Brian K. Vaughan
Some thoughts on all the comics I bought Wednesday
It’s Thursday afternoon as you’re reading this, but it’s still Wednesday night as I write it. Usually on Wednesdays, I work at my day job until 5 p.m., and then, after I shout “Yabba-dabba-doo!” and slide down the tail of my sauropod/steam shovel, I hop into my car and drive to my local comic shop and pick up a small stack of comic books. Then I return to my apartment and read them, and then I write brief reviews of them all for a weekly feature I post on my home blog and then I write my weekly post for Robot 6.
Wednesdays are, generally speaking, pretty busy days for me. This one’s even busier than usual, as in addition to the above, I have a few extra writing assignments I need to finish before the end of the week and I still have two homemade Christmas presents for loved ones I need to finish putting together.
So then I had a brilliant idea! Well, an idea. Maybe instead of writing two blog posts tonight, one for Every Day Is Like Wednesday and one for Robot 6, I would just write my usual Wednesday-night blog post and put it here instead of there, thus killing two birds with one stone, as the saying, which was popularized back when people still killed birds with stones, goes.
Here then, are a few paragraphs about each of the new comic books I bought and read this Wednesday (now if only I could give blog posts as a Christmas gifts to my family members, the rest of this week would be pretty chill):
Quote of the Day | ‘The Year of Image Comics’
“Between the New 52, Before Watchmen, and Marvel Now!, 2012 has been an exhilarating year for mainstream comics, but none of these events have been as thrilling as the creative renaissance at Image Comics. High-profile launches from Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, and Brandon Graham have given readers riveting stories unlike anything at Marvel or DC, and these titles have expanded the publisher’s brand to satisfy a more diverse audience. No new book has done that as well as Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga, a science-fiction fantasy/war romance that’s part Shakespeare, part Star Wars, and all awesome. [...] Across Image’s line, there’s a confidence in the storytelling that stems from total creative freedom. With no editorial interference, these creators are able to create the exact type of books they want to see, from the story contents to the production quality. That complete control breeds fearlessness, and these writers and artists are putting out stories that fully exhibit their imaginations. They’re paving new ground for the future of the industry. There’s no reason for comic books to be so strongly defined by superheroes, and Image has taken huge strides to build a library of titles that offers as broad a selection of genres as prose, film, or television.”
– The A.V. Club critic Oliver Sava, in his review of Saga #7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Food or Comics? | Fantastic Fork
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. I’m filling in this week for Michael May, who is off in Florida spending his splurge money on mouse ears and giant turkey legs.
Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.
Chris Arrant
Saga #7
If I had $15, I’d start of the week with Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples’ Saga #7 (Image, $2.99). Saga has become a real bright spot in comics for me being sci-fi without being “sci-fi,” being romance without being “romance,” and being great at being great. It gives me the same excitement the way Bone, Strangers In Paradise and A Distant Soil did back in the early 90s. Next up would be Punk Rock Jesus #5 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99) by Sean Murphy. Murphy’s really exceeded my expectations here, creating a nuanced and elaborate world that has great art as a bonus. You can really tell Murphy’s been thinking about this story for awhile now. After that I’d get Invincible #97 (Image, $2.99), to finally get the truth behind the new Invincible, Zandale. I’ve been enticed by what’s been teased so far, and I hope the inevitable return of Mark Grayson doesn’t prevent me from seeing more of Zandale in the future. Last up with my $15 budget would be my call for the best superhero book on the stands today, Wolverine & The X-Men #20 (Marvel, $3.99). I feel like the title isn’t getting the attention it deserves with Marvel NOW! upon us, but Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw are absolutely delivering it here.
If I had $30, I’d double back and double up on Brian Wood with Conan The Barbarian #10 (Dark Horse, $3.50) and The Massive #6 (Dark Horse, $3.50). The Massive has survived the monumental loss of artist Kristian Donaldson, forging on in Wood’s story of one ship trying to survive in an ecological destitute Earth. Over at Conan The Barbarian, Declan Shalvey looks to be bringing the goods and showing he’s more than a Marvel superhero artist. After that I’d get the second series debut of Where Is Jake Ellis? (Image, $3.50) by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic. This is a mighty pairing, and seeing them peel back the layers on Jake Ellis has been fun.
What Are You Reading? with Brady Sullivan
Happy Veterans Day and welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at the comics, books and other things we’ve been perusing of late. Today our special guest is Brady Sullivan, the writer of Death Springs, a free weekly webcomic with artist JC Grande (Image’s Johnny Monster). He also has several print projects currently out or hitting the shelves soon, including the recently released action/satire Revolution Aisle 9.
To see what Brady and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below …
Amazon resumes sales of Saga trade paperback
Amazon.com has resumed selling the first volume of Saga, the acclaimed sci-fi/fantasy epic by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, but has yet to indicate why the trade paperback was placed “under review” last week. While one report indicated there may have been problems with copies being warped by heat, neither Vaughan nor publisher Image Comics were given an explanation by the online retail giant.
“I’ve always loved Amazon, but maybe this incident should serve as a reminder that the best place to buy graphic novels is still your friendly neighborhood local comics store,” Vaughan said in a statement. “Saga exists only because retailers gave it so much support, and they were kind enough to order a metric ass-load of our trades, so they should still have copies on their shelves when you swing by on Wednesday. But if they’ve already sold out, Image still has a few extras stashed down in Kirkman’s basement, and good retailers can order you up a fresh one immediately. And if you’re still on the fence about picking up our filthy sci-fi/fantasy epic, you can always read our double-sized first issue in its entirety for FREE right here. Then we return monthly with Chapter Seven in two short weeks!”
Debuting in March, Saga follows two soldiers from opposite sides of an intergalactic war who fall in love and risk everything for their newborn daughter, in the process becoming fugitives on the run from their own governments.
Amazon halts sales of Saga trade paperback
Amazon.com has stopped selling Saga, Vol. 1, only days after its release, labeling the collection of the critically acclaimed sci-fi/fantasy series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples as “under review.” An Image Comics representative told Comic Book Resources the online retail giant hasn’t explained why the book was pulled.
The generic “Item Under Review” label on the retailer’s Saga listing states “it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it’s described here.” According to the Outhousers, there’s been at least one report of an Amazon-shipped copy of the trade paperback being “‘extremely wavy’ due to heat warping.”
As Image notes on its Twitter feed, Saga is still available through the Barnes & Noble website, and from direct-market stores. It can also be purchased from other sellers through Amazon.com.
Debuting in March, Saga follows two soldiers from opposite sides of an intergalactic war who fall in love and risk everything for their newborn daughter, in the process becoming fugitives on the run from their own governments.
We’ll update when we know more.
Comics A.M. | Sweden’s Tintin debate continues; more on NYCC
Tintin in the Congo
Comics | Johan Palme talks to Nathan Hamelberg of The Betweenship Group about the continuing controversy over a Swedish library’s decision to re-shelve some Tintin comics because of racist caricatures and colonialist attitudes. The books were put back following an uproar, but the move has sparked a larger conversation, and it even has its own hashtag, #tintingate. [The Guardian]
Conventions | Heidi MacDonald and the Publishers Weekly team (including Robot 6 contributor Brigid Alverson) post a comprehensive report on New York Comic Con, including debuts, new-title announcements, and a quick look at logistics. [Publishers Weekly Comics World]
Conventions | Dave Smith looks at one of the most vexing problems of New York Comic Con: the lack of decent wireless access, a situation troubling exhibitors and media alike. [International Business Times]
Quote of the Day | Brian K. Vaughan on Saga’s long future
“My hope is that this will be the longest, best series I’ve ever been a part of, so my new goal is to go exactly one issue longer than wherever The Walking Dead ends. I know Kirkman already has a hundred-issue head start, but I’m confident I can outlive the bastard, especially with his hard-partying Hollywood lifestyle.”
– Saga writer Brian K. Vaughan, discussing his acclaimed collaboration with Fiona Staples in an interview in which he also teases a planned re-teaming with Doctor Strange: The Oath artist Marcos Martin
What Are You Reading?
Godzilla #1
Hello and welcome to What Are You Reading?, where each week we talk about what comics and other stuff have been on our reading piles. To see what the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below.
Quote of the Day | Brian K. Vaughan on the potential of creator-owned comics [UPDATED]
I loved working for my friends at Marvel and DC, and I was always compensated with a very generous upfront page rate, but by betting on myself (and Fiona!) and waiting for money on the back end with Saga, I’m already making way, way, WAY more than what I made on comparably selling books that I wrote for other companies. And that’s after splitting everything 50/50 with my richly deserving co-creator.
— Brian K. Vaughan, discussing his collaboration with Fiona Staples on Saga
Vaughan also expresses surprise at how much money there is to be made in creator-owned books, although Saga is probably a phenomenon in that regard; the first issue sold 70,000 copies, and from March through June, Saga has been either Image’s No. 1 or No. 2 seller for the month, according to Diamond Comic Distributors, with only The Walking Dead charting higher.
As independent creators working on their own property, Vaughan and Staples have chosen to go the route of selling more at a lower cost, pricing their monthly comic at $2.99 and the upcoming trade at $9.99. Digital is an even better deal, with the first issue free* and issues 1-5 priced at $1.99 on comiXology right now. And yet they are selling enough comics — and keeping enough of the proceeds, as opposed to splitting with middlemen — to pay themselves a page rate and take a profit on the back end, which is a nice place to be.
*All five copies are $1.99; I saw the first one as free because I own the digital copy. Duh.
Food or Comics? | Sage or Saga
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.
Saga #6
Chris Arrant
If I had $15, I’d first double-down on creator-owned comics with Butcher Baker, Righteous Maker #8 (Image, $2.99) and Saga #6 (Image, $2.99). I’m glad to see Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston back on Butcher Baker after a hiatus in which I feared it was no more, and I’ve just pulled out #1-7 to get me back up to speed. I’m thinking that taking hallucinogenics would make me enjoy this comic more. On the other side, Saga #6 is flat-out amazing in the most conventional way (despite the unconventional setting). Aliens, ghosts and babies, and yet Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples bring it all together. At this point I’ve shifted into the The Walking Dead mode of reading – no point in reading about what’s ahead, as I’ll just buy it blindly on the great comics they’ve done so far. After that creator-owned two-fer, I’d give Marvel the rest of my money with Uncanny X-Force #29 (Marvel, $3.99) and Avengers vs. X-Men #10 (Marvel, $3.99). I think Marvel’s finally found a suitable replacement for Jerome Opena in artist Julian Totino Tedesco, and I hope he’s locked in to finish out this arc. And speaking of Rick Remender’s work, I spent about 15 minutes conversing the other day about how and why he should’ve been enlisted into Marvel’s Architects and worked into Avengers Vs. X-Men. While the group-written approach takes some getting used to, I’d love to see Remender do an issue of this. In Avengers Vs. X-Men #10 (Marvel, $3.99) however, we see Ed Brubaker taking the lead and showing the Phoenix Force Five venturing into K’un L’un for what seems like the Empire Strikes Back moment of the series.
If I had $30, I’d turn back in all my $15 purchases except Saga #6 and spend the recouped $25-plus dollars and get Hulk: Season One HC (Marvel, $24.99). I’ve never been the biggest Hulk fan, but seeing the previews of Tom Fowler’s art on this has won me over. Fowler, like the above mentioned Tedesco, is one of Marvel’s hidden gems and this might be the launching pad for him to (finally) get some recognition. And for me to get some good comics. Fowler SMASH!
If I could splurge, I’d do the boring choice and simply use it to buy all the single issues mentioned in the $15 section and be able to also afford Hulk: Season One HC. Easy, breezy, beautiful, comics boy.
Comics A.M. | Kodansha’s Attack on Titan tops 9 million in Japan
Attack on Titan, Vol. 1
Publishing | Kodansha’s Attack on Titan, the action-fantasy manga by Hajime Isayama, has sold more than 9 million copies in Japan, according to the Sports Nippon newspaper. The eighth volume was released last week in Japan; Kodansha USA will publish the second volume next month in North America. [Anime News Network]
Publishing | Alex Zalben pays a visit to the Valiant offices and talks shop with editor Warren Simons: “Asking whether the idea was to set these up so that you can go right to TV, video games, or other properties, Simons strongly denies that was behind the relaunch. ‘I think you have guys who really love comic books,’ said Simons. ‘I’m just interested in publishing comic books. Obviously in this space, in this day and age you want to pay attention to everything – just like everyone does. But I think it all derives from publishing … [The publishers] just wanted to read comics about the characters that they loved growing up!’” [MTV Geek]
Watch an incredible Y: The Last Man fan film
More than five years after New Line Cinema acquired the film rights to Y: The Last Man, the acclaimed comic by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, we seem little closer to seeing Yorick Brown and Ampersand on the big screen than we were in 2007. But likely for fans of the Eisner Award-winning series, Christian Cardona has taken an adaptation into his own hands with a stellar short film called Y: The Last Man Rising that’s debuted at IGN.com.
Watch the short, which stars Travis Quentin Young as Yorick, Kent King as Agent 355 and Rebecca Marshall as Hero Brown, below.
What Are You Reading? with D.J. Kirkbride and Adam Knave
Saga #4
Hello and welcome to What Are You Reading? Today our special guests are D.J. Kirkbride and Adam Knave, writers of Amelia Cole and the Unknown World, which was released last week by Monkeybrain Comics.
To see what Adam, D.J. and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below …
What Are You Reading? with Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque
Hello and welcome to What Are You Reading? Our guest this week is Spanish artist Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, who drew the comic Elle for Soleil. He’s also working on a story for the upcoming Skullkickers #18 with J. Torres.
To see what Alberto and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below.