2009 August
SyFy adds Urasawa’s Monster to anime schedule
Monster
News of this trickled out earlier in the week, but now Viz Media makes it official: The animated adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s psychological horror series Monster will debut on Oct. 12 as part of the SyFy network’s “Ani-Monday” programming block.
Episodes will debut each Monday and then be rebroadcast a week later on SyFy’s sibling network Chiller.
Urasawa’s critically acclaimed manga follows Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a brilliant young neurosurgeon, as he pursues a psychopath whose life he once saved. The thriller was adapted by Madhouse as a 74-episode anime series that aired from April 2004 to September 2005 in Japan.
Read the press release after the break.
- August 21, 2009 @ 09:10 AM by Kevin Melrose
Morrison and Barker’s ‘mental meltdown’
Meltdown Comics has posted video from the discussion between comics writer Grant Morrison and novelist Clive Barker that occurred back at the beginning of July. The video is broken into six different YouTube clips, and they’ve also included a full transcript.
- August 21, 2009 @ 08:40 AM by JK Parkin
GL and Deadpool discuss Ryan Reynolds
The gentleman responsible for the Marvel vs. DC videos is back once again. This time Green Lantern and Deadpool fight it out (or should that be sing it out) to see whom Ryan Reynolds should portray first. Leave it to Rorschach to ruin it for everyone. (Found via Topless Robot)
- August 21, 2009 @ 08:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Tintin in the Congo
Graphic novels | Two newspapers look at efforts by the Brooklyn Public Library to restrict access to Herge’s 1931 volume Tintin in the Congo because of complaints about its offensive portrayal of Africans. Although the headline in the Daily News says the book is “banned,” it was actually removed from the public area in 2007; patrons can view it by appointment.
According to The New York Times, Tintin in the Congo is the only challenged book that New York City libraries have removed from shelves. The Borders retail chain moved the work from the children’s sections of its U.S. and U.K. stores in 2007. [The New York Times, Daily News]
Comic strips | Brad Guigar takes a closer look at the newly announced “Comic Strip Superstar” contest sponsored by Amazon.com and Andrews McMeel Universal. [Webcomics.com]
Retailing | Barnes & Noble’s second-quarter profits fell 27 percent, but still beat expectations. [The Associated Press]
- August 21, 2009 @ 07:25 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics College: Los Bros Hernandez
Love and Rockets New Stories #1
Welcome to a new feature we’re starting here at Robot 6 titled “Comics College.” Once a month (or more if time permits) we’ll be examining the body of work of a particular cartoonist or cartoonists of note in the hopes of giving newcomers and the generally uninitiated an entry point. Because let’s face it, there are a number of notable creators who have had lengthy careers in comics and figuring out where to start when reading their ouevre can be tricky, especially if not all of their material is easily available in print.
“Comics College” was inspired largely by the AV Club’s Gateway to Geekery and Primer features. More specifically, it was inspired by their attempt to provide a overview of Gilbert (“Beto”), Jaime and Mario Hernandez’s Love and Rockets series. I found I disagreed with a number of the suggestions and points they made, enough so that I decided I needed to do my own version.
Which is why we’re beginning our debut post with a look at the Hernandez brothers. A lot of readers out there are wary about trying to dip their toe in the Love and Rockets waters and it’s not surprising. The series has been going on for decades now in a variety of series and formats. Their reputation for telling long involved stories, can seem overwhelming and scary for those unsure where to begin.
So, come, take my hand and let me be your guide …
- August 20, 2009 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Cornucopia of DEATH! DC Comics Solicitations for November, 2009
Grumpy Old Fan
While pulling together my notes on DC’s November solicitations, I saw that I was talking about Blackest Night a lot. Big shocker, right?
Well, it kinda was. See, BN‘s actual presence doesn’t increase that much in November, but the event seems to have a bit more impact this time out.
As always, though, DC’s set its table with more than just a (reanimated, cosmically-powered) big bird. Let’s see what else is on the plate, shall we?
* * *
Continue Reading »
- August 20, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Tom Bondurant
Straight for the art | Millionaire’s Moby
It’s nice to see that Penguin books is still hiring cartoonists to do covers for their classic literature line, as this new Moby Dick cover by Tony Millionaire shows. Also, be sure to check out the rest of designer Paul Buckley’s Flickr set, and this interview with him over at Hear, Hear. (Found by Flog)
- August 20, 2009 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Ms. Marvel joins the roster of characters in Ultimate Alliance 2
I missed this a few days ago when it was announced …. Marvel and Activision have announced that Ms. Marvel will be a playable character in the Ultimate Alliance 2 game that comes out next month. I believe that leaves one more playable character we’ll find out about before the game comes out, in addition to one that we won’t find out about until the game is released.
You can read more about the creator’s take on Ms. Marvel on the game’s official site.
- August 20, 2009 @ 11:34 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Ray Frenden’s poker horror
Of course Freddy is the one who cheats
Correction: The above image was misattributed to Charles Burns, when the artist was in fact Ray Frenden. Our apologies to Mr. Frenden.
Found via Sean Collins.
- August 20, 2009 @ 10:25 AM by Chris Mautner
Heroes, Season 4: Greater evil, greater good … greater cleavage?
"Heroes" Season 4 poster
James Hibberd has the promotional poster for the fourth season of NBC’s Heroes, in which Claire Bennett apparently becomes Power Girl.
I’m not sure which is more distracting, the Star Trek-style lens flare over Spock’s Sylar’s shoulder, or — wait, no, I’m sure. Eyes forward, Hiro.
- August 20, 2009 @ 09:26 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Weird Fishes
Publishing | The cover story of this week’s Metro Silicon Valley focuses on San Jose-based SLG Publishing, the state of the comics market and the company’s upcoming lineup, including Winchester, Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer and Weird Fishes.
“The sale of a couple of thousand copies of an independent comic book is a great success now,” says publisher Dan Vado. “There are fewer comic-book stores around since Amazon; indie comic-book shops are closing everywhere. The Chinese publishers, who used to turn up their noses at a small order of a couple of thousand books, are accepting them now. Comic-book publishers are having the same problem trying to find a digital business model as any other publishers, book or newspaper. Digital advertising doesn’t pay like print advertising, and customers are installing ad-blocking software.” [Metro Active]
Politics | Two Shanghai-based Iranians continue to defy government authorities with Persepolis 2.0, a webcomic that “remixes” and updates Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novel with captions referring to this year’s disputed election. Satrapi isn’t involved with the project, but has given her blessing. [AFP]
Publishing | Jacq Cohen, publicity coordinator for Dark Horse, has been hired as a publicist by Fantagraphics Books. [The Comics Reporter]
- August 20, 2009 @ 08:59 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics on the PSP: ‘There will be quite a few titles on the platform’
Star Trek on the PSP
Earlier this week Sony answered a question that Chris Mautner had asked earlier this year when they announced a new Digital Comics service that’s coming to the PlayStation Portable in December.
They also announced partnerships with Marvel Comics and IDW, which means they’ll offer everything from Spider-Man to Star Trek on the PSP. If I’m not mistaken, this is Marvel’s first major foray into portable digital comics besides the Spider Woman motion comic that came out this week on iTunes and the N project they were involved in with Stephen King.
Sony is also working with iVerse Media, who have steadily been making deals with various companies and creators to bring their comics to the iPhone for the past nine months (and in fact, they just passed one million downloads for the iPhone and are expanding onto Google’s Android platform as well).
While the press release from Sony highlighted iVerse bringing titles by Archie and Image, I checked in with them to see if there was a list yet of everything they’d be doing on the PSP.
“We’ll have a more comprehensive list of everything that is coming to the PSP closer to the launch of the platform, but most of the titles and publishers we currently release on the iPhone will be available on the PSP,” said Michael Murphey, CEO of iVerse Media. “There will be quite a few titles on the platform.”
iVerse has published iPhone applications for comics from Archie, BOOM!, Ape Entertainment, IDW, Red 5 Comics, Dabel Brothers, Ardden Entertainment and Image Comics, among others. So it’ll be interesting to see what makes the jump.
I personally don’t have a PSP, and I don’t know if this is enough to make me want to go buy one. I would, however, love it if this service was available on the PlayStation 3. Having a comic on a portable device for airports or planes is nice, but having a comic available on my flat screen would be even nicer.
- August 20, 2009 @ 08:09 AM by JK Parkin
‘I’m fighting crimes against fashion!’
It’s turning into a veritable Comic Book Week on Comedy Central. First there was Stephen Colbert’s tirade against Archie’s proposal to Veronica, and now there’s a plug for Marvel’s Models, Inc.
When fashion consultant Tim Gunn appeared last night on The Daily Show to promote the new season of Project Runway, Jon Stewart steered the conversation toward the four-issue miniseries, in which Gunn dons the Iron Man armor.
“It was a dream I never even contemplated,” Gunn said. “I mean it would be unattainable — that at 56 I would be a Marvel comic hero.”
Models, Inc., debuts on Sept. 9.
- August 20, 2009 @ 06:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Small Press Expo posters by Laura Park and Gahan Wilson
SPX posters, by Gahan Wilson (and Jacob Covey) and Laura Park
Via the Fantagraphics Books FLOG! blog comes these lovely posters for Small Press Expo by Laura Park and Gahan Wilson (with design by Jacob Covey).
The 15th annual convention, held Sept. 26-27 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland, will feature such creators as Wilson, Kate Beaton, Jeffrey Brown, Fred Chao, Chris Haley, Tim Hodler, Neil Kleid, Jeff Lemire, Carla Speed McNeil, Josh Neufeld, Ryan North, Jim Ottaviani and Ted Rall.
- August 20, 2009 @ 05:53 AM by Kevin Melrose
Off-topic: The Venture Bros. Season 4 trailer
Adult Swim has released the extended trailer for Season 4 of The Venture Bros., shown last month at Comic-Con International. (If you visit the website you can also watch a condensed video of the convention panel.)
On his Livejournal, series creator Jackson Publick reveals that Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live, Superbad) will be the new voice of Professor Impossible, the Reed Richards parody originally played by Stephen Colbert.
- August 20, 2009 @ 04:58 AM by Kevin Melrose