2011 November
Jack Davis, Phoebe Gloeckner, David Mazzucchelli, Chip Kidd headline BCGF
The featured guests for the third annual Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival have been announced, and whoo boy, it’s quite a line-up. And it runs the gamut, too: MAD Magazine legend Jack Davis, book-design kingpin Chip Kidd, The Diary of a Teenage Girl author Phoebe Gloeckner, Asterios Polyp/Batman Year One artist David Mazzucchelli, Providence artcomix vets CF and Brian Ralph, grossout-humor queen Lisa Hanawalt, and minicomics patriarch John Porcellino. An opportunity to encounter Gloeckner live and in person is not to be squandered, folks, and that’s just for starters.
Organized by publisher PictureBox Inc., retailer Desert Island, and scholar Bill Kartalopoulos, this year’s BCGF will take place on Saturday, December 3 from noon to nine at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with programming hosted at the nearby Union Pool. If the last two years are any indication, it’s the alternative comics show to beat.
- November 7, 2011 @ 01:19 PM by Sean T. Collins
Introducing the Celestial Pharoah by Frazer Irving
by Frazer Irving
Oh, now this is nice. Xombi and Gutsville artist Frazer Irving shares a character sketch for “the Celestial Pharaoh,” who will appear in an issue of The Shade next year.
“In the early days my character sketches were rough, hurried and pretty useless as I would modify the overall form as I refined the method used to render them, but since last year I have decided to take a new path and make these “sketches” a little more complete. This chappy gave me a lot of hassle as each idea I had required far more layers than I would have liked and would have been impossible to draw from several angles without the use of a model. Eventually I settled on this design which is practical and does the trick,” he writes on Tumblr. Can’t wait!
- November 7, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by JK Parkin
Start Reading Now | John Wilcock in New York
Ethan Persoff and Scott Marshall launched a new webcomic last week: John Wilcock – New York Years 1954-1971, the story of the underground publisher who, among other things, co-founded the Village Voice and hung around with Andy Warhol (and later wrote the iconic pop artist’s biography). As Persoff says in the introduction, “His life bumps up with nearly every weird New York figure of the 60′s and early 70′s.” Since that was sort of a Golden Age of New York weirdness, this should be an interesting ride. The comic is based on interviews with Wilcock and is going to be released online as eight-page “mini-issues.” The first one is up now and includes not only Wilcock’s arrival in New York but also a rather memorable interview with Marilyn Monroe.
- November 7, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Start Reading Now | Ethan Nicolle’s Bearmageddon
Bearmageddon
If you’re a fan of Ethan Nicolle’s work on the two volumes of Chumble Spuzz published by SLG Publishing or the webcomic he does with his little brother, Axe Cop, then you might like to know that he’s writing and drawing another webcomic, Bearmageddon, with colorist Noah Maas.
The comic launched back in August and updates twice a week, so it won’t take long to get caught up if you start reading from the beginning. The story is about a group of friends heading out on a camping trip around the same time as the discovery of Octobear, a bear with octopus-like tentacles, in the city’s sewers, as well as a rise in bear attacks. Play foreboding music here …
Bearmageddon is a finite story and Nicolle has an ending in mind, with plans to follow it with a print collection. It ought to be a fun ride along the way.
- November 7, 2011 @ 10:09 AM by JK Parkin
Publishers Weekly selects its best graphic novels of 2011
Infinite Kung Fu
Publishers Weekly is, I think, the first major outlet out of the gate with its Best Books of 2011 list, which includes the Top 10 graphic novels of the year:
- Zahra’s Paradise, by Amir and Kahlil (First Second)
- Daytripper, by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon (DC Comics/Vertigo)
- Hark! A Vagrant, by Kate Beaton (Drawn and Quarterly)
- The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld (Norton)
- Love and Rockets: New Stories #4, by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
- Infinite Kung Fu, by Kagan McLeod (Top Shelf)
- Finder: Voice, by Carla Speed McNeil (Dark Horse)
- Big Questions, by Anders Nilsen (Drawn and Quarterly)
- Farm 54, by Galit and Gilad Seliktar (Fanfare Ponent Mon)
- Habibi, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)
- November 7, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Marvel cancels Destroyers miniseries by Van Lente and Hotz
Destroyers teaser
Marvel has canceled Destroyers, a planned five-issue miniseries starring She-Hulk, The Thing, the Beast, Devil Dinosaur and other “monstrous” heroes. Announced in August at FanExpo Canada, along with the upgrade of Alpha Flight to an ongoing series, the project was set to debut in February from writer Fred Van Lente and artist Kyle Hotz.
Word of the cancellation surfaced this morning on Twitter, where Van Lente revealed “that series got the axe weeks ago.”
“There was no announcement,” he continued, in response to a follower’s question. “The book hadn’t been solicited yet, and just wouldn’t have. … The biggest bummer about Destroyers was Kyle Hotz had #1-2 pencilled, and it looked grrrrreat. Ah, well. That’s showbiz for you.”
The news follows the cancellations of Marvel titles Alpha Flight (co-written by Van Lente), Iron Man 2.0, All-Winners Squad and, just last week, Victor Von Doom, axed before its debut.
- November 7, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | Direct market tops $40 million in October
Justice League #2
Comics | John Jackson Miller slices and dices the October numbers for the direct market, noting that overall dollar orders for comic books, trade paperbacks, and magazines topped $40 million for the first time since September 2009. Orders rose 6.9 percent over September, the first month of DC’s relaunch. “While that may sound counter-intuitive, it isn’t when you consider that all those first issues continued to have reorders selling through October,” Miller writes. “Retailers with an eye on the aftermarket may also have some sense that second issues are historically under-ordered — something which goes at least back to the experience of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #2 in the 1980s, which wound up being much more valuable than its first issue.” [The Comichron]
Passings | Tom Spurgeon reports that author Les Daniels has passed away. Daniels wrote horror fiction and nonfiction books on the comic industry, which include Comix: A History of the Comic Book in America, Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics and DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes. [The Comics Reporter]
- November 7, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
What Are You Reading? with Jacquelene Cohen
Drunk Elephant Comics
Welcome to another edition of What Are You Reading?, your weekly look into our reading piles. Today we’re joined by special guest Jacquelene Cohen, director of publicity and promotions for Fantagraphics Books.
To see what Jacq and the Robot 6 crew have been reading lately, read on …
- November 6, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by JK Parkin
Chain Reactions | Uncanny X-Men #1
Uncanny X-Men #1
Uncanny X-Men returned this past Wednesday with a new #1, just two weeks after the previous run ended. Written by Kieron Gillen with art by Carlos Pacheco, Cam Smith and Frank D’Armata, the story revolves around Cyclops and his post-Schism “Extinction Team” of Storm, Hope and a bunch of folks who couldn’t participate in a game of “raise your hand if you’ve never gone through a stage that others characterized as ‘mainly super villain.’” The book features a more serious tone and mission for the team than their back-in-Westchester friends appearing in Wolverine and the X-Men, as well as the villainy of Mr. Sinister and cameos by most of the other “Team Cyclops” mutant characters who decided to stay on the West Coast.
So what did folks think of this issue? Here’s a sampling of reviews on Uncanny X-Men #1:
Ron Richards, iFanboy: “Uncanny X-Men #1 is everything that Wolverine & The X-Men #1 was not, and I mean that in absolutely good way. Where Aaron delivered a whimsical, comedic at times, fresh new start for Wolverine and the mutants at the new school in Westchester, Gillen’s representation in Uncanny X-Men #1 is a serious, more adult world that these mutants live in. And that’s exactly how it should be.”
- November 5, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by JK Parkin
The Fifth Color | A new approach from the New Mutants
As the wordwide protests continue, Occupy Wall Street becomes more and more a part of our popular culture. Whether you’re holding a sign, reading about people holding signs or complaining about those signs, protests of this intensity are weighing in our thoughts. There’s a lot to ponder by questioning the establishment, finding a personal connection with hot-button social issues, and the division and unity in all of us.
See, now you just know I’m going to talk about the X-Men!
How can you not, when they are the go-to comic book metaphor to play and experiment with all sorts of social issues. Fear of the future, minority oppression, youth activism, why there’s even this MAJOR SCHISM that divides their public on how to achieve their goals. In the blue states- I mean, Wolverine’s camp, we have a return to the foundation of education and the protection of the next generation. In the red visor camp, we have a more aggressive approach, the idea that war is inevitable and the way to meet a world that hates and fears you is with heavy hitters, young and old. They even have a handy chart to know whose side you’re on (ooh, deja vu).
If you take a look at Cyclops and his Extinction Team (Really? What a terrible name), Dani Moonstar and her friends are listed as “Clean-up,” which one would think means some kind of X-Force-like hit squad (X-Force being mysteriously absent from these breakdowns). It’s a strange sort of listing, and once you read New Mutants #33 and understand what exactly these characters want to do, you’ll see how this might just be the answer for an entire out-of-place generation.
WARNING: We’ll be talking about New Mutants #33, so spoilers and nostalgia to follow. Grab a copy and read along!
- November 4, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Carla Hoffman
Robot Reviews | Hark! A Vagrant, Pope Hats and Mickey Mouse
Hark! A Vagrant
by Kate Beaton
Drawn and Quarterly, 168 pages, $19.95.
The thing that amazes/impresses me the most about Kate Beaton’ comics is how much everyone loves them. OK, not everyone — I do know one or two stragglers that refuse to find anything amusing in her sly little comics — but a lot of people from disparate fan bases really like her stuff. Indie readers like Kate Beaton, Superhero fans like Kate Beaton,, and (perhaps most notably) people who hardly ever (if at all) read comics like Kate Beaton (like my wife). She crosses boundaries in a way I don’t think I’ve seen any modern cartoonist do, let alone a webcartoonist. I think that’s even more impressive when you consider how often she relies upon (relatively) obscure historical figures and literature as the basis for her strips.
Other than that I really don’t have much to say, except that those who own her first book, Never Learn Anything From History, and haven’t bought this one yet because they’re worried it reprints the same material can relax; it doesn’t. Basically if you appreciate intelligence, wit (or smartassery) and the chance to learn something on the side, then this is the book for you.
More reviews after the jump …
- November 4, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Post-manga artist Harveyjames tells his story of teaching overseas
T
here’s a mountain of new comics coming out every year that may never reach your local comic shop, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. Indie publisher Blank Slate just released an evocative new work by by a new name, Harveyjames.
A Long Day of Mr. James-Teacher is a 28-page story chronicle a day in the life of the cartoonist’s time teaching English to elementary school students in South Korea. For the few people that know of Harveyjames’ post-manga work, this is a bit of a departure but shows the same sense of story despite it being a more autobiographical story. Here’s a seven-page sample to get you interested:
- November 4, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Marvel cancels Victor Von Doom miniseries before its debut
Marvel has canceled its Victor Von Doom miniseries before its planned debut at the end of the month.
“I see word is out about Victor Von Doom,” writer Nick Spencer tweeted this morning, referring to a post at Kabooooom. “Trust me, no one is more bummed about this than I am.”
Announced in August, the four-issue miniseries teamed Spencer with Demo artist Becky Cloonan for what was supposed to be a tale of a teenaged Doom as he journeyed into Hell to save the spirit of his mother.
“Really proud of the scripts and hope to get to work with @beckycloonan sooner rather than later,” Spencer wrote on Twitter.
The news follows a round of layoffs at Marvel last month that included the project’s editor Alejandro Arbona, as well as the cancellations of Alpha Flight, All-Winners Squad and Iron Man 2.0 (the latter also written by Spencer).
- November 4, 2011 @ 10:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Bernie Wrightson’s Heavy Metal movie short gets spin-off
Standing as the most prominent English animated film based on comics, 1981′s Heavy Metalfeatured a number of American and European cartoonists contributing art and stories. For American comics fans, chief amongst them was Swamp Thing artist Bernie Wrightson and his short, “Captain Sternn.” Now 30 years later, it’s getting a second life.
According to this press release, Longtime movie VFX artist Kevin Kutchaver (Lost, Return of the Jedi, Robocop) is joining with the Digital Animation and Visual Effects (DAVE) School to produce a new animated short based on Wrightson’s story. Kutchaver is a long-time fan of Wrightson’s work, and approached the artist about reviving the character in a new short. After being turned down by several studio execs, Kutchaver & Wrightson partnered with the DAVE School.
The short will be created as an in-class project for DAVE’s Block 4 Production class, with the students doing all aspects of the short. To watch for details as the project is developed, go to www.CaptainSternn.com
- November 4, 2011 @ 10:06 AM by Chris Arrant
Chester Brown’s Louis Riel among Canada Reads semifinalists
Chester Brown’s 2003 biography Louis Riel is among the 10 semifinalists for CBC’s prestigious Canada Reads program, which for the first time has narrowed its focus to works of nonfiction, or “True Stories.”
The books, all by Canadian author, were selected by public vote from a list of 40 nominees, and will be whittled down to five finalists chosen by celebrity panelists to be defended in February during the annual Canada Reads debates.
Jeff Lemire’s acclaimed Essex County Trilogy last year became the first graphic novel to make the program’s list of finalists. However, it was quickly voted down by judges who couldn’t get past its “lack of words.”
Published by Montreal-based Drawn and Quarterly, the Harvey Award-winning Louis Riel chronicles the life of the crusader for Métis rights, controversial leader of the 1869-1870 Red River Rebellion, and “Father of Manitoba.”
(via Sequential)
- November 4, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose