Spandex and the Stage: Super-heroic Performances

More news has been released about the comic spectacular starting  this summer. But you won't only find your favorite superheroes in the pages of comic books; they are touring the United States! So far, 3 night engagements have been scheduled for 55 cities, with 10 other US cities “coming soon” as well as a promise for Canadian cities. The tour starts in Tampa Bay, Florida on July 10^th. Ticket prices range from $40-$120 plus ticketing fees. Click here to see the city closest to you! Dates go until 2016.

In the stage show Spider-man, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Black Widow and X-Men Wolverine and Storm battle Green Goblin and Loki. Advertised as :“a mind-blowing, live-action arena experience, featuring the greatest Marvel super heroes and villains,” the show boasts new special effects and technology. Marvel Universe Live is produced by Field Entertainment- the ones who tour Ringling Bros Barnum and Baily's Circus, Monster Jam and Disney on Ice. 

Marvel is not a stranger to stage shows.Their Broadway show just ended in early January. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark premiered June 14, 2011 at the New York Foxwoods Theatre. Bono and The Edge wrote the music and the script is a collaboration between playwright Glen Berger, comic book writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and director Julie Taymor(Across the Universe, Broadway’s The Lion King). The play was plagued with bad luck and went down in history as being the most expensive Broadway production. It is now being adapted for the Las Vegas stage, opening next year. 

DC already has experience in the stage show. Batman Live Arena Tour premiered July 2011 in England, followed by Brazil, Argentina and Chile, then finally going on a North American tour in 2012…ending December 2012 due to low sales. The Arena show was well received and had great special effects and a pretty diverse cast of characters(Batman, Alfred, Dick Grayson/Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Joker, Harley Quinn, Penguin, Riddler, Two Face, Scarecrow, and Catwoman), as well as complex scenery and ,of course, a heavily featured Batmobile. 

Both publishers have stakes in the theme park industry, as well. DC partnering up with Six Flags and Marvel Comics have been a mainstay at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. As most theme parks, the costumed superheroes are among the attractions to greet guests and pose for a photo. Marvel has recently been bought by The Walt Disney Company. So, who knows? Maybe we can see Spider-man walking around Main Street USA at Disney World in the near future...

Comic-Con Goes to Brazil!

Comic-Con, the biggest comic and entertainment convention in the United States, will get a Brazilian version at the end of the year. According to the Brazilian magazine, Veja, the event will take place December fourth until December seventh at the Center of Immigrant Expositions in São Paulo. Other than comics, there will also be attractions featuring games, movies and TV shows. The event organization is done by Pierre Mantovani, who is now president of Comic Con Brasil and also the general director of the Brazilian entertainment site Omelete. The Brazilian edition will be called Comic-Con Experience.

The event will follow the same molds as its North American predecessors, mainly San Diego Comic-Con International. Big names in entertainment should appear and their participation will begin to be confirmed in the coming months. The organization is in contact with Disney, Marvel, DC, Paramount, Warner Brothers and other studios.

So far, 20 vendors or collectibles are confirmed, along with the presence of Brazilian artists likes Eddy Barrows and Greg Tocchini.

The event already has its own profile on Twitter.

(Original article Comic-Con chega ao Brasil em dezembro by Samir Naliato, Jan 27, 2014. Translated with permission from Universo HQ)

São Paulo last year added a "Brasil Comic Con" section to their popular Anime Friends convention last year with little international attention. As mentioned previously FIQ- International Festival of Comics (held in Belo Horizonte in November) has huge attendance numbers and last year had talent from DC Comics pay a visit. I will be sure to keep an eye on developments!

Marvel Now! New 52! All new number 1! Collectible first issue!

Some argue that high numbered comic series ward off new customers, often with intricate plots and complex characters appearing and disappearing more often than your favorite soap opera. Comics become a commitment; miss a month and you are lost. How many Robins were there? Magneto dated who? It is intimidating.

For this reason, DC Comics decided that starting in September 2011, they would restart their whole line with 52 number one issues. Comics that had not been renumbered since they debuted in the 30’s had a fresh start…for better or worse. Action Comics (where Superman appeared in 1938) ended at 904, the Superman solo series ended with 714, Batman’s Alma mater Detective Comics: 881. Wonder Woman: 614 and Batman solo 713. Adventure Comics rounded off the high numbers with 529. Curiously enough, DC Comics celebrated Detective Comics would be 900th issue in April with volume 2’s issue 19. January’s highest issue number was 27.

DC Comic's Detective Comics 900

Marvel comics not far behind, followed suit with a Marvel.NOW initiative, slowly phasing out their series with new lineups, creative teams and story plots…yet keeping their history intact for the most part. Uncanny X-Men ended June 2011 with issue 544. Amazing Spider-Man ended with 700(2012), Captain America (and the Black Widow) ended with multiple money-grabbing name changes with its 640th issue. Invincible Iron Man= 527. Fantastic Four=611. They laid to rest their oldest series in October, Journey into Mystery was 655 issues long. Like DC, the publisher still has an eye for history when convenient and will celebrate Ultimate Spider-Man 200 in April, counting the series multiple volumes, one shots and miniseries with very confusing math. This month’s oldest series is Daredevil with 35 issues. Yet, it will not grow old as it is cancelled next month with issue 36; all new number one on the way!

Marvel Comic's Ultimate Spider-Man 200, out in April

Archie Comics is business as usual with this month’s Archie 652. Disney, a staple in children’s comics ended its partnership with Boom Studios in August 2011(due to buying out Marvel). Their highest number at the time was the 1940’s series Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories 720. Disney comics have been missing from the racks since.


Save for Disney, all of these comics were in house publications. The numbers game is a tricky one. Bad sales aside, the higher numbers stand the test of time, what they lack in new reader friendliness, they make up for in trust. “This comic lasted this long, it must be good”. With the absence of all the old comics, their history and three digit counts, the comic industry is uncertain. Will we reach 900 again without combining multiple series, changing names and adding decimal points? Let me know the answer in 75 years. Until then, keep buying the first issues just in case.


In Brazil, Turma da Monica(Monica’s Gang) have been only going forward and not stopping. Since the creation of the line of children stories Monica, Jimmy Five(Cebolinha), Chuck Billy(Chico Bento), Smudge(Cascão) and Maggy (Magali) have had residence in three notable publishers. Most recently sold in 2007 to Panini Comics, they are seeing their 85th issues this month. In 2011, Mauricio de Sousa Productions celebrated 500 issues of Monica, counting the previous series from past publishers( Abril and Globo). Monica’s main rival, Jimmy Five is going to hit 500 in February-expect a very special issue next month. The comics are 64 to 80 pages long, containing one to twenty page stories that are light on continuity(like most all ages books). Read the translated article below detailing Monica’s 500th.
Meanwhile , Pato Donald(Donald Duck) 2,427 is available on Brazilian newsstands this month by Abril. Yes, that is two thousand, four hundred and twenty seven.

Abril

Monica reaches 500 issues

Panini/ MSP

After 40 years, in which the character moved houses-going from three publishers- and appeared better, not fatter, than ever- Monica’s comic just achieved a historic 500 issues. Created by Mauricio de Sousa in 1963, the girl in the red dress with the blue bunny in her arms gained her own comic in 1970 by Abril editors.

Two hundred issues later, in 1987, she went on to be published by Globo publishers, who put out 246 editions of the comic book. And, in 2007, she moved to her current house, Panini, who is sending out it’s issue 54 this week-actually Monica’s 500th issue.

Mauricio’s character grew up over the years, the license adding an adolescent version of the character, dating her childhood neighbor, Cebolinha(Jimmy Five), But, aside from the success of “Monica Teen”, the classic version of the gang continues strong and solid with clever stories. That is what we can read in this special edition 500th issue.

There are two comic stories in the issue. In the first: Monica, Magali, Cebolinha(Jimmy Five) and Cascao(Smudge) and Jotalhao(Thunder) discover that all their tokens of these 40 years of adventure have disappeared from the memory room. With the help of the magic pencil of Marina, they head off in search of the treasure that we all keep inside of us. Pure poetry.

In the second story, staring Cebolinha (whose magazine will lag two years and two months to reach number 500, he complains), we discover that a different character took Monica’s place in the commemoration of the historical brand. What if she was never the most popular-and strongest- of the street? All it takes is a little time travel to try fix the past.

(Article written by Telio Nevaga on June 20th, 2011. Read the original article here)