Image Creators Radio-Bound!

This is why The Rundown is a pop-culture and Americana blog as much as a comics blog: comic books are undeniably American and a staple of pop-culture. It could be argued that the latter is a recent development - and I can take that or leave it, as the 1970s-80s were really the deciding factor which cemented their status - but it cannot be denied.

With the ever-increasing crop of comics-based movies, TV series, and stretches into other media and mediums, comic books are to this decade what sci-fi itself (also distinctly American) was to the 1950s-60s. Creators have become celebrities in their own right, no longer appealing only to us fanboys - no longer only recognizable to us "nerds," "dweebs," "geeks," and "dorks." And I dig that.

Yes, I suppose there is some residual resentment toward these late-comers, on some level, but unlike a lot of musical acts and genres which became trendy long after they had actually been "trendy," comics and sequential art have not changed much over the years. I mean, death metal was all the Underground rage in the early 1990s and I really felt distaste and anger toward younger listeners who had no respect for the roots of the whole thing, and considered Green Day "punk" and Slipknot "death metal." But comic books are an entirely different matter just because.

It's actually a lengthy discussion I will have to postpone because I began this as a simple introduction to this Image Comics press release, which is philosophically OFFICIAL as a merf:

SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN's Rob Schrab, HAZED's Mark Sable and G-DLAND's Joe Casey to appear on INDIE 103.1's Jonesy Jukebox!

22 May 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - This Friday, SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN's Rob Schrab, HAZED's Mark Sable and G-DLAND's Joe Casey will appear on INDIE 103.1 FM's Jonesy's Jukebox, from 12 to 2 PM.

"Jonesy's Jukebox is a one of my favorite radio shows so being part of it in time to celebrate the end of SCUD is surreally awesome," Schrab said. "It's a perfect way to cap off over ten years of the series."

Jonesy's Jukebox, hosted by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols on what Rolling Stone declared the best radio station of 2008, airs every Friday from Noon to 2pm with the first hour repeating at 6pm. Each episode features four guests panelists talking about and judging the newest tracks to hit the radio with this week's including Casey, Hazed and Schrab. In addition, they'll be discussing their latest projects such as the Eisner-nominated G-DLAND CELESTIAL EDITION, CHARLATAN BALL, HAZED, and SCUD THE DISPOSASBLE ASSASSIN: THE WHOLE SHEBANG.

Joe Casey added, "Big Steve Jones fan. Huge guitar sounds hit me just the right way. Moving into the last year of G-DLAND and launching of CHARLATAN BALL, this is a very cool way to get the word out."

Jonesy's Jukebox will air Friday, May 23^rd from 12 to 2 PM. Listeners out of the Los Angeles area can listen via the Web. G-DLAND CELESTIAL EDITION (MAY071862), a 360-page hardcover for $34.99, and HAZED (DEC072052), a 160-page graphic novel for $14.99, are available now. SCUD THE DISPOSASBLE ASSASSIN: THE WHOLE SHEBANG (TP - APR082180/HC-APR082181), a 786-page black & white collection, will be available June 25^th.

CHARLATAN BALL (APR082158), a 24-page full color comic book for $2.50, will be available June 11^th.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008