2010 October
What Are You Reading?
The Bulletproof Coffin
Welcome to this week’s edition of What Are You Reading. JK Parkin is off enjoying the APE convention this weekend, so I’m filling in. Our guest this week is blogger and critic Sean Witzke. To find out what he and the rest of the Robot 6 staff have been reading this week, just click on the link below.
- October 17, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Mautner
APE ’10 | Some quick thoughts on Saturday
Writers Old Fashioned
It was beautiful yet windy day in San Francisco yesterday as I headed to San Francisco for the Alternative Press Expo. I got there a bit later than I’d hoped, due to a quick pit stop in Mountain View that turned into a traffic nightmare. The lot behind the Concourse was already full by the time I arrived, a hint of the crowds that had gathered inside. And inside, everything was different. The layout of the floor was basically flipped, so what used to be the back of the building was now the front of the building. They also had part of their programming slate, the comic workshops, out in an open area up on one of the landings, which I thought worked nicely.
My first stop was the Writers Old Fashioned booth, where I said hello to Jason McNamara, Storm, Matt Silady, Stephenny Godfrey, Emily Stackhouse, Josh Richardson, Danger Bob and the rest of the crew. They were sporting some new eye-catching banners. I also met Greg Hinkle, who worked with several of the WOF crew on a new horror comic called Parasomnia, which they had at the show … and which you’ll be able to see right here on Robot 6 the week of Halloween. I picked up copies Storm’s second Princess Witch Boy and Godfrey’s award-winning Panorama, and Stackhouse showed me her artwork from her next comic, Miner’s Mutiny, which she should have soon.
AdHouse Books returned to APE this year, bringing Adam Hines and his book Duncan the Wonder Dog. I picked up a copy; it’s a huge and mammoth volume that I’m looking forward to reading. I also have to give props to the folks at the Devastator table, whose excitement was infectious. I picked up the first volume and bought a subscription for the next three.
After an engaging spotlight panel, Daniel Clowes was signing at the Drawn and Quarterly booth, drawing a huge line of folks with everything from issues of Lloyd Llewellyn to his latest, Wilson, for him to sign. Renee French was close by, signing her latest, H-Day; we talked briefly about blogging (check out her always interesting sketch blog here).
It looks like rain today, so I should probably start making my way to the Concourse to see if I can get a better parking space …
- October 17, 2010 @ 10:47 AM by JK Parkin
Dan Clowes covers the Criterion Collection
The Naked Kiss
Eightball/Ghost World creator Daniel Clowes provides the covers for two Sam Fuller classics for the Criterion Collection — The Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor. Both movies come out next year, and based on the description, it sounds like he provided artwork for the accompanying booklet as well.
If you’re in San Francisco, you can meet Clowes at APE today, which kicks off in a few short hours.
- October 16, 2010 @ 08:32 AM by JK Parkin
NYCC ’10 | Talking digital with David Steinberger
comiXology CEO David Steinberger at his booth at NYCC
“I think this whole year will be the year of devices,” said David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology, at his New York Comic Con booth last weekend. “The question is, will companies be able to make marketplaces like Apple? They are really the only app and digital store that has worked so far. But we will see that this year.”
ComiXology was one of the first comics reader apps for the iPhone and iPad and continues to be one of the most popular comics readers, with a wide range of content from DC, Marvel, and other comics publishers large and small. Customers download the app for free and purchase comics within the app. ComiXology uses a special guided view technology to display comics frame by frame on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The company also makes dedicated viewers for DC, Marvel, and Archie comics. And it is publishing its own comics: Tony Trov and Johnny Zito were at the booth, signing autographs and promoting their comic, Moon Girl, which comiXology is publishing on the iPhone.
Speaking before the comiXology panel, Steinberger said his big news is that the company is showing off self-authoring tools so creators can prep their work themselves. “We are doing everything we can to increase the throughput but also allow independents and creators to bring comics to us more thoroughly again,” he said.
- October 15, 2010 @ 06:02 PM by Brigid Alverson
The Fifth Color | Wolverine and the X-Men captures the magic of mutants
Comedian Demetri Martin has this bit on digital cameras and how they allow us to reminisce instantly (“Look, we were so young then…”). And, while funny, it’s certainly true; things that are fresh in our minds can be shared with dozens of people the moment we experience it. You catch a glimpse of Mark Millar eating a ham samwich in Los Angeles? Take a snapshot with your camera phone and suddenly everyone on Facebook can know Mr. Millar’s deli tastes. On one hand, you lose the gloss of nostalgia, since we’re no longer looking back at the way things were when we were younger or through the haze of better times. On the other hand, you keep the enthusiasm of the moment; midnight movie showings with a full audience are great because of the shared experience.
Wolverine and the X-Men, brought to you by the fantastic folks at Marvel Animation, lasted 26 episodes. A single season, and they packed incredible amounts of story and canon and drama into their kids’ action cartoon. Sadly, due to financing issues, the show won’t see past its starkly astounding final episode. But! Thanks to the magic of DVD releases, we can now reminisce instantly and keep up that enthusiasm for what was a great, ground-breaking show.
Having seen all 26 episodes in a rabid sort of marathon this week, I can say with absolute certainty that Wolverine and the X-Men is the finest collection of Marvel’s mutant lore, current comic action and forward thinking tales that make up the best of what fans want.
- October 15, 2010 @ 03:00 PM by Carla Hoffman
APE ’10 | A few more items for your ‘to do’ and ‘to buy’ lists
Alternative Press Expo
The Alternative Press Expo, or APE, is coming up this weekend in San Francisco. The show runs this Saturday and Sunday at the Concourse on 8th Street. This year’s special guests include Daniel Clowes, Lynda Barry, Tony Millionaire, Renee French, Rich Koslowski, Megan Kelso and Tommy Kovac. In addition to an exhibitor’s room packed with comics of all shapes and sizes, they also have panels, workshops and even a “speed dating” event to help pair up writers and artists.
Here’s one more round of stuff to do/buy at the show. I’ll be there both days and will hopefully get a chance to blog from the floor.
- October 15, 2010 @ 01:30 PM by JK Parkin
Collect This Now! The Shadow
Shadow #9
In my debut CTN column, I raved about Justice Inc., a two-part prestige format series DC put out in the late 1980s, written by Andrew Helfer and drawn by Kyle Baker. The book starred a long-forgotten pulp hero known as the Avenger. That comic was actually a spin-off of another comic Helfer and Baker were doing at the time, which was also based off of a pulp hero, although in his case he was far from forgotten. I’m talking, of course, about The Shadow.
- October 15, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by Chris Mautner
Bring out your dead: Marvel cancels Young Allies with Issue 6
Young Allies #5
Marvel has dropped the ax on Young Allies, going so far as to cancel the solicitation for December’s Issue 7.
The series, by Sean McKeever and David Baldeon, launched in June under the publisher’s “Heroic Age” banner, and starred Nomad, Firestar, Araña, Gravity and a new Toro. “The idea behind Young Allies is that it’s literally a group of young allies,” McKeever told Comic Book Resources in March. “It’s not so much a team in the conventional sense as it is a group of like-minded people of the same generation.”
Young Allies got off to a rough start, with the first issue selling less than 21,000 copies — teetering on Marvel’s traditional “line of death.” By the third issue, that figure had dropped to 14,000.
McKeever, who’s carved out a niche with teen-superhero dramas like Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and the Nomad backup story in Captain America, confirmed the cancellation, writing on Twitter that Young Allies #7 “was only at the plotting stages when the hammer came down, so there is no ‘missing issue’.” (Marvel told Comics Alliance the series is “on hiatus.”)
McKeever will continue to write the Nomad serial in Captain America. His next big Marvel project, Onslaught Unleashed, was announced over the weekend at New York Comic Con.
“More discussion of Young Allies in the last 24 hours than there had been since its announcement in March,” McKeever tweeted this morning. “Le sigh.”
The sixth and final issue of Young Allies arrives in stores on Nov. 3.
- October 15, 2010 @ 11:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Tokyopop and Digital Manga hold hands
Love Knot, one of the Blu manga available on eManga
Tokyopop has been exploring lots of different venues for its manga (publishing Hetalia on Zinio and comiXology), and now they are signing on with a competitor: Digital Manga will be publishing manga from Tokyopop’s yaoi imprint, Blu, on at its eManga site.
EManga works on a points system—you buy a block of points and spend them to sell or rent books. It’s all streamed via Flash, not downloaded, so “buying” a book means the reader will always be able to read it on the site—as long as she has an internet connection.
The press release (below) touts the money-saving angle: A volume of Blu manga in print retails for $14.99, while the online price is $5.99. However, the Blu titles are the most expensive manga on the eManga site; DMP’s June and 801 manga sell for $2.00 to $3.00 each, and Yaoi Press titles also go for $2.00. Harlequin manga are as cheap as $1.00.
The format at eManga is a little complicated, though—most non-Blu manga are “rented,” not sold. You can read the manga once for the rental price, and if you rent it again, you have permanent access to it. So for someone who wants to be able to go back and read the manga again, the effective price is double the sticker price. There is no rental option for Blu manga; pay the full price, and it’s yours for good (or at least for as long as the eManga site is around).
The fact that the manga are streamed rather than downloaded is probably not a big problem for yaoi readers; my impression is that they read a lot of manga but they only read them once, like other people read romances. Yaoi tends to be one-shots, not series, so keeping up with continuity is not a problem.
One thing that struck me as I looked over the site is that Digital isn’t putting many of its own books up there; many of the Digital titles are samples only. Japanese licensors are often reluctant to allow their work to be put online, but it seems odd that Digital isn’t pushing harder to get the books they have licensed onto their own platform.
- October 15, 2010 @ 10:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
Free e-book—Wowio’s Halloween treat
Wowio is being kind of coy about the title of the book, but I’ll spoil it for you: Go to their Facebook page, click the “Offer” tab, click “like,” and you can get a free e-book of Sean O’Reilly and Kevin Hanna’s The Clockwork Girl. Instructions are on their site for the Facebook-impaired. Enjoy!
- October 15, 2010 @ 09:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
DC goes ‘iconic’ in January with cover treatments, one-shots
Superman #707
DC Comics announced yesterday that the covers for their January comics will get “a unique and yet familiar logo treatment that brings the focus on the characters and stars of their respective books.” As you can see in the image above, the covers will feature the star of the book with their familiar logo behind them.
“This January, we’re putting the focus squarely on the characters and iconic heroes of the DCU,” said DCU Co-Publisher Dan DiDio. “Not only will we tell new stories some of the more-deserving with special one-shots, but we’ll be giving every title in the line a unique treatment that puts the spotlight on the heroes and villains that populate the DC Universe.”
More information on the four one-shots — SHAZAM!, Wonder Girl, Steel and Starman/Congorilla — can be found after the jump.
- October 15, 2010 @ 08:48 AM by JK Parkin
Hulk, Cloak & Dagger being prepped for TV
Hulk
It looks like the Hulk could once again be smashing the small screen.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Marvel and ABC are working on a new Hulk TV series for the network, as well as a Cloak & Dagger series for ABC Family. Both are in the early stages of development.
According to the report, Marvel met with ABC back in May to pitch several potential television shows, including Hulk, Heroes for Hire, Moon Knight, The Eternals, Ka-Zar and The Punisher, among others. Cloak & Dagger made the cut despite not being on the list, and Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel’s TV division, is reportedly hearing ideas for the show. HR also notes that The Punisher could become a cable show down the road — presumably not on ABC Family.
The original Hulk television show, which starred Bill Bixby as Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as his green-skinned alter ego, ran from 1978 until 1982 on CBS.
- October 14, 2010 @ 08:17 PM by JK Parkin
Grumpy Old Fan | Crowd control
Superman: The Man Of Steel #37
There are about to be nine regular Batman titles — Detective Comics, Batman, Batman & Robin, Streets Of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens, Batgirl, and Red Robin, plus the November-debuting Batman Inc. and The Dark Knight. There are three regular Superman books (Action Comics, Superman, and Supergirl) and three regular Green Lantern books (GL, GL Corps, and Emerald Warriors). At the risk of oversimplifying, each of these titles exists on its own for a reason. Each supposedly tells its own stories, and each is independent (to whatever degree) from the others in its family.
And I feel a little hypocritical suggesting this, because I am all for the independence of any given series, but … what if these series worked together better?
DC tried to do just that on a macro scale a few years ago, when the weekly Countdown tied into practically every major superhero series. Described as the superhero line’s “spine,” and advertised as a bridge to the big-event Final Crisis, Countdown turned out to be an odd little gerrymander of a story, uneven and often confusing. Currently, several of DC’s books bear the banner of DC’s biweekly Brightest Day, but for the most part they only share characters with the year-long miniseries.
- October 14, 2010 @ 04:00 PM by Tom Bondurant
APE ’10 | Sparkplug, Omaha Perez, Cartoon Art Museum, The Devastator and more!
Alternative Press Expo
The Alternative Press Expo, or APE, is coming up this weekend in San Francisco. The show runs Saturday and Sunday at the Concourse on 8th Street. This year’s special guests include Daniel Clowes, Lynda Barry, Tony Millionaire, Renee French, Rich Koslowski, Megan Kelso and Tommy Kovac. In addition to an exhibitor’s room packed with comics of all shapes and sizes, they also have all sorts of panels and even a “speed dating” event to help writers find artists (and vice versa).
One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet is that this year they’ve added a full slate of creator workshops, where you can learn how to draw facial expressions with Raina Telgemeier and market a comic that’s easier to read than to describe with Larry Marder, among many others. In other words, APE isn’t just about talking about and buying comics, it’s also about learning to create and sell them yourself.
Prior to the show, I’ll be posting what various companies and creators have planned for APE. If you’d like to be included, email me the details on where you’ll be, what you’ll be selling and all that good stuff. (I’d send them quickly, though, since the show starts on Saturday and I’ll likely just do one more round-up tomorrow).
And now let’s see what folks have planned …
- October 14, 2010 @ 03:39 PM by JK Parkin
Quote of the day | Neil Gaiman on digital comics and the iPad
Neil Gaiman
“I loved, was shocked, delighted, and amazed by the fact that the first best seller that DC Comics had on the iPad was Sandman No. 1. Just sort of going, this is a comic I wrote 23 years ago, and you’ve got this new technology, and it’s here right now. I think they’re brilliant. I really do. And I think that I do not have the allegiance to paper that I ought to. Perhaps I don’t have the allegiance to paper that I ought to because anybody who invests in The Absolute Sandman, all four volumes, is now carrying 40 pounds of paper and cardboard around with them. And they hurt and they complain, ‘Oh, I feel guilty.’ And I look at it and go, you’re not getting anything that is quantitatively or qualitatively better than the experience you’d be getting on an iPad, where you can enlarge the pages, you can move it around, it’s following the eye, and you can flip the pages.”
– Neil Gaiman, in a longish, wide-ranging Q&A with New York magazine’s Vulture blog
- October 14, 2010 @ 02:30 PM by Kevin Melrose