2009 March
Food or Comics | A roundup of money-related news
Watchmen
• Zack Snyder directs, but what he really wants to do is sell books. GalleyCat’s Jason Boog points to an interview in which the Watchmen director talks about the movie as comics seller: “I think that after you see the movie, reading the book is a cool thing. I always say the movie’s not meant to replace the book. That’s ridiculous. I’m a huge fan of the book. They’ve sold an additional 2 million copies of the book since the first trailer was released after ComiCon. So I think that’s a success right there, regardless of whether the movie sucks or not. You know we’ve gotten more people exposed to it.”
On a similar note, California’s Contra Costa Times looks out how “‘serious’ mainstream superhero films” are reportedly drawing older customers into local comic shops.
• Borders UK announced today that it’s launching bays in all of its stores to promote children’s graphic novels. Each store will carry about 70 titles. “Previously children’s graphic novels got put into the children’s section so titles got a bit lost,” children’s buyer JP Hunting tells The Bookseller. “With a dedicated section, it will be easier for customers to find these titles.”
Hunting adds that sales of graphic novels in the chain grew by 21 percent last year.
• The Macon, Georgia, Telegraph examines how the economy has affected local comic-book stores.
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reducing its Sunday comics section from eight pages to six and eliminating three strips. (via The Daily Cartoonist)
• Despite its recent restructuring — one that included the closing of an entire division — HarperCollins Publishers is launching a new imprint that’s scheduled to release 21 books this fall. Called It Books, the imprint will focus pop culture, style, sports and content drawn from the Internet.
- March 5, 2009 @ 08:06 AM by Kevin Melrose
Video: Eric Powell introduces The Goon
Eric Powell and Dark Horse Comics are celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Goon this week, but for those who might be new to the world of The Goon, MTV’s Splash Page has posted a video where Powell introduces the cast and concept of the book:
You can also check out a preview of the book right here on CBR.
- March 5, 2009 @ 07:57 AM by JK Parkin
Moore: ‘It’s our fictions that drive us forward most of the time’
Alan Moore
Although it’s great fun to read Alan Moore grouse for paragraphs about the evils of Hollywood and corporate comics, Salon.com’s Andrew Firestone delivers what’s probably the best of the latest round of interviews by (mostly) avoiding those topics altogether.
He and Moore instead focus on the writer’s actual work — surprising, I know — touching upon Lost Girls, Batman: The Killing Joke, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell and, of course, Watchmen.
“I was doing it [The Killing Joke] at roughly the same time I was doing Watchmen; a lot of my storytelling ideas are identical to the ones in Watchmen,” Moore says. “I was pretty much under the influence of the other book, and also I thought that it was very, very nasty.
“I’ve got no problem with nasty scenes as long as they are for a purpose. There are some nasty scenes in Watchmen, but Watchmen is an intelligent meditation on the nature of power so it is actually talking about something which is relevant to the world in which we all live. Whereas in The Killing Joke, what you’ve got is a story about Batman and the Joker, and while it did draw interesting parallels between these two fictional characters, at the end of the day that’s all they are, fictional characters. They’re not even fictional characters that have any bearing on anyone you’re likely to meet in reality.”
You have to sit through a brief click-through ad, but you’ll be glad you did.
- March 5, 2009 @ 06:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Naruto, Vol. 40
Sales charts | The 20-year-old collection of Watchmen maintains its hold on bookstores, hovering at No. 10 on USA Today’s bestseller list for the second week in a row, and sitting atop BookScan’s Top 20 Graphic Novels chart for the eighth month in a row.
Meanwhile, there’s a flood of Naruto on the USA Today list as Viz Media releases a second wave of Masashi Kishimoto’s hit manga just as the first wave subsides. Vol. 38 debuts at No. 120, Vol. 40 at No. 126 and Vol. 39 at No. 131, just as first-wave volumes 37 and 36 slip to Nos. 141 and 150, respectively.
On the BookScan chart, Naruto holds slots 2 through 5, 9 and 11. [USA Today, ICv2.com]
Creators | Image Comics creators Paul Azaceta, Ivan Brandon, Joe Kelly and Michael Avon Oeming will appear Sunday on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice to help contestants create and costume a superhero. [ICv2.com, TransWorldNews]
Creators | John Porcellino talks about King-Cat Comics and Stories, Thoreau at Walden, and the genius of Hank Williams. [The Walrus]
Creators | Paul Maybury discusses his ACT-I-VATE webcomic Party Bear. [Dick Hyacinth]
Publishing | Warren Ellis updates us on the status of Planetary#27. Sort of: “As fas as I know, John’s still working on the art.” [Warren Ellis]
Conventions | A guide to Saturday’s STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo. [Decider Austin]
Blogosphere | A new, high-concept comics blog has launched. Dateline: Silver Age is dedicated to the often-bizarre newspaper headlines that appeared in comics from 1956 to 1971 or so. [Dateline: Silver Age]
Retailers | NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate loves local shops Golden Apple Comics and Meltdown Comics & Collectibles. [NBC Los Angeles]
Arts and crafts | How to make a comic-book gift tag. [Crafting A Green World]
- March 5, 2009 @ 06:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Hornschemeier, Pope, Rugg and more in Marvel anthology
Because I was at WonderCon, I missed this past weekend’s MyCup ‘o Joe when it popped up on MySpace, but Paul Hornschemeier points out a question from a fan about Marvel’s upcoming “indie project,” for lack of a better name (and I’m sure there is one) that’ll feature stories by Hornschemeier, Jim Rugg, Stan Sakai, Paul Pope and, holy crap, Jason, among others:
Paul Pope draws the Marvel Universe
At the New York Comic Con, CB Cebulski mentioned that the Marvel “Indie Project” was coming along nicely. I’m wondering if you could tell us any of the talent involved or tease some artwork. Anyone in particular you are stoked to have on board?
JQ: It’s definitely moving forward—and looking better and better every day. There are some huge names in indy comics involved with this project and we couldn’t be more excited about the work they’re turning in. Just to name a few of the talents involved, we’ve got Paul Pope, Stan Sakai, Paul Hornschemeier, Dash Shaw, Junko Mizuno, Jim Rugg, Corey Lewis…and a bunch more small press superstars contributing some truly amazing stories. We just got some outstanding pages in from the cartoonist JASON and I gotta tell you, this is going to be one awesome book. Stay tuned!
Marvel.com has several sample pages, including one from Hornschemeier’s Nightcrawler/Molecule Man story and Rugg’s Machine Man story.
- March 4, 2009 @ 02:15 PM by JK Parkin
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: The New Brighton Archeological Society
The New Brighton Archeological Society
The New Brighton Archeological Society, Book One: The Castle of Galomar
Written by Mark Andrew Smith; Illustrated by Matthew Weldon
Colored by Rodrigo Avilés, Jacob Baake, Carlos Carrasco, Bill Crabtree, Jessie Lam, and Ralph Niese.
Image; $17.99
After reading this book I learned that some of the material in it was originally published in the Popgun anthology. That explains a lot actually, because I had a hard time figuring out how to connect to the story. Its disjointed, start-stop opening threw me, but at least now I understand why.
Not that I had any problem connecting to the art. It’s easy not only to love Matthew Weldon’s blissfully imaginative illustrations, but to revel in them as well. I want to live in the world Weldon draws.
For that matter, I want to live in the world Smith writes. He’s also got a fantastic imagination and has created a fun world full of good goblins, evil faeries, man-eating housecats, evil treasure-hunters, sprawling mansions, enchanted estates, horrible monsters, secret rooms, and hidden libraries full of forbidden knowledge. And it’s up to four pre-adolescent kids to navigate their way safely through all of it in order to preserve their families’ legacies. It’s a great world and a great set up for a story. Unfortunately, the presentation of that story isn’t as smooth as it could be.
- March 4, 2009 @ 01:16 PM by Michael May
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 046
Written by Matt Maxwell. Art by Gervasio and Jok.
Mostly recovered from Wonder-Con. My con report is supposed to go up over at The Beat…sometime. Oh, and if you want to read my impressions of WATCHMEN, the film, then go on over to the Comics Waiting Room where you’ll find ‘em.
Hmm. I see from the above page that it’s not just vampires that have management issues. Go figure.
- March 4, 2009 @ 12:16 PM by Matt Maxwell
Sharing is caring: McCarthy, Mort Walker and more
OK, so I was getting a bit tired of saving up all the good art links and stuff until Friday, so I’ve decided to start to piecemeal it out over the week in short posts like these. Freaky Friday will still be around (assuming folks enjoy it) but will lean more towards the oddball and weird than the obligatory pretty art post.
All clear? Good. Moving on …
Mort Walker Mad strip
Mike Lynch shares some great original art from an old Mad magazine piece, which invited comic strip artists like Charles Schulz and Mort Walker to try their hand at “what they’d really like to do.” I actually remember this bit, but only because it was reprinted in one of those later “Super Specials.”
- March 4, 2009 @ 11:12 AM by Chris Mautner
Watchmen: The premiere is nigh
"Lil' Watchmen," by Glenn Brogan
I’m in full roundup mode, apparently, as I’ve decided to gather a bunch of Watchmen-related links that don’t involve movie reviews or Alan Moore shaking his fist at Hollywood. I imagine most of us have read the miniseries, or at least read enough about it, that nothing here will spoil anything for you. But just in case: Some of these links may contain spoilers.
• John Jackson Miller provides sales estimates for each of Watchmen‘s 12 issues during the original release in 1986-87. He also tries to figure out when each of the issues hit the stands.
• Wired.com’s video of Dave Gibbons discussing his art process for the comic is really good. (via The Ephemerist)
• New Scientist examines the science of Watchmen.
- March 4, 2009 @ 10:28 AM by Kevin Melrose
Send Us Your Shelf Porn
Welcome to yet another edition of Send Us Your Shelf Porn, where you email us pictures of your bookshelves and we post them here for everyone else to gawk at.
This week we’re joined by our very own Matthew Maxwell, whom regular Robot 6 readers will recognize as the author of Strangeways: The Thirsty, which is being serialized on this very blog.
So without any further delay, let’s take a look at Mr. Maxwell’s shelves …
- March 4, 2009 @ 10:27 AM by Chris Mautner
An update on retailer Ryan Higgins
Yesterday Kevin mentioned in his Comics A.M. post that Sunnyvale, Calif. comics retailer Ryan Higgins lost his apartment to a fire. Ryan provided some more details in the comments section of that post:
Kevin, thanks for posting about the fire. We’re both ok, and we were lucky and found a place quickly, but we lost most of our things. Some of our clothes might be salvagable, we’ll find out as soon as we can get back in to the apartment. Funny enough, yes, it looks like the room that I had my comics in was the only untouched place in the apartment, but smoke could have ruined most of the things in that room, we’ll find out soon.
My good friend, and podcast partner, Ryan Scott, set up a donation for myself and Leann, if anyone wants to donate.
http://www.geekbox.net/archives/2009/02/28/geekbox-listeners-we-need-you/
“In a tragic turn of events, The Geekbox co-host Ryan Higgins’ apartment burned down today. While that means the podcast is definitely on-hold for the next couple weeks, the more crucial concern is that Ryan and his girlfriend lost what’s being estimated right now as the vast majority of their stuff (the good news is that everyone’s OK!).
So, I just want to say that any donations you’d care to make to the site will go directly to getting Ryan back on his feet as far as living arrangements and such go. I know the inevitable talkback chatter will probably turn to talk of pursuing legal action against his landlord and all that type of jazz; that will all get figured out once the fire department makes some sort of determination about who’s at fault, which we’ll find out within the next couple of weeks. So try not to fly too off the handle about that stuff.
Until then, please wish Ryan a speedy recovery from this! PLEASE Digg the living hell out of this item so it can get as many eyeballs on it as possible. If anything I post on this site needs it, it’s this.”
Thanks, everyone. I expect to be back to work next Monday after moving in to our new place. It will be good to get back to a normal schedule after all this.
Ryan Higgins
Comics Conspiracy
115-A E. Fremont Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
408-245-6275
- March 4, 2009 @ 09:08 AM by JK Parkin
Slash Print | Following the digital evolution
There’s a rapidly increasing amount of coverage devoted to digital issues, from piracy to webcomics to alternate distribution to social media, that it only makes sense to place them under one umbrella. If anyone has a better name for the feature than “Slash Print” — which has at least three conotations — I’m all ears.
LiveJournal
Scans Daily | While there aren’t any hard numbers to demonstrate whether Scans Daily harmed or helped the sales of comics that were excerpted on the site, Glenn Hauman offers some anecdotal evidence: He posted seven pages on Jan. 19 from the ComicMix webcomic The Original Johnson, but received just 50 click-throughs from Scans Daily. Hauman concludes that the community wasn’t a good promotional platform.
However, Johanna Draper Carlson points out some problems with Hauman’s experiment, and with his conclusion. I think she’s right on both points, namely that a community like Scans Daily isn’t likely to react as positively to publisher self-promotion — Warren Ellis points out it’s actually frowned upon there — and that a biographical boxing comic probably wasn’t the best match for the audience.
The discussion continues in the comments sections of Hauman and Carlson’s posts.
Digital comics | Robot Comics (no relation), “the first publisher of comics for Android-powered mobiles,” is seeking submissions. Android is Google’s software platform for mobile devices. Comics, games and other applications can be downloaded at Android Market. Last month BOOM! Studios announced it had partnered with iVerse Media to offer Hexed #1 on Android. (via Johanna Draper Carlson)
Webcomics | At Mashable, Sean P. Aune runs down his list of the 20 best webcomics. It’s the usual suspects, mostly.
- March 4, 2009 @ 08:40 AM by Kevin Melrose
Food or Comics | A roundup of money-related news
Virgin Megastore
• The six remaining Virgin Megastores in the United States will close by the end of the summer. As previously reported, the flagship store in Manhattan will be shuttered next month. The first Virgin Megastore opened in the U.S. in 1992; at its peak, the chain operated 23 stores across the country.
• The Bookseller reports that Random House is looking to sell or close its weekly U.K. comic anthology The DFC. Launched in May 2008 by the David Ficking Books imprint, The DFC has featured work by Phillip Pullman, Nick Abadzis, James Stewart, Jamie Smart and Emma Vieceli, among others.
• In her column for PW Comics Week, SLG Publishing Editor-in-Chief Jennifer de Guzman describes last weekend’s WonderCon as “a bright slant of reality-defining sunshine”: “Such as the fact that people were buying—and not just our discount dollar bags (though they did buy those), and not just our perpetual bestsellers (though they did buy those, too).”
She says sales were still down 15 percent from last year, “but considering the state of the economy (particularly in California, where our employment rate is now 10.1%), I was seriously surprised.”
Douglas Wolk has a broader overview of the convention, which organizers estimate may have drawn more than 29,000 people.
• Four publishers — Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Random House and Simon & Schuster — have sued wholesaler Anderson News in federal bankruptcy court, saying they’re owed a combined $37.5 million. Knoxville, Tenn.-based Anderson last month “suspended normal business activity.”
• The Japan Times reports that the global recession, outsourcing and piracy have combined to put the future of the anime industry in doubt. “The global fan base for Japanese ‘anime’ is increasing, but with the old business model crumbling it isn’t translating into profits,” says Yasuo Yamaguchi, executive director of the Association of Japanese Animations.
AltJapan has commentary.
- March 4, 2009 @ 06:07 AM by Kevin Melrose
Join the Wolfpack and do the Unthinkable
Join the Wolfpack
To help promote their recently solicited title Unthinkable by Mark Sable and Julian Totino Tedesco, BOOM! Studios has launched an Altered Reality Game at www.wolfpackpmc.com. The Wolfpack, it seems, is a Blackwater-type organization that “provides security for a variety of clients, from public high schools and churches to doctors and diplomats providing aid in warzones. We protect oil refineries and refugee camps alike. Whether you are a single cub or a large yet vulnerable herd, we can meet all your security needs. Thus, our motto: The Strength of The Wolf is The Pack.”
I signed up at the site, and it said the game kicks off March 9 — so sign up before then to play.
- March 4, 2009 @ 12:30 AM by JK Parkin
DC makes Final Crisis hardcover more readable
Final Crisis
DC Comics announced changes to the Final Crisis hardcover, which is scheduled to hit stores June 10.
The book, originally scheduled to feature Final Crisis #1-7, will now also include Final Crisis: Submit and Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1-2. Both were also written by Grant Morrison, and both were pretty central to the story. Speaking as someone who didn’t read the second Superman Beyond until after he read Final Crisis #7, the extra content should help the ending make a lot more sense to people reading it for the first time.
- March 3, 2009 @ 03:56 PM by JK Parkin