2010 October
APE ’10 | Sunday at the show
Alternative Press Expo
While Saturday in San Francisco was beautiful, Sunday brought rain — so what better way to spend time indoors than to hang out at the Alternative Press Expo? I got there a little earlier on Sunday than I did the day before, so it was a little less crowded when I arrived. That would change as the day went on.
I had about half an hour to kill before the Writers Old Fashioned panel at noon, so I headed to their booth to find a copy of Pete Hodapp’s award-winning minicomic. Retailer James Sime, who runs the Isotope minicomics awards every year, had tweeted that the winner would be APE selling copies of his book, so I wanted to make sure I picked one up. Hodapp was at the WOF table with Kirsten Baldock, who works at Isotope and is a writer as well. I missed the party the night before, but Baldock had great things to say about his acceptance speech, and I was glad I got a copy before they were all snatched up.
After that I started slowly making my way toward the room where the panels were being held, stopping at a few tables to see what people had. I met Barry Deutsch, who was there with copies of his book Hereville, and we talked while he moved from one table to another. I also met Charles Yoakum and bought a copy of his crime comic, The Carnival. Yoakum worked for years as an inker, doing books like Bloodshot, Turok, Magnus Robot Fighter, Batman: Outlaws and many more. He said he stepped away from comics around 2000, and only recently returned. He inked Paul Gulacy’s pencils in the Radical series Time Bomb, and he’s writing and drawing his own comics as well … which is what brought him to the show.
- October 20, 2010 @ 03:00 PM by JK Parkin
Send Us Your Shelf Porn!
Welcome to Shelf Porn, your weekly invitation to check out someone’s collection. Today’s Shelf Porn comes from Jason Wood, co-host of the 11 O’Clock Comics podcast and a columnist for iFanboy. Jason shows us his terrific comic room, including his comics, graphic novels and lots of original art.
Jason’s pictures were the last ones I had in the queue, so unless you want to see reruns next week or (shudder) my badly organized shelves, please send your write-up and pictures to jkparkin@yahoo.com as soon as you can. Our readers thank you in advance.
And now here is Jason …
- October 20, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by JK Parkin
Cocktails and conversation to benefit The Hero Initiative
Jimmy Palmiotti (photo by Seth Kushner)
If you’re attending Long Beach Comic Con next weekend, here’s a fine way to support a good cause while getting to hang out with some industry notables: Tickets are available on eBay for a meet and greet with writer Jimmy Palmiotti, artists Tim Bradstreet, Amanda Connor and Dave Johnson, and actor Thomas Jane from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at Gladstone’s Restaurant.
Your $65 benefits The Hero Initiative, and gains you access to the private party — only 20 people can attend — with the five, who will be available for conversation and autographs (tickets include appetizers and two drinks). Sales close on Friday. Ticket buyers should bring a photo ID to the Hero Initiative booth at Long Beach Comic Con at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 29, where they will be escorted to Gladstone’s.
- October 20, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
On your next trip to Italy, stay in comic book splendor
The Spider-Man Room at Villa Comics
If you’ve been thinking of heading to Italy and want to stay somewhere close to the water, Villa Comics has six rooms available with a private bathroom, air conditioning, TV, minibar and a comic book theme.
Located in the Gulf of Policastro – Cilento, “the theme is ‘comics,’” their website reads, “and each room is named after a comic character. There are room in honour of: Little Nemo, Tin Tin, Spiderman, Uncle $crooge, Corto Maltese, Spirit and Dylan Dog. Each room is decorated with a colourful canvas. Whether you’re a comic fan, or not, you’ll be enthralled by the attention to detail and the way in which ‘comics’ seeks to transport its guest into the world of fantasy to which each room has been dedicated.”
The proprietor, Gianfranco Martuscelli, is a cartoonist who wanted to combine his passions for comics and tourism.
- October 20, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by JK Parkin
In the footsteps of Tintin
Tintin in Petra
The Guardian’s Georgia Brown takes a tour of Jordan that is explicitly designed to mirror Tintin’s travels in The Red Sea Sharks:
I was jolted back to the present when our driver suddenly pulled up and started animatedly talking to a group of Bedouin riders blocking the road. I half-imagined we had stumbled into a misadventure. But this was part of our planned adventure – these were our mounts for the next two hours as we recreated Tintin’s escape over the Heisha Mountains en route to Wadi Musa. We donned our own red and white keffiyehs – a playful nod to TT – before setting off along the dusty track, leaving the highway behind.
The tour was led by noted Tintinologist Michael Farr and included a visit to the ancient city of Petra as well as some sidelights on Tintin and his creator, Hergé.
- October 20, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Andy Khouri defends The 99 (sort of)
At Comics Alliance, Andy Khouri has penned a vigorous defense of the comic series, The 99 which sets out to provide positive role models for Islamic youth but is raising objections from commentators who claim it is really part of a sinister plot to brainwash our children and impose Sharia, Islamic law, across the country. Khouri starts by pointing out that this entire argument is nonsense.
In reality, Sharia is not a by-the-books law but more of a set of social and political beliefs practiced by Muslims around the world, who differ on the details depending on where you go and who you talk to. What’s generally true across the board is that Sharia is about being culturally conservative, behaving very modestly with respect to sex and money, and practicing a high level of courtesy and reverence for one’s neighbors.
But even by this most unspecific definition of Sharia, “The 99′s” connection to Islamic law seems tenuous at best. The reality is that Superman himself operates in a way that would be very agreeable by most mainstream interpretations of Sharia, and it is with pronounced irony that conservative Americans, particularly those in favor of living life like we’re all Boy Scouts, react so hatefully towards Muslims, who are truly their allies in this regard
Khouri, who grew up in Abu Dhabi, also points out that indoctrination isn’t as easy as all that. It’s an excellent, thoughtful piece and well worth a read, even though he ends by pointing out that while the cartoon may be harmless, it also isn’t very good.
- October 20, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics sales fall off a cliff
The retailer-oriented site ICv2 has the latest comics sales numbers from Diamond, and the news is grim: In their own words, third-quarter comics sales “sucked.” Compared to the third quarter of 2009, comics sales are down 14% and graphic novels are down 6%, for a combined drop of 12%, the largest the ICv2 gurus have seen since they started tracking year-to-year sales in 2004.
Their reasoning seems to buck conventional wisdom: What you mainly read on the blogs is that fans hate big events and stopped buying comics when Marvel and DC raised the price of a single issue to $3.99. The numbers seem to say otherwise:
Wolverine #1, the top selling comic in September
We took a look to see to what degree higher prices were holding up comic periodical sales, and although there was an effect, it wasn’t huge. Piece sales for the quarter were down 16%, vs. the 14% decline in comic dollars noted above.
…
Pricing may be part of the problem, but the real issue is a dearth of major hits. Like all entertainment businesses, the comics category rises and falls on the strength of its strongest titles, and the strongest titles just aren’t that hot right now, especially in the core superhero lines of the Big Two. Marvel took a break from major events this year (see “Interview with Marvel’s Dan Buckley, Part 1”) and hasn’t had any big PR successes for a while, and DC has seemed like it was moving through molasses for much of the year as its New York staff waited for the other shoe to drop in the company’s ongoing reorganization (it recently hit the floor, see “DC’s Move West to Affect 80”).
This is strictly direct market sales, of course; these charts don’t cover bookstores, where graphic novels tend to do better. The article does end on a moderately cheerful note, pointing out that comics have done better than one might think given the dismal economy, and that the holiday season is yet to come.
- October 20, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Voting opens for leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion election ballot
Today DC Comics revives an old tradition by allowing fans to select the next leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Through the wonders of 31st-century 21st-century technology, readers no longer have to mail in their votes. Instead, they visit the Legion election website and simply click on one of the 25 candidates. (Twenty-five?)
If you’ve not had the time to brush up on the contenders, you might consider the well-reasoned endorsement by the Legion Abstract fan blog of Phantom Girl, “one of the longest-serving of all Legionnaires, yet has never been leader.” Michael at The Legion Ominicon voted for Gates, the socialist insectoid teleporter, “just to see what [writer] Paul Levitz would do with him.”
On the DC Universe blog, Editor Brian Cunningham notes that Legion elections “can have some very interesting consequences.”
“A reader poll throws us a potential creative curve ball,” he writes. “I recall during the 1980s, the readership elected longtime Substitute Legionnaire Polar Boy — an unlikely turn of events, given the illusion that the Legionnaires themselves were voting. But Paul, who wrote the series at the time, just rolled with it and crafted some very clever and entertaining stories around it.”
Voting ends on Nov. 10. The winner will be revealed in December’s Legion of Super-Heroes #8.
- October 20, 2010 @ 08:15 AM by Kevin Melrose
Harvey Pekar died from an accidental medication overdose, coroner finds
Harvey Pekar
Legendary comics writer Harvey Pekar died on July 12 as a result of an accidental overdose of antidepressants, a coroner has determined.
Pekar, 70, was found dead by his wife Joyce Brabner in their Cleveland Heights, Ohio, home. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller ruled his death by natural causes. “He did not take his own life,” said a spokesman for the coroner’s office. “His death came as a result of accidental ingestion of fluoxetine and bupropion.”
Fluoxetine, often marketed as Prozac, is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic attacks. Bupropion, also known as Wellbutrin or Zyban, is prescribed for depression and smoking cessation; it poses a risk of seizure when taken incorrectly.
Pekar, best known for his American Splendor series of autobiographical comics that inspired the acclaimed 2003 film of the same name, had been suffering from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and depression. He was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1990, which inspired him to collaborate with Brabner and Frank Stack on Our Cancer Year.
- October 20, 2010 @ 06:52 AM by Kevin Melrose
Food or Comics? | This week’s comics on a budget
Batman & Robin #15
If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for Food or Comics?, where every week some of the Robot 6 crew talk about what comics we’d buy if we were subject to certain spending limits — $15 and $30, as well as if we had extra money to spend on what we call our “Splurge” item. Check out Diamond’s release list to see what arrives in comic shops this week,then play along in our comments section.
Chris Mautner
If I had $15:
I’d get Batman & Robin #15 ($2.99), the final chapter in the “Batman Must Die” arc, which, I think we can all agree, as been one of the best runs in the series so far, thanks largely to the stellar work of artist Frazer Irving. I’d also get Highland Laddie #3 ($3.99), the latest issue in the Boys spin-off mini-series. I haven’t been as impressed with this one as I was with the current storyline in Boys, but I remain ever hopeful that it will come together in some fashion by the end.
If I had $30:
I’d chuck those comics aside like so many election mail flyers and nab Picture This ($29.95), the latest book by Lynda Barry and a sequel to her stellar What It Is. As with that book, this uses collage, comics, autobiography and more to provide an inspirational, thoughtful examination of drawing and the artistic process. I can’t wait to sit down with a copy. If it’s half as good as its predecessor, it will be fantastic.
- October 19, 2010 @ 02:24 PM by JK Parkin
Marvel sees red over green ‘Hulk’ power tools
Marvel has sued an Ohio power-tool manufacturer, claiming its new “Hulk” line of industrial and home equipment infringes on the publisher’s trademarks.
THR, Esq. reports that the dispute dates back to last year, when a subsidiary of Airbase Industries registered the mark. An examiner with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office in October 2009 found no conflicting marks to prevent Airbase from marketing its power tools — indeed, there are other products that carry the “Hulk” name without problem — triggering Marvel to begin an opposition proceeding.
In the meantime, Airbase rolled out its “Hulk” line, complete with a green color scheme and a … familiar … font. In a lawsuit, filed last week in Ohio Southern District Court, Marvel describes that particular shade as “confusingly similar” to the one used for its Green Goliath, and the logo as “nearly identical” to its own Hulk products. Marvel seeks an injunction, a cancellation of Airbase’s trademark, and all of the profits from the sale of the “Hulk” products.
- October 19, 2010 @ 01:01 PM by Kevin Melrose
Who has the best sketchbook in Brooklyn?
Drawbridge Sketchbook art by Nathan Schreiber
That’s what organizers of King Con and members of the Drawbridge sketch blog want to know. So they’re sponsoring the King Con Drawbridge Sketchbook Competition, held as part of the Nov. 4-7 Brooklyn convention.
To qualify, entries must contain work from five different artists, and have one sketch made at at King Con 2010. The winner, who will be announced on Nov. 7, will receive the Drawbridge Sketchbook containing art by Dean Haspiel, Tim Hamilton, Simon Fraser, Reilly Brown, Nick Abadzis, Robin Ha, GB Tran, Joan Reilly and Nathan Schreiber.
“King Con and Drawbridge see the competition as a way to give back to the sketchbook collectors who commission work and support their favorite artists,” Schreiber writes on his blog. “As comic conventions grow and transform the fundamental relationship the cons are based on – that between creator and fan – runs the risk of being drowned out. The Drawbridge Sketchbook competition reaffirms this connection between creator and fan, and showcases the depth of talent and community at King Con. We’re hoping artists and fans use the competition to make and collect some amazing work!”
- October 19, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
There’s gold in them thar manga
It’s not Action Comics #1, but right now, the first volume of The Name of the Flower is going for between $50 and $150 on Amazon and eBay—not bad for a book that sold for $9.99 new.
Daniel BT, who blogs at Sunday Comics Debt, got a note from his retailer that DC is liquidating all existing stock of CMX Manga. As you may remember, CMX ran a pretty sweet little line until the DC brass took it out back and shot it. Fans were dismayed with the abrupt announcement, as a number of series were left unfinished and several new licenses had just been announced.
Life is messy, and for whatever reasons (print runs, fan whims, gremlins) some volumes sold out before others. So you can get volume 3 of The Name of the Flower for as little as three bucks, but the cheapest copy of volume 1 on Amazon right now is $55.25. And if you want a copy of volume 6 of Emma, Kaoru Mori’s highly regarded romance set in Victorian England, the asking price is 90 bucks. Asking price is not the same as selling price, but it’s telling that these books aren’t available much cheaper as far as I can see. Interestingly, some of the out-of-print volumes, like vol. 3 of Tenjho Tenge, are still available at reasonable prices.
- October 19, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Haunting tales in handy electronic form
Just in time for Halloween, Manga University is offering a genuine bargain: A digital download of Kwaidan: Tales of Japan’s Ghostly Past for just 99 cents.
The book is a manga version of the ghost tales compiled by Lafcadio Hearn in the 19th century, and it’s illustrated by Maki Miyamoto, who specializes in horror manga. The art seems to be pencil rather than lines and tones, making for a softer, more atmospheric look than one usually associates with manga (especially horror manga). The comic is available as a PDF so you can read it your computer or load it onto a Kindle or iPad if you have the software. Why can’t it always be this easy?
- October 19, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
This is Charles Burns. This is Charles Burns on Tintin. Any questions?
Aboard the CBR mothership, Alex Dueben talks to Black Hole author Charles Burns about his new book X’ed Out, in stores this week from Pantheon. And by the sound of it, the book — the first in a trilogy — is thoroughly indebted to Belgian comics master Hergé’s timeless Tintin tales, from the cover to the coloring to the format itself:
There’s certainly a very strong Herge influence. If you just think of the Franco-Belgian style of creating comic albums in that format, the way those European make them which is the 64 pages, 48 pages. A hardbound albums with continuing characters. I was one of those rare kids of my generation who grew up reading Tintin and it had a very profound effect on me, so this is the way that I can kind of reflect on that and play with some of those ideas.
[...]
“Black Hole” was always conceived of as being a book that would be all collected together. I’m not conceiving of this as, “Here’s three books that will eventually be collected into one book.” When I get interviewed by the French and Belgian press, I won’t be answering this question, because it’s a different tradition. I’m kind of emulating that tradition by doing a series of books in this manner. For example, when I was doing a signing in Southern France, there was someone who came up to me and who explained that he was really hesitant to buy “Black Hole” for a long time because it just seemed too foreign to him, this idea of this big volume. He wasn’t used to that idea of the graphic novel format, whereas now, it’s really been assimilated over there and popular over there as well. Here, the questions I get asked are, “Gee, this seems like a really slender volume for a graphic novel.” It’s not trying to pass itself off as a big graphic novel. It’s a different style of storytelling.
Unfortunately, Hergé passed away before he could ever release a graphic album in which he processed the influence of Charles Burns. Too bad — I would have liked to have seen Captain Haddock grow a small but strangely erotic vestigial tail.
- October 19, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Sean T. Collins