abbracadabbling

04 April 2010

Hallelujah & HAPPY EASTER!

03 April 2010

USS Enterprise WebCam Will Get You Noticed!!

When our ComicTech-nicians discovered abbracadabbling's plans for our next Saturday Matinee, they couldn't hide their excitement. Trekkers all, we think that at least some of their ecstatic jubilation must come from owning their brand-new, fresh out of dry-dock Star Trek USS Enterprise Webcam.

We've got to admit, the ship looks pretty sweet - and that it actually works is a major plus, too. So we bought one ourselves, and dabblers, we're glad we did. As you'd expect for any Star Trek gadget, Enterprise is fully PC /Windows and Mac OS/X compatible, and setting it up was as easy as plug (via USB) and play.

The light-up engine nacelles and the focusable camera found in the deflector dish (kinda just like in the TV show!) are what makes the Enterprise Webcam the most fun, though. You can warp it around the room when the USB's unattached, or cruise it down to impulse and put it on the desk where it belongs. Of course, the webcam's so lightweight that it can also be mounted on the side of any computer monitor, thanks to an adhesive Star Fleet insignia. Doing that not only gives you the best view of Enterprise, but allows for you to angle the ship's deflector so it can get the best view of you, too. (At least, it made us look good.)

Measuring 50 x 15 x 20.5 cm, this cool Trek cam's plug-and-play functionality means that no drivers are required. It’s compatible with virtually all video chat applications including Skype, Google Chat, MSN and Yahoo...and did we mention it does video conferencing?

We just wish it had its own force field - to keep all our Ferengi-like friends from walking out with our new purchase. Then again, for around $45, even a Ferengi would know a good deal when he sees one. If you'd like to see all the Enterprise's specs, you can do that. Just leave ours alone and buy one of your very own - HERE.

02 April 2010

Great Weekend (2/3): iPAD's Arrival Tomorrow Means Tablet Technology Meets Comics

Every once in a while, all the awesome in the Universe seems to converge within a two day period. We're not sure why it happens, but it has, it does, and if our experience with the power cosmic means anything, we're sure it'll happen again. Dabblers might very well call these spectacular spectaculars Comic Convergences, but sometimes, even those words aren't enough.

This weekend 02-04 April promises to be the first of 2010's potentially Great Weekends, with 3 mega-events exploding nationwide: (1) San Francisco's own gigantic comic convergence, Wonder Con, begins it's three-day stay today in the Bay Area, while (2) Louis Leterrier's remade Clash of the Titans charged into theaters this morning - and in some places, even last night. Apple's game-changing iPad makes our (3) as it the game-changing tablet technology makes its public appearance just hours from now.

Yes, Apple confirmed Monday that their new iPad Wifi version (not the Wifi + 3G) will go on sale nationwide in all 221 Apple retail stores, as well as “most” Best Buy stores, beginning Saturday 03 April 2010 at 9am. The company also said that their earliest iPad pre-orders have begun shipping as well, meaning at least a few lucky dabblers - along with Stephen Colbert, who announced he received a free on during last night's episode of The Colbert Report - are probably shopping the App Store even now.

Based on a 2007 survey, over 10 million or 30% of Americans own or will own an iPhone , and it's estimated that sales of the iPad should hit the 1 million mark within the next week. Numbers like that mean, well, a lot of things - but in general, they translate very well as a technological tidal wave that, once it hits, will even give places like Des Moines, Iowa the metaphorical beach front property its always wanted.

In other words, iPad's tablet technology will be a game changer. A plethora of other companies - among them Lenovo, HP, Archos, Enso, Asus, and Fusion Garage - will be releasing their own media tablets this year, and cumulative orders are expected to hit 4 million by year's end. By 2015, the world-wide number is forecasted to be 57 million annually.

To both usher in and ease the inevitable process, Apple's posted several iPad tutorials and guided video tours to their website, focusing on their new device's core features, such as Safari, Mail, iBooks, and the iWork suite. Of more interest to dabblers may be the tutorial for Apple's new iBookstore, which will first require a user to download an App before iPad can go cyber-shopping. To begin your new iPad education, go HERE.

Reading iBooks on the iPad will be akin to using an e-Book reader, but in a far better way than is currently offered by any e-reader currently on the market. Apple’s iBookstore will designate about 20 main tier categories, including Fiction & Literature, Reference, and Cookbooks. Comic Books & Graphic Novels will also rank among the Top 20 -- which we think is excellent and reassuring news. Manga will be delineated as a subcategory beneath the Comics tier, just one of over 150 total iBookstore subs available. (And for our gamers on the blog, Apple reports their video game catalog will be just - if not even more - impressive.)

Apple's iPad capabilities are perfectly suited for comic books and graphic novels. Online sites like ComiXology have become instrumental as the comics industry marches toward its own digital evolution; ComiXology itself boats an impressive, non-stop shop destination for the comics crowd, featuring not only weekly digital comics and graphic novel content, but blogs, reviews, previews, forums, user ratings, and mobile applications for users on the go. Expanding on the ComiXology model is Longbox Digital, a device and hardware independent platform for the secure distribution, sale and enjoyment of digital comics. While Longbox is currently in private Beta test mode, public Beta testing is expected to come soon.

And that's an event that could be huge - especially in the months and years to come. Longbox has the potential to be the future of comics distribution, eliminating the monthly paper comic book format entirely. Longbox will function in a way very similar to iTunes, and like Apple's music store, plans to offer $.99 content. With individual comics priced anywhere from $2.99 to $4.99 or more, collecting has been prohibitive for many readers. The potentials of Longbox suggest that may not be the case in the future. Still, that time won't arrive anytime soon. The new models of comics sales and distribution that the industry would need to adopt also predict the end of comics' current system - the independent direct market. With an entire industry structured around the direct market, the future will not be won easily.

Of course, that doesn't mean it won't be coming. Several comics publishers already offer digital content for iPhone via their individual apps, and porting them to iPad and other media tablets will be a seamless process. Among the companies offering their comics digitally are: Image, Arcana, Archaia, Antarctic Press, Bluewater, Boom Studios, Devil's Due, Dynamite Entertainment, Moonstone, Red 5, Robot Comics, Slave Labor Graphics, Studio 407, Top Cow, and Viper.

If anyone will have trouble adapting their comics to digital, its the Big Two, Marvel Comics and DC. We'll take a closer look at both these companies digital designs in Part II of our Digital Comics review - coming this weekend!

We're Looking For A Few New Super Interns

A MESSAGE FROM ABBRACADABBLING HUMAN RESOURCES

We hope everyone had a fun and safe April Fool's. For whatever reason, the 01 April holiday hasn't really taken off like, say, Christmas, but that doesn't mean it we can't do our best to make it a special day.

If you found yourself on the comicsblog yesterday, then you'll already know we did just that. The Joker joined us in the Springfield Home Office yesterday, co-hosting our blog and generally sharing an all-around good time. The only downer was that we lost three of our interns by days end, all of whom, as our lawyers told us to say, decided to "opt for an early retirement."

Needless to say, your favorite comicsblog now has several openings on the roster - three to be exact - and we're looking to fill each of them before 01 June 2010. If you or someone you know loves comics, is currently enrolled in a college or university, and has a really, really good medical plan, get in touch with us and we'll send an application right off. Thanks, dabblers!

SAVE THE DATE: Free Comic Book Day Is Just One Month Away!

01 April 2010

The Most Wonderful Toys: Our TOP 2 JOKER Collectibles for 2010 (so far!)

April Fool's Day is nearly over - and thank God it is, because the body count is rising here at the Springfield Home Office. Luckily, in a college town like ours, interns are a dime a dozen. As it turns out, so are body bags at Wal-Mart. Doing good business always comes with a price tag, and sometimes, even a toe tag (or three). But we digress.

Before the laughing died (and we literally mean, died) down around here and Joker got (carjacked) a ride back to Gotham, the conversation invariably turned to toys and what wonderful ones Batman always has. That conversational detour started to get Mister J a bit hot under the collar, until we reminded him that there's some great toys out there that really are all about him. Joker's got plenty of fans, and if you're one of 'em, you'll want to pay attention to our Top 2 Joker Toys of 2010.

DC Direct fashions their individual toy lines after DC Comics' fan-favorite comics and stories, and their figures come to life looking like they just leaped off the page and onto your shelf. The Joker's no exception to this rule, and our cute Clown Prince has found himself cast as plastic fantasy several times over the last decade, including the three smiling sociopaths we've got pictured for you above. The Joker as he appeared in Grant Morrison's landmark story-arc Batman & Son, Joker from Vengeance (or Superman/Batman: Series V), and what we like to call the 'Liberace Joker' from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns are just three of the Joker action figures that could be in your collection right now.

In fact, DC Direct has sixteen other Jokers for you to choose from, too. Among our favorites: The Joker as he appeared in Alex Ross' Justice League (Series 3) and the ultra-cool (and bit more expensive) 13-inch Joker collector's figure in DC Direct's 1:6 Series of heroes and villains.

The next Joker to hit the shelves of your local comics store with much ensuing homicidal hilarity will be the DC Origins: (Series 1) Joker, a two-figure box set with both a Mister J then and Mister J now tucked criminally inside. It's priced at a steal, too - around the $22 mark, and you'll find it after 05 May 2010. Check out the entire DC Direct line - HERE.

DC Direct's best Joker of the year is due this November, and as you'd expect, it's also the most pricey. The MSRP is $325, but it's a hell of a lot less expensive than training another trio of interns, that's for sure. (Sorry, we're venting now that Mister J's stepped out). Ah, well.

We think this is one dy-na-mite if not classic rendition of the Clown Prince of Crime, and well worth saving some pennies for over the summer. At long last, DC Direct will be adding The Joker to their made-to-order, exclusive 1:4 scale museum quality statue series. Manufactured from a variety of mixed media elements from resin to fabric, Joker stands 19" high x 11" wide x 7.25" deep, and will be packaged in a 4-color box with a 4-color Certificate of Authenticity. For more info and a 180-degree look at Joker 1:4, go HERE.

* * * * * *

We had even more cool Joker toys lined up for tonight's blog, but sadly we've run out of time. The clock's about to strike midnight, and another April Fool's Day will be behind us all. What can we say: we had fun, we had laughs, and, on behalf of the Office staff that's still breathing, we'd like to thank Mister J for co-hosting Make Me Laugh: April Fool's with The Joker with the blog today.

Now if you'll excuse us, we've got another body to identify...

BOOM! STUDIOS 20% OFF THRU 07 APRIL 2010 - Check Them Out!

Boom Studios has really put itself on the comics publishing map, especially since they brought Mark Waid into the fold as Editor-in-Chief two or so years back. Boom's now counted among Top 10 comic book companies out there, and they've found real success publishing both creator-owned titles, like their awesome flagship book Irredeemable (written by Waid), as well as comics based on several key licensed properties. Perhaps the biggest of those is Disney, with titles like Walt Disney Comics and The Incredibles helping Boom to even begin their neat new Boom! Kids line.

From that same 'licensed' camp, though, The Dabbler's really enjoying 28 Days Later, an ongoing series by Michael Alan Nelson and Leonardo Manco that's based on the zombie flicks of the same name, as well as writer Chris Gorak's NOLA, a four-part series set in New Orleans just after the Hurricane Katrina blew the city down. Both comics feature an African-American female as their protagonist and heroine, as few comics do or have, and each does so really, really well. Dabbler definitely recommends both comics, and he gives Waid's Irredeemable, as well as The Anchor by Phil Hester, serious high props, since they're among his top reads of the month.

It's absolutely no joke that Boom's got a major sale going on right now - and our CoMics Merchant has the coupon code at the top of our blog!

Use it and get 20% off anything by Boom -- and as we've just said, there's plenty of great stuff to choose from.

Jump on over and go Boom! right now - and tell 'em The Dabbler sent ya!

Quote: The JOKER On Why We Laugh

The Joker by Shawn Van Briesen [via]; Quote by abbracadabbling

AN 8-BALL OF LAUGHS: Eight Great JOKER Pics for The April Fool

abbracadabblers are natural jokers - it seems to go with the territory. But we're not like The Joker, Gotham City's 'Clown Prince of Crime' and the most popular, best-known bad guy in the world. Most of us aren't, anyway. Joker doesn't mind having tricks played on him (just ask Batman), because in his world, payback's a bitch and he knows he'll always have the last laugh. So it took a few dozen roses (plastic ones of the acid-spitting variety) and a box of chocolates (See's Candies, insertable razor blades by Gillette), as well as one very gullible Springfield Home Office intern to make the delivery, but 'Mister J' accepted our invitation to guest host April Fool's Day on the comicsblog.

Yeah, we figured that would make you smile! And since nothing gets Joker grinning wider than seeing himself in pictures (unless its seeing Batman in pieces), getting things off to a good start with comics art seemed liked a bright idea. In honor of Mister J, and in fond memory of our former intern we hope you get a laugh enjoying these eight really great takes of The Joker himself...