2011 October
Former comics retailer Michael George found guilty in second murder trial
Michael George
The jury in the second Michael George murder case found the former comics retailer and convention organizer guilty today, according to the Detroit Free Press.
George, 51, was accused of fatally shooting his wife, Barbara, on July 13, 1990 in the back room of their Clinton Township (Mich.) comic book store. This is George’s second trial and second guilty verdict. Macomb County Circuit Judge James Biernat Sr. overturned the first verdict, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the release of new evidence that could lead the jury to believe another person was responsible for the murder of Barbara George. The first trail resulted in George being sentenced to life in prison before it was overturned.
The jury deliberated Thursday, Friday and today for a total of about 14 hours before delivering the verdict.
- October 11, 2011 @ 01:26 PM by JK Parkin
Food or Comics? | Batwoman, 20th Century Boys, Regenesis and more
Batwoman #2
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 Arrant
If I had $15, I’d first grab hold of my favorite of DC’s New 52, Batwoman #2 (DC, $2.99). J.H. Williams III has successfully kept up to the immense expectations he accumulated following his run with Greg Rucka, and the artwork seems to benefit even more by J.H.’s input into the story as co-writer. Next I’d dig down for two of my regular pulls, Northlanders #45 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99) and Uncanny X-Force #16 (Marvel, $3.99). For my final pick, I’d have to miss a bunch of other titles for the chance to get the CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 #4 (Image, $4.99). I love the anthology format, and having that plus the good cause plus the a-list talent makes it a must get; seriously, can you imagine one comic book containing new work by Frank Quitely, Williams, Mark Waid, J. Michael Straczynski, Matt Wagner AND Craig Thompson? BELIEVE IT!
- October 11, 2011 @ 01:03 PM by JK Parkin
Quote of the day #2 | How Daniel Clowes got the Ghost World girls right
I learned to blend in to the wallpaper so I was barely there. I found myself very often in the company of girls who were talking very freely and would say, ‘Oh, I forgot he was there!’ So I felt like I had this inner sense that they were closer to me and my friends than I could ever imagine.
—Ghost World author Daniel Clowes, responding to an audience question on how he captured the voices of 16-year-old girls so well in his landmark graphic novel. Being invisible to the opposite sex has its benefits after all.
For more from Clowes and his fellow alternative comics titan Adrian Tomine, check out CBR’s report on the pair’s APE panel, from writer Karl Kiely.
- October 11, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Sean T. Collins
Quote of the day | ¿Adios, Locas?
I love these people in the stories more than any other characters in all of fiction, and I wouldn’t mind if I never see them again….That’s how good The Love Bunglers is.
—Bob Temuka on the remarkable work of Jaime Hernandez in Love and Rockets: New Stories #4. A continuation of the “Love Bunglers” suite of short stories that helped make last year’s issue one of CBR’s Best Comics of 2010, the issue sees the 30-year stories of Jaime’s “Locas” protagonists Maggie, Hopey, and Ray — all of whom have aged in real time as the series has progressed — come to what could quite easily be a conclusion, thrilling and upsetting and moving their many fans all at once. Temuka’s essay is filled with spoilers, so be warned, but it’s as good at conveying the unique nature of the “Locas” saga, the way its stories shift and grow and can be seen differently over time as we and Jaime and the characters all age and learn more about what happened, as well as any piece I’ve ever read.
- October 11, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Wow Cool’s resurrected small-press store is indeed cool
Founded by Marc Arsenault and altcomix lifers Tom Hart and Sam Henderson back in 1988, the publisher/record label/mail-order business/what-have-you known as Wow Cool was a mainstay of the 1990s zine scene and has operated on and off in the venn-diagram overlap of comics, zines, and indie music ever since. But now it’s back in a big way, thanks to a spiffy redesigned web store that Arsenault recently launched. The Wow Cool website boasts some of the best books in the alternative and underground comics world, and a lot more besides. From back issues of legendary anthologies like Zap, Weirdo, and Arcade to newer comics by Michael DeForge, Lisa Hanawalt, and Kevin Huizenga, from punk rags like Cometbus and Maximum RockNRoll to comics mags like The Comics Journal and Comic Book Artist, from books to records to beyond, it’s a well-curated collection of comics and cultural ephemera. Heck, even superhero readers scarred by the loss of precious continuity in DC’s New 52 ought to have fun with Arsenault’s “Oh No!!! Retconned Again!!!” t-shirt, available for the insane price of $6.99. The Wow Cool blog is a great read, too — witness this recent post on the artists of Adventure Time. Go ye and browse.
- October 11, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
The Sequential Goose | A chat with Richard Sala
Excerpt from Sala's "Three Blind Mice"
All this week at Robot 6 we’re interviewing some of the many contributors to First Second’s new anthology, Nursery Rhyme Comics. Today, J. Caleb Mozzocco talks to cartoonist Richard Sala.
Richard Sala is a prolific comics artist and illustrator often compared to Charles Addams and Edward Gorey, given his interest in visually compelling, somewhat spooky subject matter and deadpan gothic humor. He’s responsible for creating several plucky heroines who confront various mysteries and horrors, like foul-mouthed girl detective Judy Drood from Mad Night and The Grave Robber’s Daughter, monster magnet Peculia from Sala’s signature series Evil Eye and K. Westree of Cat Burglar Black.
The artist’s most recent work is last month’s original graphic novel The Hidden from Fantagraphics, about a group of people stuck in a diner during what may be the end of the world. Well, that and “Three Blind Mice” for First Second’s Nursery Rhyme Comics.
J. Caleb Mozzocco: Do you think nursery rhymes played any particularly powerful role in your childhood or development as a storyteller?
Richard Sala: My mom had old books of illustrated nursery rhymes and fairy tales from her childhood (which were old even when she was young) when I was very little and they certainly had an impact on me. Years later I found copies of some of those books and was amazed to find the roots of some of my weird fears and obsessions!
- October 11, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Chris Mautner
NYCC | Vertigo announces Dominque Laveau: Voodoo Child series
Rumors of Vertigo’s demise, it seems, were greatly exaggerated. Following the major announcement this morning that it will adapt Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium trilogy, the DC Comics imprint has unveiled plans for a new ongoing series from author/journalist Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and legendary artist Denys Cowan.
Debuting in February, Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child follows on Dominique Laveau, half-breed, outcast and heir to the Voodoo Queenship of New Orleans … who’s the prime suspect in the murder of the previous Queen. Here’s the official description:
- October 11, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | Persepolis airing sparks protests in Tunisia
Persepolis
Crime | About 50 protestors were arrested in Tunisia for an attempted arson attack on the offices of Nessma TV after it screened Persepolis, the animated adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s celebrated autobiographical graphic novel. The protesters claimed the animated movie offends Islam. All political parties in Tunisia, including the country’s main Islamic party Al-Nahada, have condemned the attack and expressed their solidarity for freedom of the press. [Variety]
Digital comics | Warren Ellis looks at the current options and sees webcomics as a broadcast, out there for free and bringing in new readers through notifications, links and solidarity, whereas digital comics services like comiXology (or even Marvel’s subscription) service are closed systems, more like a shop with comics on the shelves. That makes a difference in building an audience and also in the pacing of the comics, because webcomics can better accommodate the more decompressed storytelling that Ellis prefers. Lots of interesting nuggets among the ramblings. [Warren Ellis]
- October 11, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
NYCC | Vertigo to adapt Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy
Ahead of New York Comic Con, DC Entertainment announced this morning it will adapt Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium trilogy — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest — as a series of graphic novels.
DC’s Vertigo imprint will work with Larsson’s estate and the Hedlund Literary Agency to adapt the acclaimed mystery series, with each book presented in two graphic novel volumes that will be available in print and digital formats. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will debut in 2012, on the heels of director David Fincher’s big-screen adaptation, which arrives in theaters Dec. 21.
The Millennium trilogy, which has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide since the release of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2005 in Sweden, centers on Lisbeth Salander, and eccentric computer hacker, and Mikael Blomkvist, and investigative journalist and magazine editor. They’re brought together in the first novel to solve a 40-year-old missing person’s case.
Larsson, a Swedish journalist and author, passed away in 2004 at age 50, leaving the completed manuscripts for the first three novels in what was intended as a 10-book series.
“Stieg always liked comics and it will be exciting to see the unforgettable characters he created come to life on the comics page,” his younger brother Joakim Larsson said in a statement.
Expect more details to emerge this week at New York Comic Con.
- October 11, 2011 @ 06:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Talking Comics with Tim | Jamie S. Rich
Spell Checkers Vol. 2: Sons of a Preacher Man
There are a few writers that I always look forward to interviewing, because they always surprise me. Jamie S. Rich is on that list. This week, while we discuss the second volume in Spell Checkers, Sons of A Preacher Man, his Oni Press collaboration with artists Nicolas Hitori De and Joëlle Jones, we also delve into the history of Rich’s cameos in comics (among other topics). In this latest Spell Checkers installment, the ladies of Spell Checkers (Jesse, Cynthia and Kimmie) have to deal with the murder of the student body president, the battle to find a new one and at the center of all the action: two brothers, who are new to the school. We also discuss the plans for the third volume in the series. Once you finish the interview, be sure to learn more about the project via Steve Sunu’s CBR interview with the whole Spell Checkers creative team, plus you can enjoy CBR’s 18-page preview of the book.
Tim O’Shea: How much stronger is the collective creative rapport between the three creators on this second volume?
Jamie S. Rich: Very strong. The first book is always a learning experience, not just in how we work together and what we need from each other, but in this case, it was also seeing how the material meshed, how Joëlle’s work jibed with Nico’s. Since I had a clearer notion of how they complemented one another, this time around I took a different approach to the flashbacks and made them almost their own story, letting Joëlle take the material darker by having it more about the new male characters that show up in this volume rather than just about the girls. I think it actually made the reading experience more cohesive, the two pieces meld in a more natural way.
Joëlle started closer to the end of production, so even though she had less to do, it became a race to see who would finish first, her or Nico. They can be pretty competitive. It was a close call. She kind of won, but nothing is every clear-cut in our universe!
- October 10, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Adlard, other artists create posters for ‘Mondo Mystery Movies’
The Alamo Drafthouse theaters held six “Mondo Mystery Movies” in Los Angeles this past weekend, and they had different artists create limited edition posters for each of them. One of those artists was Charlie Adlard of Walking Dead fame, who created the above poster for 28 Days Later (with title treatment from Jon Smith).
There’s also a variant edition — same poster, different title treatment — after the jump, along with the other movie posters they released for Iron Giant, City of Lost Children, Hellraiser, Assault on Precinct 13 and The Mist.
- October 10, 2011 @ 02:25 PM by JK Parkin
The Sequential Goose | A chat with Eleanor Davis
The Queen of Hearts
Tomorrow marks the release of First Second’s Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists. To mark the release of the Chris Duffy-edited project, Robot 6 is interviewing five of the 50 cartoonists throughout this week. The first interview is with Eleanor Davis, the Athens, Georgia-based creator who contributes The Queen of Hearts nursery rhyme to the collection. Davis’ most recent book was The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook (Bloomsbury).
Tim O’Shea: Your two-page layout has a whole lot of story going on it, yet retains a great narrative flow at the same time. How much revision did you endure with the layout before you achieved the flow you sought?
Eleanor Davis: I wrote and drew the comic last January. It was kind of tricky — it was hard to make everything fit in those tiny panels.
O’Shea: What enticed you to tackle the Queen of Hearts in particular?
Davis: I was enticed by Chris Duffy telling me to. I felt lucky to get it tho, it’s a great rhyme and the perfect vehicle for my commie pinko propaganda.
- October 10, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Start Reading Now | The Deadlys
It’s 80 degrees and sunny here on the East Coast, so getting into the Halloween mood is a bit of a stretch. Chris Cantrell’s webcomic The Deadlys, which just celebrated its first anniversary, is helping, though. It’s a gag-comic riff on the scary-family theme, although this one goes a bit farther than the Addams Family: Dad is a masked chainsaw murderer, mom is a vampire, and daughter Morgan is a teenage girl. It’s a four-panel gag comic with minimal continuity, so you can read it a bit at a time or binge as if it were a bag of Halloween candy. To sweeten the deal a bit, Cantrell is celebrating the comic’s first birthday with giveaways and extras, including a video of him drawing the comic.
- October 10, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Brigid Alverson
Collect This Now! | Mack White’s Villa of the Mysteries
Villa of the Mysteries #2
CIA conspiracies. Carny shows. Obscure pagan rituals. Snake handlers. Brainwashed assassins. Nudist nuns. Roman gods. Psychedelic western landscapes. Very short men with very, very large penises.
Such are the essential elements found in the comics of Mack White, who, for the past couple of decades, has created some of the most bizarre, paranoid and succulently pulpish comics around.
- October 10, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Chip Mosher named VP of marketing for comiXology
Chip Mosher
ComiXology announced today that Chip Mosher, former marketing director for BOOM! Studios, has joined the digital comics provider as vice president of marketing, public relations and business development. Mosher left BOOM! at the end of September.
“We’re doubly excited to add a tremendous asset like Chip to our team, while also expanding our physical presence to the West Coast,” said David Steinberger, CEO and co-founder of comiXology, in a press release. “Chip has one of the most imaginative and aggressive marketing and PR minds in the business, and his diverse background in comics brings a unique perspective to comiXology. And while comiXology’s presence is already felt worldwide, having a physical presence in the entertainment capital of the world has become a must for us!”
Check out the press release after the jump, and watch for an interview with Chip on Comic Book Resources later today. Update: Read it here!
- October 10, 2011 @ 09:54 AM by JK Parkin