Bill of Rights

Creators | Writer Peter David shares a “Fan/Pro Bill of Rights” related to proper behavior at conventions, starting with a “Prime Directive”: “Fans and Pros have the right to be treated by each other with the same courtesy that they themselves would expect to be treated. Fans and Pros who act like jerks abrogate the right to complain when they themselves are treated like jerks.” [Peter David]

Crime | A Denver judge sentenced Aaron Castro to 45 years in prison after Castro pleaded guilty to drug and extortion charges. Prosecutors say he ran a major methamphetamine distribution ring and laundered the profits by buying and selling valuable comics in the collector’s market. [KMGH Denver]

Digital | Robot 6 contributor Graeme McMillan catches an error in Marvel’s press release from last week: Marvel was not the first comics publisher to release an entire line of comics simultaneously in print and digital—Archie Comics was. [Blog@Newsarama]

Creators | Cartoonist Chester Brown, whose Louis Riel is among the semifinalists for Canada Reads 2012, answers 10 questions on the awards website. [CBC Books]

WWE Heroes

Comics | Joey Esposito looks at the surprising parallels between mainstream comics and the WWE. [IGN]

Creators | CTV profiles Hark! A Vagrant creator and “web com artist” Kate Beaton. [CTV]

Creators | Forbidden Planet post two short videos, one old, one recent, of the late Family Circus cartoonist Bil Keane discussing his work. [The Forbidden Planet Blog Log]

Creators | The local news station profiles Rhymes With Orange cartoonist Hilary Price, whose daily strip is one of the fresher offerings on the comics page these days. [Masslive.com]

Comics | John Porcellino’s deeply personal comics and the emotional connection forged during a comics reading helped one reader realize he was not alone. [Weekend]

Retailers | Newly opened Florida comics shop EPIC Comics aims to be the opposite of the dingy basement comics shop; its owners deliberately created an art gallery-like space embellished with superhero murals done with Sharpie markers. [East Orlando Sun]

Retailers | Several Nashua, New Hampshire-area retailers discuss sales of DC’s New 52 titles in their stores. [Nashua Telegraph]

Commentary | Johanna Draper Carlson reviews the first volume of the wine-tasting manga The Drops of God, which was so popular it actually affected the wine market in Japan and Korea. She finds the story strongly reminiscent of the foodie manga Oishinbo, but with a few twists of its own. [Comics Worth Reading]

Legion of Super-Heroes

Commentary | Colin Smith starts a series looking back at the Legion of Super-Heroes reboot circa 1989, when Keith Giffen, along with Tom and Mary Bierbaum, took the team five years into the future: “In many ways, Giffen’s Legion remains a bold and innovative comic book, and one tellingly marked by a deliberate attempt to apply something of the form of Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore’s storytelling techniques from Watchman to DC’s consistently under-performing future-heroes franchise. But through a debilitating brew of opaque craftsmanship, DC editorial fiat, and a misdiagnosis of the Legion’s commercial weaknesses, this bold new start for the Legion of Superheroes ended up contradicting many of the key reasons for the artistic and commercial achievements of Watchman and The Dark Knight Returns.” [Too Busy Thinking About My Comics]

Comics | Christopher Gondrom posts a brief meditation on the beginning and the ending of the Flight anthology, along with an excerpt from the eighth and final volume. [Suvudu]

Culture | JL Bell presents a fascinating history of Guy Fawkes in America, starting with Boston revelers (who were only vaguely aware of who Fawkes was and what he had done) and exploring Alan Moore’s use of the Fawkes mask in V for Vendetta and its subsequent adoption by 4Chan users and Occupy protestors. [Boston 1775]

While “Flight” continues to be very successful for an anthology, it doesn’t sell enough copies to be considered a hit in the mainstream book publishing world, and our sales numbers were not rising. My goal with the project was to reach new readers and bring them into comics, but I was seeing that we weren’t doing a good enough job of it. I think much of the blame can be placed on the size and price of the books. It’s just a bit much to ask someone who has never read the other “Flight” books to spend $27 on a paperback. So I realized that the time spent on the series could be better spent helping the artists begin working on their own books. We’ll revisit the project again, but it will probably show up in a different form.

As comics shift more and more into a graphic novel model, Kibuishi’s words are worth thinking about. Book publishers and comics publishers have different ways of doing things, and apparently the Flight books, as great as they are, didn’t fit neatly into either category. On the other hand, they launched a lot of artists who did go on to make successful graphic novels.

And there’s a bit of good news in the article: Flight 8 is the last volume of the numbered series, but Kibuishi is also working with editor Sheila Keenan on one more volume of the all-ages Flight Explorer anthology, and he will be applying the lessons learned to this new book.

Vengeance #1

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. We’re coming a little late today due to a power outage in my neck of the woods — due to a blackout, not because I spent the money for the electric bill on Flashpoint or Fear Itself tie-ins.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.

Chris Arrant

If I had $15, my first pick off the shelf would be Vengeance #1 (Marvel, $3.99); I love Joe Casey, and especially when he’s given a long leash and room to play in a big universe. Seeing Nick Dragotta drawing this is an added bonus. Next up would be comics’ dueling summer blockbusters, Flashpoint #3 (DC, $3.99) and Fear Itself #4 (Marvel, $3.99). After that, I’d get the excellent Flashpoint: Batman, Knight of Vengeance #2 (DC, $2.99); when Azzarello is on the ball he’s great to read, and this seems to be that.

If I had $30, I’d double back and get Toby Cypress’ Rodd Racer (Image, $7.99); I’m spoiled in that Toby sent me an advance preview of this, which only made me want to read it more. Next up would be Uncanny X-Men #540 (Marvel, $3.99); I really feel Kieron Gillen has already got a firmer grasp on the characters here than Matt Fraction did in the length of his run. I hope Gillen’s given some time to really explore things outside the big-event crossover seasons to come. If Chris Claremont can do those epic baseball issues, I want Gillen to do some music equivalent –who knows, maybe Wolverine saw the Ramones at CBGB’s. Last up would be Jonah Hex #69 (DC, $2.99); seeing Jeff Lemire joining Palmiotti and Gray is a mind-bender.

For the splurge, it’s an easy pick — Flight Vol. 8 ($27). Kazu and company really pioneered a new frontier in comics, continuing on from the trailblazing nature of Jeff Smith with Bone. I hope the end of Flight doesn’t diminish the creative output from the creators shown in these issues going forward in comics.

Graeme McMillan

Flashpoint #3

If I had $15 in this first week of July, I’d put more than half of it towards keeping up with the Big Two’s big summer events, with both Flashpoint #3 (DC, $3.99) and Fear Itself #4 (Marvel, $3.99) out this week. I’ve been enjoying the former much more than the latter, but I admit: I’m expecting a turnaround from the death at the end of FI #3 that I am, in a weird way, hooked to find out how quickly it happens. Marvel gets another $3.99 of my money with the first issue of Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta’s Vengeance, because I’m curious to see what pop thrills Casey has cooked up for his latest journey into the Marvel Universe’s little-seen underside.

If I had $30, the first thing I’d add to my list would be the first issue of Elric: The Balance Lost (BOOM!, $3.99); I’ve never gotten into Moorcock’s fantasy character and always kind of regretted that. With Chris Roberson writing this new series, I feel like I might finally have my “in.” If nothing else, Roberson’s writing will make the whole thing enjoyable, even if Elric himself turns out to be not for me. A couple of Flashpoint tie-ins would also make the cut: Flashpoint: Secret Seven #2 and Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #2 (Both DC, $2.99) had strong enough first issues that I’ll likely pick up their follow-ups. Also potentially making the “Huh, I liked the first one enough, so maybe…?” pile: Wolverine and Black Cat: Claws 2 #1 (Marvel, $3.99). I surprised myself by enjoying the first series of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Joe Linser’s team-up book a few years ago, so the follow-up might be worth picking up.

If I’m splurging this week, I’m going back to my nostalgiaplace: Roy Thomas’ Infinity Inc. begins what I hope is a long run of collections with DC’s Infinity Inc.: The Generations Saga hardcover ($39.99), and I’m enough of a sucker of both Thomas’ 1980s DC work and Earth-2 stories in general that this is pretty close to a must-have for me.

Brigid Alverson

Flight Vol. 8

If I had $15, I’d be a sad girl indeed, because the book I most want this week costs more than that. However, I’d go to the comics store and flip through vol. 1 of Monster Hunter Orage ($10.99), a new adventure manga (based on the Monster Hunter game, but only loosely) by Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima, and vol. 3 of Oresama Teacher ($9.99), and pick whichever one I liked better — I’m kind of on the fence here. Then I’d pick up Robert Bloch’s That Hellbound Train #2 and go home to read my comics and sulk.

If I had $30, the world becomes a brighter place, because now I can afford the first volume of Wandering Son ($19.99), Shimura Takakao’s quiet, sensitive story of a boy who wishes he was a girl and a girl who has already started dressing like a boy. Fantagraphics has produced this in a beautiful hardbound edition as part of their lit-manga line, and it’s a must-have.

My splurge item would definitely be the eighth volume of the Flight anthology. It’s the last, and I’m afraid it will have run out of steam, but I’m still willing to give it a chance.

JK Parkin

Red Skull #1

If I had $15, like Graeme, I’d start with the latest issues of the two big summer crossovers, Flashpoint #3 (DC, $3.99) and Fear Itself #4 (Marvel, $3.99). Unlike Graeme, I’d probably say Fear Itself is edging out Flashpoint for me, but it’s pretty close. I’d also grab Secret Six #35 (DC, $2.99), the unfortunately penultimate issue. And I’d round it out with Chew #19 (Image, $2.99), because, well, it’s Chew.

If I had $30, I’d also get Jonah Hex #69 (DC, $2.99); this series has had a plethora of great and visually interesting artists, and Lemire’s a great addition to the list. I’d also pick up Red Skull #1 (Marvel, $2.99) if for no other reason than it gives me an excuse to show off David Aja’s awesome cover in this post. I’d also get Batman Beyond #7 (DC, $2.99). Heroes for Hire #9 (Marvel, $2.99) has an eclectic cast, so let’s grab that one, and then round it all out with The Boys #56 (Dynamite, $3.99).

For my splurge item, I’d go with the 27 collection (Image, $16.99), by by writer Charles Soule and artist Renzo Podesta. I understand it’ll get a second series, which should be good news for fans of the book.

Malinky Robot

Since a Xeric Foundation grant back in 2002 first allowed him to self-publish, comics creator Sonny Liew has created a series of stories starring Atari and Oliver, two street urchins who steal bicycles, watch giant robot movies and get into trouble in a futuristic city filled with robots. The stories have appeared in various comics and anthologies over the years, and this August Image Comics will collect them into one volume titled Malinky Robot.

Liew, whose body of work includes the Vertigo series My Faith in Frankie and Minx book Re-Gifters with writer Mike Carey, Marvel’s Sense and Sensibility adaptation with writer Nancy Butler, and SLG’s Wonderland with writer Tommy Kovac, shared some details on the new collection with me via the magic of email. Based in Singapore, Liew is also working on a few new projects, as he shares below.

JK: What stories are included in the new collection and where did they originally appear?

Sonny: The collection begins with “Stinky Fish Blues,” which was first conceived in David Mazzucchelli’s Graphic Storytelling class at the Rhode Island School of Design. Xeroxed copies of the story ended up in a couple of comic stores in the Boston area, before a Xeric grant allowed to me to try my hand at self-publishing. Later on a colored version appeared in Liquid City vol 1. “Bicycle” was originally released as a one-shot from SLG Comics, and the other stories, “Dead Soul’s Day Out,” “New Year’s Day” and “Karakuri” appeared in various editions of the Flight anthologies edited by Kazu Kibuishi.

JK: Tell me a little more about your time at the Rhode Island School of Design. What did you learn from David Mazzucchelli?

Sonny: RISD was the first time I went to school with a sense of belonging; it was almost odd that homework consisted of drawing and painting, things I’d associated with fun rather than school. Lots of great teachers and fellow students there, David aside I got to take classes with folks like Nick Jainschigg, Bob Selby and Tony Janello. Jon Foster dropped by once too, this was just before his career really took off.

David… well, I think he’s one of the few creators out there who forged a successful career both in mainstream and alternative comics, so he was an amazing source of inspiration and information. Growing up in Singapore, where the comics industry was (and still is) very nascent, I never had a clear idea how someone went about becoming a comics creator — so David’s advice on practical things like portfolios and going to conventions was really helpful. The class itself also opened my eyes to the uniqueness of comics as a storytelling  language; everything from the rhythm of panels to the wider structural elements. He was working on Asterios Polyp at the time I think, so it was exciting when the book came out a bunch of years later, having heard intimations of what it would be about.

JK: The Flight anthologies always have a wonderful line-up of cartoonists and creators. How did you get involved with them, and what was it like working with Kazu Kibuishi?

Sonny: I think Kazu sent me an email after he saw a copy of the self-published Malinky Robot : Stinky Fish Blues. The experience with Flight has been great — watching all the incredible artists post their works in progress on the Flight Forums, meeting the folks at San Diego; it was also the inspiration behind Liquid City, though both Kazu and Ivan Brandon (who was editor for 24Seven) did warn me how much work would be involved in editing an anthology  :p It’s been an honor to have been part of the series, I think it’ll be a bittersweet thing when it ends its run with volume 8.

JK: Tell me a little bit about the inspiration behind “New Year’s Day.”

Sonny: It’s a story inspired mainly by my trip to South Korea for the Bucheon Comics Festival last year. There’s something about walking around in an unfamiliar city,  just exploring side streets and getting a little lost – you feel as though there are possibilities everywhere, just around the corner. I think I hoped to capture a little of that feeling, almost a kind of new adolescence. The great manga artist Jiro Taniguchi was also at the festival, and I also paid homage to his “Walking Man” series in the story. One panel in particular, but you’d have to spot it for yourself.

JK: You’ve got some great talent contributing pin-ups. How did you recruit the folks who are contributing?

Sonny: Well I’ve had the privilege of meeting a lot of incredibly talented creators along the way; at school, through projects, at conventions… and sometimes just via the internet. :p Roger Langridge I worked with on a Spider-Man story, Mike Allred I semi-stalked at SDCC a couple of years back; Skottie Young I know through the net and Aaron McConnell and I were in David Mazzucchelli’s class together at RISD… so it was just a matter of getting in touch with everyone and seeing if their schedules allowed for them to do a piece. Dustin Nguyen owes me big time! :p

JK: Congrats on Liquid City‘s Eisner Award nomination. Are you planning a third volume?

Sonny: Thanks! I’ll be talking to the Image folks at the upcoming SDCC to see what their thoughts are, but there are definitely plans for a volume 3 if all goes well.

JK: What else are you currently working on right now?

Sonny: On the comic side, I’m working on a story with Gene Yang, to be published by First Second books. Its superhero related with an Asian-American twist. There’s also a longer Malinky Robot graphic novel (sketches for which are found in the upcoming Image release), plus something in the works with Mike Carey. Outside of comics, working on a few paintings for some upcoming shows

JK: Speaking of shows, where can folks see you over the next few months? Will you be in San Diego for the Eisners?

Sonny: I’ll be at SDCC, but mostly as a fan–the book’s not out until August, so July’s just a bit too early. That aside… a little tricky to attend any of the other cons, given the sheer distance from Singapore to the States. Still, who knows what will turn up? There’s a convention here in Singapore in August though — the Singapore Toys Games and Comic Con (quite a mouthful even with the shortened STGCC) where I’ll be at — it’s organised by Reed, the same folks who run NYCC.

Flight, Vol. 7

Villard has posted a preview of Flight, Vol. 7, the penultimate edition of the six-year-old anthology series. (Or is it now the final one?) The book, which features contributions by such artists as Michel Gagné, Kostas Kiriakakis, Dave Roman and Paul Harmon, arrives in stores in mid-July.

“I think it’s a very strong volume,” writes Editor Kazu Kibuishi, “with some of the most beautiful artwork we’ve ever had in the pages of Flight.

Kibuishi announced in February that the eighth volume would be the anthology’s last. He will continue to produce Flight Explorer, renamed simply Explorer, the children’s spin-off that debuted in 2008.

Flight, Vol. 6

The critically acclaimed Flight anthology will end in “the next couple of years” with Volume 8, Editor Kazu Kibuishi announced. He will, however, continue to produce Flight Explorer — now called simply Explorer — the children’s spin-off that launched in 2008.

“We had a pretty good run [with Flight],” Kibuishi writes on his blog, “but it is now time for us to focus on producing full graphic novels. When I started the project, many of us on the book were kids coming out of college with little experience as professional working artists. Years later, the majority of the artists on the project have gone on to create graphic novels of their own, or are now working at major animation, film, and game studios. The original book was created to serve a need. That need was to get our core group published, to have our work be seen, and to get enough practice under our belts to be able to do books of our own. After 7 years, I feel the original needs were met, and the artists are more than ready to go the distance on their own.”

Flight debuted in 2004 at Image Comics before moving with its third volume in 2006 to Villard, an imprint of Random House. The sixth volume was published in July 2009; a seventh is in production. Contributors have included Kibuishi, Graham Annable, Becky Cloonan, Michel Gagné, Hope Larson, Sonny Liew, Dylan Meconis, Erika Moen, Fábio Moon, Ryan North, Dave Roman, Jeff Smith, Kean Soo, Doug TenNapel and dozens of others.

Although the first volume of Explorer sold through its 20,000-copy first printing, Kibuishi revealed in November the series had been “orphaned” by Villard. However, as he told Comic Book Resources earlier this week, he’s now working out a deal with Abrams to publish the anthology.

“Its purpose, to introduce kids to comics and reading through bite-sized stories, remains unfulfilled,” Kibuishi writes on his blog, “and a book like this is truly essential, especially now that there are so few places kids can find new comics. With the demise of Disney Adventures and now Nickelodeon Magazine, parents and kids are going to have a difficult time finding premium comics content that is entirely age-appropriate.  We hope we can fill that need.”

The cover of Flight, Vol. 6, by Kazu Kibuishi

Kazu Kibuishi shows off his cover for the sixth volume of Flight, due out this summer, and offers a glimpse of his Daisy Kutter story “Phantoms.”