With five Wednesdays in the month, there were more comics to love in November, which meant some very, very tough choices. So tough, in fact, and so packed with landmark issues, one-shots, and epic finishes, that we included an entire, other list after our top ten. Yeah. It was a crazy month. Here’s the Top Ten Best Comics of November, and don’t forget to scroll down for some very Honorable Mentions:
While not as pitch perfect from first page to last as issue one was, writer James Robinson and artist Cully Hamner continue to successfully recapture the lightning in a bottle let loose when Robinson left Starman all those many years ago. Full of endless creativity and brilliant characterization, this is a must for anyone who was a fan of Starman – or comics, period.
Posted 11/30/11 11:30 am ET by MTV Geek in Science, Tech
Oh, science...making our comic book dreams into a reality one awesome invention at a time! Take, for instance, this super-strong sticky tape recently created by the good scientists at Zoologisches Institut in Germany. Literally inspired by insect feet, the tape features an adhesive so strong that it could support a human hanging off a wall -- and, in theory, allow people to scale walls Spider-Man style.
This amazing creation's secret? Millions of tiny silicon mushroom-shaped appendages, which mimic the "hairy" legs of insects such as flies and spiders. The tape's "hairs" -- which conform to surface contours and work together as a strong unit -- can stick onto such diverse surfaces as glass, water, and even inside the human body. Better still, the tape can be reused thousands of times. Read more...
Posted 11/23/11 9:19 pm ET by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, TV, Tech
Inflating the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a massive undertaking. You could probably figure that out for yourself from watching it on TV, and I could probably quote a ton of figures at you, but even for a seasoned parade watcher myself, going “back-stage” – as I just did on Wednesday night – was a jarring, enlightening, and ultimately exuberant experience.
For those of you who don’t live in New York, you probably already know what goes on in the televised portion of the Macy’s Parade, from the bands, to the balloons, to the floats. What you may not know – as it’s a relatively recent event, starting in the past five years or so – is that the Balloon Inflation is an event in and of itself, drawing over one million New Yorkers are tourists to trek up and down the streets of the Upper West Side, the day before the parade, to watch the balloons get big.
Posted 11/18/11 5:00 pm ET by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, Gift Guides
Let’s say you have a friend or family member who’s shown some interest in comic books, but are daunted by years of continuity, and hundreds of trades… Where to start them off on the right foot? Lucky you, we’ve broken down the best starter trades for new readers of all ages, by specific character, interest, and comics. Now it’s just up to you to get the books in their hands, and stand back as they ravage the rest of your library:
If They’re Interested in Batman…
Well, you could probably check out our upcoming list of perfect Batman trades for gifts, but if you want some simple suggestions to start off clean, we say go for the standards. Batman: Year One is a surprisingly simple and clean story, and as the movies are inspired by that book, it’s a good way to go. For something more modern, Scott Snyder’s recent run on Detective Comics, collected in the Black Mirror hardcover requires a little bit of explanation (“Wait, Bruce Wayne isn’t Batman? What now?”) but it’s worth it for the excellent story inside.
Posted 10/14/11 9:50 am ET by Lemonjuice McGee in Hasbro, New York Comic Con, Toys
New York Comic Con has just begun, but already the toy reveals on the floor are causing a big stir among the fans that are crowded around the displays, drooling over the nice new plastic masterpieces they hope to add to their collections. Hasbro is showing off their figures from Marvel Legends Series 2, which were previously announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Needless to say, we were excited, but managed to steady our shaking hands enough to snap photos of what look to be a damn fine assortment.
Posted 9/29/11 1:27 pm ET by Lemonjuice McGee in Announcements, Dark Horse, Marvel, New York Comic Con, Toys
As the 2011 New York Comic Con approaches, it seems more and more companies are unveiling exclusive collectibles and merchandise for the big show. Today we're taking a look at a Marvel Comics Spider-Man statue that is being released by Dark Horse as part of their Syroco line! We reported on this awesome tag-team when it was first announced and now's your chance to grab the Webhead while he's sporting a sweet-ass web cartridge belt!
Posted 9/21/11 12:00 pm ET by Lemonjuice McGee in Diamond Select Toys, New York Comic Con, Toys
2011's New York Comic-Con is coming up fast. From October 13 through 16 we will be bringing you a ridiculous amount of coverage, which will include anything and everything about toys! Diamond Select Toys will have plenty of newsworthy goodies to the show including four different exclusive releases from their Femme Fatales, Minimates, and all-new Maximum Zombies lines!
Diamond Select Toys likes to think of its convention appearances as one long goodwill tour of America, bringing sneak peeks of its products and new, exclusive toys to different parts of the country. And this year's journey, having already stretched from Chicago's C2E2 to San Diego's Comic-Con, is now coming to an end in New York City, at the 2011 New York Comic-Con! Taking place at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan from October 13-16, the convention is the East Coast's biggest pop-culture gathering, and in addition to their famous Minimates panel (2:45 on Saturday, in Room 1A15), this year will be the home to four very cool exclusive DST products, including the two great Marvel Comics products and the first offerings from a brand-new line of Minimates!
Posted 9/6/11 12:02 pm ET by MTV Geek in Comic Books, Marvel
Wanna catch Spidey slinging webs across the boards on the Great White Way? Well MTV Geek has got ya covered with our latest Twitter Giveaway!
One lucky retweeter can nab two tickets to see Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark on Broadway during the month of SEPTEMBER on a WEEKDAY performance.
Posted 9/5/11 11:36 am ET by Lemonjuice McGee in Costumes, Dragon Con, Fun
Judging by our travels here at Dragon-Con, our fellow geeks have been very busy in propagating our species. Kids of all ages are here with their parents this weekend, enjoying the con as much, if not more, than their elders. Of course, it definitely helps that they get to dress up in costume for a few days straight-- like an extended Halloween! Below, you'll find photos featuring some of the cutest geeks you'll ever see, and our future comic artists, movie directors, and world leaders!
Posted 9/4/11 11:43 am ET by Lemonjuice McGee in Dragon Con, Fun
Here we are again for the continuation of the 10th Anniversary Dragon-Con Parade! For those of you that may have missed the title, we're braking the parade photos into three separate posts and you can find the first part here. Let's get right to it, shall we?
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