2010 April
An amusing little manga with overtones of burnt toast
Wine, willowy guys, and angst
Journalists love to write about the Japanese manga series Kami no Shizuku (Drops of the Gods), because it’s about wine and family drama, and who doesn’t like that combination? Also, the series has apparently given wine a big boost in Japan and other parts of Asia.
But this CNN article has a bit of actual news in it — the creators let drop the nugget that the English version of the manga would be out by the end of the year. This is interesting because while the series has gotten quite a bit of buzz, and even won a wine magazine’s award in France, this is the first anyone has heard of an English-language license.
Fans are happy. But will it materialize? Kami no Shizuku is published by Kodansha in Japan, which means the pool of possible licensees is pretty small, and the online speculation is that their U.S. subsidiary Kodansha USA may be the publisher. Of course, it’s also possible that this could be a British or Australian license, but even so, fans would be able to import it and read it in English. Bottoms up!
- April 9, 2010 @ 01:30 PM by Brigid Alverson
Riverdale’s woosome twosome get the cover treatment
Archie and Valerie
As Dr. Hook told us all those years ago, your mind won’t really be blown until you get your picture on the cover of Rolling Stone, and Archie’s Dr. Hook moment seems to have come this week—but only if you don’t look too closely. To spotlight the crossover romance of Archie and Valerie (of Josie and the Pussycats), the Archie folks have cleverly designed some fake magazine and newspaper covers spotlighting the romance from different angles. Check out Billboard, Ebony, OK!, and a comparatively restrained New York Post (hey, it’s Archie!) at the Archie News blog, all promoting the upcoming storyline.
UPDATE: Chris Sims fixes a glaring omission.
- April 9, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Brigid Alverson
C.B. Cebulski to pick the best “extreme villain cake” on Food Network this Sunday
C.B. Cebulski by Tetsuya Aoki
If you follow Marvel’s talent scout on Twitter, you know that C.B. Cebulski is a big fan of food … he’s just as likely to point out a great place to get BBQ as he is to share tips and trick on breaking into the business. Now he’s launched a blog called Eataku, “an online home for people passionately obsessed with food,” where he’s posting restaurant reviews, recipes by Alex Maleev and even food-related artwork, as you’ll see above.
He’s also going to be a guest judge on the Food Network’s Challenge show, where various chefs face off in cooking challenges. This week’s challenge is “extreme villain cakes,” and it airs this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
“Four cake designers tap into their dark side as they create original villains and tell their stories in cake,” says the Food Network’s description of the show. “The cake designers also need to make their creations move or spin or shoot fire — making for a truly extreme competition. The competitor who can wow the judges with both the story and the special effects will take home ten thousand dollars.”
- April 9, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by JK Parkin
Make Mine MoCCA: The MoCCA after-party
From the MoCCA after-party poster, by Paul Pope and Dark Igloo
If you’re looking for something to do Saturday night after the MoCCA Art Festival you probably can’t go wrong with the official after-party at the Village Pourhouse (64 Third Avenue at 11th Street), which will feature DJ sets by Paul Pope, Dean Haspiel and Brian Heater. The party kicks off at 7 p.m., and benefits MoCCA.
Heater has the poster, illustrated by Pope and designed by Dark Igloo (you can see the full image here after the break). Pope, meanwhile, offers an observation about the Kirby-inspired art and the work of the King himself: “It’s a subtle visual point, but if you look at the hand in the bottom left circle frame, you’ll see the fingers have 4 digits. It always mystified me how Kirby would draw hands with a 4th digit on the fingers. He had no regard for correct anatomy — and many times no regard for proper physics or mechanics — yet he made drawn things seem to have real solidity and mass.”
- April 9, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
This weekend, it’s Boston Comic Con
Boston Comic Con
The two-day Boston Comic Con kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer St.
The impressive lineup of guests includes Sergio Aragones, Amber Benson, Kody Chamberlain, Ming Doyle, Jim Lee, Christopher Golden, Michael Golden, Jim Mahfood, Mike Mignola, Mike Norton, Eric Powell, Joe Quinones, Steve Rude, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jim Starlin, Cameron Stewart, Ben Templesmith, Scott Wegener, J.H. Williams III and Skottie Young.
The show continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 per day for adults; children under 10 are free with adult admission.
For directions and details about parking and transportation, visit the Boston Comic Con website.
- April 9, 2010 @ 11:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Make Mine MoCCA: Creators’ corner
The Side Effects of the Cocaine
We have no complaints about the big publishers bringing in panels and parties, but the best part of MoCCA is seeing new works by emerging or established creators and getting the opportunity to meet them one-on-one. Here are some of the individual creators who will be there: Our own Sean T. Collins will be showing off his David Bowie bio-comic The Side Effects of the Cocaine with co-author Isaac Moylan.
- April 9, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Make Mine MoCCA: Publishers on parade
The Swedish are coming!
MoCCA is just around the corner—tomorrow, actually—and the cards and letters are still rolling in from folks who plan to be there. Top Shelf is kicking things off tonight with a Swedish Invasion party, and they will be debuting their new lineup of Swedish graphic novels as well as James Kochalka’s SuperF*ckers, Matt Kindt’s Super Spy (vol. 2): The Lost Dossiers, Jeffrey Brown’s Undeleted Scenes, and Dodgem Logic, edited by Alan Moore. Guests will include Alex Robinson and Kevin Cannon.
- April 9, 2010 @ 10:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
Kickstart my art | I dream of Electric Sheep
Electric Sheep Kickstarter Promo Video from Electric Sheep Video on Vimeo.
Patrick Farley is currently raising money on Kickstarter so he can make his webcomic Electric Sheep his full-time gig — “my career, my A-game, my FLOW?” And here’s his three-part plan to do so:
a) Relaunch Electric Sheep.
b) Publish three pages of story every week.
c) Trust that 3000 people will, out of the goodness of their hearts, give me a dollar every month to keep going, forever.
- April 9, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by JK Parkin
Seven Seas rescues Gunslinger Girl, Blood Alone
Gunslinger Girl is back!
Seven Seas is the latest publisher to get into the license rescue game with their announcement that they will be publishing Gunslinger Girl, formerly an ADV title, and Blood Alone, which was originally published by Infinity.
Gunslinger Girl, a shonen action series about a counterterrorist agency that uses cybernetic implants and brainwashing to turn young girls into ruthless killer. Seven Seas will start out by re-releasing the first six volumes, with new translations, as two omnibus volumes priced at $15.99 each. Volume 7 and on have never been published in the U.S., and Seven Seas will release them as single volumes.
Blood Alone, the story of a retired vampire hunter who takes in a young girl who recently became a vampire, mixes action and some wistful romance (the press release calls it “lyrical,” which I think is code for “girls like it.”) Seven Seas is going the omnibus route with this one as well, for the first volume, and will start releasing single volumes with volume 4.
- April 9, 2010 @ 09:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
Make Mine MoCCA: Neal Adams, Disney to debut new motion comic series on Sunday
They Spoke Out
Legendary comics artist Neal Adams has teamed up with Disney to produce 10 motion comics called “They Spoke Out: American Voices of Protest Against the Holocaust.” According to the New York Times, “each episode will highlight a rarely told story of Americans who helped rescue Jews from the Holocaust and include a mix of animation, traditional comic book art, period photographs and film.”
The first two episodes will debut this Sunday as a part of the MoCCA Festival.
- April 9, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by JK Parkin
Quote of the day | Terry Nantier, on NBM’s lack of Eisner nominations
“I know this is an ill-advised post, I shouldn’t be doing this. Suck it up, and shut up like I do every year when the noms are announced and we get crums. Well this year, we didn’t even get crums, we got nuthin’! And my frustration level has just reached boiling point. How about Rick Geary’s Treasury? Trondheim’s Little Nothings? The Dungeon series? Kleid and Cinquegrani’s The Big Khan? Year of Loving Dangerously by the comic industry’s favorite punching bag Ted Rall (but also beautifully illustrated by Pablo Callejo)? All of these and most of our books get outsized recognition from the press, online and off, including the growing contingent of online comics reviewers. These aren’t worth honoring? A number of titles got multiple nominations. WHY? With so much good stuff out there worth nominating, how about spreading the wealth, guys? Who do we need to give sexual favors to to get the recognition we and our authors deserve? Huh?”
–NBM publisher Terry Nantier, on NBM receiving no Eisner Award nominations this year
- April 9, 2010 @ 08:30 AM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
WonderCon
Conventions | Although WonderCon organizers are still tabulating attendance from last weekend’s convention, they say that “by all accounts the numbers for 2010 met or exceeded those for 2009.” Last year’s event drew about 34,000, a significant increase from the 20,000 that attended in 2008. They also set the dates for the 2011 convention: April 1-3, which undoubtedly means we’ll have to endure numerous April Fool’s announcements of titles and creative teams. [press release]
Awards | Deb Aoki, Lauren Davis, Tom Spurgeon and David Welsh provide commentary on the 2010 Eisner Award nominees. In case you missed it, I also offered my reactions. [Eisner Awards]
Creators | In an oddly worded post, Clifford Meth reports that 83-year-old comic artist Gene Colan was injured last week, and his being cared for by his children: “In addition, it appears that some of Gene’s artwork has disappeared, including pages from Nathanial Dusk and a Star Wars-related piece. The police are involved in the matter.” [Clifford Meth]
- April 9, 2010 @ 08:06 AM by Kevin Melrose
Quote of the day | James Robinson, on his Eisner nomination
Justice League: Cry for Justice #1
“To all who congratulated me for the Eisner nom, thank you. To all those vocally pissed that I got one, thank you too. The fact that you care enough about comics to have strong opinions at all is a good thing, ultimately. So bravo to all you Robinson haters, I love you all.”
– writer James Robinson, on reactions to his Eisner Award nomination for Best Writer for Justice League: Cry for Justice
- April 8, 2010 @ 06:10 PM by Kevin Melrose
Grumpy Old Fan | The gospel according to Geoff
Blackest Night #8
Blackest Night, written by Geoff Johns and pencilled by Ivan Reis, is the culmination of at least five years’ worth of Green Lantern storylines, not to mention elements from DC’s recent Big Events. It sets up several more storylines, both in the GL books and throughout DC’s superhero titles. It also lays out a new way to look at the very nature of life in the DC universe.
These are all elements of what I’ve called “process” stories: vehicles for taking characters from one basic setup to another, many times without much more depth than that. Process is a big part of Blackest Night — these rings work together thusly, these beings power the rings like so, etc. I haven’t had much use for process stories. Indeed, if BN were merely a process story, it would be an eminently appropriate way to cap DC’s perpetual-crossover period. One more cog in the four-color Rube Goldberg device.
Thankfully, Blackest Night aims higher — and that ambition saves it from the tedium of pure process. BN isn’t perfect by any means: it’s a gruesome spectacle of ripped-out hearts and (literal) emotional manipulation, Geoff Johns’ dialogue can be clunky, and Ivan Reis’ pencils are sometimes overwhelming. Ultimately, though, the miniseries is an engaging diversion with its own point of view, and I ended up liking it well enough.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
- April 8, 2010 @ 03:00 PM by Tom Bondurant
Straight for the shirt | Tom Neely’s “Vegan Police” charity tee
The Vegan Police t-shirt by Tom Neely
Sniff, sniff — is that bacon I smell? It’d better not be! The Blot cartoonist Tom Neely provided this Dragnet-inspired t-shirt design for The Vegan Police, a Canadian college/community radio show dedicated to veganism, animal rights, and music made by vegan and vegetarian artists.
The shirts are just $20 Canadian plus shipping. Best of all, $10 per shirt goes directly to the Ruby Ranch Pig Sanctuary, an Ontario home for pigs raised as pets or on petting zoos but discarded by their owners when they got too big or too old. Now that’s something to oink about!
T-shirts may be purchased by emailing, or sending the funds via PayPal, to theveganpoliceradio @ gmail dot com. Click the link for more info on sizing and such.
- April 8, 2010 @ 02:30 PM by Sean T. Collins