2010 March
Strangeways: The Thirsty – Page 122
Art by Gervasio and Jok. Written by Matt Maxwell.
Silent panel. Does it work? Does it not? Still feelin’ that out.
And again, as a reminder, I’ll be up at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle this weekend (first big show of the year for me!). I’m in the C’s of Artist’s Alley, so come on by and say hello and remind me that real people do indeed read this strip on a weekly basis, or I’m gonna end up thinking that all my commentors are just figments of my imagination.
As usual, Five Minute Stories will be available for those who ask nicely, provide three words and something to write upon. If you don’t provide those, how can I be expected to provide a story in return? Plenty of show-priced collections of MURDER MOON, as well as the ashcan version of the first chapter of THE THIRSTY. And you can even hit me up for a sketch, but it’ll probably end up coming from my extensive swipe file.
See you back here next week.
- March 10, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Matt Maxwell
Comics cavalcade: Special Flannery O’Connor edition
Penn’s Best by Frank Santoro and Jon Good
Grotesque by Sergio Ponchione
- March 10, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Robot reviews: Ultimo Vol. 1
Ultimo Vol. 1
Ultimo Vol. 1
by Stan Lee, Hiroyuki Takei, Daigo and Bob
Viz, 216 pages, $9.99
Why is it that — especially in most shonen manga — whenever there’s some big story about the ultimate good going up against the ultimate evil, the good side of the equation is always represented in the blandest, dullest terms possible? Are basic human decency and kindness really that boring as attributes? Or is it that most artists and writers are stymied when forced to portray these qualities in any sort of dramatic or otherwise interesting terms and end up resorting to cardboard cut-outs?
- March 10, 2010 @ 11:15 AM by Chris Mautner
Marvel and Airwalk join forces for clothing line
From the Marvel x Airwalk clothing line
Skate-and-surf apparel company Airwalk is working with Marvel on a new line of clothing featuring the publisher’s characters.
Women’s Wear Daily reports that new line, debuting this fall with the “Marvel x Airwalk” logo, will include clothing, footwear and accessories for men, women and children. There will be three different collections targeting boutiques, specialty shops and high-end department stores, and mid-tier retailers.
Sneaker Files has mock-up images showing a flowery X-Men hoodie, tee and sandals, a Silver Surfer design, and the above Captain America set, in which the stylized Airwalk logo replaces the traditional “A” on the character’s mask.
- March 10, 2010 @ 10:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Exclusive Preview: David Malki’s Wondermark, Volume 3
Wondermark Volume 3: Dapper Caps & Pedal-Copters HC
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics, we’re pleased to present a preview of the third collection of David Malki’s comic strip Wondermark. The strip appears online as well as in the print edition of The Onion.
Here’s a little more info on the quirky, funny strip:
It’s Wondermark time again! Come along for the ride as Dark Horse returns to David Malki’s silly, bizarre, and hilarious world that’s not quite present day, not quite the Victorian era, and not like anything else you’ve seen before. (Unless you’ve read the previous Wondermark books, of course!) This newest volume of the Eisner-nominated series contains over one hundred comic strips originally published in The Onion and on wondermark.com, plus many pages of additional material by creator David Malki. More than just webcomic collections, the Wondermark books have been praised for their magnificent design and loads of extra content for casual readers and superfans alike.
Check out the preview, which includes two exclusive pages, after the jump.
- March 10, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Hulk vs. everyone
by Darren Rawlings
Artist Darren Rawlings, whose “Agent Orange” appeared in the most recent Popgun anthology, decided “to let loose some drawing rage” in celebration of March Madness. All month on his blog, he’s posting drawings of the Hulk smashing his way through the Marvel universe. Already the green-skinned Goliath has taken out the X-Men, Reed Richards, Iron Man and Venom. Who will be next?
- March 10, 2010 @ 09:30 AM by JK Parkin
How many Wolverines is too many?
Paolo Rivera's homage to C.M. Coolidge, from "The Amazing Spider-Man" #590
Over the decades, the character may change — The Punisher, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Deadpool — but the question remains the same: Does a hero risk overexposure (and long-term damage) by appearing in too many titles?
Marvel Vice President-Executive Editor Tom Brevoort tackled that question this week after a reader asked for his “honest opinion” on the subject, and its possible relationship to the “waning sales” of Wolverine’s titles.
“… This is one of those circumstances where art and commerce aren’t always served to an equivalent degree,” Brevoort wrote on his Marvel.com blog. “But my ‘honest’ opinion is that the only thing that really hurts characters over the long haul is bad stories. You point to waning sales on Wolverine, and yet all I see is a character who’s still one of the driving forces of the marketplace. The reason Wolverine appears in so many titles is that people want to read about him. More people than want to read about Cyclops, or Iron Fist, or Millie the Model. The Direct Market is an extremely democratic entity — if readers don’t purchase a book, retailers won’t order it and companies will stop making it. And the reverse is true as well — if something sells and continues to sell well, we’ll inevitably make more of it.”
- March 10, 2010 @ 08:50 AM by Kevin Melrose
Your video of the day: Neil Gaiman profile
It’s not really comics, per se, but I did enjoy this CBS profile of Neil Gaiman, mainly because he takes us on a brief tour of his oh-so-awesome library. (via)
- March 10, 2010 @ 08:15 AM by Chris Mautner
Superman and Batman exist in separate movie worlds, Nolan says
Superman, by Jim Lee
Fans who envisioned Warner Bros.’ reinvigorated superhero-movie slate as a “shared universe” littered with Easter eggs and cameos just may get their hopes dashed.
At least that’s what I glean from this Los Angeles Times profile of Christopher Nolan, who in February was tapped by the studio to mentor production of the next Superman movie (his brother and frequent collaborator Jonathan is rumored to direct).
Nolan, who of course directed the highly successful Batman Begins and The Dark Knight — they grossed more $1.3 billion in theaters worldwide — and who seems destined to helm the third installment, is enthusiastic about screenwriter David S. Goyer’s take on the Man of Steel. So enthusiastic, in fact, that it appears as if it was Nolan who approached the studio about he and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, getting “involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way.”
So, it’s finally confirmed that Nolan is overseeing the new Superman movie, and that Goyer is writing the screenplay. What’s not so certain is whether the film will be called Man of Steel, as has been widely reported. “I don’t know where this stuff comes from,” Thomas told LA Times writer Geoff Boucher.
(One other confirmation: The villain in the third Batman film won’t be Mr. Freeze.)
Nolan is complimentary of Bryan Singer’s 2006 film Superman Returns, and how it connected to Richard Donner’s icon version of the character. But it’s with this passage that Nolan squashes fandom dreams of, say, Lois Lane attending a Wayne Enterprises gala or eco-terrorist Pamela Isley releasing a toxin in the Metropolis subway system:
“A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that’s what I know how to do,” Nolan said, emphasizing the idea that Batman exists in a world where he is the only superhero and a similar approach to the Man of Steel would assure the integrity needed for the film. “Each serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.”
In short, we probably shouldn’t expect Gary Oldman to become the Samuel L. Jackson of the DC movie universe.
- March 10, 2010 @ 06:39 AM by Kevin Melrose
Spider-Man musical loses its Mary Jane
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Just when it looked as if the long-troubled Spider-Man musical finally had gotten back on track, it’s been dealt another blow: Evan Rachel Wood, who had been cast as Mary Jane Watson, has dropped out of the $52-million production.
Variety reported on the departure of the True Blood actress Tuesday afternoon. Producers for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark issued a statement citing “a scheduling conflict,” and said that casting has begun for a new Mary Jane.
The ambitious musical, possibly the most expensive in Broadway history, originally was set to open this month at the Hilton Theatre in New York City. However, “cash-flow obstacles” pushed that date to sometime this fall.
Directed by The Lion King‘s Julie Taymor and scored by Bono and the Edge, Spider-Man stars relative newcomer Reeve Carney as Peter Parker and Alan Cumming as Green Goblin.
Production was stopped in August while producers sought more money for a budget that ballooned from $35 million. In November, Bono’s longtime business partner Michael Cohl was brought onboard to put the show back on track. According to a January report, Disney stepped in to provide “a chunk” of the financing for the musical, whose producers include Marvel and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Spider-Man will cost about $1 million a week to produce — hundreds of thousands of dollars more than elaborate shows like Mary Poppins and West Side Story — and require the 1,700-seat Hilton to sell out for every show for four years just to break even.
- March 10, 2010 @ 05:17 AM by Kevin Melrose
This week finds sparkling vampires, avenging spirits and haunted mansions
Another Tuesday afternoon, another installment of “Can’t Wait for Wednesday,” our weekly look at what you can expect to find on shelves on New Comics Day. JK Parkin is under the weather, so Chris Mautner and I are left to our own devices.
To see what we think looks good, read on. And, as always let us know your picks in the comments below.
The Complete Milt Gross Comic Book Stories, Vol. 1
Chris Mautner’s pick of the week: The Complete Milt Gross Comic Book Stories, Vol. 1 hardcover
I didn’t even know that Milt Gross, best known for such deliciously absurd comic strips as Count Screwloose and Nize Baby, had worked in comic books before reading the ad copy for this book, part of Craig Yoe’s new imprint for IDW Publishing. Gross was a one-of-a-kind cartoonist, frenzied and inspired, with an off-kilter, anything-goes sense of humor that in many ways was a precursor to MAD. He’s one of those artists that always seems to get sidelined, however, so it’s really nice to see someone put together such a loving collection. Now if only they’d collect his newspaper strips … (IDW Publishing)
- March 9, 2010 @ 03:38 PM by Kevin Melrose
Celebrate great radio and great comics with The Best Show on WFMU
Best Show on WFMU art by Michael Kupperman
Free-form radio is an awesome but endagered art form, but this week it’s getting a shot in the arm from one of the media’s few other real Wild Wests: comics. Creators Matt Fraction, Evan Dorkin, Michael Kupperman, Danny Hellman and Brian Musikoff are pitching in to raise money for New Jersey-based WFMU via an exclusive donor prize pack available through The Best Show on WFMU.
There’s really no way to adequately explain The Best Show, which airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on listener-supported WFMU and online. Its host, Monk and Tom Goes to the Mayor writer Tom Scharpling, describes it as “three hours of mirth, music and mayhem.” It’s part traditional call-in show, albeit with a legendarily cranky host and weird group of regular callers. It’s part showcase for indie rock and alternative comedy, with luminaries like Patton Oswalt, John Hodgman, Ted Leo, Tim and Eric, Paul F. Tompkins and Aimee Mann making regular appearances. But at its core it’s comedy in and of itself, courtesy of Scharpling’s partner, Superchunk and Mountain Goats drummer Jon Wurster, and the bizarre characters he concocts as callers to the show. Ranging from the hoagie-eating, Eagles-worshipping Philadelphia native Philly Boy Roy to a vicious send-up of Gene Simmons to an ultraviolent senior citizen called the Gorch who claims to be the inspiration for Happy Days‘ Fonzie, The Best Show‘s rogues gallery and their long, largely improvised not-quite-prank calls need to be heard to be believed. It’s sort of like a three-hour inside joke, but once you’re on the inside, it’s so funny you never wanna get back out.
Fraction (who’s a regular guest on the show), Dorkin, Kupperman, et al are all a part of “The Best Show on WFMU 2010 Chump Steamroller Fun Pack,” a prize package available to donors who pledge $75 or more during tonight’s show. The Fun Pack includes a DVD starring Fraction, Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, Tim and Eric, John Hodgman, Todd Barry, Yo La Tengo, Aimee Mann, Ted Leo and more. It also includes a set of Best Show Trading Cards designed by Chris Moses and Joe Allen, featuring art by Kupperman, Dorkin, Hellman, Musikoff and more. After tonight’s show is over, they’re gone forever, so be sure to pledge at 800-989-9368 or online at wfmu.org. In the words of The Best Show, “Good guys win — bad guys lose!”
- March 9, 2010 @ 01:38 PM by Sean T. Collins
What’s a Grickle? An interview with Graham Annable
Big Book of Grickle
Graham Annable has been publishing his comics for so long — easily a decade or more now — that it’s seems striking that his unique brand of pitch-black comedy, his prolific production rate or his ability to move back and forth between animation and printed work (he has a day job as a storyboard artist at Laika Entertainment) with such seeming effortlessness hasn’t won him more accolades.
Dark Horse is attempting to rectify that situation with their release of the Book of Grickle, a hand-selected “best of” that features a number of short stories originally published in the now out-of-print books Annable did way back when for (I’m guessing defunct) Alternative Comics.
Annable took time out from his busy schedule to conduct an email interview with me and talk about the new book, how he fell into comics and where the word “Grickle” came from anyway.
Q. I wanted to start off by asking you how this particular collection came to be? Did Dark Horse contact you or were you shopping around for someone to publish this book?
A. I had chatted with Diana Schutz at numerous conventions over the years and we always talked about me doing something with Dark Horse. But what that specifically was I could never quite envision for myself. About a year ago I was struck with the notion that I’d love to do a collection of my past work along with some self published stories that a lot of people hadn’t seen. The first Grickle book had been out of print for nearly 5 years already and the timing seemed right. I immediately thought of Diana and Dark Horse and pitched the idea to her. Diana was stoked on it and everything kind of fell into place after that.
- March 9, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Quote of the day | Kieron Gillen on the economics of independent comics
Phonogram, Vol. 2
“We’ve been doing Phonogram for over 4 years, not including the years before the first series came out. Imagine if we could have just done the comic and not had to deal with any of the shit we’ve had to. We’d have been up to issue 44 now. Instead, we have 13 issues. … I feel frustrated. Enormously lucky, sure, but frustrated. We’ve done this wonderful thing we’re crazy-proud about. But if the whole economic system was just a couple of degrees to the left, everything would have been different. I mean, just to give you an idea about narrow the margins are between what we are and what we could be, if we were selling 6K instead of 4K, we could have done those 44 issues. The difference between breaking even and actually being able to do it in comics is insane. It’s like being kept under ice, clawing. I feel like a bonsai plant.”
– writer Kieron Gillen, discussing why “The Singles Club” is the final volume of his and Jamie McKelvie’s Image series Phonogram
- March 9, 2010 @ 12:24 PM by Kevin Melrose
A look at Molly Crabapple’s character designs for The Puppet Makers [Updated]
"The Puppet Makers" character designs, by Molly Crabapple
Following up on this morning’s announcement, Zuda Comics has released some of Molly Crabapple’s character designs for The Puppet Makers, her upcoming webcomic with frequent collaborator John Leavitt.
The series, described as everything from a “Rococo steampunk murder mystery” to “Blade Runner meets The Other Boleyn Girl,” is one of those rare instant winners in the Zuda competition, joining the likes of Jeremy Love’s Bayou, Dean Haspiel’s Street-Code and Kevin Colden’s I Rule the Night.
Update: io9.com now has the official description for The Puppet Makers:
Dangerous Liaisons meets Blade Runner. The Puppet Makers is a mystery set in an alternate historical Versailles. Versailles is run by clockwork and aristocrats wear robotic suits, or Dollies, to go through the elaborate rituals that proscribe daily life. When the king’s Dolly explodes, it is revealed that he’s long since vanished. A young monk’s investigations into the king’s disappearance draw him into the dark secrets of the court.
No debut date has been given.
- March 9, 2010 @ 11:50 AM by Kevin Melrose