2010 March
Reading With Pictures kickstarts comics in the classroom initiative with anthology
by Jay Piscopo
Reading with Pictures is a recently formed nonprofit that, according to their mission statement, “advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve educational outcomes for all students.” And they’re kicking off their efforts with a Kickstarter project for an anthology called The Reading With Pictures Anthology Vol. 1.
The anthology will sport a cover by Jill Thompson and will feature stories by an impressive list of talent: Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Jim Gownley, Jeffrey Brown, Eric Wight, Jay Piscopo, Raina Telgemeier, Vito Delsante and Rachel Friere, Chris Giarrusso and many more (you can find the complete list after the jump below).
“I believe in bringing comics into the classroom because comics were my ‘secret weapons’ in school,” said Josh Elder, the organization’s executive director. “All the creators involved in this anthology volunteered their time and considerable talents because they believe it too. Comics made us all better students, better citizens and better people, and we know they can do the same for everyone.”
According to a press release they sent over, the anthology centers on educational stories “with each story contains engaging and entertaining educational content.” Trevor Mueller and Gabriel Bautista tell the story of alien exchange student and his human classmates traveling back in time to learn about dinosaurs firsthand. In Kevin Pyle’s “The Order of the Secret Pencil,” a boy learns to read and write through the use of comics. The sciences are also represented along with the humanities when Chris Eliopoulos, an animation director for Yo Gabba Gabba! on Nick Jr., explains the unique biology of the electric eel.
Over at Kickstarter, you can donate anywhere from $5 to $1,500, with various prizes available for each level. A simple $5 donation will land you a digital copy of the book, while $15 gets you a softcover and $20 a hardcover. They’re offering the opportunity to be drawn into one of the stories and classroom packages as well.
- March 5, 2010 @ 09:30 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | 5 Minute Marvels
Hawkeye by Grace and her Dad
I don’t know how I managed to be so blissfully unaware of 5 Minute Marvels for as long as I did, but my life sure feels richer knowing about it now. The basic concept is simple as can be and rather inspired: Every day, Tim Miner and his two daughters, ages 4 and 6, spend five minutes attempting to draw a different superhero (or villain as the case may be). Then they post it online for all to see, no doubt inspiring sounds of “awwww” in coffee shops across the country.
On the site Miner says he welcomes submissions, so if you’ve got a young’un at home with a talent for drawing, say, MODOK, grab some pen and paper and get crackin’.
- March 5, 2010 @ 09:05 AM by Chris Mautner
Bendis and Fraction talk writing and The Heroic Age
Bendis and Fraction
The newly posted Winter 2010 issue of Comic-Con Magazine — “The Writers Issue” — features an interesting and entertaining conversation between Brian Michael Bendis and Matt Fraction in which they discuss the creative process, San Diego and how they’re always writing:
Matt: A perfect example of this: I was in the shower and came up in my head with the conversation that Pepper and Tony have where we reveal his memory loss is so profound he doesn’t remember who Happy Hogan is. And the idea of Tony asking Pepper, “Who’s Happy?” just really hit me. I was like, oh that’s the scene. And I was in the shower and I was afraid I was going to forget it so I wrote it on the window—we had a shower at the time with a window looking out into the backyard which was super awesome for the neighbors. But it was fogged up so I wrote on the fog on the glass, “Who’s Happy?” just so I didn’t forget. And then I wrote it down, put it in my notebook and it was locked into place. So the next time my wife took a shower and it steamed up she saw written on the window like a suicide note, “Who’s happy?” She asked me what is that? And I had to explain, I’m perfectly happy. I’m delighted with my life.
The issue also includes an extended Q&A with Geoff Johns in which he talks about his influences, Brightest Day, The Flash: Secret Origin and more. (On a related note, Johns wraps up his two-part interview at The Source today.)
- March 5, 2010 @ 08:35 AM by Kevin Melrose
Ted Naifeh summoning the Coven in Teen Titans
Teen Titans #83
Somehow I missed the announcement in DC Comics’ solicitations for May that Ted Naifeh, creator of Courtney Crumrin and Polly and the Pirates, is drawing the new co-feature that debuts in Teen Titans #83.
The news may provide a bit of context for the Batman sample pages and character sketches Naifeh recently posted on his website. (A multi-part backup story seems like the perfect way to test the waters.)
The co-feature, which I think replaces the Ravager story — sorry, I haven’t read the title for quite a while — stars the Coven: Black Alice, a goth teen who can temporarily borrow the mystical powers of others; Traci Thirteen, the daughter of paranormal investigator Doctor Thirteen who can tap into the magic of cities; and Zachary Zatara, the cousin of Zatanna who can manipulate magic by speaking backward. Rex Ogle is writing the story.
On his blog, Naifeh told fans this doesn’t mean he’s forsaking independent comics.
“For those of you worried that I’m going to be swallowed up by the DC machine,” he wrote, “rest assured that I will remain predominately an indy artist, devoted to my personal projects. But a guy has to pay the bills somehow. And frankly, I’m not above taking a few mainstream fans with me to the dark side.”
- March 5, 2010 @ 06:53 AM by Kevin Melrose
Join the B.P.R.D., win free books via Twitter
Join the B.P.R.D.
Dark Horse Comics sent over word today that they are inviting fans to join the B.P.R.D., offering them the chance to “find out the latest Hellboy-related news before anyone else.” This includes exclusive looks at upcoming Hellboy and B.P.R.D. art, first-in-line privileges at any Hellboy/B.P.R.D. signings at SDCC, special invites to attend other B.P.R.D. events and signings, and other stuff in the coming months.
To kick it all off, they are holding another one day only Twitter contest. If you use the #followfriday hashtag tomorrow, March 4 and you list @darkhorsecomics as one of your suggestions, you’ll be entered to win all 11 volumes of B.P.R.D.– which is almost $200 worth of books.
- March 4, 2010 @ 08:49 PM by JK Parkin
Eliza Dushku out of Wizard’s Toronto and Anaheim conventions
Eliza Dushku ad for Wizard World Toronto
She was the top-billed star of the Wizard World conventions in Toronto and Anaheim — and briefly the victim of a case of mistaken identity with Warren Ellis. But now Eliza Dushku, the Joss Whedon mainstay who starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse, has quietly been dropped from the guest lists of both shows.
Is this a victory for the shows’ Con War rivals, Fan Expo (the same city as Toronto) and Reed’s Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (the same weekend as Anaheim), a sign that Wizard’s rapid convention-circuit expansion isn’t making it any easier to attract big-name talent, or just schedule churn?
- March 4, 2010 @ 02:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
Grumpy Old Fan | Rating the late
Flash Rebirth #5
A funny thing happened on the way to writing this post about two famously-delayed DC miniseries: a family emergency resulted in my very own delay. As it happens, though, Cry For Justice was pushed back one more week.
So here we all are. Flash: Rebirth wrapped up a week after its follow-up, Blackest Night: The Flash. Cry For Justice concluded today, two months into Justice League of America’s post-CFJ storyline.
And that’s pretty much all I want to say about the delays. It’s actually been kind of fun, in a fannish way, trying to put the timeline in order. “Removing” these miniseries from the normal flow of DC events helped me focus on their merits, and particularly how they developed not so much as “events” but as stories. In this respect Flash: Rebirth faltered down the stretch while CFJ made a good effort to finish strong.
Not that I want to encourage such tardiness, DC….
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR FLASH: REBIRTH AND JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE
- March 4, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by Tom Bondurant
To do: Saturday’s Haunted signing in Brandon, Florida
"Haunted" signing
Xeric grant-winning cartoonist Joshua Smeaton will mark the release of his graphic novel Haunted with a signing from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Read More Comics in Brandon, Florida.
Haunted is a full-color collection of Smeaton’s webcomic about a group of middle-school friends who want nothing more than to sneak into a high-school Halloween party at an abandoned mansion. But once they get there, they discover they’re not the only uninvited guests. (I interviewed Smeaton about Haunted in November.)
My copy arrived in the mail today, and it looks great: digest-sized, beautifully colored and with a half-dozen pages of extras. If I were near Brandon on Saturday, rather than almost 800 miles away, I’d definitely stop by the signing.
- March 4, 2010 @ 01:30 PM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | Tom Gauld’s Diet Coke can designs
Diet Coke can designs by Tom Gauld
Creative Review spotlights a new series of limited-edition Diet Coke cans designed by comic artist Tom Gauld (The Gigantic Robot, Kramers Ergot) to help raise awareness for The Heart Truth women’s health program. He also collaborated on a pair of animated TV spots.
- March 4, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
Inkwell Awards to be presented at Wizard’s New England Comic Con
Inkwell Hall-of-Famer Joe Sinnott
After two years of posting their award winners on their website, the Inkwell Awards — which recognize inkers for “their quality work and contribution to the comic book industry and sequential art process” have found a venue to present their awards live. This year they will present their awards at the New England Comic Con in Boston Oct. 1-3.
The award recipients will be presented their trophies and then take part in a Q&A session with fans. Voting for the awards will begin in August.
“Previously the voting has taken place in June but due to the later in the year date of the show event, the ballot will be posted at the site on Aug. 1, so please bookmark the address”, said Bob Almond, founder and director of the Inkwell Awards. “There will be a lot of new developments coming from us this year and having Wizard’s support will be integral to increasing the awareness and exposure of these and future developments of the organization.”
For more information on the awards and to view previous winners, be sure to check out their website.
- March 4, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by JK Parkin
A Dynamic Duo of Batman & Robin art posts
from Batman & Robin #9 by Cameron Stewart
On his blog, outgoing Batman & Robin artist Cameron Stewart has posted a selection of black-and-white pages from issue #9. Man, you could practically bathe in those inks.
- March 4, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Illustrateurs
Swamp Thing by Bernie Wrightson
Illustrateurs is a relatively new (at least I think it’s new) blog celebrating the work of various top-notch European and American illustrators and cartoonists. Most of the text is in French, but that doesn’t really matter when you’re being offered a wealth of fantastic images like this awesome portfolio of Bernie Wrightson‘s art.
- March 4, 2010 @ 11:30 AM by Chris Mautner
Some cartoonists need to look in the mirror a bit more often
the real James Kochalka and the alter ego
You ever notice how cartoonists, even the most photorealistic ones, never draw themselves how they actually look? Either their self-portraits are utterly unflattering, or they go too far in the other direction and make themselves unrealistically attractive. That’s why this (admittedly Webcomics-heavy) rundown of various cartoonists and how they portray themselves in their work is such a boon. Now you know who to pester the next time you’re strolling down the Artists’ Alley of your favorite convention. (FYI: First Second has some artist self-portraits up as well, though only one photo. Bummer.)
- March 4, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: A publishing news roundup
Dragon Puncher
• The big news of the week is that Top Shelf has not only completely updated and streamlined their Web site, but has also unveiled a whole heckuva lot of new projects for the fall, 2011 and beyond, including new books by Jeff Lemire, Nate Powell, James Kochalka and Chris Eliopoulos. All in all it looks like an interesting line-up, containing a solid mix of all-ages and more adult-oriented material.
• Top Shelf isn’t the only one doing the Web site shuffle. Both Savage Critics and All About Comics have moved/updated their blogs,
• IcV2 offers some more information on Vertical’s plans to publish Osamu Tezuka’s Ayako in the fall.
• Tokyopop is planning to publish Neko Ramen, four-koma (or comic strip) about a cat that runs a noodle shop, and they’re posting sample strips to get folks all hot and bothered.. Look for it in stores in June.
• SLG will publish the debut graphic novel by one Diana Thung, titled Captain Long Ears. Check out our preview from earlier this year here.
• Here’s what the cover to the Essential Superman Encyclopedia will look like.
• And here’s what the cover to the next Zippy the Pinhead collection will look like.
- March 4, 2010 @ 10:30 AM by Chris Mautner
‘The Flash has arguably the best villains in comics’
On the DC Universe blog, Alex Segura talks with writer (and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer) Geoff Johns about the April relaunch of The Flash, his approach to Barry Allen and the all-important Rogues Gallery:
Abra Kadabra, by Francis Manapul
The Flash has arguably the best villains in comics. Batman’s are amazing and psychological, but the Flash’s are from the far future and super scientific Gorilla Cities. Not to mention the core group of Flash’s foes, the Rogues. They were always a massive part of what made the Flash cool to me. He fought all these guys, sometimes at once because he could. When I first worked on the Flash the Rogues hadn’t been touched really more than an odd appearance here and there. I knew that they were going to be a huge focus for me and I continued using them in Rogues’ Revenge and Blackest Night: The Flash, but now with the new monthly book they’ll be playing a bigger and ongoing role in Barry’s life. There are some pretty big changes for the Rogues coming up that tie in to the very center of the DC Universe. Barry will be meeting some new villains, one in particular that is going to be the strangest killer he’s ever faced. And I think with 64th Century magicians and talking gorillas that’s saying a lot.
The interview will conclude at The Source on Friday.
- March 4, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by Kevin Melrose