2009 February
Will you answer the call?
Over at Thought Balloonists, Charles Hatfield announced that the University of Oregon will be holding an academic conference on superheroes this fall:
Understanding Superheroes” is conceived as an interdisciplinary multimedia event, held in conjunction with a simultaneous exhibition of original comic art at the UO’s recently refurbished Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
This exhibition, Faster Than A Speeding Bullet, will feature over 150 pages of original superhero comic art from the 1940s to the present, with examples of key works by many major creators in the industry, including Neal Adams, Mike Allred, C.C. Beck, Gene Colan, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Bill Everett, Lou Fine, Ramona Fradon, Dave Gibbons, Don Heck, Carmine Infantino, J.G. Jones, Gil Kane, Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, Mort Meskin, Frank Miller, Joe Orlando, George Perez, H.G. Peter, Mac Raboy, John Romita Sr., Alex Ross, Marie Severin, Bill Sienkiewicz, Matt Wagner, and Berni Wrightson.
Keynote Speakers include Danny Fingeroth (author of Superheroes on the Couch and Disguised as Clark Kent) and Charles Hatfield (author of Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature).
Guest Panelists include Kurt Busiek (author of numerous superhero titles for Marvel and DC, and creator of the award-winning Astro City series), Greg Rucka (co-creator of Gotham Central, White Out, Queen & Country, and many projects for Marvel and DC), and Gail Simone (writer on Marvel’s Deadpool and DC’s Birds of Prey, co-creator of Welcome To Tranquility for Wildstorm, and current Wonder Woman scribe).
They’re also currently accepting proposals for 15-20 minute conference papers on “the implications of superhero fantasies for our understanding of such diverse topics as gender identity, queerness, theological yearning, and nationalist politics.” Deadline is June 15.
On a side note I should also point out that ICAF is also calling for papers for their October conference. The deadline for that is March 20.
- February 25, 2009 @ 08:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Cold Heat: now online and free
Cold Heat #2
The first four issues of Cold Heat, the hallucinatory comic, written by Ben Jones and drawn by Frank Santoro, is now available online for free. What is Cold Heat you ask? I’ll let the creators answer that question:
Cold Heat is the story of Castle, an 18 year old girl who embarks on a life altering adventure through anti-depressants, corporate rock’n'roll, globalization and sex.
Cold Heat is a hypnotically tranced out, maximum volume take on the action/adventure genre that stays out all night and doesn’t come home until the party’s over and it’s time to crash.
Cold Heat is a ten issue comic book series. Issue 5 will be available to read online in March 2009, with new issues to follow each month.
Originally serialized in 2006-07 by PictureBox, publication had to be halted due to poor sales, though an eventual trade collection was planned (the Web site doesn’t seem to have any news on that front). Seriously, if you haven’t had the chance to read this amazing and highly original work yet, this is a fantastic opportunity to do so.
- February 25, 2009 @ 07:30 AM by Chris Mautner
WonderCon, and the ‘mercenary’ life of the free-lancer
Supergirl, by Eric Jones
This profile of longtime collaborators Landry Walker and Eric Jones in California’s East Bay Express is worth reading, not for its solid local angle on this weekend’s WonderCon but for a glimpse into the realities of free-lance comics work.
After making a splash with Little Gloomy and Kid Gravity, last year they were hired by DC Comics to tackle Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade for the publisher’s all-ages line. Now they’re waiting to find out whether the series, and their contract, will continue.
For the past ten years the two have worked on comics full-time, each earning a modest income of about $2,000 a month. They rose from the Berkeley collective Puppy Toss to major league gigs with up to 1.2 million distribution. Now they’re back in survival mode, hoping to sustain a two-man cottage industry in an increasingly cutthroat market. Walker will pimp his résumé at this weekend’s WonderCon Convention, a huge networking event that takes place annually at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Last year he and Jones met with a rep from DC Comics at WonderCon, and landed a six-issue contract with the company. He hopes the stars will align again this weekend.
“It’s kinda mercenary,” Walker said. “I was able to go fifteen years in the comics industry without being that way.”
Hopefully one of the announcements coming out of WonderCon this weekend will be more adventures of Supergirl in the eighth grade.
- February 25, 2009 @ 07:24 AM by Kevin Melrose
Zack Snyder on his ‘fan-fetishistic relationship’ with Watchmen
Watchmen
Although Alan Moore is obviously and justifiably getting a lot of attention as the Watchmen film approaches, the last 48 hours or so have seen the movie’s director take center stage in the pre-opening media frenzy. So what does Zack Snyder think?
On why he took the job, to USA Today: “At first I didn’t want to make the movie. I was like everyone else. I didn’t want to see Hollywood (mess) it up with some watered-down story where the good guys win, the bad guys lose and no one really gets hurt. Then I figured it ought to be someone who knows and loves the material. And if I didn’t do it, someone else would.”
- February 25, 2009 @ 07:10 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
One of the deleted "User Friendly" strips
Webcomics | User Friendly creator J.D. Frazer has issued an apology and removed several installments of his comic after commenters at MetaFilter called him out for swiping their remarks and using them as punchlines.
“These cartoons have punch-lines derived or directly taken from comments posted on the weblog MetaFilter,” Frazer wrote Monday on his website. “I used them unthinkingly without attribution. [...] Since I offered no attribution or asked for permission, over the last couple of years I’ve infringed on the expression of ideas of some (who I think are) clever people. Plagiarized. My hypocrisy seems to know no bounds, as an infamous gunman was once heard saying.” [via Xaviar Xerexes and Dirk Deppey]
Conventions | Exhibitor tables are sold out for the June 6-7 Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival. [MoCCA]
Creators | Essex County‘s Jeff Lemire has joined Standard Attrition, the group blog and message board of fellow Vertigo creators Jason Aaron, Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, Jock, Dave Lapham, Peter Milligan, G. Willow Wilson and Brian Wood. Lemire’s new graphic novel The Nobody will be released in July by Vertigo. [Standard Attrition]
- February 25, 2009 @ 06:31 AM by Kevin Melrose
WonderCon | Watching the Watchmen + lots of booth info
WonderCon kicks off this Friday at the Moscone Center South in San Francisco. The show welcomes special guests Jim Lee, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Brian Azzarello, Jill Thompson, Alex Robinson and many more Feb. 27-March 1.
There are only a couple of days left until the curtain lifts, but I’ll be posting info on what various publishers, creators, retailers, etc. have planned for the show up until the last moment possible. So if you haven’t yet shared your booth schedule, comic debut, special deal or any other information about what you have planned for the show, drop me an email.
General information: Programming | Registration | Special guests | Autographs
Watching the Watchmen
• A limited number of lucky fans attending the show on Friday will have the chance to see a certain comic book movie well before the general public:
Three-day and Friday only members have an opportunity to receive a free pass to a special Friday, February 27, 11:55 PM IMAX screening of Watchmen courtesy of WonderCon & Warner Bros.!
Drawing will be held at WonderCon, Friday, February 27 only. Members (3-day and Friday only) will draw a ticket for the opportunity to receive a free pass, while supplies last.
Go to the WonderCon Boutique Booth (#242) for a chance to win from 5:00-7:00 PM.
More details here. The screening is at 11:55 p.m. Friday night at a secret location.
- February 25, 2009 @ 06:00 AM by JK Parkin
Rupert Murdoch apologizes for cartoon
Sean Delonas' controversial cartoon
In what I hope will be the last news story about this item, New York Post chairman and all-around media mogul Rupert Murdoch apologized for the recent editorial cartoon by Sean Delonas, which conflated two recent news events: the shooting of a loose chimpanzee and the recent passing of the stimulus bill.
“Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted,” said the statement from Murdoch, who is also chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, which owns the paper.
“I can assure you — without a doubt — that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation.
“It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such. We all hold the readers of the New York Post in high regard, and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community.”
Many felt the cartoon was a condemnation of President Obama’s backing of the stimulus plan, and thus carried distasteful connotations of racism, as African-Americans have been portrayed as monkeys or worse in the pre-Civil Rights past. The NAACP, among other groups, is calling for Delonas’ removal.
For his part, Delonas called the controversy “absolutely friggin’ ridiculous.”
“Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon,” he told CNN. “It’s about the economic stimulus bill. If you’re going to make that about anybody, it would be [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, which it’s not.”
- February 25, 2009 @ 05:57 AM by Chris Mautner
Comic writer sues over Adam Sandler’s Zohan
"The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde"
The New York Daily News reports that a comic writer has sued Adam Sandler and Columbia Pictures, claiming they stole his idea for a hairdresser-turned-hero and transformed it into You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
In a copyright-infringement lawsuit filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court, Robert Cabell charges that the 2008 movie rips off his comic The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde.
Created by Cabell in 2000, Jayms Blonde — “Secret Agent 69″ — is a Navy SEAL-turned-hairdresser who fights crime armed with a blow dryer. Cabell released the comic online two years later, and offers the book via print on demand.
According to the Daily News, Cabell pitched a Jayms Blonde movie to Columbia in 2007, around the time Sandler began filming Zohan.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, about an Israeli special-forces operative who fakes his death so he can re-emerge as a hair stylist, grossed more than $100 million at the box office.
- February 24, 2009 @ 02:28 PM by Kevin Melrose
Rite of spring: DC Comics Solicitations for May 2009
Grumpy Old Fan
There’s a good deal of setup in the May solicitations. Battle for the Cowl wraps up, but it already feels like a foregone conclusion. Blackest Night #0 arrives for Free Comic Book Day, although BN won’t start for at least another month (and there’s no issue of Green Lantern solicited for May, either). It all combines to make May sound rather uneventful, because the real action has yet to begin. Now, that may not be entirely fair to the comics themselves, but it makes talking about their hype that much more difficult.
Nevertheless…
- February 24, 2009 @ 02:12 PM by Tom Bondurant
Marvel confirms Branagh directing Thor, Iron Man 2 filming start
Marvel
Marvel held their fourth quarter/year-end earnings call this morning, where they discussed their financial performance for 2008 and gave a couple of updates for their upcoming film slate.
As far as movies go, they set a release date for Thor and said Iron Man 2 would start filming soon:
- Kenneth Branagh is set to direct Marvel Studios’ Thor, which Paramount Pictures will distribute worldwide. The film will come to theaters domestically on July 16, 2010.
- Iron Man 2 will begin principal photography in early April. The film features a returning Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as Don Cheadle, who replaces Terrence Howard as James Rhodey. The film’s directed by Jon Favreau.
Performance wise, Marvel Entertainment overall had a damn good 2008:
- February 24, 2009 @ 01:46 PM by JK Parkin
Robot Reviews: More hodge-podge
The United States Constitution
The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
Written by Jonathan Hennessey. Art by Aaron McConnell
Hill and Wang, 160 pages, $35.
I honestly haven’t cared much for most of the titles Hill and Wang have rolled out in their relatively new nonfiction line, but this beginner’s guide to the United States’ founding document is suprisingly well done. OK, its visual metaphors are a little strained at times, the pages can be so cramped that it’s hard to move from panel to panel at times, and I wish McConnell hadn’t covered his pages such a stultifying grey and brown wash tones.
All that being said, this is a rather smart and informative guide through the various articles and amendments that make up the Constitution, explaining their function and how interpretation has changed over the years. It’s no book for scholars, most of whom will no doubt find the information presented too cursory, but for students and casual readers it’s great.
- February 24, 2009 @ 11:48 AM by Chris Mautner
Spider-Man’s Broadway debut set for Feb. 18, 2010
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Marvel has announced the opening date and official title for Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark, the Broadway musical starring the web-slinger that was announced a couple of years ago.
The production opens Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 at Broadway’s Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street. Preview performances begin Saturday, Jan. 16. Group tickets are already on sale, while single tickets will go on sale in June.
Although the specific plot or villains have yet to be announced, you have to wonder if the title is a reference to the black suit or Venom. Or maybe Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign will spill out of comics and will end on Broadway? OK, that’s a big stretch …
- February 24, 2009 @ 10:44 AM by JK Parkin
Guest column | Tips on marketing your comic
Super Human Resources #1
Editor’s Note: I started talking to Ken Marcus, whose Super Human Resources comic comes out from Ape Entertainment next month, some time ago about doing a quick Q&A for the blog. But after doing a quick Google search, I realized I was way behind the curve. So instead, he agreed to write up a guest column. Playing off of a post I did last year, he offered to share some of the things he’s learned about marketing his indy comic over the last few months.
And if you aren’t interested in this topic, we’ve got you covered as well — Marcus also sent over some preview pages from the first issue.
by Ken Marcus
Hey, peeps. My name is Ken Marcus. I’m the creator of the new mini-series Super Human Resources from Ape Entertainment. #1 is due in comic stores at the beginning of March.
Why am I talking to you? Um, besides shamelessly whoring my own book out? I’ve learned a few things about marketing my indy comic along the way, and I thought it would be helpful to share them with those thinking about publishing their own book. Particularly in light of the new Diamond sales thresholds.
Am I an expert? Hardly. Our sales numbers are not exactly lighting the world on fire. But they were pretty good for an indy from a first-time creator. In…I don’t know…the worst economic climate ever to launch a comic. I’m also an associate creative director at one of the top ad agencies in the country. So I know just enough about marketing to be dangerous. So I wanted to share what we learned. Starting with this little pick-me-up:
People do not care about you. Not readers, not retailers, not the press and maybe not even your publisher. No one gives two turds about your book except for you. (The publisher thing isn’t really true, but regardless, this NEEDS to be your working mindset.) So making other people give two turds about your idea rests solely on your shoulders. That’s another way to say “marketing.”
- February 24, 2009 @ 09:58 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The interview edition
The Goon #31
• Eric Heater kicks off the first part of a two-part interview with cartoonist Eric Powell, who discusses the convention circuit, trying to explain The Goon, and the evolution of his creation: “The art is always changing and evolving, because I love playing with the medium and experimenting. And the stories go anywhere from completely absurd to, with Chinatown, overly dramatic and serious. I don’t plan on changing that. If I want to do Goon fighting giant robots, I’m gonna do that. If I want to do a serious love story, I’ll do that. I’m going to do whatever I want to do, and if people like it, that’s awesome.” [The Daily Cross Hatch]
• Mike Perridge talks with High Moon creators David Gallaher and Steve Ellis about the third season of their supernatural-Western webcomic. [mpd57]
• Jeffery Klaehn chats with artist Tom Scioli about Godland, the concept of “cosmic,” and the work of Jack Kirby. [Pop]
• Mark Crilley talks Akiko, Miki Falls: “With Akiko, the main character is female in a science-fiction tale loaded with things for boys: robots, aliens, explosions. If the series had a boy as the main character, the testosterone might push it off girls’ radar screen. I thought having a female as the main character was a tradition – it’s what you do.” [Mania]
• Writer, and sales-charts guru, John Jackson Miller answers 10 questions about penning comics. [ComicsCareer.com]
- February 24, 2009 @ 08:42 AM by Kevin Melrose
Wonder Woman, by Jo Chen
Wonder Woman, by Jo Chen
On her blog and on her MySpace page, artist Jo Chen reveals a few pieces of beautiful Wonder Woman art she created for “an undisclosed project.” Chen mentions she was hired by “Sonia,” whom I presume is Sonia Choi, associate art director of DC’s licensing division.
- February 24, 2009 @ 08:01 AM by Kevin Melrose