You’ve seen him insult the Star Wars geeks, but here is a brutal attack from Triumph the Insult Dog while attending San Diego Comic-Con 2008.

Another packed day at SDCC. Here are some random pics of the sights we saw.

Scooby dooby doooooooooo!

I am Iron Man!

???????

Ummmmmm…???

OK, see that short guy in the middle? That’s Seth Green trying to be all incognito. Fans started to approach him and he quickly made his way off the floor and to his Robot Chicken panel.

Tim Sale and Jeff Loeb.

Yesterday was the Watchmen panel at SDCC. The hall was packed and the entire cast of Watchmen was there. The best part was the exclusive footage that we got to see for the first time. Even though there is no way that all of the book can be fit into the movie, the look and feel of it is spectacular. One of the coolest scenes is the one where Dr. Manhattan blows up vietcong with the pointing of his finger. In the trailer they blow up less graphically. In the actual version there is blood, guts, and bone flying everywhere. Due to copyright reasons the exclusive footage is not allowed online yet, but enjoy the Q and A with the cast and crew. Snyder and Crudup are quite the funny men.

I usually don’t spaz out like a fan boy over announcements or previews. However, The Watchmen trailer managed to reduce me to a giddy little fan boy. Confession time - I can’t stop watching the trailer. I know that there is no way to fit all of the nuances of the graphic novel into the movie, but I think it will stand on its own. In other Watchmen news, be sure to get the newly released Watchmen motion comic!

It’s been a while coming and often delayed, but two of the most requested titles are to be released on June 25th.

The first is All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (try saying that 3 times real fast). This hard cover reprints issues 1-9 of the controversial series. Why is it controversial? Hang out at the shop and poll our customers. We have never seen so many people hate this title and buy it anyway. Why do they buy it? Because deep down inside, it’s good. Frank Miller’s latest take on the Dark Knight is an ultimate no holds barred version of Batman. This isn’t your father’s Batman. Beautifully illustrated by Jim Lee, this collection is a must have.

Our second most requested paperback this year is Walking Dead Vol. 8 - Made to Suffer. What can I say about this series that hasn’t been said already. This is not an ordinary zombie story. This is the best zombie story ever told. What makes this such a special zombie story is that it’s not about the zombies. It’s about the personal relationships and tragedies of those caught up in a zombie apocalypse. There is no explanation for the origin of the zombies, just a psychological thrill ride carrying the survivors where they never imagined they would go. If you have not read Walking Dead you should take advantage of our graphic novel sale and catch up. Also, Walking Dead comes with a money back guarantee. If you don’t like it, just trade it in for something else.

Detective Comics was published July 1939, was written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Kane. In his third appearance we see some characteristics that define Batman into the modern age. This is also the first issue that is not written as a generic crime story, and instead we are presented with a somewhat super villain, Dr. Death.

The story:
Dr. Death has developed a deadly pollen that he presumably will use to threaten the world. However, he recognizes the growing threat against crime, Batman,  and puts a classified ad in the local paper (something like SWM evil scientist plans to kill, let’s see if you can stop me) to entice Batman into a trap. Batman accepts the challenge and is caught in a trap by two of Dr. Death’s henchmen. Batman escapes with a gunshot wound to the shoulder and eventually follows Dr. Death’s servant, Jabah, to his lab. During his confrontation Dr. Death is presumed dead after a fire breaks out in his lab.

Batman Firsts:
During his confrontation with Dr. Death’s henchmen, Batman picks up a fallen gun and threatens to kill them if they don’t reveal their bosses identity. This is somewhat of a mystery to modern Batman fans since it is well known that he doesn’t use guns.  This is also the first time we see Batman use gadgets, giant suction cups that allow him to scale the outside of a building and a mace like glass capsule used to fend off Jabah. Dr. Death is considered by most to be Batman’s first “super villain” and is also the first to refer to him as Batman.

Overall, this story flows much better than the first two appearances of Batman partly due to an extended number of pages for the story and it’s departure from a simple criminal story. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s review because we may not have seen the last of Dr. Death.

June of 1939 saw the publication of Detective Comics #28 (written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane) and marked the last public guillotining in France. No really. I think that the latter is more interesting that this Batman story.

We’re still in the early phase of Batman and it hasn’t yet discovered it’s own path. This story, much like the previous is just a crime story about jewel thieves. No special villains, no inner turmoil and struggle, and nothing that would be recognizable as the Batman we know and love today. Much like my critique of the previous issue we get more of scenes like this one:

A blow by blow description of every action sequence. Now you may think that I’m being hard on Kane/Finger and think that’s just the way comics were back then. However, the previous issue of Detective Comics featured two stories by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. And those two stories were not written in this fashion. What I find fascinating about these early stories is seeing not only the genesis of an icon, but how the character was shaped. Besides, how much excitement and story can we expect from a whole six pages! Not to fret, the next issue of Detective Comics reveals traits that will forever be characterized with Batman. Join us tomorrow when Batman meets Doctor Death.

Detective Comics #27 was released in May of 1939 and marks the first appearance of Batman, or as he’s referred to in the early days “The Bat-Man”. Written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane, the paltry 6 pages of story resembles very little of what we think about Batman today. Absent are the “amazing toys” , memorable foes, and grand origin stories. Instead we are treated to a simple crime fiction story. After all, Detective Comics was a genre book dedicated to sleuth stories springing from the rich tradition of pulp magazines.

The story itself is not very memorable and could otherwise be dismissed if not for the appearance of Batman and Commissioner Gordon. It’s a simple story of greed, evil, crime and punishment. The main problem with the story is that it reads like a radio script. In one series of panels we are told,

The Bat-Man lashes out with a terrific right…he grabs his second adversary in a deadly headlock…and with a mighty heave…sends the burly criminal flying through space.

What’s annoying is that the dialog in many of the scenes is an exact description of the panels. It’s as if Kane did not trust his illustration abilities and wanted to tell us what he was drawing, which is a shame because the illustrations are well thought out and executed.

Even though it’s kind of hokey, it gives us the introduction of one of the most recognized symbols of pop culture. Not all introductions can be winners and we should be thankful that the editors saw the potential and pushed forward with the character.

To celebrate the launch of the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, we are going to post a review of the first thirty issues of Batman every day up to the release. So, be sure to check back on Thursday June 19th for the first installment when we review Detective Comics #27.

The latest incarnation of The Incredible Hulk took in a little over $54 million domestically this weekend. So, now that the gamma dust has settled, what did you think about it? Was it better than the Ang Lee film? What do the hardcore fans think about the references to the super soldier serum? For me it was kind of middle of the road, but the group I watched it with, whom had little or no background on the big green guy thought it was pretty good. Could it be that this Hulk has better mass appeal?