2009 April
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Classics Illustrated: The Last of the Mohicans
Publishing | Classics Illustrated appears to be the latest victim of Diamond Comic Distributors’ new minimum-order policy. Publisher Jack Lake Productions was notified earlier this month that the distributor had dropped the listing for the series, which features reprints of the comic-book adaptations of literary classics. The company will continue to offer Classics Illustrated through other channels. [press release]
Legal | A judge in Macomb County, Michigan, has set bond at $2.5 million for retailer and convention organizer Michael George while he awaits a second trial. The 48-year-old George was convicted last year in the 1990 murder of his first wife, but the judge set aside the conviction because of prosecutorial misconduct. George’s attorney said the bond is more than his client can afford. [Detroit Free Press]
Publishing | While most of the reaction to the simultaneous serialization of Rumiko Takahashi’s new manga has been of the “Hey, neat” variety, Japanese publisher Shogakukan clearly states the move is an attempt to combat online piracy. Dirk Deppey suggests this may be the first time a Japanese publisher has publicly acknowledged scanlations. [The Japan Times]
MAD #500
Publishing | An article marking the 500th issue of MAD Magazine notes the milestone brings with it dwindling circulation and a shift to a quarterly schedule. Also: a MAD timeline. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Publishing | Marvel Entertainment has promoted Alan Fine to Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive, where he joins David Maisel and John Turitzin. Fine has been Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Marvel Characters Inc. since May 2007, but you may recognize his name from the credits of Marvel comics, where he’s been listed as “Executive Producer” since early March. [press release]
- April 28, 2009 @ 07:31 AM by Kevin Melrose
Mark Waid on, well, everything
Ka-Zar #1
Ain’t It Cool News has a lengthy and engrossing interview with Mark Waid up. I only intended to skim it and come back to it later, but I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. It covers everything from his early memories of reading comics to his current role as BOOM! editor-in-chief, and hits on maybe every major title he’s worked on in between. Even his run on Ka-Zar, which I really enjoyed.
It’s also very candid; if you ever wanted to know Waid’s take on the “suburban” Fantastic Four/Bill Jemas debacle, working with Alex Ross on Kingdom Come or how things worked at CrossGen, it’s in there. As is his take on the biggest challenge of 52:
BM: 52 was a series that featured multiple writers on the same weekly title, of which you were one. Was that a difficult challenge?
MW: Oh, it was an unbelievable challenge. But there is not one ounce of PR or fabrication in the statement, “We loved it because all four writers respected one another immensely.” Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka and I viewed one another as peers, each able to bring something unique to the process. But under the coordination of editor Steve Wacker (and later, Michael Siglain), we had two or three big in-person summits, participated in big conference calls each week, and kept in constant contact with one another throughout.
The biggest challenge was actually, wisely, kept from us by Steve. EIC Dan Didio, who first championed the concept, hated what we were doing. H-A-T-E-D 52. Would storm up and down the halls telling everyone how much he hated it. And Steve, God bless him, kept us out of the loop on that particular drama. Siglain, having less seniority, was less able to do so, and there’s one issue of 52 near the end that was written almost totally by Dan and Keith Giffen because none of the writers could plot it to Dan’s satisfaction. Which was and is his prerogative as EIC, but man, there’s little more demoralizing than taking the ball down to the one-yard line and then being benched by the guy who kept referring to COUNTDOWN as “52 done right.”
- April 28, 2009 @ 06:22 AM by JK Parkin
This should make old school gamers happy
Marvel.com announces that the classic fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is coming to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Check out the trailer above.
- April 28, 2009 @ 05:00 AM by JK Parkin
‘Where brotherly love got the shove’
WizardWorld
Wizard World Philadelphia isn’t until June 19-21, but Josh Bryan is already preparing for the show — the last show, he believes, Wizard will hold in Philadelphia.
“We are a group of fans that are staging a funeral for what is known as Wizard World Philadelphia,” he said over email. “The majority of us have been going for most of the years the con has been open. It has gotten to the point where convention coordinators who once asked us for feedback and what we would enjoy at WWP have been let go and new ones just don’t care. It is like the captain going down with the ship. Now with the new acquisition of Big Apple Con and it being in New York, we are to believe they wouldn’t want to use the time or the resources to stage two cons merely two hours apart.”
- April 27, 2009 @ 04:08 PM by JK Parkin
Project Rooftop to turn Wolverine into a sharp dressed man
Wolverine: Look Sharp
Project Rooftop is kicking off another design contest to tie into this week’s big theatrical release (or last month’s big internet release, if you wanna look at it that way), X-Men Origins: Wolverine:
With Wolvie’s origin flick hitting theaters later this week, Old Man Logan is on the minds of comics-loving fans and the general public. Created nearly 30 years ago by Len Wein and John Romita Sr., Wolverine has put together a well-stocked superhero wardrobe since. He’s rocked his classic blue and yellow tights, his brown and orange variant, the Weapon X mission gear, the one-handed Age of Apocalypse attire, his Ultimate Universe duds, the New X-Men black and yellows, his new X-Force mission suit, the movie costumes, and of course, the naked VR training look, which not everyone can pull off.
In addition to their regular panel of judges, they’ve recruited Ron Garney and Jason Aaron to give their opinions on submissions. More details on prizes and how to enter can be found at their website.
- April 27, 2009 @ 02:55 PM by JK Parkin
Talking Comics with Tim: Adam Besenyodi
Deus ex Comica
It stands to reason that if you’re reading this site, you’re a fan of comics. Some folks step away from collecting at different times for varying reasons. And then some come back. Adam Besenyodi recently wrote a book, Deus ex Comica: The Rebirth of a Comic Book Fan, that documents his history as a fan. As described at Amazon: “With a mix of humor, recollection and insight, Deus ex Comica explores how the Marvel Comics stable of titles influenced Adam’s pre-teen and adolescent years, his rediscovery of sequential art as an adult, and the pleasure of watching his own son’s first steps into the comic book universe.” This Saturday, Free Comic Book Day, Besenyodi will do a book signing at Bill’s Books and More comic book shop in Canton, Ohio, from 12pm to 3pm.
Tim O’Shea: How did you score Tom DeFalco to write the foreword to your book?
Adam Besenyodi: Oh, man! Tom DeFalco. I put Tom in the “legendary” category with regards to comics and Marvel, so it is still kind of crazy to me that he wrote the foreword to my book. I met Tom through LinkedIn, actually — the professional networking site. I introduced myself to him and we struck up an online friendship. In early 2008, I started sharing with him the online Deus ex Comica series I was writing for Field’s Edge, and Tom was really supportive and encouraging of my writing.
Around mid-year 2008 I decided to turn the online series into a proper book, and as I was wrapping up the first full draft of the book in December, I began to think about including a foreword and who I could ask to write it. Tom has always been quick to respond and this time — even amid the holiday crush — was no exception. He graciously looked past the awkwardness of my proposition and immediately agreed to write the foreword to the book.
- April 27, 2009 @ 02:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 063
Written by Matt Maxwell. Art by Gervasio and Jok.
No value-added text. Just the comics today.
- April 27, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Matt Maxwell
Everyone’s A Critic: A round-up of comic-related reviews and thinkpieces
Dave Stevens: Brush with Passion
* Dan Nadel reviews the Dave Stevens bio Brush With Greatness and in the process comments on Stevens’ work as well: “Stevens made a conscious choice to marginalize himself, to live within the bubble of fandom. He was a willful anachronism, frustrated by his chosen intellectual and artistic world but unable or unwilling to see beyond it.”
* A la Casey Kasem, Tom Spurgeon counts down (or really, up) the top 10 best comic series of all time. Quick, before you click on the link: can you guess what number one is based on this quote? “Three generations of American adults not only read some excellent comics in this magazine, they saw a great deal of an age-stratified pop culture through its lenses.”
* Speaking on Radio Canada International, novelist Miguel Syjuco offered an early (and, I think, first) review of Seth’s new book, George Sprott (click on the first part of the program link. It’s around the 12-minute mark).
* Steve Duin (who really, you should be reading regularly) has some nice things to say about Fantagraphics’ new collection of Nell Brinkley cartoons.
* The Jog/Tucker Stone review rundown of DC/Humanoids titles continues. For those keeping score they just finished talking about Enki Bilal.
* Graeme McMillan eviscerates that second half of Neil Gaiman’s two-part Batman story.
* Shaenon K. Garrity writers about her trip to Japan and how exactly she ended up there.
* Rob Clough reviews Miss Lasko-Gross’ A Mess of Everything.
* Derik Badman continues his look at Tezuka’s Phoenix series with a look at Volume 8.
* Kinukitty gets global with her yaoi coverage by looking at In the End, a German-made manga.
- April 27, 2009 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: A publishing news round-up
Pelu vol. 1
* Warren Ellis hinted at two upcoming comics projects over on his blog: Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindary Island, which will be published by Avatar Press with art by Raulo Caseres; and Supergod, about which little is revealed beyond the title.
* The Same Hat guys reveal that Last Gasp will be publishing a new manga by Junko Mizuno this fall, entitled Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU Vol. 1. Adults only kids.
* Johanna Draper Carlson drops the news that the 600th issue of Archie will have him marrying Veronica in one of those “what will the future hold” type dealies. Apparently it’s part one of a six-part story.
* Speaking of big milestones, Evan Dorkin says the 500th issue of Mad Magazine is out on newsstands now, which is kind of amazing — to me at any rate.
* Percy Gloom author Cathy Malkasian will publish her follow-up book, Temperance, through Fantagraphics this fall.
* AdHouse pulls back the curtain on Process Recess 3, the third book of art by James Jean.
* Want to know what the cover to that upcoming collection of John Stanley’s Nancy stories looks like? Click here.
- April 27, 2009 @ 10:37 AM by Chris Mautner
Paul Pope debuts his Adam Strange adventure
Adam Strange from "Wednesday Comics," by Paul Pope Jose Villarrubia
I’d told myself that, despite my fondness for many of the creators involved, I wasn’t going to post anything more for a while about DC Comics’ upcoming Wednesday Comics miniseries. But then I saw that Paul Pope had uploaded to his Flickr account the first installment of his Adam Strange serial, and I happily went back on my promise.
The art is colored by Pope’s Batman: Year 100 collaborator Jose Villarrubia whom, he notes, is limiting his palette to the 144 colors available to publishers in the 1940s.
The weekly Wednesday Comics kicks off on July 8.
- April 27, 2009 @ 09:37 AM by Kevin Melrose
Read this webcomic: Fernand l’ours blanc
Fernand l'ours blanc
Seeing the Belgian webcomic Fernand l’ours blanc (“Fernand the Polar Bear”), by Wandrille and Marshall Joe, makes me wish I’d taken French in college. Google Language Tools, don’t fail me now!
(via Gary Tyrrell and Box Brown)
- April 27, 2009 @ 08:36 AM by Kevin Melrose
Six by 6 | My six favorite issues of Claremont and Byrne’s Uncanny X-Men run
Uncanny X-Men 137
A few weeks ago I was the guest on The Rick and Phil Hour, a live chat hosted on the Oni Press blog. During the chat, Phil asked me:
10:11 PhilGelatt: Are you an apologist for a particularly nerdy thing (for example: I will fight to the death for Babylon 5).
10:11 PhilGelatt: to. the. death.
My answer was Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s run on Uncanny X-Men. Although those weren’t the first comics I ever read, they were the first comics that I can remember wanting — no, needing — to seek out every month at my local 7-Eleven. Before that my comic book buying habits were a bit random; a little Spider-Man here, some Fantastic Four over here, maybe an issue of Invaders on a long road trip. With X-Men, I became not only a spinner rack stalker, but eventually a back issue collector as well … once I discovered the wonders of comic book shops (thanks to Lone Star Comics on Forest Lane in Dallas) I was able to fill in all of the issues I’d missed. Because at the time, the X-Men were becoming somewhat of a phenomenon, and finding issues of it at 7-Eleven, Mr. M or anywhere else I regularly looked for comics was tough.
So just like Phil would fight to the death for Babylon 5, I’d do the same for this era of the X-Men that really cemented my love for comics. So without further ado, here are my top six favorite individual issues of Claremont and Byrne’s Uncanny X-Men.
- April 26, 2009 @ 02:33 PM by JK Parkin
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Week of 4/19
This week in THE THIRSTY, the vampire Joseph escapes, Collins tries to defuse tension between the Hunter and the Sheriff and a mysterious stranger reveals himself.
All for the price of but a moment of your valuable time.
The story continues after the jump!
- April 26, 2009 @ 12:00 PM by Matt Maxwell
What Are You Reading?
Dororo Vol. 1
Welcome to What Are You Reading, where we pull the curtain back and show you what’s on our bedside tables. And yes, we have curtains in our room. Don’t ask.
Our special guest this week is Miss Lasko-Gross, whose second autobiographical graphic novel (in a projected trilogy), A Mess of Everything, was just released from Fantagraphics.
To find out what Lasko-Gross and the rest of us are reading, click on the link below …
- April 26, 2009 @ 10:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Your Mileage May Vary
The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Recently on their blog “4th Letter”, David Brothers and Esther Inglis-Arkell each posted an interesting perspective on Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight Strikes Again.”
In his initial post, David Brothers discusses DKSA as an exorcism:
Even still, there is a lot to digest here. Frank Miller, for good or for ill, is responsible for our current vision of Batman. Creators took the DKR model and ran with it, and it’s easy to see DKSA as Frank Miller striking back at that idea. Where we’ve had paranoid and grim Batman for the past fifteen years, Miller gives us one who’s faking grim but skipping like a schoolboy on the inside. Where we’ve had an utterly miserable Batman who figures out ways to trap his friends, Miller delivers a Batman who believes in the strength of others and trusts his fellow warriors.
DKSA is an exorcism. It takes all of the grim and gritty from DKR and the ensuing years and turns it on its head. It’s a push toward day-glo superheroics and away from miserable heroes. The moral of DKSA is “Superheroes are cool!”
- April 24, 2009 @ 08:14 PM by Melissa Krause