2011 June
“Geek culture” magazine sales dwindle to almost nothing
The folks at ICv2 pulled out their calculators this week and took a hard look at the “geek culture” (their term) segment of the magazine business. What they saw wasn’t pretty. In April 2000, the top selling magazine was Wizard, with a total of 71,310 copies sold in comics shops (all the numbers are from Diamond). In April 2010, they sold 9,316 copies; now they sell none, because the magazine has shifted online (where, Sean T. Collins observed, it’s not exactly tearing up the internet). The top-selling magazine in April 2011 was Doctor Who Insider #1, which moved a grand total of 3,537 copies—a drop of 95% from Wizard’s April 2000 number.
Of course, this isn’t surprising. Geek culture and a love of gadgets go hand in hand, and it’s natural that these magazines would lose readership to the internet. Print magazines have a significant turnaround time that keeps them from breaking news, but beyond that, the web has become the gathering spot for fans of individual properties. When you can connect with other fans of Torchwood, Sailor Moon, or RPGs via the internet, paper becomes superfluous. The irony is that the “geek” fan community is probably larger than ever; it’s magazines that have dwindled away to almost nothing.
- June 1, 2011 @ 02:06 PM by Brigid Alverson
Andrew Robinson’s Dusty Star returns
After its debut way back in the halcyon days of 1997, Andrew Robinson’s Dusty Star has been missing in action. It’s lone two issues impressed those that read it and even garnered praise from Warren Ellis, but it’s been 14 years … but now it’s coming back.
Over on his blog, Robinson has been showing off new pages from Dusty Star and announced the wide-brimmed heroine will pop up in an upcoming issue of IDW’s SAGA Illustrated. Robinson stated earlier that he’s working on a 40+ page story that’ll be published as a standalone graphic novel when finished.
Check out some additional artwork after the jump.
- June 1, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Robot 6 presents Icarus #2, page 8
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 forViper 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
- June 1, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Ryan Cody
Dark Horse to offer free digital comics through comic retailers
B.P.R.D.: Casualties
When Dark Horse announced their digital comics program last October, one element they called out was how they planned to offer digital comics through traditional brick and mortar comic retailers. Today via press release they revealed the specifics, as well as the first three comics you’ll need to visit your local comic shop in order to download.
So how does it work? Let’s go right to the press release:
During July through September 2011, Dark Horse will e-mail exclusive retailers a sheet of one hundred unique (one-time use) digital-download codes at the beginning of every month. The store simply prints out the codes and hands them out to loyal customers!
Customers redeem the coupon code and get their free digital comic by visiting Digital.DarkHorse.com/RetailerExclusive.
Fans should head over to their local comic shop and tell them to sign up today! Retailers can simply e-mail their business name, business address, e-mail address, and Diamond account number to digitalexclusive@darkhorse.com to be a part of this exciting new program! Please note: In order to be eligible for this program, you must sign up by June 22.
The program launches in July with B.P.R.D.: Casualties, with a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic slated for August and a Mass Effect comic for October. Each digital comic is eight pages long and is free.
- June 1, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by JK Parkin
Jock unveils Joker pin-up for upcoming Detective Comics cover
With DC riding high on the news cycle given their plans to relaunch their superhero universe come September, leave it to none other than superstar artist Jock to show there’s still some great comics to look forward to between now and then.
Over on his always active twitter feed, Jock premiered a Joker cover presumed to be for an upcoming issue of his current series Detective Comics. What do you think?
Within 9 minutes Jock obtained over 25 retweets of this image, leading the artist to remark that he’s “NEVER had a response like that before. hit a nerve? maybe a funny bone….”
- June 1, 2011 @ 10:13 AM by Chris Arrant
Because nothing says ‘mainstream comics’ like a good decapitation
Flashpoint #2 variant cover
Ouch. Above is the variant cover to Flashpoint #2 by Ivan Reis and George Perez. I wonder where the rest of Mera could be … maybe in a refrigerator?
- June 1, 2011 @ 09:28 AM by JK Parkin
DC’s A-list heroes to form ‘heart’ of relaunched Justice League
Justice League #1
Even as filming begins on The Dark Knight Rises and production gears up for Man of Steel, DC Comics appears poised to transform a relaunched Justice League into its flagship title.
The new series, by superstar creators (and DC executives) Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, kicks off a sweeping editorial shakeup that sees the publisher restarting its entire superhero line in September with 52 No. 1 issues that will introduce “a more modern, diverse DC Universe,” with many characters sporting changed origins, ages and costumes. It also marks the beginning of same-day digital release for all DC Universe books.
As Comic Book Resources reported late yesterday, the 52 titles are believed to include Superman by Grant Morrison, Hawkman by James Robinson and Philip Tan, Birds of Prey by a writer other than Gail Simone, Green Lantern by Johns, Teen Titans by Fabian Nicieza, Justice Society of America, Wonder Woman that bears little resemblance to J. Michael Straczynski’s truncated run, and the previously announced Aquaman by Johns and Ivan Reis. We can likely add to the list the delayed Batwoman by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder (both because the series has been in production for a long time and because DC is reaffirming its commitment to diversity with such characters as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle, Cyborg and Kate Kane).
But leading the charge is Justice League — no “of America” this time, just Justice League — a title that will feature, at its core, DC’s A-list superheroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Aquaman. The team roster, USA Today reports, will ultimately boast 14 members — judging from the cover of the first issue, Cyborg, and not Martian Manhunter, will round out the traditional Big Seven — but the focus will be on those iconic characters. Now with their flipped-up collars, new ‘dos and revamped origins.
- June 1, 2011 @ 07:50 AM by Kevin Melrose
If this was the rebooted Birds of Prey …
Songbirds of Prey?
… I’d be down with that. But while that may not be the case, this piece featuring Wonder Woman and other DC heroines in a Runaways-esque pose drawn by Cliff Chiang will be included in the HeroesCon art auction this weekend. Which is pretty rockin’.
- June 1, 2011 @ 06:00 AM by JK Parkin