Meltdown, Inc.

Awards season is coming to a close with the grand finale of the Oscars this Sunday. But not to be outdone, we present last, but certainly not least, the esteemed nominees for the 2010 Meltdown Comic Awards!

It’s been an amazing year for our favorite genre and choosing the best of the best was no easy task. This year’s Golden Melty list was comprised from multiple “Best of” lists, sell-through numbers, reviews, Publisher’s Weekly lists and combing through dozens of message boards to hear what true comic fans are saying. So, without further ado, the nominees are:

Best Indie Comic Series

Green Hornet (Dynamite)
The Walking Dead (Image)
Scarlet (Icon)
Chew (Image)
Stumptown (Oni)

Best Superhero Comic Series

Invincible Iron Man (Marvel)
Batman and Robin (DC)
Thor: The Mighty Avenger (Marvel)
Irredeemable (Boom!)

Best Non-Superhero Comic Series

Daytripper (Vertigo)
American Vampire (Vertigo)
Kill Shakespeare (IDW)
The Unwritten (Vertigo)

Hero of the Year

Captain America/Steve Rogers (Marvel)
Scott Pilgrim (Oni)
Kick Ass (Icon)
Zack Overkill – “Incognito” (Icon)

Villain of the Year

Nemesis (Icon)
Skinner Sweet – American Vampire (Vertigo)
Red Skull – Captain America (Marvel)
Norman Osborn (Marvel)

Most Horrific Death

Ares – “Seige #2″
Nightcrawler – “X-Force #26″
Bras – “Daytripper” (all issues)
Cable – “X-Force #28″
Multiple robots – “Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers”

Best Return from the Dead

Aquaman, Hawkman, Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, etc. – ”Blackest Night #8″
Batman – ”Batman and Robin #8″
Dracula – “X-Men #3″

Best New Series

Northlanders: Plague Widow (Vertigo)
Black Widow (Marvel)
Green Hornet (Kevin Smith, Dynamite)
Secret Avengers (Marvel)

Best Graphic Novel

Dark Tower: Fall of Gilead
Absolute Justice
Batwoman: Elegy
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8

Best Writer

Ed Brubaker – Captain America (Marvel)
Mark Millar – Nemesis (Icon)
Jason Aaron – Scalped (Vertigo)
Geoff Johns – Brightest Day (DC)
Mark Waid – Irredeemable (Boom!)
Grant Morrison – Batman and Robin (DC)

Best Artist

J.H. Williams – Detective Comics (DC)
Steve McNiven – Nemesis (Icon)
Fiona Staples – North 40 (Wildstorm)
Naoki Urasawa – Pluto : Urasawa X

Best Celebrity-Written Title

Green Hornet – Kevin Smith
The Guild – Felicia Day
Frenemy of the State – Rashida Jones
Pantheon – Michael Chiklis

Best Event of the Year

Artifacts (Top Cow)
Heroic Age (Marvel)
Brightest Day (DC)
Second Coming (Marvel)

Best WTF Moment

DC issues go back to 2.99
Nick Simmons accused of plagiarizing “Bleach”
Lady Gaga gets her own comic
The ending of Greek Street
Sony Pictures making “Green Hornet” with that script instead of Kevin Smith’s
Tron – ’nuff said

Best Cover of the Year

Spiderman #641 ”One Moment in Time”
Batwoman #0
The Avengers #1 – Variant 7
I Zombie #1
Superman #702
We Will Bury You #1

Were your favorites nominated? Who gets your vote this year for the best of the best in comics? To find out who will take home the Golden Melty, check back here next week for the winners of the 2010 Meltdown Comic Awards!

Meltcast 44: Darwyn Cooke, Grant Morrison, FF4, Thanos, Mark Waid

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Sep 102010

We begin this episode by talking through some of the HEAT that has been blowing over the internet lately because of Darwyn Cooke’s comments about age-appropriate comics. We then meander over to all things FANTASTIC FOUR (as Sage Rosa brings the motherbox knowledge) and Caleb catches us up on 2 weeks of his reading by talking BATMAN & ROBIN #14, THANOS IMPERATIVE #4, THE SIXTH GUN #4, IRREDEEMABLE #17, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #30, Mark Waid’s FANTASTIC FOUR and GREEN LANTERN #57. Aaron then talks up THE UNWRITTEN, SWEET TOOTH #13, SHADOWLAND: MOON KNIGHT, and Chris finishes things off with BATGIRL #14, NEW AVENGERS #4, and TORSO.

Our Picks of the Week

Aaron – THE UNWRITTEN by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
Caleb – IRREDEEMABLE #17 by Mark Waid & Peter Krause
Chris – BATMAN & ROBIN by Grant Morrison & Frazer Irving
All available at Meltdown Comics

Music: Silverchair – Anthem for the Year 2000 / Pine – Kistina
Intro: Notorious B.I.G. Who Shot Ya? (remix) + Project 86 The Butcher

Meltdown University Special Guest Star: Mark Waid

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Jan 282010

Jim Higgins here reporting in on some great happenings at Meltdown University. On a recent Wednesday night, one of the classes had the privilege of having Mark Waid, known for his past runs writing Fantastic Four and Flash, his present run on Amazing Spider-Man, for being editor in chief at Boom! Studios, and for writing a number of their titles, including the acclaimed dark superhero series Irredeemable. Mark spent about an hour giving an informal talk about constructing stories, while also giving key advice about writing techniques and things to know that are specific to comics. Both the writer/artists and the script writers had the chance to ask questions which Mark responded to with great information. Mark and I batted around some thoughts on plotting and building character and how to play to the strengths of the comics medium. I want to thank Mark for taking the time to come down and share his time. The Boom! crew are frequent visitors to Meltdown and have had signings and other events at the store. We like to think of Mark as one of the professional community’s “Friends ‘O Meltdown.” Thanks for stopping by, Mark!

If you’re interested in taking a class at Meltdown University we offer two types: one is a series where you have the choice of writing and drawing an eight to ten-page minicomic or writing a twelve to fourteen-page comics script; the other is a basic drawing class where artists can come and learn the fundamentals to apply to any type of drawing or art. Though it will touch on doing comics, that series is more of a straight art class. The next comics-making series starts on Monday, February 22 and the next Drawing Basics class will begin sometime in April and will meet on Saturdays. For information or to sign up, go here.

Irredeemable written by Mark Waid

BOOM! STUDIOS HOLIDAY PARTY ’09 @meltdowncomics

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Dec 152009

BOOM! STUDIOS
HOLIDAY PARTY ’09AT MELTDOWN IN LOS ANGELES

December 10th, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA – It’s about that time again when holiday spirit takes over Meltdown Comics in the form of the BOOM! Studios Holiday Party!

Everyone and anyone is invited to our holiday event next Friday, December 18th, as we spread some merry cheer at Meltdown Comics.

Who: The BOOM! Crew. Mix and mingle with Mark Waid, Ross Richie, Michael Alan Nelson, Matt Gagnon and more!

When: Friday, December 18th, 8:00pm – till they kick us out!

Where: Meltdown Comics & Collectibles
7522 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90046

Why: FREE BEER while supplies last!

About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry’s biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company’s FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, with Pixar’s THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney’s THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fourth anniversary.