2011 April
comiXology launches Comics4Kids app for Apple devices
Comics4Kids
comiXology today officially announced that their Comics4Kids application is now available on the various Apple devices, including the iPhone and iPad.
The app includes comics from the Archie line, Secret of Kells, Atomic Robo and more. I haven’t had a chance to download it yet, but according to the release it includes comics from Image, NBM, Antarctic Press, Arcana Comics, Bluewater Comics and Dynamite, among others. Several of comiXology’s partners are missing from the list, including DC, Marvel and BOOM! — all of whom have content that would feel right at home on an app like this.
Upon seeing the name, I was reminded of something BOOM!’s Chip Mosher said at the BOOM! panel this weekend at WonderCon: “We did some marketing research, and we found out that kids don’t really like to pick up something that says ‘kids’ on it.” Still, if this makes it easier for parents to find kid-friendly comic material and keep it in an app that’s separate from their non-kid-friendly material, it will have done its job.
You can find the complete press release after the jump.
- April 6, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by JK Parkin
NY Mag features Pizza Island
Domitille Collardey at work
New York Magazine has a slideshow up this week about Pizza Island, the Greenpoint, Brooklyn, studio where six comics creators make the magic happen.
The slideshow includes self-portraits of Julia Wertz (Fart Party, Drinking at the Movies), Kate Beaton (Hark, A Vagrant) Lisa Hanawalt (I Want You), Sarah Glidden (How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less) Domitille Collardey (whose works are mostly in French), and Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie) as well as comments on each one by a co-worker. (It was Lisa and Domitille who commented on that Frank Quitely piece, so it’s interesting to contrast their self-portraits with his version of a woman cartoonist.)
There’s a whole lot of talent working in that small space, and if you’re fortunate enough to be going to MoCCA, be sure to check out their panel, which will feature all six. If you’re not, then head on over to the Pizza Island blog, where, at the moment, everyone is showing off their work spaces and discussing the quirks of their desktops.
- April 6, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | Dynamite CEO on industry; why doesn’t cartooning pay?
Green Hornet
Publishing | Dynamite Entertainment CEO Nick Barrucci talks frankly about the state of the marketplace, digital comics, and his company’s plans. He also acknowledges some missteps: “Green Hornet was a license we paid a lot of attention to last year, probably too much attention. Going back to what we were talking about earlier, putting out too much product, we put out too much Green Hornet product. Part of it is that we wanted to get trade paperback collections out in time for the movie, and we did that, we succeeded. We built up our market share and we generated more revenue for us and the retailers. I’m going off on a tangent here, so I apologize, but we took that money and reinvested into projects like Vampirella, like Warlord of Mars, like the upcoming Kirby: Genesis. But we overdid it, and that we realize, which is why you don’t see us doing four Vampirella titles and four Warlord of Mars titles.” [ICv2.com]
Creators | For its annual Comics Issue, the Village Voice takes a fascinating, lengthy and very depressing look at the often-grim financial reality faced by cartoonists — an environment to which, it turns out, the Village Voice contributed. “I’m not sure how much you’ll be allowed to write about this,” says Dan Perkins (Tom Tomorrow), “but of course the Village Voice Media chain is one of the major culprits in this —their decision to ‘suspend’ cartoons [in 15 papers in 2009] dealt a serious blow to the struggling subgenre of alt-weekly cartoons.” It’s noted parenthetically that Tom Tomorrow will return to the paper “within a few months,” and that “many of the artists in this issue aren’t getting paid, but have contributed work for the exposure.” [Village Voice]
- April 6, 2011 @ 07:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Food or Comics? | This week’s comics on a budget
Fear Itself #1
Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy on Wednesday based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on what we call our “Splurge” item.
Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList if you’d like to play along in our comments section.
Graeme McMillan
There comes a time when curiosity overwhelms common sense, which is why if I had $15 this week, I’d pick up Fear Itself #1 (Marvel Comics, $3.99). I’m not sold on the series, as much as I love crossovers – Immonen on art is a big draw, but Fraction has been very uneven recently for me – and, despite some of the reviews I’ve read, I’m hearing word that it’s more of a case of “You’ll like this if this is the kind of thing you like” book than a home run. We’ll see. I’m much more excited about Nate Simpson’s Nonplayer #1 (Image Comics, $2.99); the previews look amazing, and everyone I know who’s read a preview copy has only had glowing praise for it. I’ll also be picking up the second (and final) issue of IDW’s crossover event Infestation ($3.99), as I want to know how the whole thing ends up, and the spoilers for Brightest Day #23 (DC Comics, $2.99) make that a must-have, too, even if it’s more for “They’re doing WHAT?” reasons than genuine excitement.
- April 5, 2011 @ 04:04 PM by JK Parkin
The Middle Ground #48: Why Smaller Publishers Won Wondercon
Much to my discontent, I wasn’t at Wondercon this past weekend – The first one I’ve missed in years, but apparently moving to another state makes attending these things more difficult… Who knew? – and so I was just playing along at home, checking headlines, announcements and tweeted commentary like everyone else. But the longer I did that, the more I started to wonder: Have the smaller companies taken over all conventions that aren’t NYCC, SDCC and C2E2? Continue Reading »
- April 5, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Graeme McMillan
When you wish upon a tesseract: How Hope Larson landed the adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time
Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time, by Hope Larson
I’m slightly hesitant to even bring it up given what a bizarre, unnecessarily nasty clusterfuck our last comment thread on the topic became, but one project I’ve been tracking with great interest is cartoonist Hope Larson’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic science fiction novel A Wrinkle in Time. That’s why I was so struck by John Scarff’s report on the Hope Larson spotlight panel at last weekend’s WonderCon 2011:
Having been met by a few audible gasps when she mentioned that she would be adapting A Wrinkle in Time earlier in the panel, Larson explained how her involvement in the project came about. Jokingly referring to “a dinky little interview” a year ago when she suggested that it would be the only other author’s work she could see her self adapting, she was contacted by the publisher and the estate of Madeleine L’Engle. “I just can’t imagine a book that fit me as well as that one,” she said. “I wanted to be the one who was gonna screw it up.”
From Larson’s lips to God’s ears, apparently! I’m always delighted by stories about creative enterprises coming about in so fortuitous a fashion; I feel like it’s a good omen for the resulting work. Fingers crossed!
- April 5, 2011 @ 01:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
This weekend, it’s Mini-Comics Day
This Saturday is Mini-Comics Day — not to be confused with 24-Hour Comic Day, which is in October, although the two are kinda similar. The idea is to write, draw and print your own handmade comic book in a day or less.
Here’s a description from the site:
Mini-Comics Day
On Mini-Comics Day, participating cartoonists from around the world will write, draw, and print copies of a mini-comic, completing the entire process from start to finish in a day or less. Anyone in the world can participate.
Mini-comics have been democratizing the art of making comic books since the 70′s or earlier… with the popularization of photocopiers, it became apparent that anyone with an inclination and some spare change could print a little comic book. Wildly varying in both form and content, mini-comics are a wonderful synthesis of cartooning and hand-made art objects.
Several places, including comics retailers, around the world are hosting Mini-Comics Day events; you can find a complete list here. And if you’re curious about how to make your own mini-comic, The International Cartoonist Conspiracy has a handy guide in PDF format.
- April 5, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by JK Parkin
Start reading now: New Skin Horse arc
Shaenon Garrity Tweeted yesterday that her webcomic Skin Horse is starting a new story arc, making this an excellent time to jump on board, if you’re not reading it already. Co-written with Jeffrey C. Wells and illustrated by Garrity, Skin Horse is about a ragtag government agency whose mission is to help and protect “nonhuman sapients,” such as robots, zombies and talking centipedes. The staff includes a human, a zombie, a talking dog, and a swarm of bees. As I noted in my review of the first print volume, the comic, done in gag-a-day format, starts with an implausible premise and just keeps piling on until you are helpless with laughter. The new arc is an opportunity to get on board and sample a new story before going deep into the archives.
Bonus content: Garrity and Wells just did a cute gag strip based on Dirk Tiede’s Paradigm Shift, a police procedural with a supernatural plot twist, and another webcomic that’s definitely worth bookmarking.
- April 5, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Image rescues two Minx titles
Ah, Minx, DC’s attempt to make comics for teenage girls. The failure of the whole enterprise lies in that very statement. Teen girls don’t like things made specifically for them. They don’t even think of themselves as “teen girls.” Catering to them is very, very tricky, because you can’t appear to be catering to them. Worse, adults who write and review books for teenagers have a hard time letting the characters do anything truly bad, but that’s exactly what teenagers want—and need—to read. If you give them an after school special, they’ll dump it and read something by Chuck Palahniuk instead.
The first round of Minx books all had a definite made-by-adults-for-teens vibe. The second season was much, much stronger, because the creators took more chances, and not coincidentally, more of the creators were women. There were books I actually wanted to read in that second season, and the two I did read, Token, by Alisa Kwitney and the incomparable Joelle Jones, and Burnout, by Rebecca Donner and Inaki Miranda, were quite good. Of course, that’s when DC killed the line.
So my ears pricked up when Deb Aoki Tweeted that Image has picked up two titles that were originally done for Minx: Poseurs, by Deborah Vankin and Rick May, and All Nighter, by David Hahn. Alas, Deb was underwhelmed by Poseurs:
- April 5, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Jeff Lemire to draw Jonah Hex #69
From Jeff Lemire's cover to "Jonah Hex" #69
DC Comics announced this morning that award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire (Essex County, Sweet Tooth) will draw July’s Jonah Hex #69, adding his name to an impressive roster of artists that has already included the likes of Darwyn Cooke, J.H. Williams III, Eduardo Risso, Fiona Staples and Jordi Bernet. Collaborators Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray are, of course, writing the issue.
Check out Lemire’s full cover after the break.
- April 5, 2011 @ 07:51 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | WonderCon attendance likely surpasses 39,000
WonderCon
Conventions | Although final figures aren’t yet available, WonderCon organizers confirm attendance likely surpassed the 39,000 fans who came to last year’s convention. [Publishers Weekly]
Publishing | On his always-interesting new blog, Jim Shooter reminisces about the genesis of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: “We went through a number of ideas for names for the toy line and series. Mattel’s focus group tests indicated that kids reacted positively to the words ‘wars’ and ‘secret.’ Okay.” [Jim Shooter]
Publishing | Longtime print broker Chikara Entertainment, which also offered book packaging and consulting services, has closed. [ICv2.com]
Retailing | Sarah Cohen provides a snapshot of South Florida comic stores struggling amid a weak economy and a changing marketplace. Some retailers have changed their strategies by diversifying their merchandise, holding events and reaching out to customers via the Internet. Others, however, prefer to do business the way they always have. “Making events and using social networking is pushy,” says Jorge Perez, owner of A&M Comics and Books in Miami. “It might help business, but then you would be on the computer all day doing stuff like that.” A&M, the oldest comic store in Florida one of the oldest in the nation, has seen business drop by about 40 percent since 2008. [Miami Herald]
- April 5, 2011 @ 06:53 AM by Kevin Melrose
Talking Comics with Tim | Jess Fink
Chester 5000
At least one constructive thing came out of Jess Fink‘s latest battle with copyright thieves, I became aware that her new “erotic, robotic” book, Chester 5000, was set to be released this May from Top Shelf. Be advised (if the erotic adjective was not clear enough) that as beautiful as I find Fink’s work, a good majority of it is NSFW, so be aware of that before clicking any links (though in Top Shelf’s defense, its five-page preview carries nothing too erotically risque [though proceed with caution if you're at the office reading this]). Mindful of the fast approaching release date, I emailed some questions to Fink this past week. Here’s the official Top Shelf description of the book: “1885: an age of industrial revolution and sexual frustration. Pricilla is a woman with needs, and her inventor husband Robert is a little too busy with his experiments to keep her fully satisfied. Science to the rescue! With a few gears and springs, the proper appendages, a little lubrication, and a lot of love, Chester 5000 is born! He’s the perfect tool for the job… but what if Chester is more than just a machine? What are the consequences of trying to engineer love?” We also discuss her other Top Shelf book, We Can Fix It!, as well the stress of battling the copyright crooks.
Tim O’Shea: Chester 5000 is definitely erotically charged, but I think you’re also enamored of working diagrams into your stories (Extendo Limbus, for example). Where does your love of things mechanical and diagrams begin?
Jess Fink: I really love mechanical drawings from the 1800′s. Or even just product drawings from adds and catalogs. After photography was invented it was still much cheaper to hire artists to draw your products so we get these lovely, detailed little drawings of just about anything you can imagine. The diagrams in Chester were partly inspired by these. You can find a great deal of reference for Victorian items in the Sears and Roebuck catalog.
- April 4, 2011 @ 03:30 PM by Tim O'Shea
Zack Soto plays a Game of Thrones
The Hound by Zack Soto
Full disclosure (not that it’s even necessary if you’ve noticed my posts on this topic for the past few months): I am a giant nerd for George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, and eagerly anticipate Game of Thrones, the new HBO series based on the books. (Go ahead and watch the first 14 minutes of the series premiere at Spinoff. I’ll wait.)
Fortunately I’m in good company: Cartoonist Zack Soto, of The Secret Voice and Studygroup12 fame, is a hardcore ASoIaF fanboy as well. In tribute, he’s launched The Wall Defends Itself, a tumblelog dedicated to the best in Game of Thrones fan and production art. That’s Soto’s rendition of one of the books’ major heavies, Sandor Clegane — aka the Hound — above. Soto says he’ll try to post at least one original piece of ASoIaF art every week — the perfect way to get your fix of intrigue, incest and the occasional undead warrior between episodes of the show!
- April 4, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Sean T. Collins
Quotes of the Day | Would you attend a fundraiser with this woman?
CBLDF fundraiser poster by Frank Quitely
“Something about this poster really rubs me the wrong way (and it ain’t just the daisy dukes wedgie). People can draw whatever they want and Frank Quietly is a great artist, but honestly this makes me want to avoid that event like the plague.”—Lisa Hanawalt
“I think if this flyer wasn’t representing a girl cartoonist I would not be annoyed like I am now. I’m just mildly annoyed. Also it made me laugh a lot because the women cartoonists I know are way sexier than that.”—Domatille Collardey
The cartoonists behind such books as I Want You and What Had Happened Was… respectively take issue on their Twitter accounts with the promotional art for a rare stateside appearance by Batman and Robin artist Frank Quitely tomorrow night, the proceeds from which will be donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Please note that neither person is saying it’s the worst thing in the world or that Quitely’s some kind of creep, just that it’s an odd and off-putting choice of image for the event. I was taken aback by it myself, and I say that as someone who admires Quitely’s art generally and his sexy-ish art specifically. Maybe it’s the visible underwear, giving me flashbacks to every superhero artist who’s drawn some poor woman’s thong sticking out of her jeans? Or maybe, as Collardey argues, it has something to do with the fact that the woman in question is, apparently, a cartoonist herself? This also makes me wonder how much our reaction to a given image has to do with who made it. If this had been done by, say, Greg Horn, would I be at all tempted to defend it? Does the quality of the artist’s overall body of work, or even of his depictions of women in particular aside from this one image, factor into the equation? Am I using rhetorical questions in order to avoid taking a coherent position?
- April 4, 2011 @ 02:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
Super Punch redesigns the X-Men: First Class movie poster
X-Men: First Class by Rory Phillips
If you thought the first X-Men: First Class movie poster was kind of boring, you aren’t alone — the blog Super Punch thought so as well, so they held a contest to redesign it. You can see all the entries over there now, and they plan to reveal the winner later today.
(Thanks, Joe!)
- April 4, 2011 @ 01:27 PM by JK Parkin