2009 June
Straight for the art | Frank embroidery
Jim Woodring keeps you in stitches
For all you crafters and embroiders out there (and you know who you are) Simply Stitching has a set of Jim Woodring patterns for you to purchase and use.
- June 26, 2009 @ 08:45 AM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Rock N Roll Comics #36
Pop culture | With the death yesterday of Michael Jackson, several sites are rolling out comics-related trivia: The singer was a comics collector, and made the first of his comic-book appearances in 1973 on the cover of Marvel’s Spoof #3. But his biggest connection — or, perhaps, near-connection — is that he met with Stan Lee and Peter Paul in the late ’90s to discuss the possibility of buying Marvel, which was then emerging from bankruptcy. [Splash Page, Comix 411, ComicBook.com]
Publishing | Simon Jones takes a closer look at Diamond’s recent cancellation of more than a dozen Yen Press titles, plus manga and anime from several other companies: “These may not be big titles, but cancel enough of them, and DM retailers will eventually have enough reasons to move most or all of their manga orders to someone who keeps a more complete stock. … And that’s not a bad thing at all for the rest of the industry.” [Icarus Publishing]
- June 26, 2009 @ 07:43 AM by Kevin Melrose
Michael, Farrah and Ed … thanks for the memories
- June 25, 2009 @ 09:28 PM by JK Parkin
Shades of Gray(son): Rounding up June’s Bat-books
Grumpy Old Fan
So there I was in the spring of 1988, a college freshman buying snacks at the local convenience store, when I saw Amazing Spider-Man #300 sitting on the magazine shelf. I knew artist Todd McFarlane had helped make the book pretty popular, and I had fond memories of writer David Michelinie from his earlier work on Iron Man and Avengers. Accordingly, I stuck with ASM through the end of McFarlane’s run (in #325), and never gave much thought to Spidey’s two other regular titles. Spectacular Spider-Man and Web Of Spider-Man might have been great reads, but for whatever reason, I just wanted the “headliners,” Michelinie and McFarlane.
I suspect the same is true these days with the Batman line. Yesterday’s releases of Detective Comics #854 and Gotham City Sirens #1 close out the first month of the Big Batman Relaunch. The Grant Morrison-written Batman And Robin (drawn initially by Frank Quitely) has drawn the most attention, with much of the rest going to Detective‘s Batwoman lead (written by Greg Rucka, drawn by JH Williams III). Each of these high-profile creative teams has been charged with producing new-reader-friendly stories, and thereby building an enduring foundation of loyal consumers.
- June 25, 2009 @ 02:13 PM by Tom Bondurant
Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: A publishing news round-up
Snooker
• Cartoonist Ben Towle has announced the release of Snooker, a 64-page collection of his various minicomics. It’s available for $10 at this site.
• I mentioned awhile back that Charles Burns was the editor for this year’s edition of The Best American Comics series from HoughtonMifflin. It looks like Michael Kupperman is handling the cover chores on that book as well.
• In case you missed it: Archaia is partnering up with Henson Studios to make comics based on the Fraggle Rock, Labryinth and Mirrormask franchises.
• In case you missed it part II: Movie producer and comic book author Jeff Katz has started a new entertainment company, American Originals, that will publish comic books, among other things
• Broken Frontier reveals that Drawn and Quarterly will be publishing an English version of Brecht Evens’ The Wrong Place early next year.
• Save your mana points now: Wizards of the Coast will release their first ever Magic: The Gathering graphic novel, Path of the Planeswalker, in October.
• Hey, Osamu Tezuka’s Swallowing the Earth is now on sale at Akadot Retail, though it looks like you might pay for the privilege of being a first-buyer.
• Wondering what’s up with the Graphic NYC book? The authors of the photo book of Big Apple cartoonists spill the beans on their publishing plans.
- June 25, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Straight for the art | HeroesCon sketches
Several artists have shared some of the sketches they did while at HeroesCon last weekend … let’s take a look:
Rom
Chris Samnee, artist of The Mighty, shares this killer Rom sketch someone pre-ordered before the con. I had a hard time deciding whether to feature that one or this one featuring Daredevil fighting Swamp Thing.
(I mean, why would Daredevil fight Swamp Thing? Why would Daredevil be in a swamp in the first place? So many questions for a future Marvel vs. DC crossover …)
This Batman/Catwoman one he did for the auction is also a thing of beauty. Go check out his blog for more.
Moving on, Jason Latour draws Devil Dinosaur taking on Superman …
- June 25, 2009 @ 11:52 AM by JK Parkin
Straczynski reportedly ending his Thor run in September
Thor #601
In news that will surprise few, it appears writer J. Michael Straczynski will wrap up his run on Marvel’s Thor in September.
The word broke late Wednesday at ComiXtreme, before spreading elsewhere, that July’s Previews catalog includes something missing from Marvel’s earlier September solicitations: a listing for Thor: Defining Moments Giant Size #1, touted as Straczynski’s finale.
A Marvel spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from Robot 6.
Straczynski seemed to hint in May that his days on the title could be numbered. In an interview about his work on DC Comics’ Red Circle miniseries, he detailed his objections to big-event comics and explained the reasons for the success of Thor before adding, “Of course, now that the Siege of Asgard Big Crossover Event is looming before me, I have to do some serious and hard thinking about the future.”
Marvel has yet to announce “Siege of Asgard.”
Straczynski and artist Olivier Coipel relaunched Thor in July 2007, successfully tinkering with a formula that hadn’t served the title or the character particularly well in recent years. Straczynski relocated Asgard to Oklahoma, and sent Thor on a quest to liberate his fellow Asgardians — including a now-female Loki — from mortal shells (after their apparent deaths during Ragnorak).
Although well-received, Thor has been plagued by delays, causing Marvel to release one-shots by other creators between issues of the regular series.
Earlier this month Executive Editor Tom Brevoort responded to a reader’s question about the comic’s erratic schedule: “… Just throwing bodies at the book is going to turn off as many if not more readers than the delays in shipping, and that doesn’t help anyone except for those relatively few readers who just love Thor and don’t care who’s working on it.”
- June 25, 2009 @ 10:52 AM by Kevin Melrose
Who will take the Schulz challenge?
The Ohio State Cartoon Library and Museum houses one of the largest and most respected collections of comic art in the United States. Now the very crowded library is looking to renovate:
Located at a highly visible location along High Street and adjacent to the Wexner Center for the Arts, the historic Sullivant Hall is in dire need of repair. The planned renovation will provide 40,000 gross square feet of space for the new Cartoon Library and Museum that will include a spacious reading room for researchers, three museum-quality galleries, and expanded storage with state-of-the-art environmental and security controls. A dedicated ground-level entry will allow for easy access to the new facility. The addition of exhibition galleries dedicated to cartoon art will facilitate public display of the Library’s extraordinary collection. Total renovation costs are estimated at $20.6 million.
To help raise the necessary funds, Charles Schulz’s widow, Jean (who has already given $1 million of her own money) is declaring she will match every dollar donated to the museum, up to $2.5 million. So don’t delay, head over here and send a few bucks to the OSU.
Or, see this video the library made to underscore their need to renovate:
(via the Schulz Library blog)
- June 25, 2009 @ 10:38 AM by Chris Mautner
Katelyn Rae Rochelle earns first Ringo Scholarship Award
Katelyn Rae Rochelle
While the actual recognition ceremony for the first recipient of “The Ringo”: The Mike Wieringo Scholarship Award was on Saturday night (prior to the HeroesCon Annual Art Auction), Matt Wieringo posted the full scoop on his personal blog on Tuesday. The recipient of the $1,100 award is Katelyn Rae Rochelle, a Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) student who hopes to pursue a career in comic books after graduation. To quote Matt from his announcement: “Remember that name. I think you’ll be hearing it a lot in a couple years.”
Rochelle attended HeroesCon on Saturday and spent some time with one of her instructors, Tom Lyle, at the SCAD booth. She also hung out with Matt and his wife Suzanne. When asked about her genre preference, Rochelle expressed an interest in working in horror–potentially something with werewolves. According to Matt: “We took her around to meet a few of Mike’s friends who offered her some free, friendly advice. Todd Dezago, being Todd Dezago, teased her at every opportunity.”
When reached for comment, Dezago denied Matt’s vicious allegations. In all seriousness, Dezago said of Rochelle: “She was a good sport and is a very talented young artist. I loved the work that she sent in as samples and think that, as Matt says, we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.”
- June 25, 2009 @ 09:54 AM by Tim O'Shea
SDCC ’09 | Charity auctions, panels, hookups, scalping and more
Comic-Con
The 2009 San Diego Comic-Con kicks off with preview night on Wednesday, July 22 and runs through Sunday, July 26. If you are a publisher, creator, retailer or any other kind of exhibitor who would like to let folks know about any special plans you have for the show (panels, signing schedules, exclusives, debuts, etc.) drop me an email and I’ll run it here.
Organizations | The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Things From Another World have teamed up to create a set of limited edition cards by various comic creators that will be handed out by various publishers, the CBLDF and TFAW. The original artwork for the cards will be auctioned off at the con, with proceeds going to the fund. Contributors include Mike Mignola, Phil Hester, Eric Powell, Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon, Steve Lieber and many more.
Panels | Although the official programming schedule hasn’t been released yet, a few companies have started sharing their panels via press releases and such. Thursday at the con brings a panel on Disney animator Walt Stanchfield, who is profiled in a new book called Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes.
Also, FOX TV has released their schedule. They’ll have panels dedicated to the Simpsons, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show (a Family Guy spinoff), 24, Futurama and Bones. They’ll also have Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku on hand to introduce a never before seen episode of Dollhouse. And they’ll have a panel dedicated to their new show Glee, where they’ll show another episode. You can watch the first one on Hulu; it is hilarious.
Interestingly enough, the release doesn’t mention Fringe, but there will be a panel with several members of the cast.
- June 25, 2009 @ 08:58 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Colleen Coover’s Blandings Castle
Colleen Coover's Blanding Castle
I’ve linked to the blog Hey Oscar Wilde! It’s clobberin’ time!!! before, but it’s one that’s worth a look on a regular basis just to see what they’ve added since you were last there. The site collects portraits of famous authors by artists — like Brian Christopher drawing Chuck Palahniuk — and the occasional literary character portrait, as seen above, when Colleen Coover draws some of the folks from P.G. Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle. Go check it out.
- June 25, 2009 @ 08:28 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Toronto Comicon
Conventions | The big news yesterday was the announcement that Wizard Entertainment CEO Gareb Shamus has purchased Toronto Comicon from Paradise Conventions. Former owner Peter Dixon will continue to be involved in the show, which skipped a 2009 event.
The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for Shamus and Wizard. Amid waves of firings, the closing of Anime Insider magazine and the cancellation of conventions in Dallas and Los Angeles, Shamus & Co. have rebranded WizardWorld Chicago, purchased New York City’s Big Apple Con, and revealed plans for a new, or at least retooled, toy publication.
As Heidi MacDonald points out, Toronto Comicon comes with baggage of its own: Namely, a bitter feud with larger rival Fan Expo Canada.
Archie Comics
Publishing | Archie Comics has named Jon Goldwater, son of company founder John L. Goldwater, as its new chief executive officer. [Archie News]
Publishing | Death Row Records is set to return with, among other things, a line of comics. The label’s assets were acquired earlier this year by Canadian development company WIDEawake. [Billboard]
Publishing | A New England gay newspaper talks with DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio about Batwoman’s starring turn in Detective Comics: “This is the first time since Detective #27 [in 1939] that somebody other than Batman has been the star,” DiDio points out. “It shows a level of dedication from our standpoint, and level of belief in how strongly we feel about this character. We’re putting her in one of the most prestigious DC Comics.”
On a related note, I really enjoyed Joe McCulloch’s review of Detective Comics #854, focusing on the art and design of J.H. Williams III. [Bay Windows]
- June 25, 2009 @ 07:16 AM by Kevin Melrose
Watchmen director’s cut in theaters this July [Updated]
Watchmen
A rep for Warner Bros. dropped us some information on the Watchmen film, which will return to theaters in July — only this time, it will be the director’s cut — “Zack Snyder’s full interpretation,” which will include deleted scenes. It is about 24 minutes longer, clocking in at a little more than three hours.
It’ll only be showing in four different cities July 17-23:
AMC Empire 25, 234 W. 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036AMC Media Plaza 6 (AKA Town Center 6), 770 N. 1st Street, Burbank, CA 91501AMC Mesquite 30, 19919 IH 635, Mesquite, TX 75149Kerasotes Block E 15 Theaters, 600 Hennepin Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55403
Update, July 2: Due to scheduling difficulties, Warner Bros. sent over a new list of theaters that will be showing Watchmen in the four cities. Also note the date change for Texas:
Mann’s Chinese 6 Theater July 17th – 23rd
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA. 90028
Bypass # 323-461-9624
Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema July 17th – 23rd
143 East Houston St.
New York, NY. 10002
Bypass # 212-358-0573
Carmike Cinema 15 – July 17th – 23rd
15630 Cedar Ave.
Apple Valley, MN. 55124
Bypass # 952-431-4859
Rave Motion Pictures Hickory Creek 16 – July 17th – 20th
8380 S. Stemmons
Hickory Creek, TX. 76205
Bypass # 940-321-2836
Note that the film’s release will coincide with the San Diego Comic-Con (July 22-26). If you’re getting to San Diego early and really want to see the extended film, the drive to Burbank may be worth it. (Although driving through L.A. really sucks, so be prepared).
Also, Watchmen is set to come out on DVD and Blu-Ray July 21. The Hollywood Reporter has more information on a screening at the San Diego Comic-Con and how they’re using Blu-Ray voodoo to allow you to participate in the screening and panel from your living room.
- June 25, 2009 @ 06:01 AM by JK Parkin
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon
Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon, Volume 1
Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, Volume 1
Written by Alex Raymond and Don Moore; Illustrated by Alex Raymond
Checker; $19.95
First, a warning. Reading Flash Gordon in its original Alex Raymond could very well make you hate other versions. Especially the crappy Sci Fi Channel series from a couple of years ago, but maybe even the Sam Jones movie from the ‘80s. The first Buster Crabbe serial holds up pretty well against it considering its effects limitations, but every other adaptation I’ve seen inexplicably waters down the crazy imagination that went into the original strips.
It’s not that it would be all that hard to adapt either. The story’s straightforward and Raymond even broke it up into convenient arcs that wrap up one part of Flash’s adventures before continuing on to the next. At the same time though, it’s not episodic. Each smaller story builds on the ones that have come before, so you could put a couple of them together to make a feature-length movie and they’d feel like they fit while still having a real ending.
I could go on about the right way to make a Flash Gordon movie (or TV show), but all I’m really trying to say is that this is a beautiful, inventive story and it’s a shame no one’s grabbed hold of what makes it that way when trying to translate it into other media. Actually, you know what? I will talk about that some more, because I think that’s a good way to talk about some of the elements in Flash Gordon; specifically, which ones still work for a modern audience and which would need updating.
Dr. Zarkov
- June 24, 2009 @ 03:30 PM by Michael May
Straight for the art | 200 Dick Tracy villains
I always had a soft spot for 88 Keys
Mike Lynch finds an old program for an exhibit of Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy art that lists just about every significant villain and supporting character the strip has ever had and then some. Did you know there actually was a character called Smallmouth Bass?
- June 24, 2009 @ 03:30 PM by Chris Mautner