Rethinking the Milky Way

This is an interesting article: It seems that since we are in the middle of the galaxy it’s very complex to reverse engineer what we’re seeing — until now that is thanks to computer aided astronomy. And it seems that the results are changing the way we think about the shape of the our galaxy, it seems that the Milky Way is two large spiral arms rather than four:

The Milky Way Revised?

“Astronomy concepts are always changing as new information comes to light. The latest theory to undergo revision is our concept of the structure of the Milky Way. As we reside in the thick of it, it’s tough to see the proverbial forest for the trees. New findings may make a compelling case that the Milky Way has two major spiral arms, rather than four that have been theorized in the past.

A team led by Robert Benjamin of the University of Wisconsin used the recently completed Spitzer Space Telescope infrared survey of the Milky Way, spanning 120° of sky. Previous studies led astronomers to conclude the galaxy has a pronounced central bar and four major spiral arms named for the constellations we see in their directions: Sagittarius-Carina, Scutum-Crux, Perseus, and Norma-Cygnus.”

The Batman Batscope Dartlauncher

Quick Robin! Stop him with the Batscope! Ah yes the good old days when for a $1.49 you could battle an evil doer with your never-miss powerful Batscope that shoots darts as far as 50 feet. My favorite part of the packaging is the back which features Batman and Robin taking on everyone from the Joker to a cute fuzzy monster:

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MoCCA 2008: Gary Panter

I think the best part of MoCCA 2008 was getting to shake the hand of comic book legend Gary Panter who played a major role in putting RAW magazine on the map in the 80’s. He was showing off a limited edition model of his famous character Jimbo:

MoCCA 2008: Craig Yoe

Shown above is a photo of Craig Yoe at MoCCA 2008. Craig was asking me why more folks weren’t buying Comic Arf? And looking inside the latest book to tell you the truth I was stumped, it was crammed with all sorts of goodies by some amazing comic book legends like Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman. So if you’re a true comic book fanboy do yourself a favor and order a copy:

MoCCA 2008: Brian Wood

Shown above is Brian Wood at MoCCA 2008, I follow Brian on Flickr so it was nice to see him in person! Below is a sample of his graphic approach to illustration:

MoCCA 2008: Hyeondo Park and Jeanette An

Shown above are Hyeondo Park and Jeanette An at MoCCA 2008. Jeanette was showing her comic book The Side Story of Mei-Lan and below is an illustration by Hyeondo Park:

MoCCA 2008: Liz Baillie

Shown above is Liz Baillie at MoCCA 2008 — she’s one of our favorites here at fanboy.com: Indie comic book critic Jenny Gonzalez praised her as a breakout cartoonist for her work on My Brain Hurts:

P.S. Have you ever noticed that only cool people wear Black Flag t-shirts?

MoCCA 2008: Kensuke Okabayashi

Shown above is Kensuke Okabayashi at MoCCA 2008, he’s the author and the artist behind the book Manga For Dummies:

MoCCA 2008: Trio Magnus

At MoCCA I came across Trio Magnus, a nice looking publication by Aaron Leighton, Clayton Hanmer, and Steve Wilson. The artwork in the book is a cross between comic art, illustration and fine art:

Below are two of the authors at MoCCA 2008 (Clayton Hanmer is on the right):

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MoCCA 2008: Clayton Hanmer

Shown above is Clayton Hanmer at MoCCA 2008, below is an example of wonderful whimsical style:

MoCCA 2008: Lance Hansen

Shown above is Lance Hansen at MoCCA 2008. In his hand is a copy of Hayseed no. 1 which is his collection of short and humorous comics:

MoCCA 2008: Damian McKeoun

Shown above is Damian McKeoun at MoCCA 2008, below is an example of work:

MoCCA 2008: Alisa Harris

Shown above is Alisa Harris at MoCCA 2008. In addition to her comic book work she’s also an animator and illustrator — below is a sample of her work:

MoCCA 2008: Jeff Mumm, Steve Seck and Sara Lindo

Shown above are comic artists Jeff Mumm, Steve Seck and Sara Lindo at MoCCA 2008 showing off their books.

MoCCA 2008: Boston Comics Roundtable

Shown above is the crew behind Boston Comics Roundtable at MoCCA 2008, they were showing of their comics anthology Inbound #1:

MoCCA 2008: Alex Kim

Above is Alex Kim at MoCCA 2008 showing off a copy of his comic book Wall City:

MoCCA 2008: Jim Campbell

Above is Jim Campbell at MoCCA 2008. In addition to his comic and illustration work Jim is in two bands: Paper Fleet and The Ottomen Empire. Below is issue #2 of his comic book Krachmacher:

MoCCA 2008: Erik Falk

Shown above is Erik Falk from Jippi Comics at MoCCA 2008. Erik was showing me a few issues of Angst – The Best of Norwegian Comics which just looked amazing. Below is a detail from a cover illustration:

MoCCA 2008: Aapo Rapi

Shown above is Aapo Rapi (who is from Finland) at MoCCA 2008. He’s reading the Spring 2008 issue of Kuti which is an amazing 24 page tabloid color newspaper which is a colorful collection of Swedish and Finnish comics:

MoCCA 2008: Lars Jakobsen

Shown above is Lars Jakobsen at MoCCA 2008. Lars travelled all the way from Denmark to attend the show, below is a sample of his work:

MoCCA 2008: Keith McCleary

Shown above is Keith McCleary at MoCCA 2008. McCleary is the writer and illustrator behind Killing Tree Quarterly shown below:

MoCCA 2008: A Video Review

Above is my video review of the MoCCA Art Festival 2008 which is being held at the Puck Building in New York City this weekend. I only got to spend a few hours running around, but I have to say that this is one of my favorite shows of the year. Firstly the profits go to support The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, but secondly going to the event is like getting into the best art school in the world — only it’s crammed with nothing but comic book majors! This year I was able to meet people from every place from Norway to less exotic Vermont. The creativity on display would put some museums here in Manhattan to shame, and yet most of the folks in the scene aren’t doing it for money (although they may be trying).

Lolita and Maid Fashion Day

I just got back from Lolita and Maid Fashion Day which is being held at the Kinokuniya book store here in New York City. The event was held today to celebrate International Lolita Day and it was very relaxing and low key. I’m about to run off to cover the MoCCA Art Festival next, but here are some photos to give you a taste:

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The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. Comic Book

It’s funny I’ve heard of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. but I never heard of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. until I came across the above comic book cover which was found by digital archivist Frederick Barr. I did some research and it seems the spin off-series lasted for one season from 1966 until 1967 when it was cancelled due to low ratings. The show starred Stefanie Powers who would later find fame as the lead in Hart to Hart in 1979.

Below are some other covers from publisher Gold Key:

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