WONDER WOMAN DAY

In conjunction with the opening weekend of the new WONDER WOMAN movie's theatrical release, DC Entertainment will be partnering with book stores, comic book shops, libraries, and other venues to celebrate the Amazon Princess's 75th birthday on Saturday, June 3, 2017.  Participating locations will be hosting themed activities and distributing free copies of two special edition comic book issues.

WONDER WOMAN DAY SPECIAL EDITION #1 reprints DC Comics Universe's Rebirth Wonder Woman #1 written by Greg Rucka with artwork by Liam Sharp.

For young readers, DC SUPER HERO GIRLS WONDER WOMAN DAY: SPECIAL EDITION #1 will feature a chapter from the upcoming DC Super Hero Girls Vol. 3: Summer Olympus graphic novel written by Shea Fontana with art by Yancey Labat.

In addition to giving out these free comic books, DC Entertainment is also teaming up with an array of retail partners, including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Walmart, Costco and Amazon for exclusive in-store and digital promotions to take place on WONDER WOMAN DAY.  There will also be cross-divisional promotions taking place during the day by Warner Bros. (which owns DC Entertainment) various entities along with key partners such as Six Flags Theme Parks to spotlight the heroine.  For more information about what is new with the Amazon Princess, visit her official Facebook page.

The Wonder Woman movie debuts in movie theaters on Friday, June 2, 2017.  Starring Gal Gadot who returns as the title character who was introduced in Warner Bros Pictures' Batman vs Superman, this movie provides the backstory of how Wonder Woman became a super hero.  The film also stars Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen and Elena Anaya.  For more information about the movie, please visit wonderwomanfilm.com

MONKEY BUSINESS: The Story of George's Curious Creators - Hans & Margret Rey

Curious George has been a part of my life as long as I can remember.  The stories of this mischievous monkey were one of my favorite bedtime stories when I was young and now that I'm a parent the book holds an important spot on my children's bookshelf because my kids love the adventures of Curious George just as much as I did at their age.  I've looked at the covers and flipped through the pages of Curious George books more times than I can count, but I honestly couldn't tell you anything about his creators Hans and Margret Rey.  An upcoming film maker named Ema Ryan Yamazki thinks that it is a shame that so many people enjoy the adventures of George but know so little about the remarkable lives of the husband and wife creative duo who created the children's books featuring the curious little monkey so she is creating a documentary telling the story of Hans and Margret Rey.



To help share Hans and Margret Rey's story with the world, Yamazki is asking for help in financing the completion of her documentary, MONKEY BUSINESS, through a KICKSTARTER campaign. In addition to helping fund a wonderful documentary, supporters of the campaign also will receive thank you gifts depending on their level of contribution that include timeless original Hans Rey prints on items ranging from t-shirts, tote bags and coffee mugs to Curious George inspired kites and beach balls.  Whether you can contribute $5 or $5,000 every dollar helps in bringing this documentary to fruition.

Hans was living in Paris, France with his wife Margret in the late 1930s working as a cartoonist for a newspaper.  A publisher enjoyed Hans' cartoons of wild animals and asked him to create a children's book featuring them.  While the book that resulted Raffy and the Nine Monkeys wasn't very successful it did prompt Margret to begin working with Hans on a standalone book featuring one of its mischievous monkeys named Curious George.  The Reys had just finished their manuscript for Curious George which involved Margret writing the text and Hans providing the illustrations, when the Nazis invaded France.

As German Jews living in Paris, the Reys knew they were in danger if they stayed in France.  Hans cobbled together two bicycles from spare parts and on the morning of June 14, 1940 the Reys fled the city with only warm coats, some food, and the manuscript for Curious George.  The Nazi army entered Paris just a few hours after Hans and Margret had departed heading to Spain.  Making their way to Brazil, they founded Rio de Janeiro's first advertising agency and also had Curious George published in 1941.

The Reys eventually moved to the United States to focus on a career as children's book authors producing six more Curious George stories between 1947 and 1966. The Rey's final story, Curious George Goes to the Hospital, was written after representatives from Boston Children's Hospital contacted the couple asking if they could write a book to help prepare children for a hospital stay.  Apparently, the Reys took a lot of satisfaction from this book because parents would frequently write to them thanking it for easing a child's hospital visit.

In creating MONKEY BUSINESS, Yamazki discovered that astonishing details documenting the Rey's escape from Paris and their lives as children's book authors had been carefully preserved in more than 300 boxes of materials stored at the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi.  These included Hans' wartime journals, photographs taken by Margret, unpublished George sketches, brainstorming notes, and letters to and from the book's publisher.  With the cooperation of the Rey Estate, MONKEY BUSINESS provides a "behind-the-scenes glimpse of how Curious George came to be.

One of the aspects of the documentary that really impresses me is how MONKEY BUSINESS transforms portions of it into animated sequences that mimic the style of Hans' Curious George illustrations.  I found it to be a touching tribute witnessing Hans and Margret both in real life photographs and how they would have appeared if transformed into the pages of one of their books.  MONKEY BUSINESS combines animated sequences that are integrated with archived material from the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection  and interviews of people who knew the Reys personally or have studied the couple's artistic and literary accomplishments.   Add in a narrator and graphical elements like page turns and MONKEY BUSINESS promises to evoke the feeling of flipping through the pages of a Curious George book.

2016 is the 75th anniversary of the original publication of Curious George.  Bringing MONKEY BUSINESS to completion would be a wonderful way to celebrate this milestone year for a character who has meant so much to so many people since his inception in 1941.  Let's help share the story of how this curious monkey came to be by supporting Ema Ryan Yamazki's KICKSTARTER campaign today. CLICK HERE to make a contribution to support MONKEY BUSINESS.

Enjoying the Geeky Side of Life - Celebrating Batman Day

2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the creation of the caped crusader with Batman's first appearance taking place in Detective Comics #27 which was published in 1939.  In recognition of this milestone year DC Comics designated Wednesday, July 23, 2014 as BATMAN DAY to celebrate.  Comic book retailers celebrated BATMAN DAY by distributing a free print of a modernized version of Detective Comics #27 that was revamped by DC Comics creative team along with some fun cardboard caped crusader masks and other dark knight inspired swag.  I decided to take a "Dad Moment" with my kids and blocked off the day from work to devote having a themed day of Batman fun.

We did that last summer when DC Comics held a similar event marking Superman's 75th anniversary in 2013.  I took off work to take my children to the comic book store to pickup free Superman comic books than we went home to enjoy some Superman ice cream and play super heroes in the backyard.  My kids really enjoyed our MAN OF STEEL DAY together last year so we had a CAPED CRUSADER DAY this summer.

We started off BATMAN DAY cruising over to the comic book store to pick up our freebies.  Than we headed over to the park to have some super hero adventures at the playscape.  Following some playtime we visited a nature center where the guides told the kids about bats and gave them an up close look at a few stuffed specimens that they had on hand.  The guides also showed us some bat houses behind the nature center where the live ones live and explained how bats help protect us and the ecosystem by eating mosquitoes.

July 23rd was also "National Hot Dog Day" so we stopped by Sonic to get some $1 chili cheese dogs that they had on special for lunch.  We also nabbed some Batman Slushes to take home with us (Grape Slush - looks like Batman's costume - with Nerds candy in them - because enjoying comic books is kinda nerdy).

When we got home we enjoyed our Batman Slushes (well my son & I did; my daughter insisted on getting the red colored version) while reading our new comic books.  It was a full day enjoying the geeky side of life celebrating Batman's Birthday.  The following day I'll back to work and the kids will be back at the babysitters so I wanted to make the most out of our special Daddy Day Out.  I'm hoping my kids will remember these geeky days with daddy when they're grown up fondly and recognize that I made an extra effort to spend some special quality time with them while they were little...and hopefully it will inspire them to enjoy the geeky side of life every once in awhile.

Batman is giving out presents to celebrate his birthday

DC Entertainment has designated Wednesday, July 23, 2014 as BATMAN DAY to celebrate the caped crusader's 75th birthday.  Batman's was introduced in 1939 with his appearance in Detective Comics #27.  In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the character's origination, DC will be issuing a new version of Detective Comics #27 that participating comic book retailers will be providing for FREE on BATMAN DAY.

This FREE comic will be a modern interpretation and retelling of the original Detective Comics #27 script and artwork.  This new version is designed by Chip Kidd and scripted by best selling novelist and DC comic veteran Brad Melzer with a cover by the "Batman" monthly series artist Greg Capullo.  Also for the more avid comic enthusiasts out there I'll note that this FREE comic story has already been published this year and was included as one of the multiple stories in the New 52 Detective Comics #27 Mega Batman Anniversary Issue that was sold a few months ago.  That issue retailed for $7.99 and had a few other stories included within it beyond the "original Batman story" though in my opinion after reading it that was the best part of that particular comic book.  Based upon seeing the content already in the Mega Batman Anniversary Issue of the New 52's Detective Comics (fyi DC rebooted all their comic book series a few years ago back to issue #1 and refer to this current timeline with their titles as the New 52) I have to say that it is a real value to get this story as a FREE stand alone comic book for BATMAN DAY.  It is well worth the effort to swing by a comic book store to pick one up!

In addition to the FREE comic book, retailers are being provided with some other giveaway items to distribute on BATMAN DAY.  You can pick up bookmarks featuring cover images from various Batman graphic novels.  There will also be four poster-board Batman masks designed by comic book artist Ryan Sook highlighting variations of Batman's look during his 75-year history.  The masks include:

+Batman's very first appearance in the 1939 DETECTIVE COMICS #27 as drawn by Bob Kane;
+BATMAN '66 - Adam West's classic television series version;
+THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS as drawn by Frank Miller in the 1986 comic book mini-series;
+ THE NEW 52 BATMAN as drawn by Greg Capullo.

There will also be a Batman 75th anniversary cape handed out that I'm not sure if it is made of poster board, paper, or cloth?  From the picture provided and based upon these being giveaway items for a national promotion, I assume the capes will most likely be made with the same material as the masks.  I wonder if the masks and capes are BYOS - Bring Your Own String - so you (or your kids) can wear them.

Normally you are giving someone a present on their birthday, so it's nice that instead on BATMAN DAY someone is giving you something for theirs.  DC hosted a similar event last year for Superman's milestone anniversary that I attended with my kids.  They provided free comic books, mini posters and book marks for MAN OF STEEL DAY at comic book retailers like they are doing this year with BATMAN DAY.  It was fun to take some time off of work and use this event for a little special time with my children that was out of the ordinary.  We went out to lunch, picked up some free stuff from the comic book store, than went home and enjoyed superman ice cream.  They had fun, I had fun, we made some family memories of them spending some quality time with their geeky dad.

Don't miss out on BATMAN DAY! Pick up a free comic book, have some fun with the event, and wish the caped crusader a very happy 75th birthday ... he doesn't look a day over 40 does he?  Here's a Superman Ice Cream toast to the caped crusader may you enjoy 75 more years of adventures!

For those of you not from the Midwest United States, Superman Ice Cream is produced by STROH'S and consists of a mixture of blue moon, red pop and lemon flavors.  Several other brands have imitated it with names like Super Scoop that mix together vanilla with cherry and blue moon ice cream but nothing beats the taste of the original STROH'S Superman Ice Cream.

They're Back! DC giving 3D Comic Book Covers Promotion a Second Chance

DC COMICS likes to make a splash in September with special issues and promotions.  Last year it promoted VILLAINS MONTH which featured special one-shot villain focused stories with impressive 3-D covers.  Check out this 3-D cover from the JOKER issue of last year's Villains Month promotion:

DC's bringing the 3-D covers back this September for a month long event they have titled "Futures End."  Inspired by the newly created weekly comic book series of the same name (which I have to admit I haven't read yet), each of the monthly titles in DC's New 52 lineup during September will feature a stand-alone story that leaps your favorite super hero characters into a possible future five years ahead of the current timeline.  Each of these one-shots will feature a 3-D motion cover that hints at the story within the comic book. Here are a few samples of the upcoming 3-D covers, I think they look pretty sharp:

 

Hopefully DC has learned its lesson from the mistakes it made in VILLAINS MONTH. Last September, they didn't produce enough of the 3-D covers to meet demand and many of the publications were hard to get your hands on.  Also it appears DC over-extended its staff with all these one-shots because to be honest most of the stories were pretty badly put together and a lot of the artwork was lacking in quality. It seemed as if this whole promotion was rushed into distribution beyond the capabilities of the publisher.  So while you did have a nice cover for your collection with these 3-D titles (if you could fine the books),  the pages behind the covers weren't very impressive...which was pretty disappointing with how much potential the the promotion could have been with its theme.  Come on DC, comic book fans are as interested in checking out the histories, plots, and imagery of cool villains as they are your super heroes.  After last year's experience, I initially rolled my eyes when I heard they were doing a big September promo with 3-D covers again.

Than I picked up a new weekly series by DC titled BATMAN ETERNAL.  It is a year-long weekly serial celebrating Batman's 75th anniversary and I have to say I've purchased 13 issues now enjoying every one.  The artwork has been incredible and the stories are really well scripted.  This is what I thought VILLAINS MONTH would be like and while that failed Batman Eternal has exceeded my expectations.  If you haven't read this weekly Batman comic book series (most comic books are published monthly) and you are a fan of the caped crusader you have to grab it.  I believe BATMAN ETERNAL is the best comic book series that DC currently has on the market!  It utilizes a wide array of authors and artists from across all DC's titles to be able to meet its publishing demands and yet it meshes together.  So now I have a slimmer of hope that in addition to some cool 3-D covers, FUTURES END will also have good scripts and artwork making these comics coming out in September more like BATMAN ETERNAL than VILLAINS MONTH.

THE FUTURES END comic books will be published in weekly waves throughout the month of September.  So we'll be able to see from the first week if the titles are worth the money to purchase from weeks 2 - 4.  Of course, it is all about your own interests and tastes and even if the inside content isn't the best you may want to purchase the 3-D books just to showcase their covers for a collection.  I've also been told by some comic book retailers that they are getting plenty of allocations for every issue so the limited supply and price gauging issues of VILLAINS MONTH shouldn't be a problem this year.

Whether you are a new or long-time collector these 3-D covers are a nice addition to any collection.  I'd encourage you to keep an eye out for them this fall.  If you grab one off the shelf, send me an e-mail to thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com and let me know what you think of both the 3-D covers and the pages that fall in between.

Mark your Calendars: Get a Free Comic Book to Celebrate Batman's Birthday on July 23, 2014

You couldn't tell it from looking at him, but Batman turns a spry 75 years old this year.  The Caped Crusader made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 published in 1939, which featured artwork by Bob Kane and a script by Bill Finger.  So DC Entertainment is celebrating Batman's 75th anniversary in 2014 and like his partner in crime, Superman, they are holding a birthday party for him at your local comic book retailer.

Last year, Superman turned 75 and DC Comics hosted "Man of Steel Day" at comic book shops and libraries across the country.  I took my kids and we grabbed a FREE All-Star Superman comic book than went home and read it together on the back porch while enjoying some Superman ice cream.  A similar event will take place this summer to celebrate Batman's 75th birthday.

Batman Day will be on Wednesday, July 23, 2014. DC Entertainment is partnering with thousands of comic retailers, book stores and libraries for “Batman Day” where each location will host a Batman 75^th anniversary celebration and offer fans a free, special edition Batman comic.

Mark your calendars and have your self some fun wishing the Dark Knight a happy 75th birthday ... and many more!

PS...The Batman television series that I grew up watching reruns of that originally aired on ABC from 1966 to 1968 starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin will be available to purchase on DVD for the first time ever this year in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the franchise.  Keep an eye out for that release date.