Sometimes I’m really glad to be an adult with a good job, a reasonable income, and some room to play.

I stopped by the local game store this evening, on pure whim, and it turns out that they had one Wii left in stock from the batch they’d gotten in this morning. So I bought it for KC and me as a joint anniversary present, along with Wii Play (for the second controller; hate the billiards game) and (the real reason we wanted to buy any game system) Dance Dance Revolution.

That last one has me very confused. I can’t figure out how to reset it or much of the option navigation. Fun, though, and it’s more activity than I usually get. It could really use some more explanation, but maybe that’s my age talking.

Next month: Wii Fit, because I love the idea of a game system that teaches you yoga. It’s really amazing how much this little box does — it’s already hooked into our wireless network. If it went to Facebook, I think it would be all the computer some teens would need.

Oh, and I want to get Iron Man, too, because Robert Downey Jr. did the voice for it, and I’m obsessed. And either Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Wow, the demand for this whole Iron Man thing is stronger is expected! Yesterday, Marvel put up a trailer to promote the new series Invincible Iron Man, a great starting point for those interested in the character because of the movie.

The video teaser is a neat idea, but it waits much too long to show any Iron Man, with only regular people (not Tony) on view until over halfway through. That’s not the biggest head-scratcher, though. Today, the company announced that the issue (and all of its six covers) had sold out and that “Marvel currently has no plans to go back to press” on the title. Why the heck not?

I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone mention that Newsarama is rebooting. Later this month, they’re moving to a new bulletin board system, the same one used by their “sister sites” owned by the same company, which means that all existing posts and threads will be locked.

To be totally clear the existing topics and posts will not be moving to the new boards…. You will need to create new avatars and sig files. We know some of you are really fond of yours, but feel free to re-create or hey, see this as a challenge to be even cooler and wittier. Also your post count will be starting fresh.

Join dates will be reset, and there will be no private message or ignore functionality or chat or polls or “go to last post” function. Sounds like the only folks really gaining from this transition is tech support, since the new system is reported to be more stable. Instead of message board threads, the structure will be articles and comments. There will also be RSS feeds.

Also, they will be adding a lot more video game coverage, as well as other, not-yet-named subjects and “lots of video”. I’m not surprised — many companies see comic book venues not as a way to cover a medium but a way to reach the young adult male, and so they’re willing to branch out to other topics that demographic is interested in. But back to the remastering.

…there will definitely be a forum area, which includes Talk@, forums on DC and Marvel (as well as other publishers), a new forum on Manga and Anime, a place to write reviews, and about 5 other forums.

So, anyone think a lot of manga readers are going to start hanging out at Newsarama after this changeover? Several existing posters seemed interesting by that addition.

Review by Rob Vollmar

With the Speed Racer live-action movie imminent, the moment is right, it seems, for a relative deluge of Speed Racer comics and manga to hit the English-language market. Balanced precariously on the peak of a still-rising mountain of reprinted American Speed Racer comics from the 80s and various more recently licensed efforts comes the Mach Go Go Go boxset from Digital Manga Publishing (DMP), an unabridged reproduction of the original manga by series creator Tatsuo Yoshida in two hardcover volumes.

Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go
Buy this book

Like Speed himself, Yoshida is better known for his contributions to anime. In 1962, he founded Tatsunoko Studios with his brothers and eventually produced a number of classic anime series including the internationally distributed Speed Racer and Gatchaman (aka Battle of the Planets/G-Force). With only this material to judge his relative acumen as a mangaka, an argument can be made that the relative paucity of content needed to fill a thirty-minute cartoon (as opposed to serial manga) better highlighted his strengths as an infectious stylist if not a particularly imaginative storyteller.

For the six remaining people in North America who do not know, Speed Racer is a young race car driver who, along with his family who double as a pit crew, races his car, the Mach 5, in a variety of dangerous and exotic locations for progressively ridiculous reasons. The opening story, “The Great Plan”, establishes most of the recurring cast as well as a good chunk of the plot formulas that harshly govern these early Speed Racer manga. The introduction of Racer X adds some much needed narrative tension in the second installment, but later stories don’t so much build on it as they do recycle its more successful moments over and over until diluted beyond recognition.

The work is always at its strongest (both, I suspect, then and now) in those moments when the otherwise nonsensical plot insists on some outlandish racing and, gratefully, they come early and often. The early races are more visceral as Yoshida features his racers on the Japanese terrain he would know best. As the locales become more and more exotic (deserts, oceans, etc.), the Mach 5 threatens to draw attention away from Speed as it becomes laden with ever-more-complex technology to adapt to these new terrains. As an artist, Yoshida seems more comfortable (or more interested) drawing the cars than he does the people that inhabit them. His character design shows a tremendous debt of influence to Osamu Tezuka without exhibiting the nuance of character development for which Tezuka is widely celebrated.

Whatever its limitations might be, the Mach Go Go Go collection was an enjoyable read. To their credit, DMP did an excellent job with the design of this project that adds value to the presentation with its obvious reverence for the source material. While Yoshida’s Speed Racer manga may never exceed the narrative sophistication of your average Golden Age superhero comic, it is as undiluted of a glimpse as one is likely to get at his original vision of hyperstylized cars and racing that went on to inspire millions around the globe. And that, as they say, is something you just don’t see everyday.

Two more entries! Click to see them full-size.

First, Paul Salvi sent this image. (Paul is currently illustrating Action, Ohio, written by Neil Kleid, in this month’s Zuda competition.) I love his slick line and polished look!

From left to right:
Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Dick Grayson (Robin), Bruce Wayne (Batman), Clark Kent (Superman), Barry Allen (Flash), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Billy Batson (Captain Marvel), Barry Allen (Flash)

(I’m glad he updated me, or I was going to guess Steve Trevor for the military man. Which isn’t in keeping with the rest. Paul would also like you to know that he hadn’t seen the previous entry when he did his multiple Flashes.)

Next, Jeff Hebert (creator of HeroMachine, and whom it turns out I went to college with) sent this along:

From left to right:
Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Querl Dox (Brainiac 5), Clark Kent (Superman), Bruce Wayne (Batman), Jason Todd (Robin — says Jeff, “emo style”), Wally West (Flash), John Stewart (Green Lantern)

Hey, a Legionnaire! (Although should green men wear purple?) And what great character attitudes. I just adore Oliver’s vest and shirtsleeves in both of them.

Update: Jeff later did a more traditional formal wear version.

Not to take anything away from the work of these fine gentlemen, but I’m hoping this inspires more of you to take part! You have over a week left before May 15.

Still planning to get back to part 2 of my Free Comic Book Day experience, but deadlines are flying hot and heavy this week. In the meantime, check out this excellent read. Retailer Mike Sterling gives great advice on how to run a good FCBD event (after bemoaning the poor experiences some had at stores that weren’t nearly prepared the way they should be).

I was going to go through and list, point by point, all the crap things I’ve been hearing about how some stores treated their FCBD event. In particular, if your treatment of customers on FCBD, a day specifically designed as customer outreach, causes you to lose those people as customers, you’re doing it wrong. But, instead, let me, yet again, go through and tell you what we did. Maybe we can lead by example.

I can’t believe (yes I can) a store actually closed on FCBD so employees could go see Iron Man. I mean, yes, it’s a great film, but geez! Here’s an example of only one of his good suggestions:

… encouraging extra sales on a day when you’re giving away hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars’ worth of product is a good idea, and not that hard to do. Even a small discount, like I noted, can help. In our case, the sales on graphic novels alone that day more than paid for what we spent on the FCBD books.

I like his conclusion, too:

Ultimately, the success of a store’s Free Comic Book Day is in treating the day like a special event to be enjoyed, and not just a burden to be endured, like I’ve heard about too many stores this year. Yeah, I know I grumble a bit about preparing for it here on my site, but it really is a fun, if enormously busy, day.

Plus, he and Randy Lander argue in the comments about whether a limit of three books per person is a good idea or not. (Randy thinks so, as a way of minimizing retailer cost.) I lean towards “not”, in most cases. With over 40 titles, many of which are aimed at similar audiences, allowing people to sample only 7.5% of the items seems to waste the potential of the event.

Even if you’re ONLY interested in manga, there were four specific titles aimed at you. Or only superheroes-with-movies, they had at least four as well. If you’re picking the best for the young ones, you can’t have Simpsons and Sonic and Disney and Kids Love Comics and Owly and Gumby… put half of those back. Such a small limit just results in unpleasant decisions, or keeping the focus on the properties who least need the help.

Plus, many of these books are aimed just as much at existing customers as new. I know stores want new faces to expand their customer base, but seeking the new while annoying the old isn’t much of a win.

That’s assuming a store carried all the titles, of course. If they only chose to stock the 15 or so that they wanted to support and thought they could sell related material for, then I can see having a smaller limit.

Like the companies want me to be, I was so jazzed after seeing the Iron Man movie that I wanted to read comics about him. But I want comics about the same character, cool sexy funny Tony Stark.

(Thanks to Ed, who made me realize that Iron Man combines the best parts of Batman and Superman — he’s got the astounding levels of power, but anyone can put on his suit of armor and be just as super. Plus, he avoids the childhood trauma issues and the split personality.)

So what should I read? I suspect my best choice will be the new Invincible Iron Man comic, which debuts tomorrow. I think writer Matt Fraction, based on his work on Casanova, is a great choice for that kind of thing. To attract that audience, there’s even a movie photo cover, among the six variants possible.

In the meantime, there are always the Masterworks. Those stories won’t be modern, certainly, but they’ll be the original character concepts. Good thing we already own them — the first volume is out of print, so it’s going for triple cover price. What clever timing. The Omnibus, also due tomorrow, is likely intended as a replacement.

At least the DVD-ROM archive is still available. Which would be the best issues for me to look up there? KC said something about playboy Tony being best in the 70s - true?

I’m really excited about the writing I’m doing for PiQ Magazine. I didn’t get a chance to talk about issue 2 (May), because it came out while I was at the NY Con, so I’m catching up. PiQ (pronounced “peek”) covers fan (I call it “geek”) culture and genre entertainment, including movies, video games, comics, and anime, with a positive perspective.

In that issue, I interviewed Todd Dezago about Perhapanauts and wrote a review of Batman: Death Mask #1 (previewed in the issue as well). This issue also covers Torchwood, the Nana movie, Iron Man, game show fandom, and a BUNCH of other topics. (Those were only the four I was most interested in.)

The best part about getting my comp copies is that I look forward to reading the magazine despite being a contributer. I mean, I’d be checking this out even if I wasn’t writing for them. It’s so attractive and modern in design, it immediately begs to be grabbed and flipped through.

The next issue, June’s, is due out on Wednesday. There, I am very proud of my article on josei manga as well as my review of Life Sucks. Look for the Speed Racer M on the cover. Check it out and let me know what you think!