2009 January
Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: Abrams ComicsArts
The Art of Harvey Kurtzman
For day four of our ongoing tour of what awaits comic fans in 2009, we’re taking a look at a new publishing imprint, Abrams ComicArts. Abrams, as you may know, published a number of notable comic-related books last year, but now have set up their own subdivision devoted to the medium. You can learn more about the imprint here.
Anyway …. Continue Reading »
- January 8, 2009 @ 06:00 AM by Chris Mautner
New York Comic Con panels announced
New York Comic Con
I will likely be somewhere much warmer than New York City the weekend of Feb. 6-8 (namely, home), which is too bad, because I’ll be missing the New York Comic Con. The panel schedule is now available, though their website notes some TV and movie panels are still to be announced. Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights thus far …
- Friday starts off with several panels aimed at booksellers, librarians, comic retailers and educators, many of which are sponsored by the retailer organization ComicsPRO, Publisher’s Weekly and Diamond. And if you’re interested in becoming a retailer, ComicsPRO is hosting a panel on Saturday for those who aspire to open their own shop.
- Just about all of the major comics publishers will have a presence at the show, with many hosting panels over the course of the three days. You can learn all about Dark Reign, War of Kings, Zuda, Vertigo, Dynamite, Dark Horse, Radical, Del Ray Manga, Battle for the Cowl and many more. BOOM! promises an announcement from Mark Waid, while Marvel’s X-Men panel will have an announcement as well. You can also help our site sponsor, IDW, celebrate their 10th anniversary. And it sounds like Disney Comics may finally be announcing some of their titles.
- The con is also hosting several “NYCC Classes” for aspiring pros who want to learn about story structure, self-publishing, inking and related topics.
- Two of my favorite animated shows, Superjail and The Venture Bros., will have panels … no doubt there will be a highlight reel of season 4 of the Venture Bros.
- In the “Um, what?” category, there’s a panel dedicated to the video game Splatterhouse. Actually it sounds like they’re working on an updated version of the game, which makes a little more sense … well, no, it doesn’t, now that I think about it …
- “Her Face Was an Open Book: The Art of Character” is something I’d probably check out based on the name and the fact that Dash Shaw and Thom Zahler are both on it.
- MTV News presents a special report live at the con … Who Is The Greatest Badass Of All Time? I vote for Kurt Loder.
- They’ll debut the Wonder Woman animated movie Friday night, and a sneak preview of the Black Panther cartoon Saturday. Sunday brings the world premiere of footage from the Astro Boy movie.
- I heard good things about Randy Jarrell and Jennifer de Guzman’s “How Not To Break Into Comics” panel when they hosted it in San Diego.
- On Saturday, The Wizard Magazine staff will be on hand to let you know how you can get a job at the magazine. Actually, if you’d like to get involved in comics journalism, go to the Radical Publishing panel that same day and talk to Geoff Boucher, who writes for the L.A. Times, or talk to The Beat’s Heidi MacDonald at the Art of Storytelling panel on Sunday.
- Douglas Wolk moderates a panel with Bryan Lee O’Malley on Sunday.
- Sunday also features a bunch of panels and activities aimed at kids, including a TOON Books panel and a costume contest.
You can find the list of panels announced so far right here.
- January 8, 2009 @ 04:49 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
From Promethea #39
Creators | Artist J.H. Williams III has posted a two-page spread from Promethea #39 under the cryptic title “Something is coming …” Oddsmakers say it’s an Absolute Edition of the well-regarded series by Williams and Alan Moore, published from 1999 to 2005 by America’s Best Comics/Wildstorm. Too much to wish for?
Williams won’t give any more details … yet: “I can’t comment any further at this time. I’ll have something to say about it relatively soon.” [J.H. Williams' blog]
Comics strips | Cartoonist Mike Peters talks about being sued by the Colombian coffee-producers association over a joke in his Mother Goose & Grimm strip: “… I am totally amazed at this. I’m an editorial cartoonist. I expect bad things from my editorial cartoons, not from my comic strip.” [Comic Riffs]
Legal | Marvel Entertainment has sued MGA Entertainment, claiming the California-based toymaker overstepped the terms of its licensing agreement by producing merchandise based on Spider-Man and Ghost Rider, which were excluded from the agreement. MGA recently lost a legal battle with Mattel over ownership of those ubiquitous Bratz dolls. [Los Angeles Business Journal]
Sales charts | Still reaping the benefits of the buzz from the (judge willing) upcoming movie adaptation, Watchmen jumps 16 spots to No. 29 on USA Today’s list of the Top 150 books. The collection of the 1986 DC Comics miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is in its 25th week on the chart.
The 33rd volume of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, meanwhile, leaps 36 places to No. 68 in its second week. [USA Today]
The Hunter
Passings | Scott Timberg of The Los Angeles Times pens a tribute to novelist Donald E. Westlake, who passed away on New Year’s Eve at age 75. Neil Gaiman and Christopher Mills also note Westlake’s passing. Under the pseudonym Richard Stark, Westlake wrote some 20 crime novels about the professional thief Parker.
IDW Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall reveals the cover to Darwyn Cooke’s graphic-novel adaptation of the first Parker book, The Hunter, which is due out in July: “For anyone who hasn’t read any of Westlake’s books, and especially his Parker novels written under the name Richard Stark, hopefully this project coming next summer kickstarts some new interest in his novels.” [The Los Angeles Times]
Webcomics | Lyle Masaki profiles a handful of gay-themed webcomics, and webcomics with gay characters. [AfterElton.com]
Art and design | Comics artist Jock (The Losers, Green Arrow: Year One) has created concept art for the upcoming Judge Dredd movie. [io9.com]
- January 8, 2009 @ 03:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Spider-Man inauguration fever hits eBay
As Comic Book Resources reported earlier, USA Today broke the news today that next week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man will feature Spider-Man and President-Elect Barack Obama teaming up in a five-page story. Half the print run will feature an Obama cover by Phil Jimenez.
And even though we’re still six days away from the book’s, it’s already popping up on eBay. Actually, it started popping up before the cover was revealed, which lead to some interesting, and some downright bizarre, images being used on the listings. I think this one is my favorite:
The Amazing Obama
Some of them are offering from five to ten copies of the issue, while one listing noted that the Stephen Colbert variant cover was a hot item, and “his popularity is no where near that of Obama.” So far I’m not seeing any bids, but that could have changed by the time you’re reading this.
Update: You can see the Obama variant cover after the break.
- January 7, 2009 @ 08:54 PM by JK Parkin
Wonder Woman box confirms Green Lantern animated film
World’s Finest Online has posted the packaging for the Wonder Woman direct-to-DVD animated film that’s scheduled to hit stores on March 3, revealing that the next DC character to star in one of these animated flick will be none other than Green Lantern:
Wonder Woman box art
There are no other details yet on plot or voice actors or any of that kind of stuff, but I’m guessing that “exclusive first look” will provide some insight.
Hat tip: Lisa Fortuner.
- January 7, 2009 @ 03:59 PM by JK Parkin
BOOM! Studios’ Chip Mosher on Hexed, Farscape and more
Chip Mosher at Disneyland
Yesterday Mark Waid, editor-in-chief of BOOM! Studios, announced via a YouTube video that BOOM! would post full issues of their Hexed mini-series on MySpace the same day the book was released in stores, just like they did with the North Wind mini-series a year ago. As I was already talking to Chip Mosher, their sales and marketing guy, about several other things going on with BOOM! when the video was released, I was able to sneak in a few questions about the promotion as well.
My thanks to Chip for his time.
JK: Last year BOOM! put the complete North Wind mini-series up on MySpace Comic Books, with each issue going up on the day it hit retailers’ shelves. And now you’re doing it again with HEXED. Why did you choose HEXED, versus any of your other titles?
Chip: Right time. Right place. Right book.
Personally, I see Hexed as one of the books that is kicking off BOOM! 3.0. I consider Mark coming on board as E-i-C as BOOM! 2.0 — where he spearheaded the stabilizing of the line-up and built up editorial. I look at this next year as BOOM! 3.0 — where the promise of Mark Waid as E-i-C is realized in full. The team here at BOOM! is running on all cylinders. You’ll see a whole host of books coming out of BOOM! in the next year, shepherded by Mark and the editorial team, that will just rock your socks off.
- January 7, 2009 @ 10:15 AM by JK Parkin
Studios will let judge determine Watchmen‘s release
Watchmen
A federal judge will decide on Jan. 20 whether Warner Bros. will be allowed to release Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Watchmen.
In court papers filed on Monday, attorneys for Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox agreed to allow U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess to decide if Fox can block distribution of the highly anticipated movie.
Attorneys for Warner Bros., citing the proximity of the planned March 6 release, have asked that the hearing be moved to Jan. 12.
Feess is the judge who on Dec. 24 ruled that Fox owns a copyright interest in Watchmen because of a tangled development history that dates back to the late 1980s, when the studio acquired the rights to the Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons DC Comics miniseries for producer Lawrence Gordon. The movie passed from studio to studio over the next two decades before finally settling at Warner Bros.
However, Feess determined, Gordon never obtained the necessary rights from Fox. “Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture,” the judge wrote in his December order.
Feess had suggested the studios work toward a settlement or an appeal.
Rodney Perkins and Jeff Trexler have more analysis, plus links to the legal documents.
- January 7, 2009 @ 09:17 AM by Kevin Melrose
2009 is lookin’ fine
Ten Against the World by Scott Morse
As Chris goes through the 2009 catalogs of various publishers like Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly, I thought I’d share a few update on future projects that creators have mentioned on their blogs. First, over on his blog Red Window, Scott Morse says he’s working on a follow-up to The Ancient Book of Myth and War called The Ancient Book of Sex and Science. He’s also got another Magic Pickle book coming out in 2009, as well as what sounds like a gigantic bunch of awesomeness, a ’50s monster book called Ten Against the World:
*TEN AGAINST THE WORLD is in the works, I’m pleased to officially announce. It’s a 160 (or so) page Kirby/Toth-inspired monster comic set in the 1950′s, lots of comic book fun I’m certain Wertham would love. There’s a teaser above. It’s being produced entirely in Photoshop on my Cintique, no pencils, just straight digital black, white, and blue, as an experiment in economics and speed. I’m about 40 pages in at this point. Keep your eyes and ears open for this one, as it may actually hit initially in online installments.
Next, Alex Robinson’s Too Cool To Be Forgotten has been popping up on year-end best of lists here and there (Tim O’Shea had it on his), and over on his LiveJournal he talks about the project he’s just starting starring Santa Claus:
- January 7, 2009 @ 07:00 AM by JK Parkin
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: Fringe Benefits RIP
One of my favorite people in the comics biz is DC editor Rachel Gluckstern. I know Rachel from when we both wrote for Comic World News and I love her enthusiasm for awesome comics. It was probably about this time last year that Rachel wrote in a DC Nation article that her goal for the year was to bring about a comic with talking gorillas riding dinosaurs and – sure enough – before the year was out she’d done it. Only she and writer Sholly Fisch had gone one better and made them cowboy gorillas riding dinosaurs… in space.
Super Friends #5
Those, my friends, are the kind of comics I want to talk about. They’re the kinds of comics I want to read. I also love deep, meaningful comics that make you think and feel; I just don’t see why they can’t have pirates and lion-men in them. The comics that really get me going are the ones with gorillas riding dinosaurs. The ones with people punching sharks in the face. With remote-controlled polar bears.
When the Great Curve first moved to Newsarama, I figured that a lot of our readers were going to be superhero fans. And since we already had Tom and Carla covering DC and Marvel on a weekly basis, I naïvely and foolishly volunteered to talk about Everything Else. I fumbled around for a definition of the kind of books I wanted to cover and finally settled on “fringe.” As in, “not mainstream.” As in, not Marvel or DC. I was trying to avoid using words like “independent” or “alternative,” because they come with lots of baggage, but in hindsight “fringe” didn’t work any better. Continue Reading »
- January 7, 2009 @ 06:59 AM by Michael May
Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: First Second’s spring catalog
The Color of Earth
Continuing our run-down of what’s coming out from various publishers this year, here’s a look at First Second’s spring catalog for 2009.
Before we get started, however, I should add that these round-ups that I’m putting together are based solely upon the book catalogs I’ve received in the mail. Designed mainly for the book market, they don’t include any pamphlets (or floppies, or comic books or whatever you call the blasted things), which is why thre’s no mention of, say the lastest issue of Thrizzle in my Fantagraphics post, or Big Questions in my D&Q post for that matter.
Also, remember that all shipping dates are completely subject to change.
All clear on that? Ok then, let’s proceed:
- January 7, 2009 @ 06:57 AM by Chris Mautner
Walt and Skeezix put on hiatus
Walt & Skeezix, Vol. 2
One of the critical jewels in Drawn and Quarterly’s crown in recent years has been their ongoing collection of classic Gasoline Alley strips by its creator, Frank King. Three fat volumes, spanning 1921-26, have been released so far, each one winning its share of accolades.
All that seems to have come to a halt recently and there hasn’t been any mention of a fourth volume in any of D&Q’s recent catalogs or press releases. The reason? According to this Comics Journal message board thread, apparently Tribune Media has threatened to sue the company if they continue with the series. Here’s a statement from publisher Chris Oliveros, courtesy of Kevin Greenlee:
“Technically we have not ended the series and hope to somehow continue it. Sales are not a problem, but rather Tribune Media. They are threatening to sue us if we continue, despite the fact that, according to our lawyer, the material we are reprinting has lapsed in copyright. Even though the law appears to be on our side, we cannot afford to go into any lawsuit against a large corporation. We’ll wait and see…
Thanks for your interest and support,
–
Chris Oliveros
Drawn & Quarterly”
Later posts in the thread suggest that a fourth volume is in the planning, so let’s just hope this is a temporary setback.
- January 7, 2009 @ 06:57 AM by Chris Mautner
New Yorker holds a ‘Tilley’ of a contest
Eustace Tilley
See what I did there? I made a pun! I’m so clever and sassy.
Anyway, The New Yorker magazine (and Web site) have announced their second annual Eustace Tilley contest. Perhaps you remember the first one. Perhaps not. Either way, let me remind you of what it all entails:
Eustace Tilley was drawn by Rea Irvin, the magazine’s first art editor, for the cover of the first issue of The New Yorker, in 1925, and has returned for nearly every anniversary issue since. (Louis Menand gives a detailed history of Tilley.) For the past two decades, the magazine has invited contributing artists to reinterpret this iconic dandy, and last year readers contributed to the 2008 Eustace Tilley Contest.
Create your own Eustace Tilley by January 15, 2009, for a chance to win and be featured in an online slide show curated by The New Yorker’s art editor, Françoise Mouly.
All entries must be received by Jan. 15 (i.e. a week from Thursday). Winners will be announced with the release of the anniversary issue on Feb. 2. You can see who’s entered the contest so far here, and view a slide show of some of last year’s winners here. Keep in mind that, if I’m reading the rules right, the magazine owns your art if you do submit.
(Thanks to Bill Kartalopoulos for the link. By the way, when are you going to update your blog again Bill?)
- January 7, 2009 @ 06:45 AM by Chris Mautner
Colombian coffee growers sue Mother Goose & Grimm cartoonist
Mother Goose & Grimm: the Juan Valdez incident
A Colombian coffee-growers group is suing cartoonist Mike Peters for a reported $20 million over a gag in a Mother Goose & Grimm strip involving Colombian coffee and crime syndicates.
According to Colombia Reports, the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia doesn’t find any humor in a joke that uses the group’s old slogan, “There’s a little bit of Juan Valdez in every can,” to suggest (I guess?) that the nation’s organized-crime groups use the cans to dispose of human remains.
(Juan Valdez is, of course, the fiction character the federation has used since 1959 to market “100-percent Colombian coffee.”)
I know a joke loses its humor if you explain it, but it wasn’t all that funny to begin with. However, is it really cause for a lawsuit?
- January 7, 2009 @ 06:14 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Little Lulu
Licensing | U.K. media-licensing company Entertainment Rights, which owns The Lone Ranger, Casper, Gumby, Little Lulu and numerous other properties, has cut one-third of its employees, and is reportedly scrambling to find an investor or a new owner.
The company, which acquired its U.S. competitor Classic Media in 2007, denied speculation last fall of a looming bankruptcy. In December, it received a loan that’s expected to carry it through next month. [ICv2.com]
Awards | Nominations have begun for the World Science Fiction Society’s prestigious Hugo Awards, which for the first time will include a category for Best Graphic Story. [Anime News Network]
Comic strips | The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has dropped Bill Griffith’s Zippy the Pinhead as of today. Eric Reynolds asks for readers to write or call the newspaper to ask for its return to the comics page. [FLOG!]
Milestones | Jan. 10 marks the 80th anniversary of Tintin’s first appearance, which sends writer Matthew Paris on a tongue-in-cheek investigation of the eternal teen-ager’s sexual orientation. I knew the first anniversary was paper, and the 10th was tin, but I never would’ve guessed the 80th was outing. [Times Online]
Best of ’08 | Publishers Weekly‘s Comics Week releases its third annual Critics’ Poll, topped by Dash Shaw’s Bottomless Belly Button. Manga Editor Kai-Ming Cha also names her Top 10 manga of the year. [Publishers Weekly]
Publishing | I just want to point out that one of the writers of the just-announced Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular miniseries is Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac. [Marvel.com]
Pop culture | Hugh Hefner, aspiring comic-book artist. [Hero Complex]
Art and design | John Straun picks his best comic-book covers of the year. [Super Punch]
Websites | I don’t think I knew about ComicsCareer.com — “Essential Resources for Comic Creators” — which today features a Q&A with writer B. Clay Moore. [ComicsCareer.com]
Weirdness | Manga Watchmen. In Northampton, a scream rings out. [via Mike Sterling]
- January 7, 2009 @ 05:24 AM by Kevin Melrose
BOOM! puts Hexed on MySpace for free
Via a video from editor-in-chief Mark Waid, BOOM! Studios announces that they’re putting each issue of the mini-series Hexed up on MySpace the same day each issue is released in stores:
This is similar to the promotion they did last year for North Wind. Many retailers were upset over that promotion, specifically because they didn’t know about it before they placed their orders for the book. You can read some of their reactions here.
So is BOOM! doing things differently from last time? Here’s Mark Waid again, with more details on some promotional offers for retailers … he notes the book is completely returnable and the top 500 retailers in the country will receive five free copies:
Check back tomorrow for a Q&A with Chip Mosher on this and other BOOM!-related topics. The first issue will be up on MySpace Comics tomorrow at 11 a.m. Pacific.
- January 6, 2009 @ 05:38 PM by JK Parkin