COMIC-CON VERSUS THE SHARK:
It feels like every year the San Diego Comic-Con is followed with some kind of discussion of if the event has outgrown San Diego, gotten too big for its own good or just generally jumped the shark. (This year's Nerd Prom certainly has drawn some complaints.) Graeme McMillan compiles the gripes, including complaints from the mainstream press sent to cover it, celebrities unable to get to their parties due to the huge crowds, comics publisher IDW talking about puling back and more press complains about too little comics at the Comic-Con.

What, Paris Hilton's appearance only gets mentioned in a quote? I thought she and Kim Kardashian were supposed to represent the end of Comic-Con's geek cool?

It's been a couple years since I've been able to get myself to Comic-Con (I am going through such withdrawal, I could mug someone for a Cafe 222 waffle ... if people were in the habit of carrying a hot breakfast on them) but I've long said that there's so much going on that Comic-Con that Comic-Con is what you make of it. You can focus on the indie comics, the manga publishers, the capes and cowls or just be there for the TV/film coverage without getting to bogged down in other aspects. Has that changed in the past two years of growth?

However, I've said for a few years now that the TV and film studios are overlooking the potential of Comic-Con by focusing on male-skewing titles. After all, thanks to the rise of publishers like Viz and Oni, Comic-Con attendees includes the fans of Nana, The Wallflower and Hopeless Savages and I can see those fans getting excited over an Ugly Betty panel. I'm disappointed that, so far, that audience keeps getting overlooked.

OFF*PRINT:
This was the news I was expecting/dreading when the news of Tokyopop's financial troubles first came out. Jen Lee Quick recently revealed that her incredibly likable (and adorably quirky) boy-meets-boy title Off*Beat won't see an ending anytime soon:

"as some of you probably heard Tokyopop is doing a lot of restructuring in the company. many of the OEL projects got affected. Off*beat got put on "hiatus". what does that mean exactly? i'm not entirely certain myself. i apologize for not sharing the news earlier but i was hoping to learn more information about the future of the project. all i can say still at this moment is that i have expressed deep concern to my former editor that i wanted a means to finish the story and give my readers closure. i'm trying not to say too much because i want to keep my options and relations as good as possible. i was given a kind of vague response quite some time ago that things were still being re-organized on their end and they were looking in to options for allowing their creators to finish their stories.

in short, tokyopop put the freeze on off*beat and there's nothing i can do about it until i hear otherwise...which maybe never."

The quirky and endearing Off*Beat

I'm not surprised, as I noted earlier, since the series has been behind schedule for a while. Still, it's disappointing to hear that the story won't be completed anytime soon; Off*Beat was a charming story that I would have loved even if it were a traditional opposite-sex romance. Fingers crossed that something happens to let us see the how Christopher and Colin's courtship wraps up.

IT'S NEVER JUST ONE THING:
Well, sadly, it's never one thing. A week before I heard about Tokyopop's problems, YAOI publisher DramaQueen had also hit troubled waters and now the Boys Next Door Blog is reporting that DramaQueen's anthology Rush looks like it won't be putting out any more issues, another hint that the publisher might not make it survive these troubles. Rush was DramaQueen's attempt to put out new material with western creators and, it seems, those creators have found their efforts frustrated by business troubles.

"Night and Day"'s Adder (by Akira Atsushi, left) and "Roulette"'s Riley (by Tina Anderson, right):

Rush was one of many titles that I never got around to sampling, so I can't say much about it. Are there any Rush readers out there who will be missing the series?

YAOI may be one of the few genres of manga still seen as having plenty of growth potential but with Iris, DramaQueen and Tokyopop hitting hard times, that seems to leave YAOI Press as the last healthy publisher creating new male romance comics.

Treasure by Studio Kawaii

I'm wondering: do we have any followers of YAOI Press out there? At last year's YAOI-Con, I ended up picking up period pirate romance Treasure! and mostly found it to be a fun bit of escapism (plus I liked how the story set up the naval setting as a way for the protagonists to try to escape the homophobia of the era).

Right now, the biggest gathering of comic book readers and science fiction fans is happening in San Diego at Comic-Con International where geeks of many stripes binge on their hobbies and various entertainment companies try their damnedest to build the kind of buzz that makes or breaks projects.

At a Prism Comics panel yesterday focusing on "LGBT Portrayals in Comics" comics legend Stan Lee and Perry Moore announced a business partnership. The announcement was made before a standing-room-only audience who "exploded in applause as Lee entered the room, made his way to the dais and embraced Perry Moore."

I haven't been able to find details on the business partnership, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Moore develops with the comics legend. It's great to hear how accepting Lee is, though it's not entirely surprising. After all, back when he was taking superheros in a new direction at Marvel, he was breaking racial barriers in comics, seeing him continue to work for more inclusiveness feels like an apt continuation of his legend.

Meanwhile, at the Torchwood panel yesterday, it sounds like oft-bawdy John Barrowman hilariously tried to keep thing a little more all-ages, with Barrowman, Naoko Mori and Gareth David-Lloyd finding creative ways to talk around the pranks and silliness that happen on the set.

One interesting tidbit that came up at the panel was that Barrowman was considered as a possible Captain America for an upcoming movie. I have to admit, I can mentally cast Barrowman as Wonder Man or Hawkeye more easily, but those characters aren't in any upcoming movies (much to my — and many an Avengers fan's — disappointment). What do you think?

Bryan Singer and Neil Patrick Harris tidbits, after the jump!

(NOT) SPENDING MONEY IN SAN DIEGO:
A few months back, I told you about how gay activists were boycotting the Manchester Grand Hyatt, a major location for those attending Comic Con International at San Diego, because of the hotel owner’s donations to anti-gay causes including Proposition 8 which will de-legalize gay marriage in California.

It does my heart good to hear that the boycott is being discussed by some of the creators who will be attending the Con this week. At this point, it’s too late to decide to give up a room at the Hyatt as a moral stand. However, as Christopher Butcher points out, the Hyatt is also a popular place to get a drink with three bars that are usually crowded every night and, thus, it’s still possible for LGBT-supportive Con attendees to take a stand – with so many bars in the area, why not spend your drinking money elsewhere?

Being one of the closest hotels to the Convention Center, the Manchester Grand Hyatt is known as a good place to spot comic creators and one reason to get a drink there is the possibility of spending time around popular artists and writers. Hence, I’m happy to see various industry names like SLG Publications’ Jennifer de Guzman, DMZ and Channel Zero creator Brian Wood, supporting the boycott in comment threads at Butcher's site and at The Beat. Meanwhile, the always-outspoken Lea Hernandez suggests people save their bar tabs and send it to the hotel as documentation of how much money they didn’t spend at the Hyatt’s bars.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic of who gets your money when you’re in San Diego, might I remind you about the time the nearby Omni Hotel shut down Margaret Cho’s performance because they disapproved of her material?

WHO WATCHES THE FILM TRAILER EDITORS?:
Last week, we got a trailer for the Watchmen movie and, overall, it looks great. Still, I’ve got to ask – why does a trailer for a movie that’s supposed to deconstruct and examine the superhero genre look so much like a typical superhero movie trailer? I’m a little worried here.

You can check out the trailer here, what do you think?

I know a high-profile, big-budget movie like Watchmen isn’t going to find a wide enough audience by playing up the themes and moral questions raised by Alan Moore, but without those parts why bother turning Watchmen into a movie? Maybe I would feel better if there were a falling bottle of Nostalgia Perfume amongst the visuals?

WE'VE GOT MEET UP SIGN!:
If you want more to anticipate in San Diego (and if you’re going, you’ve got plenty of good stuff ahead) here’s one more thing to get excited about – the Gays in Comics meet up on Saturday night. This year’s event at Flicks will be the first team-up between Prism Comics and gay comics site Pink Kryptonite. I really need to make sure I don't miss another trip to Comic Con next year.

After the break: Anti-gay comics and comic book villainesses!

• Global Viz:
  As expected, there were a good number of announcements at the New York Comic Con last weekend, but the ones that floored me involved manga publisher Viz working with western creators. First off, Stan Lee will be writing a series for Jump SQ magazine (a Japanese manga magazine published by Viz’ parent company) with Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei, Ultimo. With that team, it sounds like a sure bet Ultimo will make a quick hop to our side of the pond.
  However, the bigger news to me is the announcement that Viz is planning on publishing original graphic novels. I’m feeling pretty hopeful about this initiative, when Viz’ competitor Toykopop started publishing their “global manga”, we got some great gay-inclusive titles like OffBeat, Steady Beat and the incredible 12 Days. Then again, Tokyopop was publishing titles like Fake and Gravitation long before they started accepting submissions. (And I’m having trouble of thinking of any Viz titles with gay characters, aside from The Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross.)
  
  
• Hughes Vogues:
  Easily, the most buzzed-about piece of swag from the NYCC was this promotional fashion magazine-inspired poster featuring the Women of the DC Universe by Adam Hughes. I am just in awe of this piece, especially how you can identify most of these characters through the personality they display on paper and with subtle clues to their trademark costumes in the different gowns. Can you identify who’s who without checking the caption?

  
  From left to right: Catwoman, Oracle, Zatanna, Black Canary, Power Girl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batwoman, Vixen, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn

  I’m pretty pleased to see Batwoman is a part of the group. Considering how many times her solo series has been put off, I’m happy to see some acknowledgment of Ms. Kane.
  The poster has inspired Johanna Draper Carlson to announce a contest (timing and prizes TBA) for someone to do a version featuring the men of the DCU. Do you have a feel for how Dick Grayson or Kyle Rayner would wear a suit differently?
  
  
• Time for a catnap:
  In other news of lesbians in the DC Universe, DC announced at the NY Comic Con that the GLAAD award-winning title, Catwoman would be ending. Considering how this has been one of DC’s most mainstream queer-inclusive titles since it began, that’s disappointing to hear (though isn’t Holly off being a goddess – literally – these days?). On the other hand, another lesbian-inclusive series, The Secret Six, will be making a return with Gail Simone continuing to handle the concept. Under Simone’s pen, we got a Secret Six that was run by Scandal Savage and a newly hunkified Catman, I hope that continues:

  

  Which brings this bulletpoint full circle.
  
  
• Spending your gay geek dollars:
  You might have noticed a story in the news about GLAAD pulling out of a San Diego Pride event at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in your news reading this week but I thought it would be worth bringing up to gay geeks that the Manchester Grand Hyatt is a popular option for those attending ComicCon. I know a hotel room for ComicCon is harder to get nowadays than a copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special, but would knowing about Manchester’s stances make you pause about getting a room at his hotel?
  
  After the break, find out which classic BBC sci-fi series might be getting a revamp, check out the trailer for Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe and more!

From our perspective the most frustrating thing about this year's New York Comic Con wasn't the already-anticipated lack of gay characters in any of the big comic, film, or video game presentations or booths. After all, we weren't expecting much. Sadly, though we were thrilled to have a panel of our own, our biggest frustration was with the gay panel discussion, for which we had higher hopes.

Check out the descriptions of two panel sessions listed in the Con program, and see if you can spot our frustration...

In one room a session titled Disguised as Clark Kent "explores how the Jewish backgrounds of the creators of the best-known superheroes helped make them our most familiar pop icons." At the same time and right next door is a session called Sticky Pages: NY Comic Con Super-Queero Edition!, which looks at "What's good, bad, and ugly in the industry today... Featuring a visit from Special Guest CAPTAIN CONDOM!"

The sexualized program name alone put us at odds with the event; what message does this send to the comics industry, the press, and the thousands of fans attending the con? The panel was made up of a good mix of independent and corporate comic book artists, writers, editors, and publishers. And the very talented members of the perhaps overbooked 9-person panel had interesting insights to queer representation in all areas of the comics world. It was difficult, however, for us to not be distracted by Captain Condom, who stood on the stage with arms folded behind the moderator for the entire event.

Hulk not happy with poor gay representation at Con
(and did someone try to stuff a dollar in his pants?)

Also unfortunate was the extension of the sexualized discussion into the panel discourse. Half the moderator's questions seemed out of place and we wondered whether the session next door was also asking its panel what characters they thought were hot, if they'd rather have Supergirl or She-Hulk, and whether the writers and artists would sleep with their fans?

Interestingly, none of the audience questions were even remotely sexual. The audience wanted to know how receptive publishers were to gay storylines, whether being gay ever created career obstacles, and how public reaction affected editorial decision-making in mainstream comics.

The talented folks on the panel had some very interesting insights to offer on these topics. Among them we learned that employees, writers, and artists of mainstream publishers don't find being out very difficult. The discussions at the mainstream publishers are less about whether there should be new LGBT characters, but rather how they should be formed. At the same time the panel acknowledged that mainstream houses tend to look for very 'vanilla' LGBT characters in their search to appeal to the broadest possible audiences. And of course that progress in LGBT representation is very slow.

YAOI, or "Boys' Love" comics, are becoming more popular Stateside

We, like the audience, were interested in all these questions and lines of discussion. And it was heartening to see so many talented LGBT editors, artists, writers and publishers out there giving us these great gay characters and storylines. But walking away from the panel we couldn't help but feel a little bummed about how this came across to the industry professionals, press, general audience, and LGBT attendees at Comic Con.

More pics from the Con after the break! 

• I wish I knew how to quit you, Zhao Yun?:
  So if I understand correctly, Warriors Orochi plays like Dynasty Warriors game but has a homoerotic storyline? Sign me up!
  
  
• It's still new to us:
  If you're up for some dense reading, Prism Comics just posted a transcript of the Gays in Comics Panel that took place at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego. The panel included Heroes writer Chuck Kim and DC Comics President Paul Levitz -- who doesn't speak to the public very often. There are bits to inspire grumpiness and bits that are just inspiring but since it's all from July I'll let you find them on your own.
  
  
• Objection -- overcrowded market!:
  Drat, the Harvey Birdman video game gets delayed to avoid a crowded Christmas market. I was looking forward to this one as a Phoenix Wright-type game that I could play without buying a Nintendo DS. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Quest family shows up.
  
  
• From the dept of Equal Opportunity Objectification:
  Oh, my. Kotaku adds a promises to start focusing on "boomhound" to balance their abundance of "jubbie" posts. Okay, so apparently I've been under a rock about slyly bawdy discourse (I probably revealed too much by using the phrase "slyly bawdy discourse" didn't I?) but if you like campy anime art with muscle-y guys, Kotaku will be covering it.
  
  
• Link of the week:
  Did you know that Sunday is Wonder Woman Day? Excalibur Comics in Portland will be auctioning Wonder Woman sketches for Domestic Violence Charities by a variety of artists including Patrick Fillion, Colleen Coover, J. A. Fudd and Roberta Gregory. Unsurprisingly, this was organized by Wonder Woman enthusiast (and out writer) Andy Mangles.
  
  

If you never been to Comic Con International in San Diego, its an experience you'd have a hard time imagining. It's totally unlike any other comic convention -- you don't have a chance at getting some personal time with anyone working for the major publishers and the crowds make it impossible to browse through the dollar comic bins that seem like a good value anywhere else. Movie studios and TV networks have as dominant a presence as the major comic publishers and toy makers.

Last year's Comic Con boasted 123,000 attendees -- that's about the population of a small city, so just imagine a small city populated entirely of pop culture enthusiasts appearing for four days. The exhibition floor is 460,000 square feet -- you can easily fill a half day just browsing through the aisles. Getting a hotel room is now a greater challenge than getting Madonna concert tickets and Comic Con is now a key part of promoting a TV show (in fact, there were some ruffled feathers this week at the TCA tour when it turned out that ABC was holding back a Lost announcement for Comic Con attendees, instead of the TV critics at the press tour.

The one booth every gay comic reader should seek out at Comic Con is Prism Comics' booth. Prism is an organization dedicated to supporting gay visibility in comics, taking very direct action by making it easier for gay comic fans and gay comic creators to find each other, boosting the market power of both groups. To that end, every year Prism puts out the Prism Guide to Comics, which contains a directory of out creators, information on how to learn more about those creators along with articles and interviews, with the new Guide debuting at Comic Con. Prism also puts out "The Gay Agenda" -- their guide to the Comic Con for LGBT fans. Most importantly, Prism offers the space to LGBT creators, helping them to keep from getting lost in the flood of Small Press and Artists' Alley booths.

Some of the notable events for gay fans at Comic Con include yesterday's Torchwood panel as well as a preview of Lionsgate's upcoming films where Clive Barker was expected to promote Midnight Meat Train, a film based on the short story of the same name.

Tomorrow's panels start with a screening of Pushing Daisies followed by a Q&A session with series creator Bryan Fuller and the cast of Pushing Daisies, including Kristen Chenoweth. I understand the first 300 people in line will get some free pie. Hmm, pie for breakfast. If anyone reading this will be attending the panel, please send Bryan Fuller a "OMGIloveWonderfallsandDeadLikeMesomuch!" on my behalf. Tomorrow's panels end with the annual Gays in Comics panel, which is followed by a social mixer. Saturday night programming includes a screening of The Sarah Silverman Program followed by a Q&A with the entire cast, including Brina Posehn and Steve Agee, who play her gay neighbors. There's also the incredibly popular Masquerade Ball which a friend aptly described to me as "straight people's version of a drag show."

Of course, that's just a tip of the iceberg. Comic Con has become one of those experiences so huge you don't really have to try to fill your schedule, but instead learn to prioritize your day.