2009 July
More pieces to the Batman puzzle
Arkham Reborn #1
I have to echo Rich Lovatt: “What is it about jigsaw piece covers being awesome?”
The above is Frazer Irving’s cover to Arkham Reborn #1 written by David Hine with interior art by Jeremy Haun. The book, which was announced over at DC’s Source blog this morning, is a follow-up to the Battle for the Cowl Arkham Asylum one-shot and is due in October.
- July 9, 2009 @ 10:02 AM by JK Parkin
SDCC ’09 | Radical Comics + Simmons clan host Family Jewels rock concert
Nick Simmons
Radical Comics sent over word that they will host the father-and-son duo of Gene and Nick Simmons at the San Diego Comic Con later this month. Nick is the creator, writer and artist of Radical’s Incarnate, the first issue of which premieres at the con. Gene, of course, is Gene Simmons, KISS founder and merchandising legend.
Radical is also hosting an event at the Hard Rock Cafe with the pair — “an exclusive invitation-only rock concert extravaganza promoting the release of Nick Simmons’ first comic book title Incarnate. The event will feature live performances by Gene and Nick Simmons as well as a surprise performance from some very special guests.”
The event will be filmed by A&E TV, who will also be filming around Radical booth #3735, and will air during an episode of Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels. To win 2 free tickets to this event and be a part of the action, simply email contest@radicalcomics.com answering the simple question: “What is your favorite Radical Publishing character and why?”
Both Simmons will sign on July 23, July 24 and July 25 at the Radical Publishing booth. Nick Simmons will also appear at the Radical Publishing Creators Panel on Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 4.
- July 9, 2009 @ 09:31 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Matthew Clark’s Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol by Matthew Clark and John Livesay
Over on his MySpace page, Doom Patrol artist Matthew Clark shares some promo art recently inked by John Livesay (found via Periscope Studios).
- July 9, 2009 @ 09:01 AM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Rine-Ne
Publishing | Viz Media has announced the October launch of Shonen Sunday, a new imprint that will publish content from the Japanese weekly magazine of the same name. The imprint’s debut title will be Rumiko Takahashi’s Rin-Ne, which Viz has been serializing online for free each week as it’s released in Japan. More Shonen Sunday titles will be announced during Comic-Con International. David Welsh offers some background and commentary. [press release]
Publishing | U.K. entertainment company Chorion Limited has been appointed by Dan Dare Corporation to represent the international licensing rights of sci-fi hero Dan Dare, which suggests we’ll likely see a resurgence of the Frank Hampson character. [Broadcast, press release]
- July 9, 2009 @ 07:56 AM by Kevin Melrose
I have a new favorite blog
Oh snap!
It’s called Sequential Crush and it’s devoted to romance comics, specifically romance comics published during the 1960s and 70s. This is no ironic, “oh weren’t those old comics corny” smarm-blog, but a loving and occasionally fascinating look at the genre. For example:
Last night while working on my presentation for San Diego (which involves a lot of scanning), I came across this spectacular example of “love story graffiti” which I just have to share. In this particular case the pages of the book itself were not altered, but there was an addition made to the book! In between the pages of My Love #3 (January 1969) were these scathing words…
Click on the link to see what the mystery note contained. I’m certainly not going to spoil anything.
- July 9, 2009 @ 07:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Neil Gaiman in SF
My good pal Brian Hibbs, he of the world-class comic shop Comix Experience, has a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime thing for Bay Area Gaiman fans:
Neil Gaiman
Comix Experience is very proud to announce, as part of its ongoing 20th anniversary celebration, a rare San Francisco reading/Q&A/Signing with acclaimed author Neil Gaiman on Sunday, July 19th from 11 AM to 12:30 PM.
Only 100 people will be accommodated, and they must secure a ticket ahead of time. Tickets will be given for free to the first 100 people to purchase Mr. Gaiman’s latest collection, Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, from Comix Experience. Retail price: $24.99.
Preorders for the book can be taken immediately by visiting Comix Experience at 305 Divisadero St. (at Page) in San Francisco, or by calling 415-863-9258 from 11-7 Monday-to-Saturday, Sundays 12-5, PST.
Full disclosure: I was Mr. Hibbs’ Minister of Propaganda from 1995-2000 and apparently old habits die hard heh heh
- July 8, 2009 @ 03:33 PM by Larry Young
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: All-Action Dracula
All-Action Classics, Vol. 1: Dracula
All-Action Classics, Volume 1: Dracula
Written by Michael Mucci; Illustrated by Ben Caldwell
Sterling; $6.95
Adapting classic literature for a younger audience is tricky business. I mean, any kind of adaptation has its challenges, but taking a novel intended for adults of a century or two ago and making it exciting for modern kids has to be daunting as hell. Especially when that novel is Dracula, which has a difficult narrative style with all those journal entries and spends a lot of time building dread by prolonging events. It’s also violent and bloody.
I’m curious to see how Dynamite’s Complete Dracula handles the slower parts of the story. And how much use they’ll make of captions as opposed to letting dialogue and images tell the story. That’s got to be a hard job and Dynamite has the advantage of targeting an adult audience with presumably longer attention spans. Plus, lots of blood will be welcomed by grown-up vampire fans.
Not that younger readers don’t also appreciate lots of blood, but I imagine that some of their parents aren’t quite as excited about their being exposed to it. Michael Mucci and Ben Caldwell had some hard choices to make. Fortunately, they made all the right decisions and have created an adaptation that’s perfect for their audience – including grown-ups in the mood for a fast-paced, exciting version of Bram Stoker’s story.
- July 8, 2009 @ 02:10 PM by Michael May
Strangeways: Murder Moon – Page 08
Written by Matt Maxwell. Art by Luis Guragna.
Commentary follows the jump
- July 8, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Matt Maxwell
Send Us Your Shelf Porn!
Time once again for Send Us Your Shelf Porn, where visitors from across wide and wooly expanses of the Internet come to examine what the comic collecting hoi polloi have on their bookshelves.
Our contributor this week is Asoka Jayasinghe, who has a small but well stocked collection that he’s eager to go through shelf by shelf. Let’s not keep him waiting any longer, shall we? Click on the link and let him begin the tour …
- July 8, 2009 @ 11:02 AM by Chris Mautner
Straight for the art | early Sonny Liew design sketches
by Sonny Liew
Over on his blog, artist Sonny Liew shares several very early sketches for an unnamed project he’s working on with his My Faith in Frankie partner Mike Carey. The story takes place in “a sci-fi setting with aliens and gadgets,” he notes on his blog. Go check it out.
- July 8, 2009 @ 09:33 AM by JK Parkin
Robot Reviews: Wednesday Comics
Wednesday Comics #1
Wednesday Comics #1
by lots of people
DC comics, $3.99.
Wow.
OK, that’s clearly not enough. How about this: Wednesday Comics is a candy-colored delight. A pop-art extravaganza that both evokes the past while offering something distinctly modern and unique at the same time.
Still want more?
- July 8, 2009 @ 08:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Garfield
Comics strips | Andrews McMeel Universal has combined its Universal Press Syndicate and Uclick divisions to form Universal Uclick, a combined print and digital syndication and licensing service.
Lee Salem, president of Universal Press Syndicate, will serve as interim CEO. Douglas Edwards, who had been CEO of Uclick, has resigned.
Established in 1970, Universal Press Syndicate distributes comic strips, editorial cartoons and other features to newspapers worldwide. Uclick sells comics, games and puzzles for the Internet and mobile phones. In 2006, it launched a comics application for mobile phones, distributing such titles as The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Godland and PvP. It later added Bone and titles from other comics publishers. [Kansas City Business Journal, press release]
- July 8, 2009 @ 07:31 AM by Kevin Melrose
D.C.’s onslaught of superhero candidates
Green Lantern for Mayor
This post on Ecocomics left me scratching my head over why Kyle Rayner was running for mayor of Washington, D.C., or why someone would set up a snazzy-looking website for him. I mean, sure; I’d pick Kyle over Hal or Guy (but not John Stewart) any day for mayor, and like I said, it’s a snazzy-looking site, and he does have the endorsement of the Flash, but what’s up with the site? Is it some kind of viral marketing thing for the upcoming Green Lantern movie, or maybe an ad for a sequel to DCU Decisions?
Then I find out Kyle’s not running unopposed. It appears Spider-Man is also in the race. As is Superman. And the Atom. Even Batwoman, who is apparently for bird equality in D.C.
As it turns out, the sites are part of the New Organizing Institute’s BootCamp, where attendees are tasked with running their own mayoral campaigns for fictional characters as part of their training. You can find a full list of the sites they’ve created here.
And while I was hoping I could throw my own endorsement out there for Batwoman, her stance on bird equality sounds just a little too crackpot for me. So Kyle it is — Green Lantern gets my vote.
- July 8, 2009 @ 06:03 AM by JK Parkin
Super Zombies #5 cover misnumbered
Super Zombies #5
Dynamite Entertainment sent over word that one of the two covers for this week’s Super Zombies #5 was accidentally printed with the wrong numbering. The cover, featuring art by Fabiano Neves and shown above, is labeled as being issue #3. So if you spot the issue and wonder what’s up, don’t worry — you’re buying (and reading) the last issue of the mini-series.
The second cover, featuring art by Mel Rubi and the correct numbering, can be found after the jump.
- July 8, 2009 @ 05:12 AM by JK Parkin
USA Today debuts Superman strip from Wednesday Comics
USA Today's "Wednesday Comics" page
USA Today kicked off its serialization of the Superman strip from DC’s Wednesday Comics this morning in its print and online editions.
As announced last month, the John Arcudi and Lee Bermejo story debuts in today’s newspaper, with subsequent episodes appearing on the USA Today website, which boasts an audience of 3.6 million. Each weekly online installment will be promoted in the print edition.
USA Today’s Wednesday Comics web page sports a DC Comics logo and head shots of Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Sgt. Rock and Wonder Woman. The brief article below the Superman comic includes a link to Diamond Comic Distributors’ Comic Shop Locator.
The New York Daily News also covers the launch of the 12-week miniseries, whose format and approach pay homage to the golden age of Sunday comics: The 16-page comic unfolds from 7 inches by 10 inches to 28 inches by 20 inches. Each of the 15 stories get its own 14-inch by 20-inch page.
“It’s either old-fashioned or it’s cutting edge, or it’s a little bit of both,” DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio tells the Daily News.
- July 8, 2009 @ 04:52 AM by Kevin Melrose