2011 May
Food or Comics? | This week’s comics on a budget
Bakuman Vol. 4
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 a “Splurge” item.
Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList if you’d like to play along in our comments section.
Chris Mautner
If I had $15:
I have a couple of options here. The new issue of The Boys is out ($3.99), as is Vol. 4 of Bakuman ($9.99) and both are currently on my “must-buy” list. But then there’s I Will Bite You ($14), a new collection of comics by Joseph Lambert, courtesy of Secret Acres. I’ve enjoyed the few mini-comics by Lambert that I’ve read, enough to at least consider putting my other purchases aside in order to get this book instead. There’s also what I believe to be the final issue of Alan Moore’s Dodgem Logic ($8), which I’d likely ask my retailer to put aside for me for a week when the pickings were slimmer.
- May 3, 2011 @ 05:00 PM by JK Parkin
The Middle Ground #51 | Out Of Sight
Indie comics need better press.
This isn’t to say that PR people for some indie publishers aren’t doing spectacular jobs; Fantagraphics, Oni Press and IDW have some of the best publicity people in the industry, and I’ve heard that from enough people that I know it’s not just my own personal biases leaking out (Although I will readily admit that I love the folk in charge of publicity/press for each of those publishers). But what I mean is, there are still far too many people out there for whom “comics” means Marvel and DC, and that’s it, despite the fact that they should really know better. Take, for example, the recent Prism Awards. Continue Reading »
- May 3, 2011 @ 04:00 PM by Graeme McMillan
Northstar is not an ambi-turner
The Alpha Flight Collector has noticed that in the hands of Greg Land, Northstar has as many looks as Derek Zoolander. He also doesn’t seem to be getting the respect he deserves as an X-Man, but there’s only one person to blame for that. It’s that damn Wolverine. He’s so hot right now!
- May 3, 2011 @ 02:07 PM by Michael May
Roger Langridge redraws Thor: The Mighty Avenger cover for HeroesCon auction
Thor by Roger Langridge
For the annual HeroesCon art auction, Thor: The Mighty Avenger writer Roger Langridge exercises his artistic muscles and redraws the cover to issue #6, originally drawn by his collaborator Chris Samnee and featuring the son of Odin’s face-off with Fin Fang Foom. The show kicks off June 3 in Charlotte, N.C.
- May 3, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by JK Parkin
Your video of the day | How to letter by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud offers a “how to” guide on the under-appreciated art of lettering comics. Above is part one; you can also watch part two on YouTube.
- May 3, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by JK Parkin
Quote of the day | Brian Wood on the WildStorm that could have been
The Authority
“Shortly before the decision was made known that DC was closing the Wildstorm imprint, I was asked to pitch a line-wide ‘new direction’ for Wildstorm… not a reboot, but just what would come next after the World’s End thing. A year’s worth of stories for three titles. I was so into it, and now the pitch sits in the vault with all the rest of its friends.”
–DMZ, Northlanders and DV8 writer Brian Wood, revealing what might have been if DC Comics hadn’t closed down its WildStorm imprint. Based on the three ongoing series that WildStorm was publishing before they were shuttered, the series Wood references are most likely The Authority, WildCATS and Gen13.
I guess the silver lining here is that DC does still own the characters, so there’s always a chance that we’ll see Authority and the rest again … and who better to revive them than the guy who revived DV8?
- May 3, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by JK Parkin
Batman has a soft spot for green-haired wild cards
Artist Coran Stone captured this sweet moment between the Dark Knight Detective and the Green Goliath. Apparently they made up after their previous meeting:
- May 3, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Michael May
Tokyopop in the rear view mirror
The Rising Stars of Manga
There was a time, back in the mid-2000′s, when Tokyopop was a bubbling cauldron of talent. With its Rising Stars of Manga competition and global manga program, Tokyopop was a gateway into comics for many talented newcomers, and many of them continue to work in the industry, creating and editing manga and other types of comics. Tokyopop shut down its OEL (Original English Language) manga program and laid off much of its staff in June 2008. Some of the creators continued to work on Tokyopop’s licensed books, while others moved on to new endeavors, including BOOM! Studios’ Pixar comics and Archaia’s Fraggle Rock anthologies.
The news that Tokyopop will be shutting its doors on May 31 inspired many creators to post their thoughts about the Tokyopop experience, and we reached out to some others for their own memories.
Former editor Tim Beedle, who was on staff at the time, looked back with mixed feelings:
There were certainly times where working at Tokyopop could be a frustrating experience. Like most of the editorial team, I came to Tokyopop because I had a genuine interest in comics and manga and wanted to play a role in bringing some great titles to American graphic novel fans, whether they were licensed from Japan or produced in the United States. And I think we did just that while we were there. I’m proud of just about all of the titles I worked on, especially the OEL ones. However, as time went on, the company’s interests and priorities seemed to shift. All of a sudden, we weren’t simply manga editors—we were film developers, magazine contributors, social media website operators and reality TV producers. All of which are worthwhile career pursuits, but what’s wrong with being editors? I think Tokyopop was at its best when its focus remained on publishing, and for all the time I was there, that’s what I focused on.
- May 3, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | Green Lantern light-up displays pose fire hazard
Green Lantern Animated Light Up Display
Retailing | DC Comics has advised retailers to immediately unplug the $150 Green Lantern Animated Light Up Display after one of the signs caused a small electrical fire Saturday at Rick’s Comic City in Nashville. Other retailers have reported the smell of burning plastic coming from the displays. The publisher will notify stores in the next few days how it will rectify the problem.[ICv2.com]
Retailing | Borders Group lost more than $50 million in February and March as it sought bankruptcy protection and began liquidating 226 stores, a new court filing shows. [The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly]
Publishing | Mike Searle, former editor of Wizard Entertainment’s defunct InQuest Gamer magazine, reportedly will replace Mike Cotton at Wizard World Digital. Cotton, who had been co-chief pop culture editor, left the company on Friday. [Bleeding Cool]
Conventions | Forces of Geek rounds up news from last weekend’s Boston Comic Con. [Forces of Geek]
- May 3, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Talking Comics with Tim | Chris Roberson on Elric
Elric: The Balance Lost (Free Comic Book Day)
Regular readers of Talking Comics with Tim, before you ask yourself “Chris Roberson, didn’t you just interview him last month?” Yes and no. This interview focuses solely on Roberson’s plans for the new BOOM! Studios series, Elric: The Balance Lost, which will be previewed for readers this Saturday, May 7, via the company’s Free Comic Book Day offering. As noted by BOOM! Studios: “For 40 years, the exploits of Elric have thrilled comic book fandom, beginning with his introduction to the world of comics in Marvel’s Conan The Barbarian #15 in 1972. Now, Michael Moorcock, the godfather of the Multiverse concept, brings one of the most critically acclaimed and recognizable figures in the history of fantasy fiction back to sequential art! This Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) edition heralds the new ongoing Elric series featuring a crisis across multiple worlds that will involve Moorcock’s other famous fantasy franchise characters: Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon. Meet the Pale Prince in an epic that could only be called The Balance Lost! And make sure you don’t miss the new ongoing series this summer!” Thanks to BOOM! Studios’ Chip Mosher and Ivan Salazar for helping arrange this email interview, and (of course) thanks to Roberson for indulging another round of questions. Once you’ve read the interview, please be sure to check out CBR’s preview of the FCBD offering. If you find yourself in the Austin area this Saturday, be sure to catch Roberson at Austin Books from 10AM to 5PM.
Tim O’Shea: Ian Brill recently wrote of the Free Comic Book Day Elric issue, “Whether you’re new to the Elric mythos or a longtime fan you will dig it.” A) very brave of Mr. Brill to use a 1970s term like “dig” (I kid) and B) What is the key to writing a story that can equally appeal to new readers and longtime readers?
Chris Roberson: Well, to be fair, he could have used “grok” in the place of “dig,” which might have been a LITTLE braver.
But really, the trick is to give just enough information about the characters and the concepts to get new readers up to speed, without boring all of the longtime readers with stuff they already know. Based on my own experiences coming into long-running comic, TV, and novel series when I was younger, I don’t think new readers need to know EVERYTHING. They just need to know the basics, enough to understand who the characters are in general terms and what the basic conflict is. Reading to find out more is one of the things that keeps it interesting!
- May 2, 2011 @ 03:30 PM by Tim O'Shea
Comic news news: IGN buying UGO; Publisher’s Weekly Comic Month; Wizard’s army of one
Mike Cotton
A few different news items related to comic news outlets have come across my desk recently:
- According to the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital site, News Corp. is planning to spin off the pop culture/video game site IGN, and in anticipation will acquire another pop culture/video game site, UGO.com — both of which cover comics.
- Publishers Weekly Comic Week, the weekly email newsletter edited by The Beat’s Heidi MacDonald, is switching to a monthly frequency. Per a post from MacDonald and PW’s Calvin Reid: “Although we are changing the frequency of the newsletter, the change will not diminish our overall comics coverage. Publishers Weekly will continue to cover graphic novels and comics in the book industry and traditional comics industry, publishing news and feature stories through the PW website and PW Daily as well as in our new monthly graphic novel newsletter.”
- And finally, via press release, Co-Chief Pop Culture Editor of Wizard World Mike Cotton has announced his last day with the company was April 29. By my count, that leaves Senior Associate Producer Carlos Mejia as the last man standing on the now-digital magazine‘s in-house editorial staff.
- May 2, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by JK Parkin
Rise of Arsenal, Greek Street win awards for ‘accurate depiction of substance abuse and mental illness’
The Rise of Arsenal
Both Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal and Greek Street received PRISM Awards this weekend for, per the group’s website, “the accurate depiction of substance abuse and mental illness.”
Greek Street, for those who may not know or remember, is the now-canceled Vertigo series by Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice. The comic was nominated for issues #12-14, a storyline titled “Ajax,” which was about post-traumatic stress disorder. I didn’t make it that far with the series, which was canceled a couple of issues later with issue #16. I loved the premise — Ancient Greek myths told in a more contemporary “crime story” setting — but unfortunately the book never really clicked with me.
The four-issue Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal, on the other hand, didn’t seem to click with anybody. CBR’s Doug Zawisza gave the first issue a one-star review, while retailer and Savage Critic Brian Hibb called the third issue of the book “the worst comic I have ever read.” Chris Sims vivisected it at ComicsAlliance.
The awards are presented annually by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, FX Network and News Corporation in the areas of film, television, interactive, music, DVD, and comic book entertainment. Other winners this year include Black Swan, The Fighter, Mad Men and Rescue Me.
- May 2, 2011 @ 02:30 PM by JK Parkin
A wretched hive of hope and despair
That Chris Schweizer maquette I posted last week got me tooling about Schweizer’s site and I found one more thing that needs sharing. Schweizer drew a comics trailer for an imaginary Casablanca/Star Wars mash-up called “Mos Eisley.” His matching characters from the two movies is brilliant (Chewbacca as Ilsa Lund is as funny as it is disturbing).
- May 2, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Michael May
What will bin Laden’s death mean to Frank Miller’s Holy Terror?
Frank Miller
The global ramifications of the killing of Osama bin Laden on Sunday by U.S. Navy SEALs will be pondered by intelligence experts, media pundits, politicians and historians for weeks, months and years to come. On a much, much smaller scale, and one germane to comics readers, it also raises an immediate question:
How will the death of Al Qaeda’s leader affect Frank Miller’s long-gestating graphic novel Holy Terror?
Announced in 2006 as a Batman project, the book was described by the artist at the time “as a piece of propaganda” that would pit the Dark Knight against the terrorist organization. “Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That’s one of the things they’re there for,” Miller said.
The revenge-fantasy concept drew more criticism and bewilderment than praise, with Grant Morrison firing perhaps the most widely reported shot across Miller’s bow: “Batman vs. Al Qaeda! It might as well be Bin Laden vs. King Kong! Or how about the sinister Al Qaeda mastermind up against a hungry Hannibal Lecter! For all the good it’s likely to do. Cheering on a fictional character as he beats up fictionalized terrorists seems like a decadent indulgence when real terrorists are killing real people in the real world. I’d be so much more impressed if Frank Miller gave up all this graphic novel nonsense, joined the Army and, with a howl of undying hate, rushed headlong onto the front lines with the young soldiers who are actually risking life and limb ‘vs’ Al Qaeda.”
- May 2, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
Icarus on Robot 6 pg 16
Icarus is a comic by Ryan Cody and is serialized here on Robot 6, with new pages every Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Comments welcome.
Ryan Cody is the creator, artist, writer, & colorist of ICARUS, a bi-monthly super-powered adventure/espionage book published through Super 75 Comics. Ryan’s past projects include illustrating the graphic novel VILLAINS for Viper
Comics as well as contributing to the Eisner-Award winning anthology, Popgun Vol.3, from Image comics. ICARUS #1 is currently available as both a .99 digital download and in print. For more information or to order a print copy of ICARUS, please visit www.super75comics.com
- May 2, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Ryan Cody