Daily news and updates by Proprietor James Sime & the Isotope Staff
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DASH SHAW at the Isotope! Join us and comic creating genius Dash Shaw in celebration of his latest book BODYWORLD from Pantheon April 27th 2010 (click here for more info) |
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The Isotope Communique
James Sime's Mobile Twitter Feed - click here for more Twitter Feed Loading... Labels: comics, Dame Darcy, ridiculous, tv  Peaches Christ Happy Hour Madnessand Barbarella on the Big Screen I honestly can't think of a more wonderful way to indulge in utter fabulousness than tonight's double-feature of entirely unrelated camp nightlife content... Peaches Christ's Hellraiser Happy Hour at Mix Bar in celebration of a decade of the diva's decadence as hostess to SF's legendary Midnight Mass movie series and Barbarella playing at the Red Vic! What more needs to be said about Barbarella that hasn't already been said? 1968's high-camp schlock magnum opus is perhaps the greatest comic-to-movie-adaptation ever made and is essential viewing for those who love their sci-fi on the sexy, un-intellectual side. Starring a bubble-headed fur-feather-and-leather covered Jane Fonda (pulse racing! knees getting weak!), the ultra-potent combination of this flick and Alex Raymond's gorgeous Flash Gordon comics made quite the impression on me as a young lad... and what a sweet zero-gravity mind-warping for my young brain to get! Indulge thyself in these many scenes from the original comic by Jean-Claude Forest, sneak over to YouTube to check out the original movie trailer, or feast your eyes on this ultimate psychedelic sci-fi sex comedy on the big screen later tonight. And don't forget to go show Peaches your happy hour love too! Barbarella @ Red Vic Theater 1727 Haight Street @ Shrader St Thursday, August 30th redvicmoviehouse.com Labels: Barbarella, comics, culture, movies, Peaches Christ, ray guns, ridiculous, San Francisco
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
 Skyscrapers of the Midwest #4Josh Cotter Interview @ The Pulse There are those books that leave such an emotional impact behind that they keep me up at night. That's what kind of book Skyscrapers of the Midwest is. I first discovered the work of Josh Cotter when he submitted his hand-xeroxed/stapled/folded mini-comic to the second annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics back in 2004. One perusal of his intricate linework and haunting first issue and it was clear to us all... Cotter is a genius, there's nothing else quite like Skyscrapers out there, and we needed to help get his book out to everyone in the comics industry. Seriously. The book is that good. Following up our award ceremony I couldn't have been more excited to see the universal applause Josh Cotter received when people started reviewing his work. It made my heart soar to hear how much other people liked discovering his work too. And I will never forget the tears that welled up in my eyes on the San Diego Comic Con floor when AdHouse Books publisher Chris Pitzer told me he was going to be publishing Cotter's comic. Seriously. I love this book that much. But without a doubt one of the single happiest moments in my comics career was earlier this year when I was an Eisner judge. Not wanting Josh's book to be overlooked in what was sure to be a tsunami of sequential art I decided to bring a copy with me... only to find that fellow judge Whitney Matheson had done the same! And another judge Chris Reilly was also a Cotter fan! When it came time for us to vote for Best Single Issue when Skyscrapers came around I offered to abstain from voting and told my fellow judges "This is one of my mini-comic award winners and I'm no doubt completely biased. I think this book is the greatest thing in the world and I'll give it highest marks across the board." My jaw practically hit the floor to discover that the other judges were already planning to do the exact same thing! That was really a magical moment I'll take to my grave. And if it was that amazing for me, I can't even imagine how Josh must have felt when he got the news. Just, wow. Yeah! Anyway... I was re-reading the preview of the up-coming issue we have at the store yesterday and now here I am up in the middle of the night writing about how much I adore it. Josh has a new issue coming out and a new interview up at The Pulse. Check them out. Skyscrapers of the Midwest is a book that feeds my insomnia in the best possible way. New Josh Cotter interview @ The Pulse www.jwcotter.com Labels: comics, Eisner Awards, Isotope Award, Josh Cotter
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
 You'd better believe we love this King as much, if not more, than that other one! From the brilliant mind and magical pen of Jack Kirby sprung more wonderful things than we can ever list. Of course there's the popular Kirby creation choices like the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Captain America, but today on Kirby's 90's birthday we're hoisting our glasses and toasting to a few of his lesser-known but equally cool characters who are near and dear to my staff and my hearts. Let's hear it for Eson the Searcher, Big Words, Moon Boy, the Fly People, Godcorp, Dum Dum Dugan, Kliklak, Oberon, X-51, Ben Boxer, Sky Masters of the Space Force, Manoo, and my personal favorite... Advanced Idea Mechanics! Kirby may have left this mortal coil, but we will contnue to celebrate the greatness that he brought into our lives. Thanks, Jack. UPDATE: I just recieved a 3:30am "emergency email" from retailing amigo Dan Shahin about a completely egregius error pertaining to the above post that had me slapping my head in stupidity. Of course Kirby isn't the creator of Ookla the Mok that honor goes to Steve Gerber and the brilliant Alex Toth! Well, I'm willing to take my lumps in public when I deserve them, and I might be regretting a double-post on order day now, but thankfully the family Sime raised a bigger geek than Mister Shahin suspects... Kirby's mighty hand was all over the Thundarr the Barbarian show. Labels: Jack Kirby  So Excited My Ears Are BuzzingChinatown is Almost Here! Oh, oh! Check it out, a sneak peek at the long-awaited The Goon: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker! Everyone knows how much my staff and I love Eric Powell's fantastic funnybook of zombie-punching redneck fun, The Goon, so I'm sure it's no surprise that when I popped by the Dark Horse Comics website this morning to see what was going on in their wonderful corner of the internets I practically fell out of my chair to see they've quietly updated with a sneak peek of this glorious original graphic novel. And somehow nobody is talking about this already? For shame comics industry, for shame! I'm told through the grapevine at the local tavern that Mister Powell has been locked up in his log cabin this last year with nothing but a bottle of hootch, a whole roasted pig, and a big fat stack of bristol board in order to get this book done... and I couldn't be happier to know that my Isotope friends and neighbors get to be among the first to get to indulge in the greatness that is his latest work! Check out the sneak peek right here, amigos. And for those of you out there who feel the love like I do and want to ensure getting yourselves a copy right away, you know what to do right? Drop me a line or give me a call, I'll personally ensure you get a copy put aside in the Isotope's hermetically-sealed titanium vault! The Goon: Chinatown Hardcover by Eric Powell 128 Full Color Pages for $19.99 From Dark Horse Comics on November 28th Labels: comics, Eric Powell, previews
Monday, August 27, 2007
Croquet, champagne, little sandwiches, cupcakes, pate... what a nice weekend!      The 2007 All-Star Sutro Heights Park Croquet Invitational organized by the wonderful Kate McMillan. See the photos and championship results here UPDATE: "Comic Nerd All-Star Game of Croquet" - it's the news that's sweeping the nation! Labels: croquet, culture, ridiculous, San Francisco
Friday, August 24, 2007
 The King of KongA Fistfull of Quarters Tonight at SF's famous Lumiere Theatre is the premiere of what is perhaps the single greatest Donkey Kong documentary ever concieved my man or beast... King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters. And a special Q&A with Director Seth Gordon! The assembled Isotope crew will be there in force tonight, and so should you!  Watch the trailer UPDATE: Wow, the reviews aren't wrong. That was really, really great! UPDATE #2: My friend and famous blogger of all things good and nerdy Whitney Matheson pointed me towards this interesting and insightful follow-up conversation with Billy Mitchell that is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed this film. Labels: movies, videogames  Good Things Come to Those Who WaitNew Hawaiian Dick On-Going Series What could be more perfect on a beautiful and sunny San Francisco Friday afternoon than the news of more 1950's Tiki Noir to enjoy? Hawaiian Dick returns in an on-going series! It's no secret how much I appreciate those who are dedicated to a heavy pour of two-fisted noir, sexy island girls, tropical luau cocktails, angry island gods. I'm known to show a little appreciation for such things myself. And when it comes to Hawaiian Dick, a comic that celebrates such things in high style, I've got a whole heck of a lot of love. In fact, you can read how much I enjoyed the first Hawaiian Dick mini-series in my forward to the first collection... and as is tradition I'm getting all excited about this book all over again before I can even sell it! To help you get just as thrilled as I am about this new series (coming out just in time for my birthday) check out a whole bunch of hot sneak peeks of the last two mini-series here and here. 1950's Tiki Noir returns to the comic industry this November... Hooray! UPDATE: Author B. Clay Moore leaked this wonderful sample page from Steven Griffin's backup story I just had to share with you all. Thanks, Clay! Labels: B Clay Moore, comics, pulps, Scott Chantler, Steven Griffin, tiki bars
Thursday, August 23, 2007
 click to enlarge Batman might hate the punk rock... but the punk rock people sure do love them some Batman! Oh, why so anti-punk, Bats? Labels: comics, ridiculous
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
 Yes, I really did want to go see the Dead Channels screening of The Devil Dared Me To, the nearly semi-true movie of New Zealand's most dangerous stuntman. Because honestly, the trailers make that look like one of the greatest movies ever made!But as good as that admittedly looks, tonight we celebrate 30th anniversary of the passing of The King with Will the Thrill, Monica Tiki Goddess, Cari Lee & the Saddle-Ites, fried peanut butter and nanner sammiches, and a showing of a brilliant, classic flick starring two of the sexiest stars ever to grace the silver screen. That's right, I'm talking about Thrillville's 30th Anniversary Elvis D-Day Party! Featuring the crown jewel of 1964 cinema... Viva Las Vegas. Oh, Elvis and Ann-Margret, watching you two dance together makes my heart go pitter-patter!  click to enlarge www.thrillville.net Labels: Ann-Margret, culture, Elvis, movies, Thrillville  Its a Truly Wonderful Blast from Comics' Past 165 Pictures from San Diego Comic Con... 1982! As the comics internet continues to flood with reams of photos from this year's massive attendance-record shattering San Diego Comic Con (it's estimated that 140,000-150, 000 people were there this year), I'd be remiss not to point out what I think is hands-down the best con report for those of you who are still hungering for more. Yes, I'm totally biased... but can you blame me? I'm pretty sure there's a damn good picture of me in there! But for those who have grown tired of seeing the 2007 same-old same-old, go on and spin the dial on Mister Peabody's Wayback Machine with me. Check out Alan Light's amazingly great photoset of many many pictures from San Diego Comic Con 1982! My amigo Ryan Higgins pointed this out and it really brought a smile to my face to see all those wonderful artists and authors from years past and how much these things have changed in two and a half decades.  Will Eisner w/ Jack & Roz Kirby photo by Alan Light San Diego Comic Con 1982 on Flickr Very cool! ... and as a man who loves to rock the suits you can all probably guess how much I personally appreciate how many folks are sporting jacket and ties at this yesteryear's convention. Hey comic industry, let's bring a little bit of 1982 class back to San Diego Comic Con next year, shall we? Labels: comics, photos, San Diego Comic Con
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
 David Brothers Big Ups the Isotope& We're Basking In the Love One of my favorite new additions to the ever-expanding Isotope social scene is David Brothers. Not only does he sling a mean plastic guitar and is my favorite rhythm section on Guitar Hero's version of Radar Love... but the esteemed Mister Brothers writes smart comic-centric observations and rants at the wonderful 4thletter.net, a bunch of those videogame strategy guides we're ashamed of needing, as well as articles for the kick-ass Hardcore Gamer Magazine. Check out his bio from the latest issue, it brought a manly tear to my eye. Thanks, David!  Labels: David Brothers, glory, videogames  Josh Richardson - Cultural Attaché
Saturday, August 11, 2007
... Boing Boing meet Matt Silady! click to enlarge My staff and I couldn't be more happy to see Matt Silady getting the big love from one of the interweb's mightiest sites Boing Boing for his incredible original graphic novel The Homeless Channel... for those of you who haven't picked up a copy yet or missed the launch party for this wonderful book, we suggest dropping us a line to reserve one tout de suite. I'm telling ya, it's damn good! Labels: comics, Matt Silady, San Francisco
Friday, August 10, 2007
 Jupiter Love, Spider Baby, Crimes of the FutureThe Devil Dared Me To, & Zero Population Growth One only has to peek into the future of Isotope events to get an idea how much my staff and I appreciate the low-rent trashy b-movie flicks that bring out the freaks and fill the screens with horror, sci-fi, and experimental oddities at midnight movie festivals. So you can imagine how much we're looking forward to Dead Channels - the San Francisco Festival of Fantastic Film starting this weekend. Dystopian future worlds, Albert Einstein's lost journal, hypnotic seductive powers in a drug-infested underworld, flesh-munching undead, New Zealand's greatest living stuntman, supernatural terrors on the loose, strange hallucinations and bodily manipulations, hormone-charged teenagers, an extralegal Gaijin Attack Team, men-in-rubber-suit monster mayhem, high-octane races through classic American car culture, mad dermatologists unleashing cosmetic-spread epidemics that kill every post-pubertal women. the US premiere of notoriously hated director Uwe Boll's latest stinker, and the classic television movie that scared the living Hell out of an entire generation of impressionable latch-key kids... there's something for everybody in this mix of classics and fresh flicks! G'wan and check out the movie trailers, show times, celebrity special guests, and other high-weirdness hitting silver screens citywide. You know you want to! I'll be at several of these screenings myself (Z.P.G. is a must-see) and so should you. Dead Channels Film Fest Labels: cartoons, culture, movies, San Francisco, zombies
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Sexing it up with the Isotope staff...
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
 Don't expect to see these elsewhere... we here at the Isotope plan ahead to ensure you get the best funnybooks out there, and with that in mind I brought back a big fat box of Paul Pope's awesome San Diego Comic Con exclusive THB: Comics from Mars #1 this weekend, just for you lucky Isotope folks! For those of you who emailed in advance to score a copy you'll be happy to hear we've got your copies locked away in our famous hermeticlly-searled titanium vault for you to pick up at your leisure. For every one else, with the Isotope being one of the few places anywhere with copies, these suckers are sure to go quickly. So grab yours while you still can! Also, here's some great Paul Pope Total THB news from the convention for you to indulge yourselves in. Life is pretty sweet, isn't it? Labels: comics, Paul Pope, San Diego Comic Con
Labels: comics, staff.dollyrots
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Help Cartoonist Dame Darcy
Josh Richardson - Cultural Attaché
Jared Guenther - Enforcer
Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director
James Sime - Proprietor
Josh Richardson - Cultural Attaché
Jared Guenther - Enforcer
Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director
James Sime - Proprietor
Josh Richardson - Cultural Attaché
Jared Guenther - Enforcer
Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director
James Sime - Proprietor
Josh Richardson - Cultural Attaché
Jared Guenther - Enforcer
Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director
James Sime - Proprietor
