2009 March
Street Angel film clip
Meant to link to this sooner, but I was um, mind wiped by Dr Pangea or something … in any event, last week MTV’s Splash Page posted a clip from the live action Street Angel film that Kevin mentioned back in February. Check it out below:
For more info on the film, check out its official website or its Facebook page.
- March 25, 2009 @ 05:37 AM by JK Parkin
BOOM! launches kid-friendly website to market Disney books
The Muppet Show
Today sees the release of two of BOOM’s kid-friendly titles coming out of their deal with Disney/Pixar — The Incredibles: Family Matters #1 and The Muppet Show Comic Book #1. To help market the books to kids — and to help save the children from their more adult-oriented titles — BOOM! has launched a new website geared specifically to the younger set and their parents. Boom-kids.com features info on both titles, as well as their upcoming Cars comic. They’re also offering subscriptions to all of these titles on the site.
“We love the sophisticated stories of the core BOOM! comics; it’s what we built the company on,” said BOOM! CEO Ross Richie in a press release. “But in the mass market and the direct market, where these books will be seen by children, the branding needs to align with other kids’ content that we publish, from CARS to TOY STORY to MUPPETS to other BOOM! original works that we plan to release. The BOOM! Kids imprint allows us to help parents, keeping our message straightforward and branding the kids’ stuff clearly, and signaling the older-skewing material as appropriate for those audiences.”
So if you’re looking for something to buy your kids, check out the new site, but if you’re looking for less wholesome titles about zombies, shadowy government thinktanks and irredeemable villains, the regular old BOOM! site can help you out.
- March 25, 2009 @ 05:04 AM by JK Parkin
Kathryn Immonen, Sara Pichelli to take over Runaways [Update]
Runaways #11
To make its latest creative-team announcement, Marvel Comics turned to television — specifically, G4′s Attack of the Show.
In yesterday’s episode, host Blair Butler announced that writer Kathryn Immonen (Patsy Walker: Helcat) and artist Sara Pichelli (NYX) will pick up Runaways after Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos end their run in April. David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man) will provide the covers.
Butler showed glimpses of art from the premiere issue and teased, “Marvel promises that one Runaway will die in the new story arc, and one might live again.”
Presumably the new team debuts with Issue 11, whose creative lineup and content is listed as “classified” in the solicitations for June.
You can watch Butler’s “Fresh Ink” segment after the break.
Update: Lafuente posts links on Twitter to his covers for issues 11 and 12.
- March 25, 2009 @ 04:34 AM by Kevin Melrose
Meanwhile, back at … Union Terminal
The Hall of Justice, from Hanna-Barbera's "Super Friends"
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Alex Shebar examines the visual links between the 76-year-old Cincinnati Union Terminal and the Hall of Justice from the 1970s Super Friends cartoon and, more recently, the Justice League of America comic.
“The resemblance is undeniable, from the massive arch to the carved pillars,” Shebar writes. “They are nearly identical, right down to the colossal fountain leading to the front entrance.”
Completed in March 1933, the art deco-style train station apparently made an impact on Joseph Barbera: When Super Friends background supervisor Al Gmuer submitted a headquarters design to Barbera and ABC executives, what was returned looked a lot like Union Terminal.
“In the long run, I hated that building,” Gmuer tells Shebar. “The way it’s designed, it was not easy to draw. I had nightmares about that damn building.”
These blogs have more on Union Terminal — now home to the Cincinnati Museum Center — and the Super Friends connection.
- March 25, 2009 @ 03:38 AM by Kevin Melrose
I’m counting your heads as I’m making the beds: Chris reviews Tales of the Black Freighter
Tales of the Black Freighter
Let it be known that I did not care much for the Watchmen movie. While it had some already much-discussed merits (the opening credits sequence, some of the performances), I felt the Zach Snyder’s adaptation focused too much on getting the tiny details correct and missed the comic’s grander themes in place of adopting a “kewl” bone-crunching aesthetic — a clear case of not seeing the forest for the blood-smeared smiley buttons if you will. (The possibility that Snyder was being tongue-in-cheek, as some claim, doesn’t make the juxtaposition between the content and the visuals any less jarring.)
So it was with some trepidation that I popped the new Tales from the Black Freighter DVD into my Xbox. For those who don’t know, this is a supplemental animated version of the “Black Freighter” story that runs co-currently in Watchmen alongside the central plot. Rather than excise the sequence completely, the filmmakers decided to create a separate cartoon that supposedly will be incorporated into the final, four-hour (or whatever) version of the film.
Having been so disappointed with the screen adaptation, I expected this to be a dreary more of the same.
- March 24, 2009 @ 12:44 PM by Chris Mautner
Bustin’ out all over: DC Comics Solicitations for June 2009
Grumpy Old Fan
There’s a decent amount of good middle-of-the-road fare in the new batch of DC solicitations. Wonder Woman’s “Rise of the Olympian” arc concludes, as do Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye and Mysterius. Mon-El takes a victory lap around the world, we learn more about Nightwing and Flamebird, and we inch closer to Blackest Night. All of these developments are designed to maintain your interest in the individual books, but they’re not particularly noteworthy in and of themselves.
Instead, the big news looks to be in the shotgun-blast of relaunched Bat-titles, as well as with the “co-features,” DC’s latest experiment with formats and pricing. Those projects even overlap, perhaps not surprisingly, with Detective Comics and Streets of Gotham.
Anyway, let’s get to it, shall we?
Continue Reading »
- March 24, 2009 @ 11:24 AM by Tom Bondurant
No Heroics means no happy hour for Dan Taylor
Hero Happy Hour
We learned last month that ABC is creating an American version of the British sitcom No Heroics (which Rich Johnston reviewed last year and has mentioned a few times in Lying in the Gutters). Comic fan and former World Wrestling Entertainment writer Freddie Prinze Jr. has been cast in ABC’s version of the show.
While this might be good news for ABC and Prinze, Hero Happy Hour creator Dan Taylor has a different take:
- March 24, 2009 @ 10:37 AM by JK Parkin
Must-read of the day: Joe Kubert profile at NYC Graphic
Christopher Irving at NYC Graphic has an excellent profile up of comics legend Joe Kubert, featuring photos by Seth Kushner. It covers the artist’s life before he was born up to his current role as an instructor at the Kubert School:
Joe Kubert
“I explain this to the students: if I’m dealing with a guy who’s working for me, as his editor, I have the last word,” he explains. “As editor, it’s my responsibility to make sure that what’s coming out in that book reflects my ideas. The people who I worked with as editor are those whose ideas coincide with mine, so there’s no conflict, and it’s a matter of sharpening whatever ideas they may have. This school is different. It’s a learning situation as opposed to the professional thing that goes on in the profession itself. There are allowances that have to be made in teaching, where a student is allowed to make mistakes. I think it’s important for a student to be allowed to make mistakes, so he can see where he went wrong and then change his mind. You can’t really do that by telling them: it has to be seen and experienced.
It’s a must read for anyone interested in Kubert or in working in comics. Go check it out.
- March 24, 2009 @ 09:54 AM by JK Parkin
Slash Print | Following the digital evolution
New England Webcomics Weekend
Conventions | Pablo Defendini, Rick Marshall, Gary Tyrrell and Rick Marshall again (this time for MTV’s Splash Page) offer more reports from last weekend’s New England Webcomics Weekend.
Digital comics | CBR covers the “Comics on Handhelds” panel at South by Southwest Interactive, which tackled, among other things, issues of lettering and format. “What we need to concentrate on is making the comic an enjoyable experience for the reader and not just a compromise that people are willing to make just so they can read comics on the iPhone,” said Rantz Hosley, CEO of the Longbox Group.
Webcomics | Technically Philly talks with Philadelphia creators Johnny Zito and Tony Trovarello about their Zuda webcomic The Black Cherry Bombshells.
Digital comics | At Salon.com, Olly Farshi looks at the James Patterson graphic novel Daniel X: Alien Hunter on iTunes.
- March 24, 2009 @ 08:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Roy of the Rovers Archives
Passings | Artist Jose Casanovas, whose work appeared in 2000AD, Starlord and Starblazer, died March 14 in the Maresme district of the province of Barcelona, Spain. He was 74 or 75. [Steve Holland, via Dirk Deppey]
Legal | U.K. comic artists and publishers are protesting the proposed Coroners and Justice Bill which, in its current incarnation, would make it illegal to possess cartoons depicting certain forms of child abuse: “There are even fears that Watchmen, one of the industry’s most critically acclaimed graphic novels, could risk being banned because one of the main superheroes sees his mother having sex when he is a young child.” [The Independent]
Publishing | Roy of the Rovers, the long-running British comic strip about a fictional soccer player, will return next month with “a special collector’s edition.” The deal between Egmont Publishing and W.H. Smith also includes collections of the war comic Battle and the girls’ horror comic Misty. [The Telegraph, Steve Holland]
Creators | Journalist Michael Crowley and artist Dan Goldman discuss their chronicle of the 2008 Presidential Election, ’08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail. [Jacket Copy]
Creators | Brian Heater catches up with The Perry Bible Fellowship creator Nicholas Gurewitch in the first installment of a two-part interview. [The Daily Cross Hatch]
Creators | Bill Radford talks with writer Nancy Butler about the Marvel Comics adaptation of Pride and Prejudice: “”I thought, ‘Oh, my God, every Jane Austen fan is going to be looking at this and saying, ‘How dare she!’ ” [The Seattle Times]
Comics | Joseph McCabe runs down some of the Free Comic Book Day offerings, with special attention to the horror-themed titles. [FEARNet]
- March 24, 2009 @ 08:07 AM by Kevin Melrose
Food or Comics | A roundup of money-related news
The Manzai Comics
• Three-year-old manga publisher Aurora Publishing reportedly is in danger of going out of business. The culprit? Book returns, apparently. To recoup some of its loss, the company is holding a sale. Simon Jones has some commentary.
On a related note, Yamila Abraham of Yaoi Press comments on the sting of returns: “Returns are a racket in the publishing business. A few companies will return books just to get a credit on a bill with the distributor. They reorder the same books they’re returning, often at the same time they return them. This isn’t a wash, because publishers like Yaoi Press and Aurora get charged a fee for every US return.” (via Brigid Alverson)
• ICv2.com reports that Dust Press, the Michigan-based publisher of Biblical comics, has closed.
• Rich Johnston has word that employees of Diamond Comic Distributors have been told they’ll receive pay cuts. Also, the Forbidden Planet International location in Derby, England, initially set to close this week, will remain open for at least three months.
• Christopher Bird looks at the comics industry’s Internet business model, comparing it to that of the music industry. A lengthy discussion follows in the comments.
• Colleen Doran reposts tips for creators on how to spot, and manage, business scammers.
• Jason Thibault compiles links and general guidelines to 65 comics publishers who accept unsolicited submissions.
• A near-mint copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #2 sold for $24,600 on eBay.
• The Christian Book Expo, a first-of-its-kind event held last weekend in Dallas, attracted just 1,500 attendees — far less than the anticipated 15,000 to 20,000. This leads Heidi MacDonald to wonder whether comics, and comics conventions, are leading a “charmed life.”
• Japanese anime, game and music production company Marvelous Entertainment is asking for 20 employees — or about 17 percent of its 120-person workforce — to take voluntary retirement in an effort to reduce costs.
- March 24, 2009 @ 06:35 AM by Kevin Melrose
Collect This Now! Dance! Kremlin Palace
Strike Lenin, strike!
I suppose this week’s entry might be considered cheating a bit, since the work is easily available in English, albeit only online, in scantillation form. Still, while we may be heading towards a future where comics will be jacked into the backs of our spinal cords Existenz-style, with the individual panels displayed against the insides of our eyeballs, for the nonce this column will concern itself solely with comics that take up physical space, preferably printed on paper. And Dance! Kremlin Palace has, as far as I know, not yet fulfilled that requirement.
Before we begin I should probably offer a warning of sorts: many of the links and images and descriptions below probably don’t fall under the NSFW banner, so if you’re under 18, just pretend you never saw this post, OK? Oh, and remember: All comics are to be read right to left.
- March 23, 2009 @ 02:03 PM by Chris Mautner
Nothing sells boats better than a guy in a Hulk costume
from Marvel's personal appearances brochure
Plaidstallions.com shares a blast from the past — a brochure produced by Marvel to promote live appearances by some of their characters. Back in the day, you could hire Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk and even Rom: Spaceknight to come to your parade, boat show, amusement park or anniversary party. I remember meeting Spider-Man at Town East Mall one summer; good times.
- March 23, 2009 @ 01:48 PM by JK Parkin
Talking Comics with Tim: Donna Barr
Donna Barr
Donna Barr is a creator with a rich history in the comics industry. As noted in her Wikipedia profile (which Barr directs people to): “Common elements in her work are fantastic human/animal hybrids and German culture. She is best known for two of her series. One is Stinz (about a society of centaur-like people in a setting reminiscent of pre-industrial Germany). Originally published in 1986 as a short story in a hand-bound book, it was then serialized in the Eclipse Comics series ‘The Dreamery,’ edited by Lex Nakashima. It was picked up by Albedo creator Steve Gallacci under his Thoughts & Images label, moving on to MU Press and its imprint Aeon Press. It was then self-published under A Fine Line Press.
Her other long-running series, The Desert Peach is about Pfirsich Rommel, the fictional homosexual younger brother of Erwin “The Desert Fox” Rommel. Beginning in 1987, it was set in North Africa during World War 2). The first three issues were published by Thoughts & Images. Additional issues were published by Fantagraphics Books, Aeon Press, and then self-published. Other works include Hader and the Colonel, The Barr Girls, and Bosom Enemies.
Barr has also recently published a number of novels, including Permanent Party, An Insupportable Light, and Bread and Swans. The last two of these feature Stinz and The Desert Peach, respectively. Some of her later books take advantage of the new print-on-demand technologies.”
Barr and I initially started this email interview to discuss Afterdead, her project currently running at Webcomics Nation. My thanks to Barr for her time and to Joey Manley for helping to facilitate this interview.
Tim O’Shea: While some veteran creators are new to webcomics, you are not–as you’ve been running your work with Joey Manley’s various sites since 2003, I believe. How did you jump into webcomics well before some of your contemporaries and what attracted you to the medium?
Donna Barr: Joey asked me to. It’s a good decision; he’s one of those GOOD publishers that make me feel I haven’t gone to the dark side.
- March 23, 2009 @ 12:24 PM by Tim O'Shea
Strangeways – Behind the Scenes – 01
The two weeks of behind-the-scenes features for Strangeways are going to be off to a bit of a rocky start. For that I must apologize. However, real life events are keeping me out of my head today, and I still have other deadlines to deal with.
Originally, I was going to run this link (with a more substantial piece of writing attached) at the end of things, but events have crumpled up that little plan. Instead, you get this comic (reprinted at Karswell’s The Horrors of It All.)
The secret origin of Strangeways?
Originally, this appeared in THE CHAMBER OF CHILLS, from Marvel in the early seventies. Only I read it in one of Marvel’s b/w horror magazines from the early eighties, and then forgot about it for a number of years, re-reading it again when I was first putting together pitches for my projects in the early nineties, just a couple of years ago. And really, I thought, western horror. Why not?
At any rate, read the whole story, just click on the image above. No, I’ve never read the original. Read blessed little Howard in prosel, and forgotten most of what I have read (though I retain Lovecraft with frightening accuracy). I’ll try to have something more presentable by Wednesday. I’d say “tomorrow”, but I can see how today is shaping up and it ain’t pretty.
Bonus! The protagonist’s last name is Brill. Take that, Ian!
- March 23, 2009 @ 11:30 AM by Matt Maxwell