2011 August
SDCC ’11 | A whole bunch of artwork from the Oni Press panel
Black Metal 2
As I was going through the folders I’d set up on my hard drive for my yearly trek to the San Diego Comic Con, seeing what needed to be cleaned out and what was still on my “to do” list, I realized I was sitting on a huge stockpile of art that Oni Press had given me after their panel on Friday. I’d asked Oni’s Cory Casoni for the artwork they showed from Rascal Raccoon, the new book they announced at the show, and he gave me everything they showed during their presentation.
And there was a lot of stuff. Granted, a lot of it you’ve probably seen before — Chris posted some preview art from Power Lunch last week, for instance, and they had a lot of pages from The Sixth Gun that came from various issues of its run — but I figured why not share it all? And this seemed the week to do it, since they showed a lot of pages from Phil Gelatt and Tyler Crook‘s Petrograd, which hits shops this week.
So, after the jump, you’ll find the covers for some upcoming books like the second Black Metal and Spell Checkers volumes, as well as pages from One Soul, Petrograd and many other Oni books. For more on the panel itself, I’ll direct you to John Scarff’s report over on CBR.
- August 2, 2011 @ 11:05 AM by JK Parkin
SDCC ’11 | Brian Ralph’s San Diego Comic-Con diary
I’ll admit it, it’s a bit of a shock to see a Brian Ralph comic that isn’t about some deceptively adorable character adventuring their way through an impeccably rendered rubble-strewn environment. Then again, is surviving the San Diego Comic-Con really all that different? The Daybreak cartoonist and alumnus of the influential Fort Thunder collective is chronicling his experience at Comic-Con International 2011 in diary comics form for The Comics Journal all week long. Day one’s a doozy, a journey from misery to triumph and back to misery in the space of a few panels. Look out for the cameo appearance from Drawn and Quarterly’s staff supercouple Peggy Burns and Tom Devlin, who emerge as a sort of obscenity-spewing Statler & Waldorf.
- August 2, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Seven Seas sets up global manga webcomics site
Webcomics have been part of the strategy for manga publisher Seven Seas (home of Afro Samurai, Hayate x Blade, and Gunslinger Girl, among others) from the beginning, but always as a way to sell a print book. Now they have set up Zoom Comics, an ad-supported webcomics site that will run both homegrown and licensed manga, launching with four original English language series: Amazing Agent Jennifer (a prequel to their six-volume Amazing Agent Luna), Dracula Everlasting, Paranormal Mystery Squad (a followup to another original series, Aoi House), and Vampire Cheerleaders. Coming soon are two licensed series, both from Korea: Witch Hunter and Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries
Seven Seas formed the site in partnership with Pixie Trix Comix, a webcomics portal set up by webcomics creators Gisele Lagace and David Lumsdon (Magick Chicks) that also runs comics by several other creators.
What’s interesting about the new site is that it looks a lot like a bootleg manga site: The comics are simply displayed in the web browser, rather than embedded in a Flash-based reader, and they are surrounded by ads. If you changed the banner, it could be MangaFox. And Seven Seas has something else in common with the bootleg sites, something traditional publishers tend to neglect: They do forums well, with editor Adam Arnold frequently dropping in to make comments or respond to questions.
- August 2, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Gumby to the rescue
Making comics is hard, and writer Chris Reilly was fed up and ready to quit—except, being a comics writer, he didn’t put it quite that way: “Prior to this book I was about to throw in the towel, feeling as though as my guilt, fear and sorrow had tossed a blanket over my joy and beat it with a pillowcase of frozen hate balls,” he wrote in his blog last December.
Then fate intervened, in the form of a little green lump of clay. Reilly is writing a brand-new Gumby comic to be published by the eponymous Gumby Comics in September. Jorge Santillan, his collaborator on Punch and Judy, is illustrating the 24-page one-shot comic, which will feature two characters never before seen in the 55-year history of the character: Gumby’s grandparents. Like all good Gumby comics, it is chock full of joyous non sequiturs:
There’s a new player in Clokeyville, an off-kilt philanthropist named Mr. Golfer! What is Golfer’s secret? What are the Wooly Mammals? Why are there astronauts selling the founding fathers the Andrew Jackson? Who stole Picnic Park? Who is helping the nefarious Blockheads? And most importantly, how did Gumby become King of the Pirates?
And how is Chris doing now? “Working on this book has completely recharged my batteries and chased all the gremlins out of the garage,” he wrote back in December, and with more issues on the way, it looks like he will be busy for some time to come.
- August 2, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | Flashpoint gets real? 31,000 flock to Otakon
from Flashpoint #4
Publishing | Popular comic-book guest star President Barack Obama will make a brief appearance in this week’s Flashpoint #4. DC Comics Executive Editor Eddie Berganza told USA Today that the inclusion of the actual President, rather than a fictional counterpart, signals that the danger is real — something that will get pushed as the publisher prepares for the September relaunch. [USA Today]
Publishing | Fantagraphics announced the lineup for the first volume of its EC archives series, which will collect Harvey Kurtzman’s war stories. [Fantagraphics blog]
Conventions | More than 31,000 anime and manga enthusiasts flocked to Baltimore over the weekend for Otakon, one of the biggest fan-oriented anime conventions. There were a few anime and manga licenses announced, but mainly it was a meet-and-greet for fans and publishers. [Anime News Network]
- August 2, 2011 @ 07:07 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
Ivan Reis draws the Justice League for New York Comic Con poster
Jim Lee’s Justice League proved very popular at the San Diego Comic-Con; they appeared on the show’s official shirt, and many people lined up for a good hour to get one. Now DC’s premier team makes an appearance on the official poster for this October’s New York Comic Con — this time drawn by Ivan Reis. The show takes place Oct. 13-16.
- August 2, 2011 @ 06:00 AM by JK Parkin
Talking Comics with Tim | Caanan Grall
Max Overacts
Longtime readers of Robot 6 know there is much love among the gang for Max Overacts, the popular Eisner-nominated webcomic by Caanan Grall. The webcomic came off of a brief hiatus in June 2011. Here’s the basic premise of Max Overacts: “The strip is about Max’s unbridled optimism, and his quest to be the next greatest thespian. He wears his heart on his sleeve for his self-proclaimed leading lady, Janet, and lords his ‘planned’ status over his ‘accidental’ older sister, Andromeda. His best friend is Klaus, when his ventriloquist doll, Curio, isn’t around.” In addition to discussing the strip, we also talk about his recent Muppet Thor mashup.
Tim O’Shea: How much of an effort was it to design the relatively large cast of Max Overacts? How long was it in the development stage before you found Max’s voice?
Caanan Grall: Most of the characters were pretty easy to figure out. I tried tons of different looks for Max, but inevitably ended up back at the very first one I sketched. The funny thing is, when you make up characters, and the name and character traits come first, it’s almost instinctual that the first design you do is the right one. Max’s parents probably went through the most changes, because at first, the characters weren’t defined enough. They began life on the sketchbook page as the standard harried parents, always struggling to stay one step ahead of the bank, and two steps ahead of their kids. Now, they’re still like that, but they’re fine with it. They’re not rich, but they’re happy, positive people.
- August 1, 2011 @ 04:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Steampunk meets manga in Westerfeld’s Uglies
Del Rey, once the otaku favorite, no longer publishes manga, but they still have a line of global manga, and the newest announcement is causing a bit of a stir.
Leviathan author Scott Westerfeld is the latest prose writer to make the leap over to graphic novels. Sci-fi site io9 has the scoop on Westerfeld’s SDCC announcement: Del Rey will produce four manga-style graphic novels based on his Uglies novels, which are set in a future where all teenagers have plastic surgery to make them beautiful when they are 16. Westerfeld will come up with the storylines, which will change the point of view of the story from the character Tally Youngblood to Shay. Devin Grayson (USER, Nightwing) will script the graphic novels, and Steven Cumming will handle the art. Watch for the first volume in May 2012. Oh, and there’s a movie in the works as well.
- August 1, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Brigid Alverson
Isotope Comics hosts and toasts Grant Morrison this Saturday
Isotope Comics in San Francisco will welcome Supergods and Action Comics writer Grant Morrison to their shop on Saturday, not only for a signing during the day, but also for one of their famous evening happy hours.
Both events will require advance tickets, which include a copy of his new book Supergods. The evening event also includes a Grant Morrison Supergods Commemorative Lowball with artwork by Cameron Stewart and Sonia Harris from Comics Should Be Good.
You can find all the details on Isotope’s site, and check out the lowball artwork after the jump.
- August 1, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by JK Parkin
Comic Strips To Comic Flicks: Neil Gaiman Movies They Haven’t Made (Yet)
In recent years, we’ve seen a boatload of comic books and graphic novels make their way to the silver screen, from Big Two stalwarts like Spider-Man and Batman to independent titles like Scott Pilgrim and 30 Days Of Night. Among the various adaptations, some creators have emerged as magnets for Hollywood types — although in this case not specifically for his comic work: Neil Gaiman.
We know Gaiman best for his comics work, but it’s arguably his prose work that made his name for the mainstream public-at-large and the Hollywood types that have hired him for jobs. While none of his comics work has been adapted to the screen, his prose and prose/art hybrids have come to life in the movies for Stardust and Coraline, and the BBC series Neverwhere. He’s been brought in to write episodes of Doctor Who and Babylon 5, and has written original screenplays for movies like Beowulf, Mirrormask and several unreleased projects. Be that as it may, people have attempted film adaptations of his comics work in the past, including an adaptation of Death: The High Cost of Living several years back.
But with Gaiman’s stock in people’s minds continuing to ride high, I’d bet money on more of Gaiman’s comic work making it to the screen. Here’s a crib sheet for the Hollywood-types on what they should do and how they should do it. Take note, I chose to leave out the variety of prose work that would be natural fits for adaptation, even the prose work that’s later been adapted to comics.
- August 1, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Start Reading Now | Hairy Steve vs. The Zombie Army
There’s only one page up so far, but Hairy Steve already has a bit of a history: Creators Jamie Smart and Steve Bright lived up to their last names with an indiegogo campaign that has already overshot its goal of $2,000. (The funding levels run from “stubbly” to “hirsute.”) Smart and Bright only have one page up so far, but it has a distinct EC vibe and the promise of plenty of mashup madness. Hairy Steve is, well, a hairy beast, who hides from humans because he finds them annoying but isn’t averse to rescuing them if he sees them getting into trouble. And there’s a whole lot of trouble when he accidentally crushes a zombie’s skull, bringing a plague of walking dead into his city. Smart and Bright say they can pull this story off in 24 pages, which seems like a feat in itself, but it should be fun to watch them try.
- August 1, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Steve Bissette calls for Marvel boycott in wake of Kirby copyright ruling
Online reaction has been noticeably subdued by a judge’s ruling last week that the family of Jack Kirby has no to claim to the copyrights of the characters he co-created for Marvel. Maybe it’s because a lot of people who’ve followed the case were disappointed but not exactly surprised. Or maybe, because the decision was in Marvel’s favor, there wasn’t outcry from the those readers whose chief concern is whether they’ll continue to get their monthly adventures of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four uninterrupted. Maybe both.
But Stephen R. Bissette, long an advocate for creators and creators’ rights, hasn’t been quiet. No, over the weekend the artist, perhaps best known for his collaboration with Alan Moore and John Totleben on Saga of the Swamp Thing, called on fans to draw inspiration from the woman who, dressed as Batgirl at Comic-Con International, increased pressure on DC Comics to address the number of female creators and characters in its September relaunch. (DC at last responded with, “We hear you.”) In short, he wants them to make next year’s Comic-Con “the least comfortable event Marvel or any fleeting participant in any product, movie, videogame, or anything derived from Jack Kirby’s Marvel legacy, should ever attend in the history of comicbook conventions.”
But the convention is nearly a year away. Bissette suggests that, in the meantime, fans should start by “simply pulling the plug on all individual support for any and all Kirby-derived Marvel ANYTHING (comics, movies, videogames, merchandizing). Now. Today. [...] TELL THEM what you’re doing, and spend what you would have spent on Kirby-derived Marvel product on other product from other companies in their store.” He continues:
- August 1, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Man allegedly tries to steal cop car, blames The Dark Knight Rises
The filming of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh is expected to pump millions of dollars into the economy, giving a boost to hotels, restaurants, lumber yards and more. So, hey, why shouldn’t the criminal community get a little benefit?
WPXI reports that on Saturday evening, Pittsburgh police Det. Robert DiGiacomo was in an unmarked vehicle looking for the suspect in an assault. Suddenly a man matching the suspect’s description opened the car door, sat down and told the detective to get out. When the officer drew his gun and ordered 21-year-old Micah Calamosca to exit the car, the suspect reportedly responded that he was part of the cast of the Christopher Nolan film … and that stealing the vehicle was just part of the script.
As you may have guessed, DiGiacomo didn’t buy the explanation. Calamosca was subsequently arrested, and faces a charge of robbery of a motor vehicle. A police vehicle. I’d have at least gone for Batman’s Tumbler. Heck, he has three, so he may not have missed one.
- August 1, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Dan Hipp strikes back
After chronicling his talents in a series of illustrations posted on the internet for months, Dan Hipp’s illustrations (and more) are making their way to bookshelves.
Titled Mr Hipp Strikes!, this limited edition art book comes signed and numbered to the lucky 400 people who get the edition. It features Hipp’s favorite color illustrations from his blog, as well as a sneak peek at his next graphic novel, Stray Days.
Hipp came into comics on the strength of his art in the Image series The Amazing Joy Buzzards, and followed that up with a two volume series called Gyakushu! through TOKYOPOP’s beleaguered original manga effort. He had a short stint on DC/Wildstorm’s Gen13 series, but has spent the past few years off the direct market’s radar but in the larger public’s with several volumes of Ben10 graphic novels written by Peter David.
Hipp is taking pre-orders for Mr. Hipp Strikes! on his blog, and I’ve just submitted a requisitions request to the bookkeeping department at Robot 6 to get one for our library.
- August 1, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Chris Arrant
SDCC ’11 | Listen to 15 panels and the Eisner Awards
CBR's Jonah Weiland accepts the Eisner
Jamie Coville regularly attends a whole bunch of comic book conventions and records various panels (with the panelists’ permission), then posts them on the internet as podcasts. He’s now posted several from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, including the Dwayne McDuffie and Gene Colan tributes, several spotlight panels, the Eisner awards and the Indie Comics Marketing 101 panel (featuring Sam Humphries, Ben McCool, Chip Mosher, Laura Hudson and me!). He’s also got pictures from them posted on Picasa, which is where the above photo of our beloved leader comes from.
You’ll find the full list of available MP3s after the jump, or head over to Jamie’s site for his complete archive.
- August 1, 2011 @ 07:06 AM by JK Parkin