2009 June
Mark Waid not only evil, but also cheap
Irredeemable #5
BOOM! Studios announced yesterday that the first Irredeemable trade, which collects issues 1-4 of the superhero-turned-villain series by Mark Waid and Peter Krause, will retail for $9.99. In addition, issue #5 will cost 99 cents.
“That means you can get caught up on the whole series for just $11 bucks,” the press release said. Both books will ship on the same day.
Irredeemable #5 will ship with three covers in a 50/25/25 split by Gene Ha (right), Dennis Calero and Dan Panosian. Irredeemable Volume 1 TPB features a variation of the cover art by John Cassaday for the first issue of the series and reprints the afterword by Grant Morrison that appeared in issue #1.
Check out the other two covers for issue 5 and the trade cover after the jump.
- June 18, 2009 @ 06:14 AM by JK Parkin
Kramers Ergot meets the Simpsons in this year’s Treehouse of Horror
©2009 Bongo Entertainment, Inc. The Simpsons © & ™Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
I somehow missed this in Tucker Stone’s report from MoCCA last week, but luckily Heidi over at the Beat caught it — Stone spoke with John Kerschbaum about his future projects, and the creator revealed that he’s working on this year’s Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror book for Bongo Comics.
Kerschbaum isn’t the only one working on the book, though; as you can see below in the solicitation copy that Bongo was kind enough to send us, they’ve recruited a Murderer’s Row of creators, including Jeffrey Brown, Kevin Huizenga, Matthew Thurber and many more, and it’s edited by Sammy Harkham of Kramers Ergot fame:
Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #15
Edited by Sammy Harkham
$4.99
48 pages/standard format/color/humor
UPC: 01511 (7-98342-02851-5)Guest edited by Sammy Harkham, the award-winning creator of the popular Kramers Ergot anthology, this year’s issue is a jam-packed with some of the most idiosyncratic (and weirdest) takes on “The Simpsons” universe ever. Among Halloween-inspired short strips by such visionary cartoonists as Jordan Crane (Uptight), C.F. (Powr Mastrs), Will Sweeney (Tales from Greenfuzz), Tim Hensley (MOME), and John Kerschbaum (Petey & Pussy), are four featured tales of inspired Simpsons lunacy: heralded artists Kevin Huizenga (Ganges, Or Else) and Matthew Thurber (1-800 Mice, Kramers Ergot) collaborate on a weird and wild story equal parts Lovecraftian eco-horror and Philip K. Dick identity comedy. Jeffrey Brown (Incredible Change-Bots, Clumsy) does a creepy and suitably pathetic story featuring Milhouse in a “Bad Ronald”-inspired tale of murder and crawl space living. Harkham and Ted May (INJURY) pull out all the stops for a tragic monster tale of unrequited love, bad karaoke, and body snatching at Moe’s Bar. Ben Jones (Paper Rad) does the comic of his life with an epic tale of how bootleg candy being sold at the Kwik-E-Mart rapidly spirals out of control into an Invasion of The Body Snatchers-like nightmare of a Springfield filled with cheap bootleg versions of familiar characters. And nobody does squishy, sweaty, and gross like up and coming cartoonist Jon Vermilyea (MOME), who outdoes himself with “C.H.U.M.M.,” a C.H.U.D.-inspired parody featuring everybody’s favorite senior citizen, Hans Moleman!
With a cover by Dan Zettwoch, Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #15 is like nothing you’ve ever seen, and is sure to be one of the most talked about comics of the year by alternative comic readers and Simpsons fans of all ages!
This goes on my “must buy” list.
- June 17, 2009 @ 04:01 PM by JK Parkin
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: Age of Bronze, Volume 2
Age of Bronze, Volume 2: Sacrifice
Age of Bronze, Volume 2: Sacrifice
Written and Illustrated by Eric Shanower
Image; $19.95
The second installment of Age of Bronze wasn’t at all what I expected. Volume One ended with a thousand (or so) Grecian ships sailing towards Troy, so I fully anticipated the battle to begin in Volume Two. Not so. But rather than allowing me to become frustrated at the delay, Eric Shanower used his 200-plus pages to build tension, keeping me completely immersed in the story the whole time. More so even than in the first collection.
Sacrifice begins with Agamemnon’s fleet headed toward Troy with young Achilles and his warriors leading the way. But things go horribly wrong when Achilles spots shore too early, over-eagerly lands the fleet, and attacks Troy’s southern neighbor Mysia by mistake. The people of Mysia, thinking they’re being menaced by pirates, fight back and are no slouches. Even one of the King’s wives is a former warrior-princess and pirate-fighter. Though – in true comic book fashion – both sides eventually realize that they’re not actually enemies, they also both experience massive casualties. The Greeks are hit hard enough that they’re forced to return home for reinforcements. And with winter coming, they won’t be able to start for Troy again for at least another year.
I have to admit I was disappointed when Agamemnon decided to lead his fleet back home, but Shanower keeps things moving in a variety of ways. One of the best things about a story this epic is that there are multiple plots to bounce between, so while the Greeks are sailing Shanower can cut to Troy and let us see how Helen – just arrived with her new husband Paris – is being received.
Xena, horror, and more of that brat Achilles below the jump.
- June 17, 2009 @ 03:04 PM by Michael May
Send Us Your Shelf Porn!
Welcome to another episode of Send Us Your Shelf Porn, where we take the photos you send us of your comic book collection and paste them here for everyone to gawk at. And no, we’re not changing the name of this column. Sorry.
This week Carl Jansson, a former manager of Comic Universe in Fountain Valley, CA. Before we begin, however, I want to thank everyone who’s sent in photos over the past week. The amount of interest I’ve received has truly been staggering, and I promise each and every one of you will get your day in the sun. So don’t fret if you haven’t heard back from me yet; you will, and soon. I promise.
And now let’s join Carl on a tour of his home …
- June 17, 2009 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 082
Chapter three comes to a conclusion today. And if you want to win yourself a copy of the first Strangeways OGN, just keep reading!
Art by Gervasio and Jok. Written by Matt Maxwell.
Okay, that doesn’t look so good. Sure, the Vampires are being held off, but I see that lasting about as long as a parasol in monsoon season. And that Sheriff’s gone clear around the bend.
And now to the giveaway, which will be the last one until chapter four starts up in about five weeks. On this page we’re told that you have to remove what part of a vampire’s body to make sure it’s good and dead. Protip: panel one spells it out for you. Send mail to me, that’s strangeways@highway-62.com and put “Murder Moon Contest” in the subjectline (the link should do this for you). Put the answer in the body of the message. Do this before midnight on Thursday. Then you’ll be entered in this week’s drawing. Winners announced on Friday.
With the conclusion of this chapter, we’ll be taking a little break while art is finished and I continue to shepherd the book through the publication process. Sure, putting this out on the internet for all you fine folks to read is reward in and of itself. But I’m still old-fashioned, and want to have a copy of THE THIRSTY up on the shelf, just like I’m sure a bunch of you do (not to mention, printed up bigger and not having to strain your eyes on the screen). So that’s the priorty at the moment.
In the meantime, I’ll be running the first chapter of MURDER MOON in the regular timeslot, MWF at 1pm. I’d like to add some commentary as well, give you folks another peek behind the curtain. I’ll try to avoid the whole “how STRANGEWAYS came to be” issues and stick to the story. That’ll continue into the summer convention season. Even if you’ve read the book before, you won’t have read it like this, so keep on tuning in.
There’ll be a Friday feature this week, as well as announcement of the winner of the current MURDER MOON giveaway, so check back then.
- June 17, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Matt Maxwell
Everyone’s A Critic: A round-up of comic book reviews and thinkpieces
Boody Rogers
• Let’s begin by directing your attention to the comments section of this post on the Comics Comics blog regarding my recent interview with Dan Nadel. It devolves into a conversation over Nadel’s earlier comments about Fantagraphics’ recent Boody Rogers book, edited by Craig Yoe. Nadel disliked the book for a number of reasons, which Tom Spurgeon had felt was inappropriate for him to discuss in public, since Nadel had written and edited a book that featured Rogers’ art, Art Out of Time, and thus, was suffered from a conflict of interest of sorts.
Anyway, Nadel, Rob Clough, Tim Hodler, Jeet Heer, Spurgeon and even Gary Groth (!) hash the whole matter out here, though little is resolved by the end. I haven’t read the Rogers collection yet, so it’s hard for me to gauge the accuracy of Nadel’s comments. Spurgeon makes some good points, but I’m not 100 percent convinced they are that germane to Nadel’s original post. Still, it’s an interesting discussion nevertheless.
• Speaking of that Boody Rogers book, John Mitchell didn’t care much for the book either, though for different reasons, labeling it a “patience tester.”
- June 17, 2009 @ 12:15 PM by Chris Mautner
MySpace Comic Books to close up shop
MySpace.com
Yesterday the social media megasite MySpace announced that it was laying off almost 30 percent of its staff, about 400 employees — a move their CEO called “necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace.” Per the L.A. Times, MySpace’s user numbers are down from last year, and ad revenue is projected to fall 15 percent in 2009.
As reported on Comics Alliance yesterday and confirmed by our sources, MySpace Comic Books is shutting down. An attempt to e-mail the current contact for MySpace Comic Books resulted in a response that he was no longer with the company.
No doubt with the 30 percent cut in employees, you can expect other initiatives on MySpace to be cut or at least scaled down as well.
The MySpace Comic Books community launched in 2007 and has played host to numerous comic previews, full issues of comics like Hexed, interviews, a news feed from Comic Book Resources and MyCup O’ Joe, which ended its run on May 1. MySpace is owned by News Corporation, which also owns 20th Century Fox, FOX Broadcasting Company, The New York Post, HarperCollins and IGN Entertainment, among many, many other media outlets.
- June 17, 2009 @ 11:19 AM by JK Parkin
SDCC ’09 Fat Bastard Challenge
Fat Bastard
Editor’s note: Today we kick off a series of posts about a weight loss challenge between two of the entertainment world’s finest journalists (and I’m not saying that because one of them mails me checks). In one corner, you have Comic Book Resources‘ own Jonah Weiland. In the other corner, you have Entertainment Weekly’s Marc Bernardin, who also writes comics like Monster Attack Network for AiT, the Highwaymen for Wildstorm and Genius for Top Cow. What started on Twitter will surely end with blood, sweat and tears. Or at least a lot of sweat. Now here’s Jonah to get everything started …
So, you’re asking yourself, what the hell is the SDCC ’09 Fat Bastard Challenge? Have a sit.
Monday, comics and Entertainment Weekly writer Marc Bernardin tweeted that he really wanted to get in better shape for Comic-Con International in San Diego and said his goal was 20 pounds. Now, I’ve been trying to convince myself to get back on the bicycle to get in better shape for CCI as well, but I needed that push. So I sent Marc something of a challenge –- the person with the most weight loss by San Diego is treated to a $50 meal by the loser.
Marc loved the idea and we began planning. We both realized that 20 lbs. in five weeks might not be possible, so we added a twist – for every pound of weight less than 20 each of us hasn’t lost by San Diego means a $10 donation per pound to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
- June 17, 2009 @ 10:37 AM by JK Parkin
Parker + Lieber dig deeper with Underground website
from Underground
As noted in the Image Comics solicitations last week, Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber have a new mini-series debuting in September called Underground about caves in Kentucky. They’ve also launched a site to promote the new series, which includes a preview of the first issue and a blog that promises process-oriented posts like this one. Go check it out.
- June 17, 2009 @ 09:39 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | A-Z of Awesomeness
Awwwwww
Freelance comics writer and artist Neill Cameron is doing a series of alphabet-themed art work featuring various superheroes and comic book characters. He’s only up to C, but based on what he’s done so far, I think it’s safe to say this is a site you want to visit regularly in the coming weeks. Note that he’s set up a Facebook group for those of you looking for regular updates.
- June 17, 2009 @ 08:40 AM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Marjane Satrapi
Well, look at that: It’s the 100th installment of “Comics A.M.”!
Politics | Cartoonist Marjane Satrapi and filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf on Tuesday presented evidence to Green Party members of the European parliament that reportedly documents fraud in the Iranian national election. [ADN Kronos]
Passings | Comics educator and web cartoonist Jeremy Mullins died Saturday after sustaining multiple injuries from a hiking accident. He was 32. Mullins taught in the sequential art department of the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. [The Associated Press, The Comics Reporter]
Comic-Con
Conventions | A proposed 400,000-square-foot addition to the San Diego Convention Center, location of Comic-Con International, would cost $783.4 million — which breaks down to a minimum of $52.5 million in new taxes and fees annually over the next 30 years. If the facility isn’t expanded, it risks losing Comic-Con. [Union-Tribune, San Diego Business Journal]
Awards | The winners of Germany’s ICOM Independent Comics Award were announced last weekend at the Munich Comics Festival. [Comiks Debris]
Publishing | Digital Manga Publishing’s Michelle Mauk discusses the company’s new “yaoi-on-demand” initiative: “The new program was inspired by the current economy, we had been thinking about it for quite a while, it was inspired by webcomics primarily. We have always been a small independent publisher — and that gives us the ability to be more in touch with our customers and fans, and to be able to do things a little outside of the norm.” [Anime Vice]
- June 17, 2009 @ 07:47 AM by Kevin Melrose
Black Lanterns, Black Lanterns and more Black Lanterns
from Green Lantern #43
So one of the questions that keeps popping up around DC’s upcoming crossover event Blackest Night is “Who exactly is going to be a Black Lantern?” Based on this preview art from Green Lantern #43, I guess the answer to that is … everybody?
Alex Segura at DC’s The Source blog promises that this issue will feature the birth of the first Black Lantern. “Discover who he is and just what his connection to death — and in turn, the Black Lantern Corps — really is.” I know this is way off, but wouldn’t it be kind of fun if it was Anthro? Y’know, the first hero as the first Black Lantern? Yeah, that’s why I don’t write these things …
- June 17, 2009 @ 06:50 AM by JK Parkin
Introducing … Darkseid Minus New Gods
From "Darkseid Minus New Gods"
With the popularity of Garfield Minus Garfield, I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone took a similar approach with the ruler of Apokolips. It’s a surprisingly short walk from “I hate Mondays” to “Let the universe howl in despair.”
Okay, maybe it wasn’t inevitable, but it’s happened anyway: 4thletter’s Gavok presents Darkseid Minus New Gods. Witness the existential crisis of Uxas! Marvel as the search for the Anti-Life Equation appears to take its toll! Laugh as one of DC’s greatest villains declares, to no one, “I am the storm! But not a wedding.”
- June 17, 2009 @ 05:57 AM by Kevin Melrose
This week, Ed Brubaker rules the comics store
If you’re one of those readers in the United States whose comic store had Captain America #600 waiting for you on Monday, you’ll probably be making another pilgrimage in the next couple of days. Oh, don’t act like you won’t.
In all likelihood, it’ll be worth it. After all, this week brings more Ed Brubaker than you can shake a stick at: In addition to Captain America, there’s a collection of the first Sleeper series and a new issue of Incognito, both by Brubaker and Sean Phillips.
What’s more, there’s Brian Fies’ follow-up to Mom’s Cancer, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?, a new Dead@17 miniseries from Josh Howard, a second volume of Julia Wertz’s Fart Party and — wait for it — a collection of the original Power Pack series, by Louise Simonson, June Brigman & Co.
To see what other titles Chris Mautner, JK Parkin and I think are worth checking out, just keep reading. And be sure to leave your picks in the comments below.
- June 16, 2009 @ 04:33 PM by Kevin Melrose
Unbound | Comics on the small screen
It may never replace print, but the iPod Touch is starting to emerge as a pretty good platform for comics, at least in the short term. It has several advantages over the Kindle—it has color, the graphics are nice and sharp, and a lot of people have iPods anyway for other reasons. For readers who value portability, it’s a handy alternative to carrying around a stack of books, and even purchased chapter by chapter, comics are generally cheaper in the iTunes store than in print form. A handful, such as Yoshitoshi ABe’s Pochiyama, are only available that way.
At the moment, most of the comics available for the iPod are print comics that have been adapted to the new format, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Overall, it’s a different type of reading experience, and with the right comic and good formatting, it can be as good as or even better than reading the print version.
- June 16, 2009 @ 03:39 PM by Brigid Alverson