Way Of Life. A junior realist, I tended to read, instead, the British-produced, four-times-a-month Commando comics, which were generally set during the Second World War. Commando — whose fabulous titles included Hun Bait, Iron-Cross Yankee, Ghost Stuka, and the unforgettable Deserters Deserve Death! — abjured those pathetic ads one saw in...

TAMARAC, Fla. — What do you do 25 years after creating a new artistic genre? If you are Will Eisner, you do the same thing again in your late 80's. "A Contract With God," set in the tenements of his Bronx youth and published in 1978, established Mr. Eisner as the father of the graphic novel. Now he has taken the adult comic-book format a step further, with a graphic history that applies his dark, 1930's-style illustrations to real events of a century ago. This latest work, called "The Plot," tells the story behind the creation of "The Protocols of...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL--Can you teach a physics class with only comic books to illustrate the principles? University of Minnesota physics professor James Kakalios has been doing it since 1995, when he explained the principle of conservation of momentum by calculating the force of Spider-Man's web when it snagged the superhero's girlfriend as she plummeted from a great height. Kakalios will describe a freshman seminar class he teaches, "Physics of Comic Books," at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, during the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Seattle. His talk is part of the symposium "Pop Physics: The...

This morning, Marvel Comics notified retailers that the the next issue of Avengers, #71 (which features superheroes, Capt. America, Iron Man, Thor and others), originally due to be in stores next Wednesday will be delayed until October 15th, and its normal “PSR” rating changed to “MR” or Mature Readers due to adult content. Marvel’s notification to retailers reads: At this time, Marvel has decided to delay the ship date of Avengers #71 by one week. The book will now ship on October 15, and will be returnable. Please treat this issue of Avengers as a Mature Readers issue. While a...

<p>October 3, 2003 -- The comics factory of legendary "Incredible Hulk" creator Stan Lee is getting dragged deeper into a federal probe that's worthy of any wacky comic-book plot.</p> <p>It's got bankruptcy, shady characters fleeing to Brazil, con men, check-kiting, White House influence-peddling and even G-men from different agencies jumping on their trail.</p>

FIRST PICTURE OF CATWOMAN!! Source: TIME magazine Monday, September 29, 2003 The new issue of TIME magazine has a first look at Halle Berry in her Catwoman costume. Here's the picture followed by the article. Thanks to 'Hmmm...' for the heads up. The cat is finally out of the bag. HALLE BERRY slinks into a strapping new ensemble this week when filming starts in Vancouver for Catwoman. The Oscar-winning actress plays the Felonious Feline (see also: Princess of Plunder, Mistress of Malevolence) from the Batman series, a role made famous by Eartha Kitt in the '60s TV show and...

It was only a matter of time, I suppose. Comic-book superheroes have gone into the liberal political indoctrination business.The September issue of the DC Comics book "Justice League of America," or "JLA," presents Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as U.N.-promoting paper dolls for a thinly disguised propaganda play against President Bush's war on Saddam Hussein.The story begins with a "napalmetto" attack on home soil. President Lex Luthor -- how nice, a supervillain standing in for President Bush -- connects the terror attack to "Qurac" and says the "Joint Chiefs are recommending military pressure." Wonder Woman protests: "International law and...

<p>If I were to take a wild guess, I'd bet that Bill O'Reilly and his colleagues at the Fox News Channel spent the weekend, as many of us did, reading Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."</p>

The reputation of comic book super heroes is more important to the Hollywood elite than the reputation of the real-life heroes in the US military. This sorry state of affairs is exemplified by Avi Arad, the very rich owner of Marvel Studios which makes movies based on popular Marvel comic-book characters like the Hulk. Arad told a USA Today reporter that he ordered an early version of the script for last year's very successful Spiderman movie changed because Spiderman slit someone's throat. ("Marvel's Chief: a force outside, 'a kid inside'" by Scott Bowles, USA Today, Life Section, June 5, 2003)...

SHOCKED six-year-old Leah Lowland checked out a mystery bulge on her Incredible Hulk doll — and uncovered a giant green WILLY.Curious Leah noticed a lump after winning the monster, catchphrase “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,” at a seaside fair. Stunned ... Leah, six, with doll And when she peeled off the green comic-book character’s ripped purple shorts, she found the two-inch manhood beneath them.Horrified Leah immediately ran to mum Kim and reported the find. And last night Kim called for a ban on the saucy toy. She said: “A hulk with a bulk like this just shouldn’t be...

Okay, for any who have seen my opinions in the past, you know that I'm an avid comic book collector. For a few years now, my favorite title has been Justice League, or JLA for short. The newest issue, #83, came out yesterday. It was, without a doubt, the most unvarnished left-wing piece of Bush-bashing propaganda I've ever seen. The baisc set-up is this (*WARNING*--SPOILERS)...President Luthor (yes, in the DC Universe, Lex Luthor is President of the United States) has decided that the nation of "Qurac" has acquired or constructed Weapons of Mass Distruction, and has decided that he must...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. comic book publisher has decided to let Princess Diana rest in peace, dropping plans to reincarnate her as a mutant comic superhero this fall, the company said on Thursday. Marvel Enterprises Inc. said in a statement that "upon reflection" it will remove Diana and all references to the royal family in its upcoming "X-Statix" monthly comics. The about-face follows a recent announcement by Marvel Comics that it planned to introduce Diana as one of a team of super-powered mutants in a five-series storyline called "Di Another Day." Company spokespeople were not immediately available to...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A former stripper is demanding an end to the new cable television show "Stripperella," an animated series featuring Pamela Anderson as the voice of a stripper who moonlights as a superhero. Janet Clover, 37, filed suit Monday against Anderson and comic book legend Stan Lee, who created "Stripperella" as well as "Spider-Man" and "The Hulk." Also named as defendants are Viacom TV Networks doing business as TNN. Clover claims she is Stripperella's "true creator," according to the lawsuit filed in Daytona Beach circuit court. Clover, an unemployed Palm Coast resident who identifies herself in the lawsuit...

<p>Let's talk about the upside first: The computer-generated Hulk is indeed very realistic and convincing. In fact, all the special effects are good, very subtle and artfully done. There's rarely a time when the computer side of this movie doesn't pay off.</p>

Comic books shy away from latest war 04/11/03 Michael Sangiacomo Plain Dealer Reporter It was "The Good War." American soldiers fighting overseas never doubted the support of the folks back home. The Nazis, the Japanese and, to a lesser extent, Mussolini's Fascists presented a threat to the world that was so obvious, so frightening, there seemed no choice other than resistance. And comic books, being a mirror of society, reflected that belief. Adolf Hitler was as much a villain in the comics as any mad scientist. Nazi and Japanese soldiers were the villains on cover after cover of "Superman," "Captain...

(note hammer and sickle on chest!) Joseph Stalin and Superman would seem to have little in common except their shared nickname, "the Man of Steel." Stalin was a brutal dictator who murdered millions, while Superman is the mythical embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. Yet in Superman: Red Son, a new three-part comic book series, the first of which has just been released by DC Comics, writer Mark Millar posits an alternative universe where Superman grew up on a collective farm in the Ukraine in the 1930s rather than in the idyllic Midwest town of Smallville, U.S.A. Indoctrinated...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - It's a bird. It's a plane, but it's not Superman. At least not in Sweden, where a couple who wanted to name their child after the comic book hero found the law harder to bend than the man of steel himself. The tax authority, which oversees rules for names in the Scandinavian country of 8.9 million, nixed a request by Sara Lindenger and her live-in boyfriend, Johan Leisten, both 28, to name their child Staalman, Superman in Swedish. "We wanted to call him David Rune Staalman Leisten," Lindenger told The Associated Press Tuesday. "It would be much...

Muslim Groups Demand an Apology from X-Men Director, Bryan Singer Press Conference: May 7th, 2003 @ 12 noon Leimert Park 3415 West 43rd Place (Crenshaw & Vernon Ave) Los Angeles CA 90043 Press please contact: Najee Ali, National Director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E. phone: (323) 769-5267 email: Send2IslamicHope@aol.com PO Box 43-A-122 Los Angeles, CA 90043 Project Islamic H.O.P.E., a prominent Muslim civil rights group, along with a coalition of Islamic organizations, demands an apology from X-Men director, Bryan Singer. They are also demanding that the anti-Islamic propaganda from his latest film be removed before "X2: X-Men United" is released on...

ORLANDO -- An Auburndale 12year-old learned the hard way not to mess with Marvel Comics super-villain Dr. Doom. Now his family wants to teach Dr. Doom a lesson. But this drama is playing out in the courts, not the comics, and embroiling Universal's Islands of Adventure Theme Park in Orlando. Buffy Skinner claims a man playing the character Dr. Doom caused mental and physical anguish to her son, Richard Skinner, by threatening and manhandling him during a visit to the park. The family filed suit Tuesday against Islands of Adventure. It is seeking damages "in excess of $15,000," according to...

April 4, 2003, 7:15 a.m.Captain America, Traitor? The comic-book hero goes anti-American. By Michael Medved s if Defense Department officials didn’t face enough challenges in and around Iraq, they must now prepare for battle without a celebrated component of past victories. Captain America, the patriotic superhero whose comic-book exploits inspired the nation in World War II, now feels uncertain about the nation’s cause; in his latest adventures, The Sentinel of Liberty seems disillusioned, embittered, and surprisingly sympathetic to terrorists. This odd, unsettling direction for Marvel Comics comes at a time of maximum cultural influence. The company owns 4,700 characters, including...

I caught this as part of an article from the February 14 issue of Comic Buyer's Guide: The 411 mini-series will focus on non-violence as a solution to problems. Scheduled to be in stores on April 11 (4/11) for $3.50, the title is an anthology focused on that theme. (Marvel President and COO Bill) Jemas said, " 411 will be the most serious of books that we produce in the next year or so. The word '411' is a buzzword that kids use for 'information now,' and the information we want to convey is about people like Martin Luther King,...

Today, an updated version of Marvel Comics' Rawhide Kid series will hit comic book stores. The gunslinger, who first made his debut 48 years ago, comes out of the closet. When Marvel first announced the Rawhide Kid's return and "coming out party" in December, several reports called him the first gay character in comic books. Some called him the first gay lead character in a comic book. But neither of those "firsts" is true. The Kid may be the first gay lead character in a Western saga, but outwardly gay characters in comic books have been around for at least...

I found this interesting image at the U.S. Army Logistics Command's PS Magazine site today. If you're an Army veteran (or an Army brat!) you know PS -- it's the world's only monthly comics magazine dedicated to the maintenance and upkeep of military vehicles and equipment in the field. Click over to the official PS Magazine website and note the locale of the flea-bitten GI depicted in Joe Kubert's cover for the January issue: the "field" is depicted as a sandy desert, where sunscreen and sand-flea repellent are necessary and from where soldiers are encouraged to write home. Sound like...

MARVEL COMICS IS ON A ROLL. First there was the blockbuster "X-Men" movie that generated almost $300 million worldwide. Then came "Spider-Man," which grossed more than $800 million. Coming in February, Ben Affleck will star in "Daredevil." In that same month, Marvel will be bringing back to comic book stores a cowboy hero known as the Rawhide Kid. From 1955 to 1979, Rawhide Kid battled the outlaws of the Wild West as part of a Western-themed series that included other heroes like the Two-Gun Kid and Kid Colt. At the time, nobody ever asked if Rawhide Kid dated any girls,...