Talking Comics with Tim: Matt Kindt on Revolver
Revolver
It’s never boring when I get to catch up with writer/artist Matt Kindt about his creative and marketing process–as well as the film, Donnie Darko (and a range of other topics–including video games, Crisis on Infinite Earth and learning how to drive a stick shift). Had I known we could have talked while at a baseball game (this will make sense once you’ve read the interview), well I was crushed (OK not crushed, but I’m finding out next year if Kindt is partial to major or minor league baseball–and we’ll plan our next interview accordingly). Although I was fortunate enough to read an advance black and white preview of Revolver (his new graphic novel for Vertigo “a tale of two worlds — and how both test a man to his limits”), I’m looking forward to this Wednesday, July 14, when I can buy the book in its final form. While we all wait, enjoy this interview.
Tim O’Shea: How much advanced layouts, given the conflicting narratives that you maintain throughout the tale, did you have to set up at the project’s outset?
Matt Kindt: I lay everything out well in advance. I don’t pencil any pages until the entire thing is layed out. Especially with a book like this where I had a hard page count, meaning I couldn’t go over my page limit, I had to be very precise with everything, including where the page-turns would be for certain big reveals, etc.But I really do that with every book – I don’t start penciling anything until I’ve figured out the entire book.
- July 12, 2010 @ 04:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Hey, look who is on Facebook
Friend up the Robot
The good folks over at CBR proper, who set up their own Facebook page not too long ago, have set one up for us as well. If you’re on Facebook, head over there and click on the “Like” link to befriend the robot and follow our feed. And don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter, if you prefer … we’re easy.
- June 16, 2010 @ 05:10 PM by JK Parkin
Anaheim turns to Facebook for help in wooing Comic-Con
From the convention bureau's Facebook fan page
The courtship of Comic-Con International, and its $40-million annual boost to the local economy, has made the move to Facebook.
The Wrap discovers that the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau is turning to social media, and the people of Southern California, to help in its bid for the pop-culture event.
On a newly launched Facebook fan page called Bring Comic-Con International to Anaheim, CA, the convention bureau posts an “Open Letter to Comic-Con International” extolling the virtues of the Orange County area and the Anaheim Convention Center — it underscores the selling points on its website — while acknowledging organizers’ hesitancy about uprooting the event from its longtime San Diego home.
“… We get the feeling that it is going to take something extra to get you to leave a place of comfort and familiarity to come to Anaheim,” the letter states. “We need to show you the level of interest and excitement that Comic-Con International elicits out of this huge Southern California drive market.”
To that end, the convention bureau is using the Facebook page “to gauge the fervor of the Southern California crowd” and show convention organizers “just how excited people would get at the mere consideration of Comic-Con International moving to Anaheim.”
It will take more than excitement and Facebook fans, though. As Comic-Con nears the end of its lease with the San Diego Convention Center, the home it long ago outgrew — attendance has been capped at about 126,000 because of lack of space — Anaheim and Los Angeles are prime contenders for the event for 2013 and beyond.
That’s not to say San Diego should be counted out: The San Diego Convention Center Corp. has submitted a proposal seeking to extend Comic-Con’s contract through 2015, and has secured commitments from three waterfront hotels to provide for free about 300,000 square feet of meeting space from 2013 to 2015.
- March 24, 2010 @ 02:30 PM by Kevin Melrose
If, 18 years from now, you hear about a felon named Batman Myerzowski, you’ll know why
The guy has t-shirts made up and everything
This smacks of some sort of pr stunt/scam (note all the links to some site called K-Z Entertainment) but … apparently a gentleman on Facebook has started a fan page where he promises to name his soon-to-be-born child Batman if he gets over 500,000 followers. He’s already well past the 900,000 mark, so I suppose the poor unborn tot (the due date is next month) is doomed to bear the Caped Crusader’s moniker until he’s old enough to head to the local registar’s office. Hopefully his younger brother, Zur En Arrh, will deflect some of the massive bullying and teasing he will receive during his K-12 schooling.
- December 31, 2009 @ 08:50 AM by Chris Mautner
The best reason for Facebook’s existence? Yes.
Now that's a lineup of talent
If you don’t have a Facebook account (and I don’t necessarily blame you if you don’t) you’ve been missing the wonderful photos that Carol Hernandez — wife of Gilbert Hernandez — has been posting of the Los Bros. on the Love and Rockets Fan Page. It’s full of great blow-your-mind yesteryear pics like the one above, (from left) Sergio Aragones, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Gilbert Hernandez and Robert Crumb at the Anglouleme festival in France, circa 1990. Also included: pics of Michelle Shocked, Russ Myer and Dennis the Menace creator Hank Ketcham.
- October 5, 2009 @ 10:40 AM by Chris Mautner
Talking Comics with Tim: Harry Bliss
Luke on the Loose
Harry Bliss makes comedy and storytelling work on many levels. How do I know? He crafted comedy out of my dry questions in this email interview. In all seriousness, I credit Bliss’ collaborations with Doreen Cronin (including 2003′s Diary of A Worm and 2005′s Diary of a Spider) as being a key catalyst (by tapping into my son’s sense of humor) in sparking an increased interest in reading for him. So when I found out about Bliss’ new book (for Françoise Mouly’s Toon Books), Luke on the Loose (“Luke looks on at the pigeons in Central Park, while Dad is lost in ‘boring Daddy talk’, and before you know it—LUKE IS ON THE LOOSE! He’s free as a bird, on a hilarious solo flight through New York City”, a story in which he handles both the writing and illustrating roles), I jumped at the chance to email interview him. My thanks to Bliss for his time–and to Ron Longe for his assistance in making this interview possible.
Tim O’Shea: You’ve worked with Françoise Mouly for years at the New Yorker–in terms of Luke on the Loose coming together, did she seek you out to work with the Toon Books imprint–or did you seek the publisher out yourself?
Harry Bliss: Francoise asked me to contribute to Toon Books and she is the publisher, so…
O’Shea: You’ve collaborated with several children authors, including Doreen Cronin, Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee and Sharon Creech. Were there any storytelling assets or lessons you took away from these collaborations?
Bliss: I learn many things from all the wonderful authors I’ve had the good fortune to work with over the years, mainly, how to integrate words and pictures. It’s really a dance, trying to pair up the text with the art, not simply illustrating the words, but to move the story forward visually. If something is not enriching the story/characters, then it needs to go. This was especially critical with Luke. The author and I went back and forth constant- wait, I wrote Luke! Sorry.
- July 6, 2009 @ 03:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Paul Grist’s Big Cosmic Comic on Facebook
Eternal Warrior
No doubt the minute I ask “Is this the first webcomic published on Facebook?” someone will point to one that’s already out there, but I’m pretty sure this is the first webcomic by Paul Grist published on Facebook. (And I do mean published versus promoted).
In a group called “Paul Grist’s Big Cosmic Comic,” the creator of Kane and Jack Staff is sharing the adventures of a character called the Eternal Warrior (not to be confused with the Valiant character of the same name). Two pages are up now, and he says he hopes to add at least one new page every week. Something I noticed about the Facebook photo interface is that when you click on one image, it takes you to the next … which seems like a really easy way to click through pages of a comic. Obviously they didn’t design it with that in mind, but it’s nice that it worked out that way.
- February 3, 2009 @ 07:15 AM by JK Parkin