2011 September
4chan takes on J. Scott Campbell’s Mary Jane Watson
J. Scott Campbell’s never been the most realistic of comic artists, and that’s part of his charm. But the notorious pranksters at 4chan have taken issue with the way he posed Mary Jane Watson on the cover to Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #601. You’ll need to click after the break to see 4chan members acting out the contortions.
This brings up a broader point about cartooning: Since their inception, comics have largely strayed away from realistic depictions of characters, be they humans, anthropomorphic animals or anything else. While Campbell’s poses might not be anatomically realistic, part of his style/aesthetic/appeal lies in that bending of reality. Having real people act out some of the exaggerated poses of Campbell, Rob Liefeld or Jack Kirby would show how unrealistic they are … but then again, that stylistic exageration is what makes illustration different from photography and part of the appeal.
That out of the way, seeing people act out Campbell’s poses below is engrossing.
- September 7, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Chris Arrant
Comics A.M. | Jury selection begins in Michael George trial
Legal
Legal | Jury selection is set to begin today in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in the second trial of former retailer Michael George, charged with first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting death of his first wife Barbara in their Clinton Township comic store. George, 51, was convicted in 2008, but later that year a judge set aside the conviction, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the emergence of new evidence that might have resulted in a different verdict. [The Detroit News]
Retailing | Retailer Mike Sterling answers questions about DC’s relaunch, noting his store saw an uptick in sales before the relaunch: “In our case, comic sales have been increasing … slowly, but steadily. And judging by demand for the new Justice League #1 and the interest we’ve seen in DC’s next batch of first issues, we’re expecting a bit of a bump in sales over the next few weeks. Whether that bump sticks, even as a slight net gain after the initial excitement over the new launches peters out and we see what the sales levels on these titles will actually be, remains to be seen. But I’m optimistic. My fear was that our upward store sales trend may have been derailed by DC cancelling everything and starting again, alienating the readership we were building, but for the most part that doesn’t seem to be happening. But, you know, in six months or a year or so, we’ll know for sure.” [Progressive Ruin]
- September 7, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
The Middle Ground #68 | Forest, trees and other stories
I’ve been thinking recently – for obvious reasons – about the potential for new readers coming to comics, and whether or not that means increased sales for comics overall, or just for DC (and Marvel, who share the majority of shelf-space, as well as the majority of recognizable characters). And, in that slow process – insert your own jokes here – it struck me: Non-Marvel/Non-DC publishers have something that should be the greatest selling point of all: Non-superhero stories.
- September 6, 2011 @ 04:00 PM by Graeme McMillan
Food or Comics? | Casanova, New 52 and more
Casanova: Avaritia
Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop 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, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.
Chris Mautner
If I had $15:
I’m very excited to read Casanova: Avaritia ($4.99), the first new Casanova storyline in what seems like a dog’s age. There’s something about this series that seems to bring out Fraction’s best, perhaps it’s the mere fact he’s working with Fabio Moon and (this time around) Gabriel Ba allows him to rise to the occasion. That and The Boys #58 ($3.99) will probably round out my initial purchases.
- September 6, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by JK Parkin
Andrea Sorrentino unveils more art from I, Vampire
I confess that I rolled my eyes at I, Vampire when DC Comics announced it would resurrect the old House of Mystery back-up serial as part of its line-wide relaunch. That’s not a slight against creators Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino, mind you. It’s just that, even given the popularity of the undead in fiction, a vampire comic set within the DC Universe — one whose skin-revealing debut cover looked like a throwback to the ’90s — seemed destined to lurk at the fringes of the New 52, pining for an audience until it faded away.
But the more I see about I, Vampire, the more hopeful I get, and the higher it climbs on the list of relaunch books I’m most looking forward to. First there was the Comic Book Resources interview with Fialkov. Then there was the gorgeous interior art unveiled at Comic-Con International. And now, to seal the deal, Sorrentino has revealed on his blog inked pages from issues 2 and 3.
Check out the three pages below, and visit Sorrentino’s blog to view more of his work. I, Vampire #1 debuts Sept. 28.
- September 6, 2011 @ 12:43 PM by Kevin Melrose
How old is Batman? and other questions answered by Scott Snyder
After hosting a live stream of their 300th iFanboy Pick of the Week podcast, hosts Ron Richards and Conor Kilpatrick ended up chatting with a surprise guest, writer Scott Snyder, who shared a bunch of Batman-related information. How old is Bruce in the New 52? How does he have a 10-year-old son? What villains will appear? Watch the above video to find out more.
- September 6, 2011 @ 10:04 AM by JK Parkin
Read Mirabilis on the iPad
The Forbidden Planet blog is one of my favorite comics blogs, but because it’s UK-based, sometimes I read a glowing review of a book I can’t get over here in the States. (This is, of course, a familiar problem for me.) So I saw Richard Bruton’s review of Dave Morris and Leo Hartas’s Mirabilis, thought “That looks nice,” saw that it was part of The DFC, a short-lived experiment in children’s comics, and was about to move on. But something made me click the link to the Mirabilis home page, and I’m glad I did.
Mirabilis is available for the iPad, which means even Yanks like me can read it, and I highly recommend it. It’s a slightly grown-up version of the classic British children’s story, with a standup guy stumbling into a supernatural situation and winding up on a quest with his two pals (one of whom starts out as an enemy). I’m tempted to say “If you like Harry Potter, you’ll like this,” but that’s a bit facile. I liked the world of the earlier Harry Potter books, and I like the world of this comic. The figures are actually a bit stiff, but I didn’t really notice because of the richness of detail, the imaginative supernatural world, and the beautiful color. The writing is first-rate and quirky in the way the British do best.
The iPad app itself is beautifully designed. It sets the mood of the story and organizes the single issues of the comic (the first trade volume comprises eight issues). The first issue is free, the second is 99 cents, and subsequent issues are $1.99, which is an interesting pricing structure. It makes it relatively inexpensive to get started with the story. More issues will be added to the app as the trades are published, and the entire story is four volumes (32 issues) long. That could run to money, but it’s cheaper than import fees…
- September 6, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Trailer offers sneak peek at DC’s All-Star Western #1
Writer Justin Gray got in on the New 52 trailer action over the weekend with the premiere of a teaser for All-Star Western #1, which teams Jonah Hex collaborators Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti with The Spirit artist Moritat:
Even when Gotham City was just a one-horse town, crime was rampant – and things only get worse when bounty hunter Jonah Hex comes to town. Can Amadeus Arkham, a pioneer in criminal psychology, enlist Hex’s special brand of justice to help the Gotham Police Department track down a vicious serial killer? Find out in this new series from Hex writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with lush artwork by Moritat (The Spirit)!
The 40-page All-Star Western #1 arrives in stores Sept. 28.
- September 6, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | Kids comic store opens; the ‘I have a girlfriend in Canada’ of sales analysis
Little Island Comics
Retailers | Little Island Comics — “the first kids comic book store in North America–maybe even the world” — opens its doors today in Toronto. The store is owned and operated by The Beguiling, and is located around the corner from the flagship store. The store will hold an official grand opening in a few weeks. [The Comics Reporter]
Publishing | DC Comics co-publisher and Justice League artist Jim Lee discusses his work on DC’s flagship title, which came out in digital form last Wednesday, the same day it hit comic shops. “It’s also setting records digitally. I can’t give numbers, but on the first day it set a record for us,” Lee tells Heidi MacDonald.
That leads Tom Spurgeon to throw a flag on the play: “… it looks like DC won’t be releasing its New 52 digital numbers but will feel confident in making claims on their behalf. It also looks like comics sites will then repeat this claim as news, perhaps qualified by source or as a claim but still putting that information out there. This should stop. I think DC has a really dubious history with using the hidden portions of their numbers to PR advantage — call it the ‘I have a girlfriend in Canada’ of sales analysis. My take is that this practice has intensified slightly ever since the numbers have become smaller and therefore more crucial. When in the 1990s sales on mainstream comics dipped to the point where people questioned the profitability of certain issues of certain titles, perhaps leading to a line of analysis about mainstream publishers making books at a loss for market share advantages or to knock other comics from the limited stand space, we were sometimes assured that there were sales elsewhere we didn’t know about that pushed certain comics over this projected threshold.” [Salon, The Comics Reporter]
- September 6, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
Talking Comics with Tim | Elizabeth Breitweiser
Wolverine: Debt of Death
Colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser‘s work can be seen in any number of Marvel comics these days. In fact this week sees the release of writer David Lapham and artist David Aja’s Wolverine: Debt of Death one-shot, featuring Breitweiser as colorist (Be sure to enjoy CBR’s preview of the one-shot). Regular readers of What Are You Reading? know how much of an unabashed Jeff Parker/Gabriel Hardman’s Hulk booster that I am–and it is that series where I really started to appreciate Breitweiser as a colorist. This email interview was an effort to discuss her work mostly in general terms, so admittedly I did not discuss the Wolverine one-shot, but focus on some of her ongoing series work. My thanks to Breitweiser (who can also be found on Twitter) for taking the time for this discussion, despite her continually heavy workload. I am also deeply appreciative, that when our conversation led to her discussion of recent specific work, she was kind enough to provide examples of the pages for us to use.
Tim O’Shea: What are the biggest misconceptions in terms of the demands with your job as a colorist?
Breitweiser: Probably just in people not taking my job seriously or not viewing it as a fulfilling way to make a living. Many tend to think of what I do as “easy”. Coloring to them is just an afterthought and not seen as an essential part of the storytelling. I’m pretty sure most of my family and friends still do not understand what it is I do and how I can make a successful living at it. Professional colorists in general seem to almost always be overworked and overstressed. A lot of it has to do with us being at the end of the production line, but it also has to do with people having unrealistic expectations due to an incomprehension of the effort it takes to successfully tell a story with color.
- September 5, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Sea Lion Books to adapt Anne Rice’s Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana
Anne Rice is overseeing a number of comic adaptations of her work these days: Yen Press is adapting Interview with the Vampire into a graphic novel, and putting a twist on it by changing the narrator, and IDW is doing a six-issue adaptation of Servant of the Bones. Now Sea Lion Books, helmed by David Dabel, has picked up the rights to a very different Anne Rice novel, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. No vampires here; the book is the second in a series Rice did telling the story of the life of Christ, and she says she researched it extensively to ensure that it would be accurate. The graphic novel is being adapted by Anne Elizabeth, who wrote Pendulum for Sea Lion, and illustrated by Siya Oum.
Sea Lion has a modest catalog of YA titles, including a graphic novel adaptation of Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist, and they are publishing Richelle Mead’s Storm Born as single-issue comics, apparently. (I can only find one issue on their website.) I know that vampires were a big part of the mix when they launched, so this particular choice from Anne Rice’s repertoire seems a bit odd, but it will be interesting to see what they do with it.
- September 5, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
What Are You Reading? with Bully, the little stuffed bull
Bully enjoys Astronaut Academy
Hello and welcome once again to What Are You Reading? This week it is our distinct pleasure to welcome our very special guest Bully, the little stuffed bull, who blogs about all sorts of comics with the help of his friend, John DiBello.
To see what Bully and the rest of the Robot 6 crew have been reading lately, click on the link below.
- September 4, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Six by 6 | Six great superhero comics by unlikely cartoonists
The Death Ray
Apart from all the “new 52″ brouhaha, one of the more interesting and talked about bits of online was Michael Fiffe’s essay on the delineations between mainstream (i.e. superhero) comics and the alt/indie comics scene. Spinning off of his essay, I thought it would be fun to list my own favorite super-styled tales by folks who usually don’t do that type of material, some of which Fiffe talked about in his essay.
Note: For the purposes of this article I’m deliberately avoiding any of the officially sanctioned productions from the Big Two, namely Strange Tales and Bizarro Comics, just to make it a wee bit harder.
- September 3, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Mautner
B.P.R.D. to join the roster at Dark Horse Presents
Art by Duncan Fegredo
Two weeks ago, Dark Horse announced that the recently-deceased Hellboy would return in an eight-page story in the Dark Horse Presents anthology, and today the publisher revealed that “B.P.R.D.: An Unmarked Grave,” which follows the story of the B.P.R.D. in the aftermath of Hellboy: The Fury, will run in January’s Issue 8. No other information was offered, but that piece of art up top holds some hints as to what is to come …
- September 2, 2011 @ 04:00 PM by Brigid Alverson
Official: Barry Allen/Iris West marriage falls victim to DC relaunch
Although this won’t raise the pop-culture alarms that news of the end of the marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane did, DC Comics has confirmed that another, much older union will bite the dust in the publisher’s line-wide relaunch: that of Barry Allen and Iris West.
The word comes this afternoon from editor Brian Cunningham, who writes at The Source that Barry, like Clark, is a single man who’s never been married. “I’ll give you all a few seconds to take that in and digest it,” Cunningham says.
That’s right, as with Clark and Lois, post-Flashpoint the nearly 45-year-old marriage of Barry Allen and Iris West never happened. It’s probably not a huge surprise, considering the push to make superheroes younger and/or more relevant tends to involve the jettisoning of spouses (see also: Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson).
But in the New 52, Iris and Barry aren’t dating, either. No, like Lois, The Flash is seeing somebody else — in his case, his longtime lab assistant Patty Spivot, who was introduced back in 1977, when Barry and Iris had only been married for 11 years. Surely the Central City Police Department has rules about relationships in the workplace …
“If that upsets you, sorry about that,” Cunningham writes. “But I make no apologies for opening up a traditional storytelling avenue with our hero’s romantic life, something that’s been shut closed for a very long time now. This is no indictment of marriage. I’m a married man and wouldn’t trade it for anything. But in the realm of fiction, I feel strongly that this change to Barry opens up fresh, new creative directions and exciting new storylines.”
He assures Iris fans that she’ll remain a part of The Flash‘s supporting cast, writing a blog for the Central City Citizen’s website.
The Flash #1, by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, arrives in stores Sept. 28.
- September 2, 2011 @ 01:30 PM by Kevin Melrose