2010 August
Ultimate Craig Thompson/Fábio Moon team-up!
Let’s get ready to drrrrrrrrrrrrrrraw comics! In one corner: Craig Thompson, author of Blankets and currently god knows how many hundreds of pages deep into his upcoming fantasy epic Habibi. In the other corner: Fábio Moon, one half of a Brazilian brother act with fellow cartoonist and Daytrippers collaborator Gabriel Bá. Witness the pulse-pounding power of these two extraordinary artists combined in “Blog War,” a collaborative document of Moon’s visit to Thompson’s home turf in Portland currently told in words and pictures and spread across the pair’s respective blogs: part one, part two, part three part four, part five. From photos of Craig with his shirt off to drawings of Fábio in a speedo to an all-star wine-bar meet-up including Thompson, Moon, Dark Horse’s Sierra Hahn, Laura and Mike Allred, and Joe Sacco, it is indeed “the crossover event of the summer.”
- August 2, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
See Comic-Con through a creator’s eyes
Dylan Meconis went to San Diego Comic-Con, and she took notes. Meconis, the creator of the Family Man and Bite Me, posted her con sketchbook to Flickr, and her sharp observations, fluid line, and stable of interesting friends make this a fascinating souvenir. (Via Comics Worth Reading.)
- August 2, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
DeFalco and Frenz to revive Thunderstrike
Thunderstrike
A press release for the New York Comic Con reveals that the original Thor clone, Thunderstrike, is returning in a new miniseries by co-creators Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.
“I didn’t think that bio would be public until the actual convention in October. Anyway, Ron, Sal, Tom and I have been working on a new Thunderstrike limited series for a few months in what we laughingly refer to as our ‘spare time,’” DeFalco wrote on the One, True Spider-Girl message board. “All I can tell you is that it will be set in the regular Marvel Universe and it’s loaded with twists, turns, action and angst–in other words–our typical fun & games thrill-o-rama!”
I’ve never read a Thunderstrike comic, so my knowledge of the character is limited, but according to Wikipedia it sounds like the last time the character appeared, he died. So I guess he must get better.
Hat tip to Bleeding Cool for the second link
- August 2, 2010 @ 09:30 AM by JK Parkin
Interview: Linda Ackerman on Networked: Carabella on the Run
Carabella values her privacy
Carabella has blue skin, a Princess Leia hairstyle, and an attitude about posting her personal details online. That’s because she comes from a planet where social networking has gone from fun to mandatory, and no one has any personal privacy any more. So when a friend posts her picture online—and a group of Princess Leia look-alikes show up at her door—she freaks.
Carabella is the hero of Networked: Carabella on the Run, a graphic novel with a message: Think twice before putting your personal information online, whether on Facebook or your favorite shopping site. Produced by the nonprofit Privacy Activism, the book was written by Gerard Jones, illustrated by Mark Badger and funded by a grant from the Rose Foundation and published by NBM last month; it’s also available as a webcomic on the Privacy Activism website.
I spoke to Linda Ackerman, the staff counsel for Privacy Activism, at the American Library Association meeting in Washington, DC, in June.
Brigid: Why make this a graphic novel?
Linda: Our purpose has been to try to educate people about privacy issues, visually where possible. There is enough legalese around. We wanted to be able to communicate information about privacy in an accessible way.
- August 2, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Quote of the day | Erik Larsen, on the latest Gaiman vs. McFarlane ruling
Spawn: The Dark Ages #12
“The Neil Gaiman thing perplexes me because it seems so unfair. The characters he created were clearly derivative of the ones Todd created. How anybody can look at Medieval Spawn and side with Neil just shows their bias against Todd. It’s Spawn on a horse, for cryin’ out loud! Everything Neil created was derived from Todd’s creations and all of it was designed by Todd. Claiming ownership just seems really unfair. Now Todd is forced to have people sign work-for-hire contracts. It’s sad — but that’s the price we all have to pay.”
– Image Comics partner Erik Larsen, on last week’s ruling that Todd McFarlane
owes Neil Gaiman a share of profits from the derivative characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany
- August 2, 2010 @ 07:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Spawn #9
Legal | The big news over the weekend was that a federal judge ruled in the latest chapter of the prolonged Neil Gaiman/Todd McFarlane legal battle that the characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany are simply derivatives of their earlier creations Medieval Spawn and Angela. Therefore, Gaiman has a right to a share of profits from the properties.
Maggie Thompson, who has been covering every twist and turn of the case from the beginning, offers her take on the ruling. Meanwhile, John Jackson Miller revisits sales estimates of the Spawn issues written by Gaiman, Alan Moore, Dave Sim and Frank Miller. [MaggieThompson.com, The Comichron]
Organizations | Friends of Lulu appears to have been spared from dissolution after volunteers stepped forward to fill board positions. [Occasional Superheroine]
- August 2, 2010 @ 07:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
What Are You Reading?
Creepy Archives
Welcome once again to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what’s on the night stands of the Robot 6 crew. This week our special guest is Kody Chamberlain, who you might know from such comics as Punks, newuniversal: 1959, The Foundation and his latest, Sweets, from Image Comics.
To see what Kody and the rest of the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below …
- August 1, 2010 @ 02:24 PM by JK Parkin