2009 June
Straight for the art | J.H. Williams III’s Flickr stream
by J.H. Williams III
If you’d like to see some preview art from the upcoming Batwoman run in Detective Comics, check out J.H. Williams III’s Flickr stream, which features various, beautiful images in both color and black and white.
- June 15, 2009 @ 11:03 AM by JK Parkin
Slash Print | Following the digital evolution
DMZ on Google Maps
Internet | Brian Wood uses Google Maps to highlight key locations from his Vertigo series DMZ.
Social media | Twitter, apparently, has taken the place of message boards as the preferred arena for fights between comic pros and gossip columnists.
Last Friday, an online dust-up occurred between comics writer Mark Waid and former All the Rage columnist Rich Johnston. You can read their respective takes on it here and here.
It was certainly a lot easier to follow the back-and-forth flames in the old days of message boards. Kids and their crazy newfangled internet tools …
Digital comics | And now a look at the gentler side of Twitter … also on Friday, Johnston interviewed Ryan Penagos, aka Agent_M, about Marvel.com and Marvel’s Digital Comics Initiative. The interview took place on Twitter.
Internet | The New York Times talks to artists who were recently invited by Google to contribute artwork that would be used on their web browser, Google Chrome. Google asked them to do it for exposure rather than pay. (via)
- June 15, 2009 @ 10:24 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Mark Waid on the perfect cover
The Spirit #29
Comics writer and BOOM! Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid tells us why Paul Rivoche’s cover for The Spirit #29 is “hands down, the best cover I’ve seen on a comic for a while, maybe all year.” It’s an interesting post about what makes a cover work, from the storytelling elements to the color choices.
- June 15, 2009 @ 09:40 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Publishing | HarperCollins imprint Fourth Estate has paid a “decent five-figure sum” for the U.K. and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series. The first three volumes likely will be released in January or February 2010, with the remaining three to follow in April when Oni Press publishes the final book. [The Bookseller]
Retailing | Investigators say overloaded electrical circuits caused the fire Thursday night that damaged a historic building in Renton, Washington, that houses The Comic Den. Store owner Howard Wheatley he plans to relocate temporarily in a nearby vacant building. [Renton Reporter]
Awards | Today is the deadline for industry professionals to vote for the 2009 Eisner Awards. [Eisner Awards]
Storm Front
Sales charts | Del Rey’s adaptation of Jim Butcher’s first Dresden Files novel knocks Marvel’s The Dark Tower: Treachery from atop the hardcover section of The New York Times’ Graphic Books Best Seller List. Watchmen remains at No. 1 in the paperback category, while the 27th volume of Tite Kubo’s Bleach leads the manga division. [ArtsBeat]
Retailing | Gerald von Stoddard and Antoine Malaab have opened Coast City Comics in Portland, Maine. [Portland Press Herald]
Conventions | Brian Heater posts a photo-filled report from Saturday’s Big Apple Con in New York City. [The Daily Cross Hatch]
- June 15, 2009 @ 08:53 AM by Kevin Melrose
USA Today to serialize Superman strip from Wednesday Comics [Updated]
Wednesday Comics
DC Comics announced this morning that the Superman strip from Wednesday Comics will be serialized by USA Today beginning July 8.
The move reinforces the nostalgic connection between the weekly miniseries and the heyday of the newspaper comics page. Officially announced in March, Wednesday Comics will feature 15 one-page stories told over 12 weeks in a broadsheet format.
Creators include Neil Gaiman, Brian Azzarello, Paul Pope, Mike Allred, Joe Kubert, Kyle Baker and Dave Gibbons.
According to DC’s The Source blog, John Arcudi and Lee Bermejo’s Superman strip will debut in USA Today’s print edition on July 8 and then appear each subsequent Wednesday on the newspaper’s website. Each weekly online installment will be promoted in the newspaper.
Update: USA Today now has posted its own article about the serialization.
- June 15, 2009 @ 06:13 AM by Kevin Melrose
With an announcement, Marvel ends Captain America speculation [Updated]
Reborn #1, by John Cassaday
Two years of anticipation, and months of speculation, end today with the unprecedented early release of Captain America #600, and an article the New York Daily News.
Warning: This post contains spoilers, obviously.
- June 15, 2009 @ 02:19 AM by Kevin Melrose
Six by 6 | Only the end of the world again
Uncanny X-Men #141
Earlier this month ABC News ran a special report called Earth 2100, which imagined a possible “worst case scenario” if the “perfect storm” of population growth, resource depletion and climate change converge, causing catastrophic effects to the planet. The report featured graphic novel-style sequences by Josh Neufeld, Sari Wilson, Joe Infurnari, George O’Connor, Tim Hamilton and Leland Purvis.
It wasn’t the first time that comic book creators have taken a look at a possible future where everything has gone to hell, both scaring and depressing you with its bleak look at what might be in store for us. So in honor of the show, here are six of my favorite apocalyptic doomsday scenarios, as presented by comics past and present …
1. Death by robots — Geekanerd recently did a post on possible robot apocalypse scenarios and how to avoid them, using Battlestar Galactica, Terminator and The Matrix as examples. Another story that falls into that category is the classic Uncanny X-Men story “Days of Future Past.” First introduced in issues #141 and 142, the storyline focused on a possible future where mutants have been hunted almost to extinction by the Sentinels, with the survivors being kept in internment camps. Giant robots = bad, bad things.
I remember reading these issues as a kid and being genuinely freaked out about the fate of the X-Men. It was bad enough finding out that Cyclops, Nightcrawler and many of the others were already dead, but to see Storm, Colossus and Wolverine meet their fates … I took it as canon, actually, that one day the X-Men comic would end with a similar scene, once it caught up to the future those issues portrayed. Of course, I thought Jean Grey was really dead, too, so …
- June 14, 2009 @ 09:23 PM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Joe Quesada’s Amazing Spider-Man #593 cover
Amazing Spider-Man #593
I’m sure by now you’ve visited the Cup O’ Joe page that went up last Friday on Comic Book Resource (How could you miss that gigantic banner?) and maybe already have questions for Joe Quesada. But one of the other cool features the new mini-site will include is Cup O’ Doodles, a glimpse at some of the sketches and artwork the Marvel E-i-C does when he isn’t, y’know, running the Marvel universe. Right now you can check out a column by Joe on the making of the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #593, pictured above.
And as long as we’re talking about Cup O’ Joe, congrats to Jonah, Kiel and the rest of the CBR gang on the big announcement, and welcome to CBR, Joe!
- June 14, 2009 @ 08:03 PM by JK Parkin
What are you reading?
Remake by Lamar Abrams
The weeks go by so quickly now. Welcome once again to What Are You Reading. Our special guest this week is fellow CBR contributor, former Wizard staffer and interview expert Kiel Phegley. Kiel just got back from MoCCA with a passel of books and he’s eager to talk about them, as is the rest of the Robot 6 crew. Don’t forget, though, to let us know what you’re currently reading in the comments below.
- June 14, 2009 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Week of 6/8
The attack on Cedar Creek continues in THE THIRSTY. Collins and Joachim the vampire hunter (and blood relative to the master) seems to have found a way past De Medina’s defenses, which is a good thing as it’s all out war between the vampires and town’s defenders!
The story continues after the jump!
- June 14, 2009 @ 08:13 AM by Matt Maxwell
Seven Days | The week in comics
A look at the big news, and noteworthy posts, from the past week.
• Former Judge Dredd artist Ron Smith was cleared of all charges that he sexually abused a 13-year-old girl over a three-year period in the 1980s.
• Although the week began with upbeat reports from last weekend’s MoCCA Festival, attention quickly turned to complaints from exhibitors and attendees about the lack of air conditioning, and a level of disorganization that led to a late opening on Saturday, poor promotion and the omission of several creators’ names from the official website.
• The author and illustrator of the Nate the Great children’s book series counter-sued Cosmic Debris Etc., claiming the Emily the Strange franchise violates their copyright. Last month Cosmic Debris sued Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Marc Simont, and asked a judge to declare that Emily doesn’t infringe on the copyright to their 1978 book Nate the Great and the Long List, which introduced the goth girl Rosamond. Dark Horse Entertainment, which is producing an Emily the Strange movie, also is named as a defendant in the counter-suit.
- June 13, 2009 @ 11:18 AM by Kevin Melrose
Your Mileage May Vary | Red Robin #1
Now that Battle for the Cowl‘s over, the DCU’s Batclan has undergone drastic changes, some of which we can see in DC’s Red Robin #1.
Jason of Clever Name Comics & Pop Culture Blog thought the issue was great:
Red Robin #1
Red Robin #1 creates an interesting new status quo for Tim Drake, until recently Robin. During Tony Daniel’s Battle For the Cowl story, he was one of the heroes that was, ummmmm….battling for the cowl. I like Tim Drake, he wanted to be Robin and essentially applied for the job by showing Batman what he could do. But the only issue I had with him becoming the new Batman is that he’s too young. After reading this issue, I’m starting to take back that limitation. Basically, Tim has now become Batman, but as Red Robin. He’s dark and intense but in his own costume (which is a small question I have, where did he get the Red Robin costume so quickly?).
Chris Yost handles the writing duties well as Tim leaves the Batcave upon seeing Damian in the Robin costume, although Damian’s insults didn’t help either. There is a great scene where Damian shows up in his new Robin costume (which looks much better here than in Batman & Robin) and sees Tim talking to Dick who is wearing the Batman costume.
- June 12, 2009 @ 06:17 PM by Melissa Krause
The Fifth Color | Ultimate Trek
Don’t call it a come back, we’ve been here for years!
Forty-three, to be exact.
And 43 years of anything makes you dated. Culture and technology changes so fast in our modern times that yesterday’s science-fiction is today’s foam and cardboard. So, a bunch of people with a lot of money and determination decided to take a course of action that some would consider a much needed face-lift and others outright blasphemy. Spider-Man would get a new revamped series for modern readers- wait, sorry. I mean, Star Trek would get an all-new fresh look with young, hip actors and eye-dazzling CGI. But would we get an all new Chapter One or would we see an Ultimate revolution in the franchise?
- June 12, 2009 @ 03:17 PM by Carla Hoffman
Straight for the art | Jason Latour’s Invaders pitch
Invaders
It only seems like yesterday that Marvel revived their Epic brand and opened the doors for anybody to pitch a story for them. Artist Jason Latour, who co-created The Expatriate mini-series from Image Comics, shows off his pitch for an Invaders story that he submitted to Epic. “Stuff like this is always like year book photos, you wonder ‘what the hell was I thinking with that hair cut?’” he wrote. “Or maybe ‘Where did it all go?’”
- June 12, 2009 @ 02:06 PM by JK Parkin
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Friday Update 6/12
This week’s bonus material takes us back to “Lone”, the second feature in the MURDER MOON graphic novel.
Development art by Gervasio for MURDER MOON
Interesting to see how they add character in the simple shapes so that you can still keep track of characters that, let’s face it, really look the same. This is why they’re drawing and I’m not. You can see their whole story in STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON, in the story “Lone”, which takes the familiar werewolf story and turns it inside-out.
Oh, the winner of this week’s contest is Matt Bradshaw from the isthmuses of Gmail. Give him a big hand!
Hope to start showing off artists for THE LAND WILL KNOW (aka STRANGEWAYS book 3) next week. At least the samples that helped land them the job. We’ll see what comes of that. Need to exert more energy in getting the second book shepherded through the birthing and distribution process, though. But there will be something…interesting every Friday during the serial’s run.
And since we are coming to the end of a chapter, there will be a brief hiatus, which according to my calculations will start the week after next. I’ll still be around, though. Don’t you fret about that.
- June 12, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Matt Maxwell