theswordisdrawn

November 30, 2010 1:58 pm This one has kicked up a real stink amongst the UK comic convention crowds and creators. You see Mark Millar talking about a British 'San Diego' has upset the organisers of MCM Expo. MCM Expo is a London based con which has bern advertising itself for the past to years as 'Britain's version of Comicon!' And that's an easy comparison. The crowds are bigger than any other comics con in the UK, and MCM also caters to many media - Anime, Manga, movies, videogames. Oh. And comics. And in the past that I'd largely why UK comics fans held it in disdain. A London con, but where comics only had a 5th of the floor space, if that. Not a proper comic con. Huh, maybe it is OUR San Diego! :) But MCM then began getting a fair number of creators involved who could pull bigger numbers, and has been expanding the number of creators (especially small press) in is comics village. Guys like Andy Diggle, Jock, Paul Cornell, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Warren Ellis. Pretty much the only con, even in the UK, where you WILL see Warren Ellis. :) Naturally, they're not too happy that Mark Millar now has a higher publicised, but ultimately smaller convention, in what they consider to be their territory. Especially having worked so hard on raising it's comics profile. But on the flipside of the coin you have other Cons in the UK, with dedicated fan bases. The likes of The British International Comics Show (BICS), Bristol Comics Expo, Thought Bubble and, just outside of Britain, Dublin Comicon in Ireland. These guys aren't so concerned. Another annual Comic Convention, taking place in the Capital, doesn't really encroach on their territory. And if it gives MCM a run for it's money, all the better. Why? Because MCM is NOT an annual event. In 2011 they're planning FOUR. And that can have an impact. Take this year, for example. BICS is probably the largest scale British show for comics purists. They get international creators in from America, from Europe, from Japan. They serve small press, mainstream, manga, US comics and British comics through the ages. Good guys. Many British cons are still far more like comic marts - mostly people selling there wares. BICS on the other hand has a launch party on the Friday, two halls of creators and dealers, but also two complete days of panels with creators and companies, covering a broad number of themes. We even got Charlie Adlard presenting some exclusive Walking Dead rough footage at this October's show. The con also takes place in Birmingham, in the middle of Country, which makes it far easier for more people in many areas of the UK to make it to England's second city. Over the past three years this us con which has grown the most, and become a fan favourite. This year MCM chose to place a second London show of the year the week after BICS weekend. As a result a number of usual creators (especially those who had been at NYCC the week before) chose to skip BICS, cancel at the last minute, or (and I saw it first hand, because people were queueing for them) no show on the day. Now NYCC is different. British creators are always going to go to a con in the States if invited. It's to be expected. But some people in the UK comics scene now see MCM (remember 4 planned shows for next year) as cannibalising the UK con scene. A franchise trying to push established conventions out. For them, the idea of one big Mark Millar and Titan backed London con would be the best option. An annual big comics blowout event at a point in the year which does not tread on anybody else's toes. As opposed to a franchise which does...

November 22, 2010 5:43 am Thunderbolts is not an Avengers title. Not sure where folks are getting that idea from.

November 19, 2010 7:22 pm I'm going to have to go with Secret Avengers. A more interesting and rotational cast. A clearer direction too. Still enjoying New Avengers, but the main (adjectiveless) Avengers has not been working for me. The entire first arc and casting choice was so flawed, and illogical that it genuinely made me sad. And Red Hulk? I mean seriously?

October 21, 2010 7:45 am I think that sales of this book in Britain may go up, after the Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards (Via videophone) con panel at BICS last weekend. Certainly a lot of the audience didn't even know it existed.

October 8, 2010 7:51 am

The thing is... this issue claims the book is set in Present. Not the past. The main scenes in Brussels, are set "Now".

October 8, 2010 6:03 am @jmack It claims to be the present. I'm struggling to figure out how this fits into continuity after Loeb's Ultimates/Ultimatum mucked up so much of the Ultimate Universe. But this is the best characterisation OF Thor I've read in the Ultimate Universe since the original runs of Ultimates. Hickman definitely gets the character.

October 6, 2010 9:19 am

If it's a videogame you actually can't call the Nazis, these days. Or show the Swastika, either. Because in territories like Germany and Austria if you release your game with those IN you can actually be criminally charged for it! :) I kid you not. I work for a videogames firm, m'self. And we've had to do that before. In Germany and Austria it is illegal to display a Swastika under very strictly policed Hate Crime laws.

Crazy, huh?

September 23, 2010 5:10 am Worryingly I too have the issue this came from, back in the 80s. It's weird to see it doing the rounds again.

September 21, 2010 7:52 am Despite the craptacular Banner, fundamental clunker of a plothole, and 'odd' washes of colour in places, I am still quite enjoying this. Glimpses of characters like Death's Head, cameos from Killraven... I'm happpy.

September 21, 2010 7:49 am To be fair to Ellis, the only reason this has become a mini is that art for the previous arc of the main book ran so far behind...