Today, the political world has been having fun with Mitt Romney and Venn Diagrams. I got this one sent to me that references the Penguin, Joker and Batman, and it’s hilarious.
(via Upworthy, Mitt Venn and Now)
In stark contrast to bigots here in the United States, Scottish Labour Party member representing West Scotland Mary Fee filed the following motion which is supported by eight other members:
That the Parliament welcomes the news that the Marvel comic, X-Men, will feature its first same-sex marriage, which will feature Northstar, believed to be the first openly gay comic superhero; understands that, in 1992, Marvel was the first comic publisher to reveal a gay superhero; notes that Northstar is not the first gay character to have had a same-sex marriage in the comic book world, and agrees that same-sex marriage should not be restricted to the world of literature and fantasy.
Great to see the progressive efforts of comic book companies being acknowledged and that equality is being championed.
The weekend seriously goes by WAY too fast.
Around the Blogs:
ComicBookMovie – EDITORIAL: Why Super Heros should be Political – Comics started as political is my stance…
Bleeding Cool – Is This The First Before Watchmen Continuity Error? – If the announcement didn’t get Fanboys riled up….
Around the Tubes Reviews:
CBR – Rachel Rising #7
[vodpod id=Video.16392984&w=425&h=350&fv=]
It’s been a bit since I posted up a worthy Kickstarter project, but it seems Parecomic is the perfect one to kick this off again with. Written by Sean Michael Wilson, and drawn by Carl Thompson, Parecomic is about Michael Albert and his life’s struggle as a US left wing activist. The comics begins in the 1960’s with student demonstrations and lifestyle rebellions.
From the development of the anti war movement, civil rights, the woman’s movement, and the black panthers to the establishment of alternative media like South End Press and Znet. PARECOMIC shows us Michael’s story, and at the same time the ideas and issues that influence both our society and the better alternative that we can build via the anarchist influenced system of participatory economics. Or PARECON for short – hence the title for our book, which rather started out as a joke – but has stuck: PARECOMIC.
The comic book will be published by Seven Stories Press, a NY publisher who specialize in books on human rights, politics, social and economic justice.
Best Pledges: The pledges are a bit high, but the $20, $40 or $60 ones get you a copy of the book.
The folks that make Etch A Sketch have decided to play off the recent comments from the Romney campaign and subsequent use by his opponents and entry of the classic toy into the political debate with a new marketing push. In a new campaign called Shake It Up America, they released the follow statement.
We stand firmly behind our proclamation that “We have a left knob and a right knob for each political part.” And “…when both work together, we can do loop de loops.” We’re especially seriosu about the loop de loops part. We call on you to shake it up, America! Exercise your freedom of self-expression by voting on Election Day, and drawing on your Etch A Sketch every day. Our politcal neutrality is unflappable. And our stance on self-expression is unshakable.
Etch A Sketch for political Metaphor 2012
The new advertising campaign launched on Facebook and Twitter using the tools that are now powering the political process. The ads feature visuals and catchy slogans such as “Etch A Sketch® is a lot like politics, there’s a lot of gray area,” “Politically we lean right down the middle, which way did you lean?” and “We have a left knob and a right knob for each political party (But remember, when both work together, we can do loop de loops).”
The ads also drive consumers to a revamped Etch A Sketch® “Shake It Up, America” website where consumers are encouraged to exercise their freedom of expression, register to vote or purchase product. Soon to come, consumers will also have the ability to select a blue Etch A Sketch®, which represents the Democratic party or red Etch A Sketch® that represents the Republican party, and cast their vote in an informal presidential poll.
Not really comic book related, but rather interesting….
2012 Election Merchandise Poll and Infographic Shows Most Interesting, Engaging Candidates
Zazzle Study of 25 Million Monthly E-Commerce Consumers Identifies Voter Behavior and Highlights Recent Changes in Public Sentiment Towards Presidential Candidates
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Zazzle today announced its findings from the 2012 Election Merchandise Poll. With more than 25 million monthly site visitors, the world’s largest e-commerce customization company analyzed consumer search, product design, and purchasing behaviors to identify voter engagement and sentiment for the remaining GOP presidential candidates and incumbent Democrat, Barack Obama.
Based on two months of consumer data, all findings from the recent study are available in a new political infographic that charts candidate popularity over time, compares positive- vs. negative-themed sales and designs, and highlights the top political products.
“Massive amount of voters, including millions of users on Zazzle, physically express their ideas and opinions through online merchandise customization – this is a similar test of sentiment when compared to the use of Twitter and Facebook as platforms to express opinions through text,” said Josh Neuman, Zazzle’s head of political merchandising and analyses.
Voter Sentiment through E-Commerce and Product Design
To date, more than 3 million custom political products and 1 million political t-shirts have been developed and sold on Zazzle’s customization platform. These include candidate t-shirts for Obama, Ron Paul, Romney, Gingrich and Santorum.
Findings:
More insights into politics and e-Commerce trends can be found in the official infographic and on the Zazzle blog.
About Zazzle
Zazzle is the world’s leading platform for quality custom products. Zazzle’s proprietary technology enables individuals, professional artists, and major brands, including Disney and Hallmark, to create and offer billions of unique products for customers worldwide. Zazzle’s rapidly expanding product base covers every topic imaginable and includes t-shirts, business cards and invitations, in addition to a variety of custom gifts. Upon creation, products are instantly and accurately visualized on the site and offered in the Zazzle marketplace. When ordered, each product is made on-demand, typically within 24 hours. Launched in 2005 and based in Redwood City, California, Zazzle’s vision is to redefine commerce, powered by the world’s imagination. Find more at www.zazzle.com.
I have to throw props to Bleeding Cool for pointing this out and providing the scan of the page and huge kudos to Christos Gage for addressing things so well.
You might remember former Congressman Alan Grayson who in a previous email quoted Green Lantern. After a bit of a lull in the excitement, he’s back today with an email full of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Kind of awesome. Check out the email with the subject line “We Don’t Have a Babel Fish” below.
Full Disclosure – Brett consults for the Entertainment Consumers Association
It’s new comic day, what’s everyone getting?
Around the Blogs:
ICv2 – ‘Marvel HeroClix: The Incredible Hulk’ – I really wish I had people to play with by me.
Bleeding Cool – Brian Wood, Steve Niles, Fred Van Lente, And Steve Lieber On Comic Business Models In A Digital World – Interesting read.
Kotaku – The Time a Green Fairy Called Newt Gingrich a “Fascist” – Having worked for Warner and being one of the people behind his trip into Second Life, I wish we went forward.
Around the Tubes Reviews:
CBR – The Defenders #1
IGN – The Defenders #1
MTV Geek – The Defenders #1
