Bryan Lee O’Malley
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Uncanny X-Force #1
Publishing | No comic cracked the 100,000-copy mark in the direct market in October, with the top title, Marvel’s Uncanny X-Force #1, selling an estimated 96,500 copies. Diamond’s graphic novel chart was led by DC Comics’ Superman: Earth One hardcover, which sold more than 16,000 copies. Retail news and analysis site ICv2.com notes that was the best number for a graphic novel since new volumes of Scott Pilgrim and The Walking Dead shipped in July. The website also pursues John Jackson Miller’s recent analysis of comics that don’t make it into Diamond’s Top 300, concluding: “Sales below the Top 300 may be growing in importance, but when we look at a fairly long period (10 months) either they aren’t big enough in the aggregate to make much difference, or their sales are changing at about the same rate as the Top 300’s. If anything, looking at year to date numbers, sales on titles below the Top 300 are shrinking faster than sales in the Top 300, at least in periodical comics.”
Meanwhile, Miller sifts through data made available by Diamond to determine that comics sales are 69.6 percent of the total market. [ICv2.com, The Comichron]
Conventions | Wizard Entertainment has announced its acquisition of Central Canada Comic Con in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Johanna Draper Carlson also picks up on rumors that the company is adding Mid-Ohio-Con to its growing stable. [press release, Comics Worth Reading]
- November 9, 2010 @ 08:36 AM by Kevin Melrose
Bryan Lee O’Malley on how he makes the magic – Updated!
Bryan Lee O’Malley reveals a lot about his process, and the reality of the creator’s life, in a questionnaire he filled out for his pal Eric Kim’s class.
4. What do you feel to be the hardest part of making comics?
The hardest part is probably the consistency of it, the constant work and the constant practice required. Every day can feel like you’re starting over from scratch. The other hardest part for me as a maturing creator is, like I said earlier, the divide between writing and drawing. I’m constantly looking for ways to integrate the two aspects to my own satisfaction, but it’s difficult, because I like the structure of a solid plot and I like the spontaneity of coming up with jokes and images while drawing pages. I want it both ways, and that necessitates this division of labour.
There’s lots more at the link, including just how he divides his time between writing and drawing, his favorite equipment, and how he got into the biz to begin with.
UPDATE: And he has posted a huge Flickr set of work-in-progress pictures.
- October 28, 2010 @ 11:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Comic-Con International
Comic-Con | A reminder: Four-day and single-day passes for Comic-Con International go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. PT. Note, though, that four-day memberships with Preview Night sold out on the last day of this year’s convention (more could be released later, depending on returns and cancellations). Prices have increased oh so slightly, from $100 to $105 for four-day memberships and from $35 to $37 for single-day passes.
Convention organizers also announced the first 20 special guests for the 2011 event, including Jordi Bernet, Jo Chen, Alan Davis, David Finch, Dave Gibbons, Jonathan Hickman, Jamal Igle, Mark Tatulli and Roy Thomas. [Comic-Con International]
Legal | A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a new Massachusetts Internet law designed to protect children from sexually explicit material, say the legislation was so broad that it would criminalize legitimate websites and electronic communication. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit opposing the statute. [The Boston Globe]
- October 28, 2010 @ 08:07 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Nexus, by Steve Rude
Creators | Renowned artist Steve Rude and his family are in danger of losing their home, so the co-creator of Nexus is auctioning art in hopes of raising the money to meet a Nov. 15 deadline. [Steve Rude's Facebook, The Comics Reporter]
Publishing | Retailer news and analysis site ICv2.com suggests Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series could close out 2010 as the No. 1 graphic-novel property of the year, surpassing the top-selling adaptation of Stephen Meyer’s Twilight. [ICv2.com]
Digital comics | David Brothers wonders how the rise of digital comics might change comics “culture,” and the Wednesday ritual. [4thletter!]
- October 6, 2010 @ 08:25 AM by Kevin Melrose
Buy Scott Pilgrim on Amazon for $3.99-$4.49 apiece
Amazon is currently discounting copies of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-volume Scott Pilgrim series to an absolutely absurdly low price: Vols. 1 & 5 are available for $3.99, and Vols. 2, 3, 4, and 6 are available for $4.49. This means you can buy six acclaimed graphic novels — about a thousand pages of comics — for the cost of six and a half big-name superhero comics. Just sayin’.
(Via Bryan Lee O’Malley)
- September 21, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by Sean T. Collins
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes [Updated]
TouchSmart 310
Digital comics | Hewlett Packard’s newly announced TouchSmart 310 — it’s an all-in-one touchscreen desktop PC with a starting price of $699.99 — will give users access to more than 8,000 Marvel comics, thanks to a deal between HP and Disney: “TouchSmart users will now be able to buy and download special versions of classic comics, and then literally thumb through them with on-screen controls. More than 8,000 Marvel titles are available, which HP says is the most extensive digital collection ever offered from any content partner.” [PCMag.com, TG Daily]
UPDATE: Marvel has issued a clarification, as well as an official press release: “HP TouchSmart Apps Center will offer streaming access to over 8,000 digital comics from Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. None of these digital comics will be downloadable.”
Legal | The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to affirm a lower court’s ruling that a California law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minor is unconstitutional. [press release, Game Rant]
- September 20, 2010 @ 07:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Themed convention sketchbooks
The Royal Tenenbaums, by Matt Wagner
One of the more unique aspects of comics conventions in the United States is the general amount of creativity bursting at the seems. One of the biggest signs of this is the generosity that most artists have for doing rough sketches to attendees.
Generally artists will do these for free, or for a small fee, but if you can get your hands on one it’s well worth the effort. I’ve been collecting sketches for several years at cons, and I thought myself the norm until I first glimpsed the themed sketchbook of Oni Press Editor-in-Chief James Lucas Jones.
In 2002, Jones began having artists and friends in the industry contribute to an ongoing sketchbook centered on the characters from the 2001 Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s been years since I’ve seen it, and it’s probably filled to the brim and Jones moved on to other themes. But it always sticks in my mind as one of the first themed con sketchbooks and one of the best. Here’s a sample:
- September 3, 2010 @ 12:45 PM by Chris Arrant
Scott Pilgrim in Space!
Scott Pilgrim vs. Space by John Kantz
Alas, it’s not an announcement of a seventh volume for Bryan Lee O’Malley’s seminal series, nor a sequel to Edgar Wright’s genuinely excellent movie adaptation. But it is a pretty sweet pin-up of Scott Pilgrim, Gideon Graves, and an intimidating (even more than usual!) Ramona Flowers by John Kantz, art assistant on the series’ sixth and final volume, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour. Let’s just hope Wallace Wells remembers to put on pants when gallivanting around the vacuum of deep space.
(via Bryan Lee O’Malley)
- September 2, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
Watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation
In case you missed the midnight premiere, Adult Swim is streaming Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation, a four-minute short based on the flashback sequence from the second volume of Scott Pilgrim, by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Actors from Edgar Wright’s film adaptation — Michael Cera, Allison Pill, Mae Whitman and Jason Schwartzman — provide the voices of Scott, Kim, Lisa and Simon Lee.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World opens today nationwide.
- August 13, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Borders Group headquarters
Retailing | About a week after laying off 100 people in its Tennessee distribution center, Borders Group has cut an unspecified number of jobs from its corporate headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company laid off 88 corporate workers in January following disappointing holiday sales. [AnnArbor.com]
Legal | Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and state broadcaster Sveriges Television have been reported to the police for publishing “child porn” in the form cartoons. According to a news report, the illustrations (identified as manga) depict “two men having sex in the background, and one of an obviously under-age girl exposing herself to an older man who becomes so turned on that he suffers a nose bleed.” [The Local]
Legal | Robin Brenner attempts to put a recurring argument to rest by explaining why scanlation websites are not like libraries. [About.com]
- August 12, 2010 @ 08:25 AM by Kevin Melrose
Scott Pilgrim’s Bryan Lee O’Malley draws the X-Men’s Emma Frost…with sexy results!
Emma Frost by Bryan Lee O'Malley
I bet you never even realized that a drawing of Emma “The White Queen” Frost quietly planning to “polish her diamond form” by Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley was exactly what your life was missing, did you? Then thank Douglas Wolk for bringing this final piece of our collective psychological puzzle to our attention.
- August 10, 2010 @ 01:00 PM by Sean T. Collins
Scott Pilgrim vs. the snarky movie review
The Scott Pilgrim cast
I always find it difficult to critique a film when I’m a fan of the source material. Playing the continual game of compare and contrast in my head tends to leave me a bit muddled. Am I appreciating the film on its own merits or do I just like it because it’s a spin-off of something I’ve really, really like a whole lot? Am I griping about it because it’s legitimately flawed or because it doesn’t match up with the perfect movie version I’ve been playing in my head for months on end? Are my criticisms fair and balanced or sloppily biased? Am I just playing yet another round of “Well, it’s not how I would have done it”? Obviously any review is subjective, but am I being subjective in a totally objective way? ‘Tis a puzzlement.
So I’m not sure what to say about the new Scott Pilgrim Vs the World film, which I happened to catch a preview of at my local cinema center last week. I liked it; it’s peppy and entertaining and, at least on a surface level, extremely faithful to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work. Yet I’d be lying if I didn’t say it didn’t have flaws — flaws that, depending upon what drew you to the graphic novels, may sink the movie for you.
Spoilers await after the jump.
- August 3, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6
Publishing | Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, the sixth and final volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s award-winning series, sold out of its initial 100,000-copy printing at the distributor level within a few days of its release last week. Oni Press plans a quick 50,000-copy second printing, with the possibility of additional copies if they’re needed. Edgar Wright’s film adaptation of the series, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, opens on Aug. 13. [ICv2.com]
Publishing | At Comic-Con International, IDW Publishing announced plans for the Ultimate Alex Raymond Collection: The Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim, which includes every Sunday installment from both classic comic strips collected in an oversized edition. [press release]
- July 27, 2010 @ 08:18 AM by Kevin Melrose
Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Soundtrack
Is Scott Pilgrim the king of all media? Consider the launch of the character’s sixth and final comic from Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, which drew literally thousands of fans to midnight release parties Monday night. Consider the San Diego Comic-Conslaught of publicity for Edgar Wright’s Michael Cera-starring movie adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, hitting theaters in just a few short weeks. And finally, consider the multiple albums on the way containing all the music recorded for the movie. The much-ballyhooed soundtrack contains songs from alt-rock heroes Beck, Broken Social Scene, and Metric, performing in-character as bands from the story, plus tracks from T.Rex, the Rolling Stones, Frank Black, and of course Plumtree, whose song “Scott Pilgrim” gave our hero his name.
Now comes word via The Playlist that an extended edition of the soundtrack will feature alternate versions of Beck’s contributions, with the Loser himself on vocals this time around. Also headed our way is the original score album, featuring music by Beck and Radiohead superproducer Nigel Godrich, Handsome Boy Modeling School and Gorillaz knob-twiddler Dan the Automator, Japanese art-pop weirdo Cornelius, longtime Wright collaborator Osymyso and more. Rock out with your Scott out, people.
- July 22, 2010 @ 02:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
SDCC ’10 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the Eisner Awards
Cast members of "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World"
Scott Pilgrim‘s conquest of Comic-Con International will expand Friday night to the Eisner Awards ceremony, where the film’s cast will be on hand to announce the winners in the first three categories.
According to an announcement made this afternoon, the cast members expected to appear include Michael Cera, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mark Webber, Ellen Wong, Jason Schwartzman, Alison Pill, Satya Bhabha, Brandon Routh and Mae Whitman. They will join such other presenters as actors Ben Garant, Thomas Jane and Phil LaMarr, and creators Peter Bagge, Berkeley Breathed, Chris Claremont, Dave Gibbons and C. Tyler.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which opens on Aug. 13, is (of course) based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s acclaimed series of graphic novels. The fifth volume is nominated for an Eisner Award for best humor publication.
The Eisner Awards ceremony begins at 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Indigo Room of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.
- July 22, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by Kevin Melrose