2009 February
She’s crafty
Gasp! It's no longer mint!
Jenny Ryan, wife of (assuming I’m correct) Angry Youth cartoonist Johnny Ryan, has created a little comic book craft project to help you while away those hours after you become unemployed and can’t sell off those extra issues of the Obama/Spider-Man comic.
Also, speaking of Johnny Ryan and crafts, he’s got some new Angry Youth dolls for sale. Check out his inspired advertisement here.
(via Boing Boing)
- February 19, 2009 @ 09:51 AM by Chris Mautner
SLG will publish wonderfully quirky Weird Fishes
From "Weird Fishes," by Jamaica Dyer
Jennifer de Guzman, editor-in-chief of SLG Publishing, points out Jaimaica Dyer‘s utterly fantastic webcomic Weird Fishes — how have I not seen this before now? — and announces the company will publish it in graphic-novel format in October.
Unfortunately, the book will be in black and white, but de Guzman promises that “Jamaica’s art looks beautiful with the watercolor washes in grayscale, too.”
- February 19, 2009 @ 09:04 AM by Kevin Melrose
Special delivery: Mesmo Delivery action figures in the works
Rufo from Mesmo Delivery
Here’s a scary sentence: the characters from Rafael Grampá’s Mesmo Delivery will soon jump off the printed page. On his blog, Grampá shows action figure models for Sangrecco and Rufo, the two main characters from the story. The figures are being designed by 3D modeling artist and character designer Rafael Grassetti, and so far they look absolutely stunning.
- February 19, 2009 @ 08:20 AM by JK Parkin
Oh those wacky editorial cartoonists
Sean Delonas' controversial cartoon
You may have noticed that a certain cartoon by New York Post editorial cartoonist Sean Delonas created a bit of a media frenzy yesterday for comparing the author of the recent stimulus bill (i.e. President Barack Obama and his administration) to the chimpanzee that ran amok in Connecticut.
Were this any other president, it would probably be written off as imply a bad cartoon. But Delonas and other folks at the Post seem to be completely unaware of the way African-Americans over the past 200 years or so have been degradingly portrayed as simian-like in cartoons and other media. And judging by the unapologetic response from the Post’s editor-in-chief, they remain blissfully unaware of this ugly little bit of history.
Still, it’s not like Delonas has an exclusive lock on odd, disturbing, confusing and potentially offensive cartoons about Obama, as this one by Mike Lester indicates. (Hat tip for last link: Tom Spurgeon, who also has a nice round-up of noteworthy links and analysis.)
- February 19, 2009 @ 08:09 AM by Chris Mautner
Food or Comics | A roundup of money-related news
Tokyopop
• ICv2.com, the retail-oriented news and analysis site, talks with Tokyopop CEO Stuart Levy about a number of topics, including manga’s “tough year” in 2008, his company’s recent cutbacks, and the state of the North American market.
“Looking at graphic novels and manga, Tokyopop probably has more titles out there than anyone,” Levy said. “I’d say it’s us and then Viz, and we have more mid-list titles than Viz. They happen to have a couple more hit titles; and they have more shows on TV. I think it’s mainly the mid-list that came back. We got hit pretty hard by that; I’m pretty sure they got hit pretty hard too. I don’t know how they work internally, but they’ve got huge parent corporations and they also have the buffer of a few more hit titles than we do. Everybody was taking the brunt of things but Tokyopop didn’t have as many shock absorbers.”
• Charts watcher John Jackson Miller has added a page to The Comics Chronicle detailing sales records in the direct market for the Diamond Era (1997 to the present).
• Buying comic books in New Zealand is a damned expensive proposition. (via Dirk Deppey, I think)
• Organizers of Dallas All-Con are playing up these lean economic times in promotions for their March 13-15 event. The latest press release starts out: “Thirty dollars will barely cover dinner and movie, but invested wisely it can provide three full days of entertainment at the Dallas convention All-Con.”
• Don’t let those online complainers tell you otherwise: Even with a recession and rising cover prices, comic books are “affordable entertainment.” Apparently.
• This isn’t comics-related, but I like Gia Manry’s question to FUNimation’s Adam Sheehan: “On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ‘going the way of the dodo’ and 10 is ‘printing money on command,’ where would you put the anime industry right now?”
- February 19, 2009 @ 07:29 AM by Kevin Melrose
‘The Wait Is Over’
Rodents in a trash can!
Everyone and their second cousin has already linked to this, but in case you were out of town yesterday it’s worth noting that Michael Kupperman’s hotly anticipated blog (well, hotly anticipated by me, at any rate) is up and running at a steady clip now.
- February 19, 2009 @ 06:32 AM by Chris Mautner
In ten minutes this ice cream will be gone.
You’ve seen the real merchandise, like condoms and coffee and what have you, but our favorite stuffed bull presents a genius merchandising tie-in for the upcoming Watchmen film — Watchmen ice cream:
Ozy-candias Ice Cream
We all scream for more flavors over at Bully’s site.
- February 19, 2009 @ 06:12 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Jeffrey Dean Morgan -- "Read"
Sales charts | Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen leaps 22 places to No. 19 on USA Today’s Top 150 bestsellers list, putting the collection within easy reach of its peak position at No. 13.
Although Viz Media made a big show last week when four volumes of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto debuted on the chart, the books already are losing steam: Vol. 37 slips 12 spots to No. 64; Vol. 36 falls 17 to No. 70; Vol. 35 tumbles 34 to No. 89; and Vol. 34 drops 35 to No. 92. [USA Today]
Publishing | There’s something a bit odd about actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays The Comedian in the Watchmen movie, appearing in one of those American Library Association “Read” posters. I like how it mimics the design of the Watchmen covers, though. [ICv2]
Creators | Warren Ellis reacts to the inclusion of Planetary #1 and Transmetropolitan #1 in DC’s “After Watchmen, What Next?” promotion: “I am the bag of sweets that DC, wrapped in a filthy mac, will be holding in their hand as the kids leave the cinema.” [Warren Ellis]
Webcomics | Valerie D’Orazio predicts the future of webcomics; Joey Manley says she’s no Edgar Cayce. [D'Orazio, Manley]
Publishing | Mark Waid discusses the job of a comic book editor: “I think the toughest, most stressful part of the editor’s job is that serving the material and serving the creators don’t always go hand-in-hand.” [Kung Fu Monkey]
Art and design | Matt Kindt posts a video of himself painting a page from Giant Man. [Matt Kindt]
Craft | Larry Cruz explains how to create well-rounded characters. [The Webcomic Overlook]
Publishing | Taking a cue from movie studios, writer A. David Lewis offers Some New Kind of Slaughter #1 and #2 for free online “for your consideration” for a Harvey Awards nomination. Smart. [Caption Box]
Creators | Randall Sly talks with artist Dan Panosian about his work process and inspiration. [Character Design]
- February 19, 2009 @ 05:59 AM by Kevin Melrose
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: Atomic Robo don’t capitulate
Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #1
Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #1-5
Written by Brian Clevinger; Illustrated by Scott Wegener
Red 5 Comics; $2.95/issue
One of the things I loved most about the first Atomic Robo series was that each issue stood on its own and told a different story from the others. Nikola Tesla’s greatest creation could fight giant ants in one issue and mummies in the next. You just never knew what you were going to get.
It was the perfect format for a monthly serial. In a time when I almost always wait for the collections on independent books, Atomic Robo made me excited to tune in each month for the next installment. There was no incentive to hold off and read the story all at once later on. It was all about instant gratification.
When I heard that the second mini-series, Dogs of War, was going to be more of a serialized story, I was worried that it would lose some of that spontaneity that I’d loved so much the first time around. It didn’t though. Dogs of War focuses on Robo’s service fighting Nazis in WWII and the stories are connected, but there’s still a great deal of variety from issue to issue. There’ll be a little more flow in the eventual collection than there was in the last volume, but it’s still very much an instant gratification kind of book.
- February 18, 2009 @ 11:58 AM by Michael May
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 040
Written by Matt Maxwell. Art by Gervasio and Jok.
As always, jump to the archives page to get the whole story from the beginning.
Oh, what I’m up to? More of THE THIRSTY. Should be lettering the third chapter shortly. And, ahem, tweaking the second chapter letters now that I look at it. Also writing the third story. Well, pre-writing, which means generating a mountain of text that you’ll never see on the page. It’s crucial work, but frustrating in that it’s all underground, so to speak, and doesn’t actually start counting script pages up. But once that’s nailed, the script pages flow pretty quickly.
Also working on some bonus feature-type material, including some script-to-page process for you process junkies out there. Maybe even some digressions into some of the more…immaterial aspects of working on the book.
Oh yeah, I gotta get my stuff together for Wonder-Con, too. Then Seattle, then Portland. Maybe Hero’s World, too. Then San Jose.
Still, not quite as many shows as last year, what with Wizard LA on hold and no BEA in LA for the forseeable future.
Hmm. Maybe I should get back to work now.
- February 18, 2009 @ 11:15 AM by Matt Maxwell
Cooke, Stewart, Chiang + more provide art for charity auction
Batman by Darwyn Cooke
Artist Cliff Chiang posts about a charity auction he and several other artists have started for a friend in need:
There’s a series of eBay auctions beginning this week that I’d like to draw some attention to. I’ve joined a group of comic creators trying to raise funds for a friend’s hospital costs, and anything we collect beyond that will be donated to the HERO Initiative, a non-profit charity that offers assistance to comic creators in need. The auctions are under the seller name artfriends2009. There will be some fantastic items from a stellar list of artists, including Adam Hughes, Amanda Conner, Nic Klein, Essad Ribic, Cameron Stewart and Darwyn Cooke.
You can check out all the auctions here. Currently up for bid are a Darwyn Cooke Batman illustration (pictured), a Catwoman illo by Cameron Stewart and an Adam Hughes sketch of your choice, to be done at MegaCon later this month.
- February 18, 2009 @ 11:04 AM by JK Parkin
Robot Reviews: The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone: The After Hours
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone: The Odyssey of Flight 93
adapted by Mark Kneece and Robert Grabe
Walker Books for Young Readers, $16.99
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
adapted by Mark Kneece and Rich Ellis
Walker Books for Young Readers, $16.99
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone: Walking Distance
adapted by Mark Kneece and Dove McHargue
Walker Books for Young Readers, $16.99
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone: The After Hours
adapted by Mark Kneece and Rebecca Isaacs
Walker Books for Young Readers, $16.99
Folks (I don’t remember who exactly, but I know it was more than one) like to claim that one of the virtues of comics is its ability to allow the reader to suspend their disbelief. People gifted with impossible powers, alien invasions, wanton destruction, impeccably beautiful and buff heroes wearing tight-fighting, brightly colored costumes, we can accept all of it and more thanks to the magic of sequential art.
- February 18, 2009 @ 10:15 AM by Chris Mautner
Send Us Your Shelf Porn!
Welcome to this week’s edition of Send Us Your Shelf Porn, where readers submit photos of their own comic collection.
This week we’ve got a special treat as none other than the renowned comics couple and Best American Comics series editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden have consented to provide photos of their own storage solutions.
To see how they manage to take care of their copies of Infinity Crisis, click on the link below …
- February 18, 2009 @ 09:33 AM by Chris Mautner
A pick-me-up for those late-night squid fights
Even superheroes need a pick-me-up for those long nights fighting crime or doing other things, and here it is. The Organic Coffee Cartel is now selling a blend called Veidt Enterprise’s Nite Owl Dark Roast:
Nite Owl Dark Roast
It’s a small moment in the film WATCHMEN – Dan and Laurie save a group from a tenement fire. Once inside the Owl Ship, the survivors are offered what else? Coffee. Among all that hardware, there’s an airplane-style coffee maker. And Veidt Enterprise’s Nite Owl Dark Roast is the imaginary brand of coffee they brew. What better name for the quintessential caffeinated beverage when served in the context of nocturnal crime-fighting? In truth, this is 100% organic specialty coffee from WATCHMEN unit photographer Clay Enos and his Organic Coffee Cartel.
Only 10,000 cans will be produced, and they’re giving away a chance to attend the premiere of the film in Los Angeles with each purchase. Enos, you may recall, did the Watchmen: Portrait book as well. Per the site, a majority of their profits go to charity.
- February 18, 2009 @ 09:04 AM by JK Parkin
‘When it comes to exploding heads, Michel Lacombe has no peers’
From "Punisher: Frank Castle MAX" #66
I haven’t been following crime novelist Duane Swierczynski’s run on the awkwardly titled Punisher: Frank Castle MAX, but if the comic is half as entertaining as the writer’s annotations for Issue 66, I’m clearly missing out. My favorites:
“I once accidentally elbowed the Bride in the mouth. Don’t look at me that way — it [was] totally an accident. …”
“Another one of my bodily fears: tripping and accidentally slamming my eye on the sharp corner of a desk. (An absurd number of my fears find their way into my novels/comics.)”
- February 18, 2009 @ 08:47 AM by Kevin Melrose