2009 February
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 036
Like the rest of you, I’m catching up on NYCC news (more Parker? With Kyle Hotz? Count me in!), and digesting Tom Spurgeon’s long piece on the new Diamond policies. In the meantime, here’s another page of weird western escapism for you.
Written by Matt Maxwell. Art by Gervasio and Jok.
Come on back on Wednesday to catch the next page.
And dig into the archives if you’re just getting started.
- February 9, 2009 @ 10:15 AM by Matt Maxwell
‘Comics are about creating time with space’
about Digital Comics
Dean Haspiel forwarded over a link to this “mind blowing” webcomic by Balack01 on the DeviantArt site on digital comics.
- February 9, 2009 @ 09:20 AM by JK Parkin
Collect This Now! Justice Inc.
Justice Inc
Welcome to the debut of “Collect This Now!,” an occasional Robot 6 feature where we look at out-of-print, untranslated, uncollected or just plain ignored comics that, in our humble estimation, need to be put back into print as soon as bloody possible, preferably in hardcover, with fancy-shmancy paper and an introduction by Jeet Heer.
We’re kicking off this column with a look at one of the more interesting and, in my opinion, unfairly ignored prestige mini-series of the last 20 years. So pull up a chair and allow me to expound, won’t you?
- February 9, 2009 @ 08:48 AM by Chris Mautner
Food or Comics | A roundup of money-related news
• ICv2.com reports there was a “fantasy economy” at New York Comic Con, where nearly 70,000 attendees apparently spent their money freely.
“Inside these walls the ‘fantasy’ economy is perfect,” retailer Bob Chapman told the website. “Outside the doors of the convention the economy sucks.”
Jossip, too, notes the apparent disregard for the recession.
• Tom Spurgeon says, in no uncertain terms, that Diamond’s new minimum-order policy is wrong, and lays out the reasons why. You should go read his essay.
• Nat Gertler, publisher of About Comics, tells Indy Comics News how the new Diamond policy will affect his company’s plans for the year: “We’re having to consider whether something that we would’ve released as three $10 paperbacks should maybe be one $20 paperback — it will get fewer readers and make us and the retailers less money, but it’s most certain to meet Diamond’s benchmark. Or a book that might have been a $10 paperback before this change might now be released as a $15 hardcover. Lucky for us, we’d already moved away from selling Diamond individual pamphlets, as much as I love that format.”
• At NYCC, Radical Publishing announced it no longer will publish standard-sized single issues. Instead, its comics generally will be 48 pages, and carry a price tag of $4.99. Dynamite Entertainment, meanwhile, teased more $1 introductory issues.
• Johanna Draper Carlson questions ICv2′s end-of-year sales figures for manga and comics periodicals.
- February 9, 2009 @ 07:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
The Monthly Crisis
NYCC | Blogger Deb Aoki rounds up the biggest manga news, and best quotes, from New York Comic Con. [About.com]
NYCC | “Pop Candy” blogger Whitney Matheson also has a roundup, of mostly movie- and TV-related tidbits. [USA Today]
Conventions | Paul Gravett reports briefly from Angoulême. [The Guardian]
Creators | Best wishes for a speedy recover to former DC Comics editor K.C. Carlson. [Comics Worth Reading]
Pop culture | The Chicago Tribune compares White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel to ROM: Spaceknight — in a three-quarter-page feature. [Phoning It In]
Blogosphere | Blogger Kirk Warren gets fancy with his best-of-2008 overview by transforming it into a 26-page downloadable magazine. [The Weekly Crisis]
Creators | Cartoonist Norm Feuti discusses his syndicated comic strip Retail and his webcomic Gill. [Comix 411]
Hollywood calling | Nigel Andrews considers the movie industry’s comics fixation: “… I wonder if the cinema’s obsession with comic books (apart from their earning power at the box office) does not come from some yearning to un-invent the wheel. Guilty about the perceptual fraud practised on the viewer, the filmmaker longs to revert to the chaste integrity of still frames in sequence.” [Financial Times]
Retailers | Brave New World Comics in Newhall, Calif., plays host to Geek Singles Night. [Los Angeles Daily News]
- February 9, 2009 @ 06:19 AM by Kevin Melrose
Blecky joins Fanta’s webcomics stable
Blecky Yuckerella
Johnny Ryan’s cheerfully scatalogical Blecky Yuckerella has joined Rocky and Chocolate Cheeks as the third free online comic strip over at publisher Fantagraphics’ website.
With all the news recently about the death of the indie comic book, I wonder if this marks the beginning of a decisive effort on Fanta’s part to offer more webcomics content. Will we see other artists joining the line-up? Stay tuned.
- February 9, 2009 @ 05:15 AM by Chris Mautner
Missed it: Words Without Borders celebrates comics
Excerpt from 'A Drifting Life'
Words Without Borders, “The Online Magazine for International Literature,” is celebrating the graphic novel all this month with loads of previews of new and upcoming books from a variety of publishers, including Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s A Drifting Life, the fourth volume of Osama Tezumka’s Black Jack, Diane Obomsawin’s Kaspar, The Pig by Riccardo Falcinelli and Marta Poggi, Blizzard in the Jungle by Jo Hak-Rae and Ri Chol-Geun and Ari Folman and David Polonsky’s adaptation of the Academy Award-nominated film Waltz with Bashir. There’s also an interview with Polonsky if you’re so inclined.
- February 9, 2009 @ 04:15 AM by Chris Mautner
NYCC | Ten announcements that make us happy
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
New York Comic Con was a bit of a whirlwind, even if you weren’t actually, y’know, there. Publishers revealed new titles, new creative teams, new initiatives, new prices.
However, there were some announcements that just stood out, because of the creators involved, or because we’ve been hoping for them, or — any number of reasons, really.
These are the 10 announcements (in no particular order) that made J.K. Parkin and me particularly happy:
1. Dark Horse’s Noir anthology: This apparently got lost in the hustle and bustle of the convention’s first day, because I didn’t know about it until I saw the press release on the publisher’s website. Edited by Diana Schutz, Noir will feature bleak stories by such heavy hitters as Brian Azzarello, Gabriel Ba, Eduardo Baretto, Ed Brubaker, Rick Geary, Paul Grist, Jeff Lemire, David Lapham, Fabio Moon, Dean Motter and Sean Phillips. It’s due out in September. – Kevin
2. The Unwritten by Mike Carey and Peter Gross: I’m a sucker for just about anything Mike Carey does, particularly if it’s for Vertigo … from Lucifer to the criminally underrated Crossing Midnight. Throw in Peter Gross and an intriguing idea, and I’m there. – JK
- February 9, 2009 @ 03:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
6′s February Index
Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond’s new minimum purchase order threshold for comics: $2,500
Years since Chris Claremont wrote X-Men #3 (the issue from which Claremont’s new X-book spins off): 18
Years since Jack Kirby died: 15
Years since Edmond Hamilton died: 32
Age of John Updike when he wrote a fan letter to Harold Gray, the creator of the Little Orphan Annie: 15
Age of Updike when he wrote a letter to the editor, protesting the removal of “Spiderman” from the Boston Globe comics page: 61
Estimated current membership of industry charitable/not-for-profit organization, The Hero Initiative: ~250*
Cost of a Hero Initiative Bronze (Basic) membership: $29
- February 8, 2009 @ 08:16 PM by Tim O'Shea
NYCC | Sunday round-up
Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers
As is typical with most conventions, Sunday was a bit slower at the New York Comic Con in the news department. But a few items did manage to sneak out …
• At the Mondo Marvel panel today, Marvel announced that Saturday Night Live cast members Bill Hader and Seth Meyers are working on an Amazing Spider-Man: The Short Halloween one-shot with art by Kevin Maguire.
• Editor Tom Brevoort announced “The Marvels Project” by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, which explores the origins of the Marvel Universe. It kicks off in June and is part of Marvel’s 70th anniversary celebration.
• Chris Eliopoulos and Ed Guerra are working on a Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers one-shot, which will feature Lockjaw, frog Thor, Lockheed, Red Wing, Speedball’s cat, Zabu and Aunt May’s dog.
• Coming out of Saturday’s panels and continuing a theme that played out all weekend, Dynamite Comics announced they had another $1 comic in the works featuring a Project Superpowers character. They also announced Garth Ennis is working on a six-issue series called Herogasm, while Leah Moore and John Reppion are working on a new Sherlock Holmes book.
• Speaking of comic book pricing, Radical announced yesterday that their comics will now generally be 48 pages each at a price of $4.99, with stories coming in three-part arcs. They also announced a few upcoming series, like Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency and Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost.
No doubt more stories and panel coverage will spill into tomorrow.
- February 8, 2009 @ 05:36 PM by JK Parkin
NYCC | Agent M has a message for Tom Brevoort
A tweet from Agent M
My nomination for New York Comic Con Tweet of the Day comes courtesy of Marvel.com editor Ryan Penagos, who has a request for Executive Editor Tom Brevoort. Okay, it’s more like a desperate plea. A Pleet, then?
- February 8, 2009 @ 01:29 PM by Kevin Melrose
Robot Love Week | I ♥ Second Chances
Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time #1
Editor’s Note: With Valentine’s Day coming up next Saturday, we’ve declared this the week of Robot Love. And to kick things off, we’ve resurrected one of our favorite features, I ♥ Comics, where we ask comics creators, bloggers, retailers and fans to discuss the things they love about the medium.
Our first guest contributor this week is Scott Wegener, the artist on Atomic Robo, which is written by Brian Clevinger and published by Red 5 Comics. The first issue of the third volume, Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time, is in this month’s Previews.
by Scott Wegener
Ask a guy like me why I love comics and the answer is likely to be a verbatim repetition of my answer to the other question people are constantly asking me –”Why do you love oral surgery?” I love comics because they are necessary, because they promote good overall health, and because I really enjoy the way my gums throb after a good issue of All Star What’s-His-Face.
Seriously, it’s much easier for me to come up with an essay about why I hate comics. I don’t know if that’s because there really is a lot wrong with the industry or if it’s just always easier to criticize than it is to praise? I won’t bore you with a list of things that drive me nuts about comics -we’ve already done that on Atomic-Robo.com. It’s enough to say that I expend more time than it’s worth taking a verbal dump on comic book culture.
And yet there came a time just a few short years ago when I took a hard look at my life and decided that I didn’t like where it was going. And when I tried to figure out what it was that I really loved in life, I found the answer on my mental hard drive under >Geek/Adventure/Comic Books. And so I stopped doing what I was doing, and started doing what I’m doing now.
Looking back on it all, I guess I’d always known that I loved comics, but the 1990′s really jaded me. “Oh Christ,” I can here you thinking. “Another jaded Thirty-Something with a ‘boo-hoo 1997 killed comics’ ax to grind.” Well just keep your pants on for about two paragraphs so I can get it off my chest, and then I promise we’ll roll on to the unicorns and rainbows.
- February 8, 2009 @ 01:08 PM by JK Parkin
NYCC | Viz Media to release Matsumoto’s GoGo Monster
Gogo Monster
Viz Media announced today at New York Comic Con that it will publish in November the eagerly awaited translation of Gogo Monster, by Tekkonkinkreet creator Taiyō Matsumoto.
Released in 2000 in Japan, Gogo Monster centers on Yuki, a boy who has no friends because he claims he can see spirits. Yuki’s isolation ends when one day Makoto decides to sit next to him at school. But then the spirit world begins to intrude upon reality. (A more florid description of the well-regarded work can be found here.)
Viz also announced it will handle the North American translation of the new, unnamed manga by superstar creator Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku).
A complete breakdown of the new titles, including Yu-Gi-Oh! R and the Boys Over Flowers epilogue, can be found here.
- February 8, 2009 @ 12:20 PM by Kevin Melrose
What Are You Reading?
Aya of Yop City
With Christopher Mautner taking a little time off, I’m stepping in to round up “What Are You Reading?” — the weekly feature in which we discuss, well, what we’re reading. We encourage you to chime in, too.
This week’s special guest is David Welsh, who writes about manga for his blog Precocious Curmudgeon, and for The Comics Reporter.
To find out David and the rest of us are reading, just click “More.”
- February 8, 2009 @ 11:33 AM by Kevin Melrose
Trinity Annotations Extra: Thoughts on Act Two
DC's Trinity, by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert
In Trinity Act Two (which began ‘way back on October 1!), series mastermind Kurt Busiek removed his three stars from their customary place at the center of DC’s superhero community. As a result, the past four months have told the weekly story of a world without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Last fall, I joked that I’d already read this miniseries when it was called 52. However, in 52 the superheroes knew who was missing. Here, the Trinitarians aren’t just offstage, they’ve been erased from Earth’s history, and the world is desperately trying to find someone to replace them. Accordingly, Trinity’s altered timeline, plus the Trinitarians’ new roles as a younger world’s gods, has taken the miniseries down a more metaphysical road.
[Just to be clear, I consider Act Two to be issues #18-35; so this week's issue #36 kicked off Act Three.]
SPOILERS FOLLOW
- February 8, 2009 @ 10:26 AM by Tom Bondurant