IT'S FRIDAY! Here's Your Weekly Comic: GREENBLATT THE GREAT!

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EVERYONE'S A CRITIC: GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT (2009)

I happened onto a copy of GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, the feature-length animated cartoon out this week. Are all the DC DVD cartoons like this? It's is a very routine animated feature. Does not have the snap and crackle of BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD (which I was hoping for). It's not bad but it's nothing special either. Just a basic introduction to the character. Quickie origin at the beginning. A bunch of interplanetary goofs comprise the GL Corps. Sinestro is as handsome as ever and looks like he should be singing "Mack the Knife" at the Holiday Inn. Wait for the live action feature instead.

HUMP DAY Q&A Department goes MONTHLY.....

Greetings, gentle reader:

HUMP DAY Q & A, my weekly shortie interview feature with a comics industry figure, will now appear monthly, resuming in August, as I get into crunch mode to finish up work on various commitments, including my next comic book release, CARTOON FLOPHOUSE FEATURING GREENBLATT THE GREAT! # 2 (to debut October 24 at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco).

So the blog carries on as usual on a semi-daily basis, HUMP DAY Q & A will now appear on the 2ND WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, and the order of the universe will be preserved for now.

Thanks,

The Management

EVERYONE'S A CRITIC: (UN) FUNNY PEOPLE (2009)

Attended a special screening of FUNNY PEOPLE last night at the Arclight, where they had a Q/A with Apatow afterwards.

Here's comes the money-saver review (but no spoilers, in case you're planning on going)....

I'm sorry to say that this movie is about as hilarious as its poster (which lowered my expectations for it). It's 2-and-a-half hours (what is it about that epic length this summer for every damn film?) of mushy melodrama wrapped in pointless f-bombs and a record for usage of the word "cock." It's just overkill with lame attempts at shock value. This movie puts the nail on the coffin for man-child comedies (to which some of you are probably saying "Good!").

Sandler's character is unlikable from the get-go to finish, so it's hard to care for what happens to him. Rogen is a straight man here. This is a tribute to his stand-up comedy world, so there's a long list of cameos in the film that I will not ruin for you, but it does little to buoy the comedy. The biggest highlight was Jonah Hill. Whenever Jonah Hill was onscreen, it perked up, but there aren't enough of those scenes. And the biggest surprise is that Apatow wrote a generic girlfriend role for his own wife. She's kind of wasted in this one, minus the zing and quips she had in KNOCKED UP.

In the interview portion of the evening, Apatow was a fun interview though. Ben Lyons (of the current version of "At the Movies") moderated the discussion, which went quite long for these things (but in this case, it was entertaining).

On the way out of the screening, Ed Helms (Andy on "The Office" and "The Hangover") walked past me briskly toward the Dome. Perhaps he was hurrying to meet Apatow? (Or kick his ass for making this film?)

Anyway, you've been warned! Although the poster should've been a major red flag!

Back in LA....>BACK ISSUE # 35 is out! My conversation with MIKE VOSBURG

Today I returned from my week-long stay in charming San Diego, where Comic-Con 40 was on! As always, it was all-at-once exhilarating, entertaining, enervating, and exhausting, overall exciting, and yes, everybody now: OVERWHELMING! Most of all, it was a nice excuse to catch up with a lot of friends and a couple of fans. I was pleased that out of all my work, including the EL GATO, CRIME MANGLER series, this year's best sellers were my CARTOON FLOPHOUSE # 1 FEATURING GREENBLATT THE GREAT! and the all-ages SILLY GOOSE. Good to see the current books finding some readers. A big thank you to everyone -friend and fan alike -including my buddies and fellow members at the SCCS-that I had a chance to share that week with...the new friends as well, will look forward to meeting up with you all again. My only quibble: never made it over to Old Town for dinner... probably a first for me in many years. But I'm sure it hasn't changed one iota (usually served corn or flour with guac or salsa).

While at San Diego, I noticed that BACK ISSUE # 35 is indeed out. If you follow my work in TwoMorrows.com's magazine devoted to the '70s and '80s comics, this issue finds me in a Q/A conversation with the mighty MIKE VOSBURG, the Emmy Award-winning artist of such heroine books as SHE-HULK, ISIS, STARFIRE, MS. MARVEL and more, at his SoCal home. The Voz comes from that generation of Detroit artists which includes JIM STARLIN and AL MILGROM. Anyway, find it at your local shop or at TwoMorrows.com. This issue's theme: Villains!

And now, let's dance! Everybody to The Voz!

Hooray for Cornell University!

My alma mater has gone Hogwarts wild! It ranks on a list of schools resembling Harry Potter's (not sure if this is a good thing, but it's nice to see Cornell ranked so highly....)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/07/harry-potter-hogwarts-universities-architecture-daniel-radcliffe.html

Ithaca is the most beautiful spot on the New York State map, by the way. If you're ever within driving distance, go, Go, GO!

BACK ISSUE! magazine # 36, 37, 38 -- MONSTERS, WWII and FAMILY issues

Blurbs for the upcoming slate of BACK ISSUE! magazine are up, in which I have multiple contributions. Here's what I've got going on in these fun issues.

Time for some horn-tooting......

Right now, BACK ISSUE! is about to release BI #35 (the Villains issue, my riveting talk with artist Mike Vosburg).

Then the big babies drop.

BACK ISSUE! #36 will be the MONSTERS issue. Check out the terrific Earl Norem cover of Werewolf By Night battling Morbius (shades of Giant-Size Werewolf By Night). In that issue, I've got a good size piece about STRANGE TALES THE GOLEM (and a healthy exploration of the Jewish Golem myth and other Marvel/DC Golem characters). I've also got an article about PHANTOM STRANGER foil DR. THIRTEEN (and his lovely wife, MARIE THIRTEEN). Then there's DINNER WITH TONY & TINA DeZUNIGA (which was delicious....).

BACK ISSUE # 37, the WORLD WAR II issue, features my UNKNOWN SOLDIER article, in which I go in search of artist GERRY TALAOC. The short-lived but great COMBAT KELLY AND THE DEADLY DOZEN is also in my crosshairs for this one. And I dug up some dirt on HOW TO DRAW THE MARVEL WAY after conversing with legendary Marvel artist JOHN ROMITA.

BACK ISSUE # 38 is the family-themed issue, to which I called out THE BROTHERS GRIMM, annoying antagonists from the SPIDER-WOMAN series.