While I was a bit unsure about the "newsworthiness" of this type of content for the front page, I still found it humorous enough to share with you guys. Sit back and check out the best Christian Bale/Batman impersonation I have seen in any kid under the age of 10, ever. 
 
You love it.

Fall in love with comics...again

 
Over the course of the last four months or so, Comic Vine has managed to be present for some relatively prominent comic book conventions. From the heavy coverage we did at the San Diego Comic Con, to the first ever Long Beach Comic Con; we were able to score a lot of interviews and to chat with many popular creators. This weekend, Comic Vine decided to attend APE, right in our backyard. I quickly realized that there is something unique about APE that makes it stand apart from all conventions, in that it stays the closest to the roots of the creative process. 'APE,' the Alternative Press Expo, has been held every year in San Francisco since 2000, acting as a stage for independent publishers, self publishers, and alternative cartoonists to showcase their hard work. Having at one time consisted of a single day event; the convention has grown over the course of the last three years and now features special guests and panels, and spans the entire weekend (both Saturday and Sunday). Each year it has gotten bigger as more and more independent writers, artists and creators come to showcase their hard work.
 
While the majority of the mainstream comic book industry managed to keep relatively busy at "BACC" (Big Apple Comic Con hosted by Wizard) in New York City this past weekend, I headed into the "city by the bay" to check out the smaller convention. What I came face to face with was the creative process at it's best; a beautiful display of the passion that is so often lacking from mainstream conventions in general. Untouched by the overly commercial video game industry, and media giants that are Marvel and DC, was a venue for dreamers. APE is where independent creators come to show off a lifetime's worth of all of their hard work. It is a place where all the characters are original and the comic books are more often than not published at the local Kinkos, with love.

Roaming the (somewhat confusing and disorganized) isles of the Concourse Exhibition Center, I found myself drifting from one table to the next, leafing through the pages of the many stapled independent books; admiring their often outrageous plot-lines and eclectic interior art. I quickly realized the beauty of the venue that is APE when I opened up 'Brazilianoir,' a gorgeous story where everything from the art, mood and language is completely depicted in a noir style. Holding the rough pages I felt myself succumb to the world of Emily Stackhouse, a lovely and vibrant young woman whose personal style mimics that of the classic era she was channeling. It was then that I fell in love with her story. Sure, the book was rushed, the panels could have been better organized, the dialogue was somewhat brief and needed editing; but it was that raw artistic expression that really struck me. It is an element that is simply missing from main stream comic books, and it was effortlessly pouring out of Emily's pages. The use of light and dark that are such a staple of the 30's and 40's was executed brilliantly onto the panels of 'Brazilianoir.' Somewhere along the way I had forgotten what it was about comic books that made me fall in love with them in the first place. It was among these somewhat sloppy, rushed, stapled books that I realized the 'why' all over again. It was the understanding of all the time, effort and passion that goes into creating an incredible story that made me feel good. At that point I came to understand how important APE is. Had there been no venue for Emily, I may never have had the pleasure of immersing myself in her story and recalling the reasons why I truly love comic books; for the sheer fact that they are a brilliant form of artistic expression.

You wouldn't steal someone's wallet, would you? Clearly you know how wrong it is to steal anything from someone else. Ideas are no different. In fact, I would go as far as to say that stealing ideas is a worse crime because while you can put a price tag on something monetary; you cannot put a price tag on an idea. Ideas are priceless. 
 
I've been finding a lot of plagiarism and it's making me pretty angry. If you like and appreciate the Comic Vine community, and you don't want us to look bad, then please do not plagiarize from other websites.

 
 As you may have already heard, earlier this morning the Walt Disney Company announced in an official press conference that they have managed to solidify their acquisition of Marvel Studios and it's "portfolio of 5,000 characters." The question on the minds of most comic book fans is whether or not the buyout will effect the development of the characters and what this means for the future. In other words, for example, will the "merc with a mouth" still have "a mouth"?

I want to tell you exactly why it is a good thing.

Firstly, I do not believe Disney would pay 4 billion dollars to purchase a company just so they can change it. From a purely business perspective, and I quote the Disney execs when I say this, "if it ain't broke" don't 'fix' it. Disney has witnessed Marvel expand and evolve from being solely a publishing company to a media giant. As a company, they would be foolish to tamper creatively with the success of the company and its characters, and I do not believe they would invest a tremendous amount of money just to do so.

Disney executives made a point during the call to infer that "no one knows Marvel characters like Marvel...[and that] Disney respects Marvel to give and allow [them] creative control of the company."

At the moment, less than 50% of Marvel's revenue is international. This deal is about expanding revenue, and getting the Marvel brand out to people who might not be familiar with it. With the backing of a corporate giant like Disney; Marvel will be allowed to expand and will be better suited to reach audiences they previously may not have. The deal allows Marvel to remove their relationships with third party companies and which would thus eliminate friction. Pixar is an example of this. While licensing Pixar may have been attractive; acquiring the company was a major benefit and allowed them to expand and develop projects that they previously would not have had the funding and backing to do so. The buyout will allow Marvel to expand it's distribution as well as the number of products it develops. Essentially, Marvel increases in value because of this deal than it did when it had been a stand-alone company.

"This is about buying people who know the characters really well...when you are one company, you deal with less friction "

What does this mean for Marvel's current projects?

Nothing. According to representatives from both companies, Disney will respect the deals that are already in place with other companies and distributors, and will take over once those contracts expire. They note that while they Disney will respect the deals already in place, that they do want to eventually become the sole distributors of Marvel's films.  
 
For the sad part..
 
I don't want to be labeled as a cold-hearted lover of all things corporate; and while I do see this buyout as advantageous for both companies, there is still something sad about witnessing a company that has survived independently for 70 years being bought out by the bigger dog. I remain an optimist, however, in that I really do not think that the the content will change and that this was all for the best. I understand the concerns of so many Marvel fans when they base their opinions on Disney's reputation as a company. My advice to the skeptics is to remember that this was a business deal and it would be illogical for a company like Disney to pay 4 billion dollars for something they want to change. Both Marvel and Disney feel that this is an advantageous step in the right direction because in essence, it means that Marvel will have a stronger foundation to expand. 

  
 
 'Batman And Robin' #3
Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Frank Quitely
 
As much as I hate to admit, Grant Morrison almost has me liking Dick Grayson in this series. Wow, that was pretty difficult to type. All joking aside, I think that out of the abundant number of Bat books out right now, this series has to be the very best of the bunch. Morrison seems to know and understand Grayson better than anyone, and he has turned Damian Wayne from a third rate character to the baddest little ten year old I have ever seen. The detail of Quitely's art is amazing. He is consistent throughout the entire book, and drops hints about the story on every page. The double panel where we see Professor Pyg turn out some pretty raunchy dance moves is beautifully executed. In essence, Morrison writes one really sick character, and Quitely captures it through his art work perfectly. 
 
One issue that was brought to my attention later, was whether or not there was a deeper meaning behind the scene with Commissioner James Gordon. The scene takes place in an abandoned circus yard where Gordon turns to 'Batman' indicating how much he hates it there. Is this Morrison's way of tipping his hat to another psychologically gripping 'Batman' story, ' The Killing Joke'? In that story, Gordon had been tortured by the Joker in a similar setting. I thought it was an interesting parallel to draw. 
 
When Morrison writes Batman, we must always look for clues. I recommend reading the issue a second time at least; not only to absorb the details in the art you may have missed the first time around, but to look for clues. There is as much symbolism in the art work as there is in the language of the story. Everything from the dominoes in several of the panels, to the way the splattered blood likens to words. Lastly, the return of ' Red Hood' gave me chills. This book is worth the $2.99, you won't be disappointed!