Comic Book Resources

Talking Comics with Tim: Nick Tapalansky & Alex Eckman-Lawn

Awakening

Awakening creators, writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn, are two storytellers eager to get the word out about the return of their project (which recently returned to the market from an 18-month hiatus as its publisher [sorted out business challenges [as explained here]). As announced in late September, Tapalansky and Eckman-Lawn are in the midst of a four-stop tour to generate support and interest in their Archaia hardcover horror book, Awakening. The tour opened on October 10 and in the course of this email interview, the details of the remaining dates are revealed (including this Staturday's stop at Upstate Comics). The story "takes place in the once-peaceful city of Park Falls, where a series of gruesome murders and missing persons has put the town on edge, and Cynthia Ford, known as the town 'crazy,' finds retired police detective Derrick Peters and relates to him her belief about what’s going on. Her explanation: Zombies. Unable to ignore Cynthia’s information, though not sharing her beliefs, Derrick and others in the town explore the mystery as weeks turn to months and the death toll rises. Could Cynthia be right or has she finally gone insane?"

Tim O'Shea: During the 18-month publishing hiatus, was there ever any point you wanted to give up on the project or you always believed it would come back?

Nick Tapalansky: I don’t think we ever even considered giving up on it. Besides already having so much blood invested in it, the story is one which I’m really excited to tell since it’s been percolating in my mind for the last five years. It was just a matter of being patient and seeing how everything resolved itself at Archaia.

Alex Eckman-Lawn: No way! There were some scary days in there, but I don’t think we ever once discussed giving up on the book. It was always, “How can we make this happen?” and luckily for us, all we really had to do was wait it out.

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Everyone's A Critic: A round-up of comic reviews and thinkpieces

Asterios Polyp

• Man, everyone and their Uncle Bob is reviewing David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp these days aren't they? This week alone we've seen Brian Hibbs, Rob Clough, Douglas Wolk and the LA Times' David Ulin.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I'll probably have my own review of the book up this Friday.

• The Groovy Age of Horror's Curt Purcell has been spending a lot of time talking about Blackest Night, and, given that he's not a regular fan, he has some interesting things to say about the crossover event. Rather than link to all the separate posts, I'll just say start here and work your way back.

Oh, and while you're at it, read his new review of Gilbert Hernandez's Speak of the Devil.

• Johnny Bacardi likes Blackest Night quite a bit too.

• Speaking of the Hernandez brothers, are you confused about where to dive into their expansive magnum opus, Love and Rockets? The Onion's AV Club is here to help. Continue Reading »

Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: A publishing news round-up

• Ladies and gentlemen, Dwayne McDuffie has an announcement:

The very first Milestone comic will finally be collected, 17 years after its original publication. HARDWARE: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE will reprint Hardware #1-8, featuring the character’s origin, and first adventure. The Direct Market (comic book store) release date hasn’t been announced yet, but it tends to be about a month earlier than in the general market.

• In other news, Archaia announced plans to start a new $9.95 hardcover line of books, where one graphic novel will be released each quarter at that low price. The plan kicks off in August with the release of The Engineer: Konstrukt.

• Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson says the Norewegian artist Jason's next project will be a repackaging of his previous books in the new Low Moon format. The first book, Almost Silent, will collect You Can't Get There From Here, The Living and the Dead, Tell Me Something and Meow Baby! The next book, What I Did, will tentatively collect The Iron Wagon, Shhhhh and Hey Wait. Thompson also adds that Jason is working on a new graphic novel, Werewolves of Montpellier, which will be out in summer of 2010.

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Thin wallets, fat bookshelves: A publishing news round-up

Snooker

• Cartoonist Ben Towle has announced the release of Snooker, a 64-page collection of his various minicomics. It's available for $10 at this site.

• I mentioned awhile back that Charles Burns was the editor for this year's edition of The Best American Comics series from HoughtonMifflin. It looks like Michael Kupperman is handling the cover chores on that book as well.

• In case you missed it: Archaia is partnering up with Henson Studios to make comics based on the Fraggle Rock, Labryinth and Mirrormask franchises.

• In case you missed it part II: Movie producer and comic book author Jeff Katz has started a new entertainment company, American Originals, that will publish comic books, among other things

• Broken Frontier reveals that Drawn and Quarterly will be publishing an English version of Brecht Evens' The Wrong Place early next year.

• Save your mana points now: Wizards of the Coast will release their first ever Magic: The Gathering graphic novel, Path of the Planeswalker, in October.

• Hey, Osamu Tezuka's Swallowing the Earth is now on sale at Akadot Retail, though it looks like you might pay for the privilege of being a first-buyer.

• Wondering what's up with the Graphic NYC book? The authors of the photo book of Big Apple cartoonists spill the beans on their publishing plans.

NYCC | Archaia teams with Roddenberry for sci-fi miniseries

ASP

Archaia Studios Press today announced an agreement with Roddenberry Productions to publish Days Missing, a five-issue science fiction miniseries based on a concept by Roddenberry COO Trevor Roth.

According to ICv2.com, more details, including the creative team, are expected to be revealed later this month at WonderCon. The first issue of Days Missing will be released in July at Comic-Con International.

Roddenberry Productions is headed by producer Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry Jr., son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and actress Majel Barrett.

Archaia Studios Press, publisher of such titles as Mouse Guard, Robotika and Artesia, was acquired in October by Chicago-based Kunoichi Inc.