2009 April
Food or Comics | Money, comics and the economy
Prime Minister Taro Aso
• Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, an avowed otaku, is calling upon manga, anime, fashion and video games to help pull his country out of a recession. His new economic-stimulus package, unveiled Thursday, includes a provision for raising exports from the “content” sector to 18 percent from the current two percent. [The Independent, The Japan Times]
• Quebecor, the Montreal-based printing and communications company, announced it has reached “an agreement in principle” with its major creditors on a reorganization plan that will allow it to emerge from bankruptcy protection. [Publishers Weekly]
• Matt Blind considers the changing landscape as the industry moves away from “floppies” and toward books: “The current Local Comic Shop sells dust, nostalgia, and good will. And the occasional graphic novel. And the same 5 recurring titles to the same dozen people every Wednesday. 30 (40?) years ago the very idea of a ‘comics-only shop’ would have thrilled the fan base and set tongues wagging at all the local junior high schools; now, the comic shop is a caricature (or ultimate expression) of what it used to be and the jr. high kids are clogging the manga aisles at the bookstore next to the mall. … Quick Check: If the kids aren’t trying to steal your merchandise then your long-term business is in trouble.” [Rocket Bomber]
• Reader complaints move The Chronicle in Geneva, Illinois, to actually increase the size of its comics. [The Chronicle, via The Daily Cartoonist]
• Twilight haters take note: One in seven books sold in the first quarter of the year — a whopping 16 percent of all book sales — was written by Stephenie Meyer. Dark times, indeed. Dark … yet sparkly. [USA Today, via GalleyCat]
- April 10, 2009 @ 05:56 AM by Kevin Melrose
Sex and the single Marvel super heroine
Marvel Divas
In his weekly MyCup o’ Joe column on MySpace, Marvel chief Joe Quesada announced today a new mini-series called Marvel Divas by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Tonci Zonjic:
This also seems like the perfect time to announce our Marvel Divas limited series, beginning in July, from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Tonci Zonjic, featuring some of the Marvel Universe’s greatest female heroes in a way you haven’t seem them before. I’ll let Roberto explain:
“The idea behind the series was to have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines. In the series, they’re an unlikely foursome of friends–Black Cat, Hell Cat, Firestar, and Photon–with TWO things in common: They’re all leading double-lives and they’re all having romantic trouble. The pitch started as “Sex and the City” in the Marvel Universe, and there’s definitely that “naughty” element to it, but I also think the series is doing to a deeper place, asking question about what it means…truly means…to be a woman in an industry dominated by testosterone and guns. (And I mean both the super hero industry and the comic book industry.) But mostly it’s just a lot of hot fun.
This week’s column also includes a Q&A with War of Kings scribes Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Which gives me an excuse to link to something I’ve been meaning to mention — Kirk Warren at the Weekly Crisis has an excellent series of primers on War of Kings that introduce all the major players, in case you haven’t been keeping up with Marvel’s cosmic comics.
- April 9, 2009 @ 02:13 PM by JK Parkin
Annotations for Trinity issue #45
Trinity #45
This week’s set of Trinity notes will be a little different. Issue #45 was extremely light on trivia, focusing tightly on a relatively small group of characters. Since my function is to offer insight on elements which come from outside the series, there’s not a lot of that to discuss here, because everything happens based on these characters’ roles in the series to date.
Accordingly, #45 was an important issue for the series. It built steadily towards a big finish and threw in a couple of twists. I’ll be eager to hear what you thought.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
* * *
LEAD STORY
“The Power Is Close…” was written by Kurt Busiek, pencilled by Mark Bagley, inked by Art Thibert, colored by Pete Pantazis, and lettered by Pat Brosseau; Rachel Gluckstern, associate editor; Mike Carlin, editor.
Continue Reading »
- April 9, 2009 @ 01:10 PM by Tom Bondurant
The Fifth Color | Strange Tales Lose Their Strangeness
New Avengers #51
I always knew it would take a Brian Bendis story (do I use his middle name anymore? It’s like John Cougar, isn’t it?) to really get me back in the fight again.
Okay, New Avengers #51 has put a battered Stephen Strange at our feet and in that last image, I had the sinking feeling that he was asking for OUR help. A character who had sadly been taken to the sidelines and given the worst possible albatross-title of ‘Deux ex Machina,’ Doctor Strange literally sat out Civil War and was shoehorned into the
New Avengers as Swiss Army Knife and Guy Who’s Place We Hang Out At, and this is where the problem started. Using such an amazing character to house the Avengers and toss out a couple illusions was a waste and started a habit of looking at the Sorcerer Supreme as a disposable entity. Who doesn’t have a holo-emitter in the MU? Plus, Iron Fist buying them a new home after Strange takes off makes the Sanctum Sanctorum and mastering the mystic arts kinda… meh.
The very issue we find out he got the boot from being Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange tells a young Billy Kaplan that the job of the Sorcerer Supreme is to see the forest for the trees, the greater, grander picture that all these alien invasions and crises fit into. It’s not that these Big Tent Events get in the way of someone who’s Mystic Arts Inclined, it’s that they are only drops of water in a ginormus pond mere mortals can’t fathom. It’s why everyone with a mask doesn’t act as protector of our plane of existence and why that job solely remains with the Big Sorcerer Cheese. In the back of Stan Lee Meets Doctor Strange (hey, work with me here), there’s a reprint of Marvel Premiere #3 and what caught my eye (aside from the stellar Barry Windsor-Smith art) is that in this story, Strange feels something out of tune with the universe. He goes through the story, crossing dimensions, pouring through mystical energies, looking under rocks, and not only does he not find it, but I AM SO ENTHRALLED BY THIS HUNT. What kind of story just says “Well… something’s weird” and then entertains you for pages on end? A tale of a man who’s entire sphere of influence is just incomprehensible. Where seeing the world through his eyes is a treat for the imagination.
- April 9, 2009 @ 12:14 PM by Carla Hoffman
‘Stop looking for closure’
Cheers to Domingo Isabelinho, who found this great old interview with Exit Wounds author Rutu Modan:
- April 9, 2009 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Is the ship sinking? A short chat with Peggy Burns
Crickets
Continuing our occasional series looking at how small press and indie comics publishers are weathering the downturn in the economy, not to mention Diamond’s recent policy changes, today we’re talking with Drawn and Quarterly’s Associate Publisher Peggy Burns.
D&Q rather unintentionally became regarded as one of the first martyrs of Diamond’s new cut-off policy when two of their serialized comics, Sammy Harkham’s Crickets and Kevin Huizenga’s Or Else, were cancelled. The fact that said cancellations were due to the separate decisions of the artists themselves and not the publisher or Diamond didn’t matter much at the time; its close proximity seemed to have a direct cause and effect.
I was curious as to what Burns had to say about that matter and the industry climate in general, since she’s one of the most intelligent and candid people working behind the scenes in comics today. She didn’t disappoint and I’d like to thank her for taking the time to respond to the plethora of questions I emailed her.
Can you give me any idea of how close Crickets and Or Else were to missing Diamond’s new cut-off before the respective creators pulled the plug on the series?
I don’t really want to get into a numbers game with our authors whose comics fell below or near the Diamond minimum. Obviously, the titles (Or Else, Lucky, Crickets) that have been announced as ending in their pamphlet form hovered around the minimum, though the conversation with Or Else happened before the minimum news. Ending a series is not something we want to do. The artist wanted to tell their story in this form, and we have the job of telling this form is no longer viable. It’s not an easy decision and wasn’t fun to do.
- April 9, 2009 @ 10:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Food or Comics | Money, comics and the economy
The Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor
• Despite an earlier erroneous report elsewhere, Diamond Comic Distributors will carry Rick Geary’s A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: Famous Players: The Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor, available in June from NBM Publishing. However, previous volumes of Geary’s won’t be available through Previews.
• Fantagraphics has struck a deal to distribute Esther Pearl Watson’s Unlovable in 10 Urban Outfitters locations.
• Todd Allen continues his “direct-market apocalypse” scenario with a look at how graphic novels would fare.
• Percy Carey has some sharp words for comics publishers: “I thought about all of the comic book publishers who would rather go out of business than make some money. I’m not one to disrespect a few who decide to remain micropreneurs, but it feels like 90% of comic book publishers are afraid to allow their companies to grow, and refuse to think outside of their industry.”
• The Daily Planet apparently is doing okay, even as its real-world counterparts go under. “Clark is on sabbatical,” says DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio. “Lois is picking up the slack we’re happy to say. More importantly, as of right now, they’re making a very good transition into the online business. But they still feel that newspapers are very healthy following Final Crisis. After Final Crisis, it showed that newsprint is still an essential form of communication.”
- April 9, 2009 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Is the new Warner Bros. mural a sign of the times?
The new Warner Bros. mural (photo by Jonah Weiland)
Honestly, I didn’t give much thought to the new mural at Warner Bros.’ Burbank studio lot when I saw the photo earlier in the week on CBR Live!
It’s nice, with prominence given to animated versions of DC Comics properties the Teen Titans, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle against the backdrop of the Hall of Justice. (At night, black lights reveal DC villains, and sometimes-villains, like The Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman and Harley Quinn.)
But Brooks Barnes of The New York Times points out that it’s a fairly big deal, at least from a business-strategy standpoint: It’s the first time in 15 years the mural has been updated.
Previously, Bugs Bunny, Fred Flinstone, Batman and Scooby-Doo were shown in a cartoon version of Mount Rushmore, with representatives from other WB properties scattered around the billboard. Now Bugs, Scooby, Sylvester, Tweety and Daffy Duck are in the background, peeping over the roof of the Hall of Justice.
Although the design was planned back when “the studio was still hot on making a tentpole movie featuring multiple heroes called Justice League,” it certainly seems like a sign that Warner Bros. views cartoons such as The Brave & the Bold and the DC Universe Original Animated Movies as playing a big role in its immediate future.
- April 9, 2009 @ 07:46 AM by Kevin Melrose
Hunting down ‘Monsters and Dames’
Monsters and Dames by Kieron Dwyer
The folks at the Emerald City ComiCon this past weekend put together what sounds like a really cool benefit book for the Seattle Children’s Hospital. Called Monsters and Dames, it featured pin-ups of, well, monsters and dames by some of the show’s guests. While the book was a show exclusive, some of the art that was included has started to pop up around the internet. Over at the Periscope Studios blog, you can see contributions by Colleen Coover and Steve Lieber, while Becky Cloonan has posted hers on her own blog. And at the Emerald City site, you can find contributions from Ben Templesmith, Bruce Timm, Kieron Dwyer (above), Mark Brooks, Mike Huddleston and Moritat.
If you’ve seen any others, let us know in the comments field
- April 9, 2009 @ 06:45 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Naruto, Vol. 43
Crime | Tokyo police arrested a woman for sending more than 100 threatening emails to Eiichiro Oda, creator of the wildly popular manga One Piece. She told police she resented the artist because her husband was laid off by Oda’s office. [Japan Today]
Sales charts | Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen slips 15 places to No. 29 on USA Today’s bestseller list, while the 43rd volume of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto debuts at No. 143. [USA Today]
Awards | More Eisner Awards nominations commentary from Simon Jones, Gary Tyrrell and David Welsh. [Icarus Publishing, Fleen, Precocious Curmudgeon]
Creators | The Gerber Curse has added another chapter to the biography of writer Steve Gerber, this one covering the period of his lawsuit against Marvel and his work for Hanna-Barbera. [The Gerber Curse, via Stevegerblog]
Creators | Sarah Warn wraps up her interview with Gail Simone, this time focusing on gay and lesbian characters in comics, the new Batwoman and Birds of Prey. [AfterEllen.com]
Creators | Husband-wife writing team Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir briefly discuss their recent issue of Batman Confidential. [Living Between Wednesdays]
Conventions | Kristy Valenti files a report from last weekend’s Emerald City ComiCon. [ComiXology]
Comics | Who’s your Big Daddy? The robots in the preview of Power Girl #1 look a lot like those characters from the BioShock video game. [MTV Multiplayer]
Comics | Won’t somebody think of the children? [The Morning Call]
Blogosophere | “How To Spam Comments The Marvel Way.” [BeaucoupKevin.com]
Art | Honorable mentions from the “Batman 2.0″ art contest. [Project: Rooftop]
- April 9, 2009 @ 06:35 AM by Kevin Melrose
More layoffs at Wizard [Update]
I’ve been hearing rumors today about additional people being let go from Wizard, and at least one of them has been confirmed on Twitter: Brett White, who was the news editor for Wizard’s website, says he was “was laid off and can smell the citrusy smell of Price is Right scented freedom!”
White joins a long list of Wizard alumni who have been let go by the company over the past two years. Most recently in February, CBR reported that seven people were laid off.
Update, 10:20 a.m. April 9: According to several sources, Ed DuPré, Wizard’s longtime chief financial officer, is also no longer with the company.
- April 8, 2009 @ 06:22 PM by JK Parkin
Wizard CEO buys Big Apple Con
Big Apple Con
Wizard.com reports that their CEO, Gareb Shamus, has acquired the Big Apple Con, “one of the trailblazing brands in the comic book and pop culture world, and the longest-running annual show in New York City.”
Per the press release, Big Apple’s fall show, called The National, will move from its traditional November date to Oct. 16-19 at Pier 94 in Manhattan. Also building on a partnership they announced for Wizard’s Philadelphia show, Wizard will also partner with the Video Game Expo on both the Big Apple show and the upcoming Chicago Comic-Con.
This is interesting news for a few reasons, not the least of which is that Wizard recently canceled their Dallas show and postponed their Los Angeles show. They also shut down Anime Insider and have had many, many layoffs over the last couple of years, so it’s a little surprising to see any news on the acquisition front coming from the Wizard camp.
Also, as Heidi MacDonald notes about the new October date, “Should this date hold for next year it would put the show in direct competition with the New York Comic-Con which is moving to a fall date in 2010.”
- April 8, 2009 @ 03:12 PM by JK Parkin
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: What Looks Good for June
Johnny Hiro
First of all, I need to apologize for my no-column-having self last week. My computer died suddenly on Tuesday and I just wasn’t able to get anything going for the next day. It’s still dead (and will be for a couple of weeks, most likely), but I’m able to borrow a PC for this week’s column and here we are.
As usual, our monthly look through the Previews catalog for awesome is heavily focused on graphic novels, collections, and first issues.
AdHouse
Johnny Hiro, Volume 1 – I’ve been aching a loooong time for this one. Giant lizards, lobster-quests, and opera-going ronin are hard to wait for.
- April 8, 2009 @ 02:03 PM by Michael May
Animal cosplay on Marvel.com
Lockjaw
As a way to promote their upcoming Pet Avengers comic, Marvel.com is encouraging folks to dress up their pets as Marvel characters and post pictures in Marvel’s Flickr stream.
I’m all for the new Pet Avengers comic, as it sounds like fun, but I’ve never understood the whole “dress up your pet” thing. I mean, if your dog chews up your action figures or craps in the pantry on a regular basis, I think that’s grounds for making them wear a sweater — let the punishment fit the crime and all that — but otherwise it seems unnecessarily humiliating.
That being said, I’m totally for Photoshopping your dog to make them look like Lockjaw, like in the picture above that came from Marvel’s Flickr stream. No dogs were humiliated, and it came out really well.
- April 8, 2009 @ 01:04 PM by JK Parkin
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 055
Oh yeah, let’s get back to Penny and Joe’s touching reunion.
Written by Matt Maxwell. Art by Gervasio and Jok.
Hit the archives to get the story from the beginning.
- April 8, 2009 @ 12:03 PM by Matt Maxwell