Downloading Optimism by Lucy Kinsley

Antisocial Personality Disorder by Darryl Cunningham (while you're at it, go read the rest of Cunningham's Psychiatric Tales)

Mannikinland by Mark Fenderson

Marvelous Mike by Bob Kuwahara

Sausage Pilot! by Hank Chapman and Irv Novick

Andy Pandy by John Stanley

Jim Bowie

Remote Control Jimmy by Mike Fontanelli and John K. (possibly NSFW)

Submarine and The Invincible Enemy by Jack Kirby

Toni Gayle by L.B. Cole

Black Dossier

Libraries | The library board in Jessamine County, Kentucky, heard public comment last night about acquisition and borrowing policies and the recent firings of two employees who kept a copy of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier out of circulation. The hourlong meeting was marked by shouting, crying and the presentation of petitions, including one that called for the removal of two books and two DVDs -- Black Dossier among them -- from county library shelves. No action was taken by the board. [Lexington Herald-Leader]

Awards | A controversy emerged just a day before the National Book Awards ceremony as author/blogger Janice Harayda suggested that Kathi Appelt, a judge in the Young People''s category, should recuse herself because finalist David Small had illustrated her novel. In her response Appelt was cryptic, at best, saying that as committee deliberations are private, "I or any other judge might well have excused ourselves from voting on any particular book, if conflict of interest were an issue.” In the end, Small's celebrated graphic memoir Stiches didn't win last night; Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice did. [ArtsBeat, Jacket Copy]

IDW storefront

Publishing | IDW Publishing has launched a digital-storefront application for iPhone and iPod that now features 10 free comics and more than 200 for purchase. Titles will be added regularly. [IDW Publishing]

Publishing | SLG Publishing is holding a "pre-holiday recession sale" through Monday, during which time all items online are offered at a 40-percent discount: "The economy tanking combined with some bits of bad luck has taken it's toll on our small company. We're finding ourselves in a bit of a jam due to some things that are beyond our control. ... Since we are not a bank or a car company we aren't going to get any bailout money from any source other than our loyal fans." Cartoonist Evan Dorkin has more. [SLG Publishing]

Publishing | Speaking of SLG, cartoonist Andy Ristaino writes that low pre-orders for Escape From Dullsville could mean the collection of his seven-issue Life of a Fetus won't see print. [Livejournal]

The Phoenix Requiem

Webcomics | Robot 6 contributor Brigid Alverson spotlights a selection of science fiction and fantasy titles for teens. [School Library Journal]

Manga | Kami no Shizuku ("Drops of God"): Savior of wineries the world over. [Kyodo News]

Comics | This article looks at how "recession-proof" comics -- POW! SPLAT! -- "seem to flower during periods of economic stress." Sigh. [DailyFinance]

Creators | Eddie Campbell chats briefly about Alec: The Years Have Pants, autobiographical comics and what recent releases have interested him. [Speakeasy]

Fables: The Deluxe Edition

Creators | Ron Hogan posts a three-part interview with Bill Willingham in which the writer discusses the popularity of the Fables franchise, the state of the industry, politics in comics, Justice Society of America and his fondness for the character Obsidian. It's a solid interview; go read it. [Graphic Novel Reporter]

Creators | Artist Danijel Zezelj talks about process, influences and working with writers like Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron and Brian Wood: "Some scriptwriters use more descriptions, some less. For instance, Brian Azzarello, his scenarios are almost exclusively dialogues. ... He uses very little descriptions, more like description of the situation, where and what happens, but practically everything else is left to the drawer. But he can do this, because Brian Azzarello is a big master of dialogue. Basically, through dialogues the characters are being formed. I like the most those kinds of scenarios, because in such cases you have completely opened space for composing images and layouts. I have a lot more freedom within that form." [Personal Cyber Botanica]

Weekly Astro Boy Magazine

Publishing | Tezuka Productions and D-Arc Inc. has launched Weekly Astro Boy Magazine, a service that delivers manga by Osamu Tezuka to iPhones and iPods in the United States. Announced last month, it's the first English-language manga service for mobile devices.

If I'm reading the site correctly, the premier "edition" of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine offers the first volume of Astro Boy for free. Subsequent volumes of that title, and other Tezuka classics like Phoenix, Dororo, Black Jack and Buddha, cost 99 cents each, and are available in weekly installments. [Weekly Astro Boy Magazine]

Education | Ryan Sohmer and Lar deSouza, creators of the webcomic Least I Could Do, have established The Rayne Summers Webcomic Scholarship at The Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. Named for the protagonist of their nearly seven-year-old comic, the scholarship will cover tuition for one student each year who is working toward a career in webcomics. [Least I Could Do, via The Daily Cartoonist]

Eisner Awards

Awards | The judges have been named for the 2010 Eisner Awards: Craig Fischer, associate professor of English at Appalachian State University and comics critic; Francisca Goldsmith, director of branch services at the Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia, and author of The Readers' Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels; John Hogan, editor of Graphic Novel Reporter; James Hudnall, comics writer and publisher; and Wayne Winsett, owner of Time Warp Comics and Games in Boulder, Colorado. [Comic-Con]

Awards | Neil Gaiman has been awarded the Booktrust Teenage Prize for his novel The Graveyard Book. The award was established in 2003 to celebrate contemporary fiction in the UK written for teenagers. [Booktrust Children's Books]

Publishing | Publishers Weekly profiles five-year-old publisher Dynamite Entertainment, focusing on successes like The Lone Ranger and The Boys, and touching upon the risks associated with licensed properties. [PW Comics Week]

Hagar the Horrible: The Epic Chronicles

Publishing | Titan's Hägar collection pillages Seth's design for The Complete Peanuts. [FLOG! Blog]

Graphic novels | George Gene Gustines spotlights 11 graphic novels as part of The New York Times' holiday gift guide -- among them, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Bloom County: The Complete Library, and Criminal. [The New York Times]

Creators | Colleen Mondor chats with Jim Ottaviani about his latest graphic novel T-Minus. [Chasing Ray]

Creators | Author Kevin Baker discusses his Vertigo graphic novel Luna Park on NPR's Talk of the Nation. You can listen to the interview, or read the transcript. [NPR]

Creators | Brian Heater wraps up his three-part interview with Neil Swaab. [The Daily Cross Hatch]

Creators | Andi Ewington answers five questions about his graphic novel Forty-Five. [ArtPatient]

Comics | Graeme McMillan looks at seven superhero stories that are simply "too big for movies." [io9.com]

The end of Chronicle

Since I spoke to Joe Infurnari last week about the abrupt end of the Process, I thought it would be nice to talk to a creator who brought his work to a more deliberate end. For Way, Chronicle was a testing ground where he developed both his cartooning skills and the discipline to draw a daily comic. And now he is applying those lessons elsewhere: as it happens, Way is launching a new comic, Strewth!, on November 30 (but click now for the preview art).

Brigid Alverson: Why did you decide to end Chronicle?

Josh Way: I knew from the start that Chronicle would have an ending, though I was flexible about how and when that would happen. There was always a sense that Chronicle was a prelude to something else. Not that it was a throwaway or a false start, but it was as much about developing discipline as a cartoonist as it was about the story. For lack of a less dumb analogy, I suppose it was a kind of cartoonist boot camp I devised for myself.

The decision to actually end the strip came when I felt I had established some discipline in the daily work, and when the story was moving naturally into a kind of "third act." I started wishing I could apply the things I'd learned to something new, and the web platform gave me the freedom to move in that direction.

Brigid: Were there financial factors involved? Was it competing with paid comics work, or was it bringing in enough money that you felt it was worthwhile to keep it going for a while?

Josh: Chronicle was basically unprofitable. Ad sales paid for hosting and I sold some books, but it never successfully monetized. It might have been the limited appeal of the subject matter, but it was more likely my ignorance in marketing. I was working a full time job in web development and enjoying some freelance writing opportunities at the same time, so there was income elsewhere. That income plus the low cost and relative freedom of the webcomic model meant that unprofitability didn't have to kill Chronicle. Still, high on my list of priorities for the next project are finding a broader audience and monetizing. I would very much like to make money drawing a webcomic.

Brigid: Do you think the fact that it was a webcomic, rather than a print comic where you have to worry about issues, page counts, etc., affected your planning process? Is it easier to be open-ended with a webcomic than a print comic?

Josh: Yes, and yes. The freedom of the webcomic model gives the artist so much flexibility in terms of planning. This is a blessing and a curse, as many artists (even successful ones) seem to lapse into lethargy and the "strip's gonna be late today" syndrome. That was never a problem for me. I started with a three week buffer of completed strips and maintained it (give or take) until the end. It really paid off when a particular storyline wasn't working and I scrapped my entire buffer to fix it. I had to work hard to rebuild the buffer, but I never had to apologize to my readers or take a week off.

That's just one way the freedom can be an advantage. It also allows you to plan ahead in terms of writing and artwork. If I wanted to take a week-long detour storywise, no problem. If I knew I was going to be busy with other projects on a particular week, I could plan strips that required simpler artwork (or, if I may confess this, recycled artwork).

Brigid: What has happened to your site traffic since the comic ended? Are people still discovering Chronicle and reading it?

Josh: My traffic has only dropped about 30% since the end of the strip. Which is pretty remarkable, as I am not actively promoting it anymore. Traffic was never exactly booming. I seemed to find a core audience and I think I kept most of them on board til the end. The forum has gone silent, and I haven't heard from any new readers in the last six months. So I'm not sure if the traffic I'm still getting is old friends popping by to read their favorite strips, or newcomers stumbling upon it for the first time.

Brigid: How long do you think you will keep it up online?

Josh: I'll keep it online for the foreseeable future.

Brigid: Money aside, would you say that making the comic was worthwhile, in terms of experience, exposure, and other intangibles?

Josh: It was absolutely worthwhile, on many levels. I'm satisfied with the work. I enjoyed the learning process. And while it didn't exactly make a huge splash in the world of webcomics, it did give me some exposure and led to some great opportunities. Bill Corbett (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax.com) discovered the strip and contacted me, and that led to a stint as a contributing writer on a number of Rifftrax releases including Spider-Man 2, The Dark Knight, and Harry Potter 3. That was a dream come true, and has led to other similar opportunities. (DVDs of my own movie riffing enterprise are available at http://www.joshway.com/dvds.)

For all of the aspects that were less than successful, I have no regrets and nothing but excitement for future projects.

Brigid: What are you doing now, and did your experience with Chronicle have any
influence on your current work?

Josh: I'm still working full time as a web developer for a private college. I'm also attending seminary which has taken up most of my time lately. On the creative front, I've been writing for an Internet show called Incognito Cinema Warriors XP and, of course, thinking about a new webcomic.

The new project is a gag comic called Strewth! It will be much more open and random than Chronicle (though some of the old familiar characters might show up now and then). There will be much more topical humor and cultural commentary, both of which were missing in Chronicle. I'm excited about the freedom of the premise (or lack thereof), but happy to have the lessons of Chronicle under my belt as I move ahead.

The beginning of Strewth!

Blue Bloods: Masquerade

Publishing | Italian movie producer Domenico Procacci has purchased Bologna-based graphic novel publisher Coconino Press, adding it to his Fandango filmmaking and book-publishing company. In addition to its own titles, Coconino publishes the Italian editions of works by such artists as Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, and Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi. [Variety]

Publishing | Young-adult novelist Melissa de la Cruz has signed new contracts with Hyperion, the Disney Book Group imprint that publishes her bestselling Blue Bloods series. The deal calls for three companion books to the teen-vampire drama, including Blue Bloods: The Graphic Novel. [Variety]

The Last Unicorn

Publishing | IDW Publishing will adapt Peter Beagle's bestselling 1968 fantasy novel The Last Unicorn as a six-issue miniseries. The comic, by writer Peter B. Gillis, artist Renae De Liz and colorist Ray Dillon, will debut in April. [ICv2.com]

Publishing | Simon Jones offers commentary about declining manga sales in Japan: "Some blame was again placed at the industry’s increasing focus on niche genres (just as comics is a spandex ghetto, manga is facing a crisis of the moe slum), but I think this is being overstated as a cause, when it’s really a symptom that is self-feeding.  Manga sales have gone down … it could be lower birth rates, or competition from other media, or internet piracy (come on guys, we don’t need to couch this in flowery language), or any combination of those.  But it all comes down to fewer companies being able to produce mainstream products, because a growing segment of mainstream audiences are no longer willing to pay for them despite increasing demand." [Icarus Publishing]

Publishing | Micha Hershman, former graphic-novel buyer and marketing executive with Borders Group, has joined Dark Horse as the company's senior director of marketing. [press release]

AOL

Business | Time Warner has set Dec. 9 as the date to complete its separation with AOL, ending one of the worst media deals of the decade. The spinoff, which comes just shy of 10 years after the merger, is expected to be followed by massive layoffs at AOL. [Variety]

Legal | Again? The heirs of Stephen Slesinger, the man who in 1931 signed a licensing deal with Winnie-the-Pooh creator AA Milne, are again taking Disney to court, this time over accusations of unpaid royalties. The moves comes on the heels of a judge's September ruling that confirmed Disney as the rights holder. [BBC News, via The Daily Cartoonist]

Retailing | Industry veteran KC Carlson takes a lengthy look at the early days of the direct-market system. [Westfield Comics]

Retailing | Did you know that Ryan Sohmer, co-creator of the webcomic Least I Could Do, opened his own comic store about a month ago in Pointe-Claire, Quebec? [The Chronicle]

Retailing | A comic-book store also has turned up in Old Bridge, New Jersey. CJ Comics will have its grand opening on Nov. 21. [MyCentralJersey]

Gunnerkrigg Court

Webcomics | El Santo compiles his list of the 10 best webcomics of the decade, including Hark! A Vagrant, Gunnerkrigg Court and High Moon. [The Webcomic Overlook]

Comics | At least once a year a newspaper in the U.K. declares one character or another "the first gay superhero." This time it's a gay super-team/comic named Spandex. [The Sun]

Comics | John Geddes spotlights Alien Legion, the early-'80s Epic Comics series whose Dark Horse ominbus edition hits stores this week. [USA Today]

Creators | George Gene Gustines profiles the legendary Joe Kubert, who's permitting "a large trove" of his original art to be auctioned on Friday. [The New York Times]

Creators | Robert Kirkman discusses his first exposure to Image Comics, the history of the company, becoming a partner, and writing Image United. [Techland]

Creators | Brian Heater continues a multi-part interview with Jerry Moriarty. [The Daily Cross Hatch]

Comics | Brandon Thomas launches a multi-part examination of the Morrison-Era New X-Men and Whedon/Cassaday-Era Astonishing X-Men. [Fiction House]

King Aroo by Jack Kent

Gossip Girlz by Johnny Ryan (probably nsfw)

Porter's Pinocchio (here, here, here, and here)

The Goofy Success Story

John Stanley's New Yorker cartoon

The Woman in the Tower by Jack Kirby

The Man in the Graveyard & Gone!

Never Kill A Demon by Neal Adams

Futura

Swamp Spirit by Dick Briefer

The Guided Comet

Flight Explorer, Vol. 1

Publishing | Retailer Christopher Butcher catches word that Flight Explorer, the younger-readers spinoff of the long-running Flight anthology, is without a publishing home. Although the first volume, published in March 2008 by Villard, reportedly sold through its 20,000-copy first printing, editor Kazu Kibuishi tweeted last week that "the project remains orphaned." Butcher provides commentary on his blog. [Comics212]

Legal | Google and groups representing publishers and authors on Friday filed a revised settlement they hope will resolve a dispute over the Internet giant's controversial plans to make millions of out-of-print books available online.

The original agreement, created to resolve a 2005 lawsuit, was opposed by parties ranging from DC Comics to the U.S. Justice Department to the governments of France and Germany, who argued that its terms could violate copyright law. The revisions address the handling of orphan works, restrict the Google database to books published in the United States, Britain, Canada or Australia, and allow other companies to license the digital catalog.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin is expected this week to set a date for a "fairness hearing" in which arguments about the settlements will be presented by b0th sides. [The New York Times]

Dragon Ball, Vol. 3

Publishing | More details have emerged on plans by Japanese publishing giant Shueisha to sell manga on mobile phones in 28 countries, including the United States, beginning in spring 2010. ICv2.com reports that Shueisha, co-owner of Viz Media, will launch the digital initiative with 20 to 30 titles, including Dragon Ball. [ICv2.com]

Publishing | A writer at Sankaku Complex examines the declining sales in Japan of manga magazines and tankobon, and declares that the country's manga industry is in "dire straits." [Sankaku Complex]

Internet | This morning Time.com launched Techland, a free-standing website devoted to "geek culture," with coverage ranging from science-fiction movies and video games to gadgets and comic books. [Techland]

Female Force: Princess Diana

Publishing | Darren G. Davis, publisher of Bluewater Productions, responds to recent criticism in the U.K. of the company's Female Force: Princess Diana biographical comic. [Hero Complex]

Publishing | James Hudnall takes a broad look at shifts in comics distribution channels, from the newsstand to the direct market to "the digital age." [Big Hollywood]

Retailing | Here's an odd article that's part profile of newly opened comics store, part attempt at a snapshot of the marketplace. The assessment of the industry is a bit ... rosy. [The Boston Globe]

Sales charts | R. Crumb's The Book of Genesis Illustrated remains the No. 1 hardcover on The New York Times' graphic books bestseller list as the eighth volume of Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight debuts as the top manga and Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth climbs to the top paperback slot. [The New York Times]

Events | Matthew Brady covers an appearance on Friday in Chicago by Dean Haspiel and Tim Hall for a screening of The Act-I-Vate Experience, a short documentary about the comics collective. [Warren Peace Sings the Blues]

Comics | Tim Macavoy counts down the Top 10 gay superheroes (though he ends up with more than 10). [Queer Sighted]

From "My Grandmother's House," by Cassandra Diaz

Tor.com has posted a beautiful six-page comic by Cassandra Diaz called My Grandmother's House. Tor Art Director Irene Gallo describes it as "an ethereal, dreamy moment," which seems about right.

You can see more of Diaz's work on her website gallery and on her blog.

Stuck in the Middle

Libraries | There's still more follow-up to the removal this week of Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age from two middle-school libraries in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Teachers still have access to the anthology -- it depicts language and sexual reference that at least one parent found objectionable -- and may use it in class.

An editorial in the Argus Leader calls the school board's decision "a reasonable approach that balances the need to provide suitable guidance for kids when dealing with sensitive topics without falling prey to censorship." CBS affiliate KELO, meanwhile, continues its coverage of the story with a look at how books are selected for libraries. Tom Spurgeon also has reaction from two of the anthology's contributors. [Argus Leader, KELOLAND.com]

Creators | Jeet Heer digs up writings by a young Dave Sim expressing, in no uncertain terms, his disdain for the work of Jack Kirby. [Comics Comics]

Creators | Cartoonist Jeff Keane discusses the evolution of The Family Circus, IDW Publishing's new archival collection, and the future of newspapers. [ICv2.com]

Batman and Robin, by Frank Quitely

Creators | Thought Bubble interviews artists Frank Quitely and Charlie Adlard. "When you work on a title or character that everyone knows loads of people say 'I hate his Wolverine' or 'I hate his Superman' or whatever," Quitely says, "because it jars with their own favourite versions of the characters -- no one ever says 'I hate his We3 animals' because they didn’t start reading it with any preconceptions or prejudices. From that point of view it’s always easier to work on new stuff, or your own stuff, but I enjoy the challenge of getting to do well-known characters and I generally don’t really care if some folk don’t like what I do, it’s personal taste, and I’ve got a pretty thick skin." [via ArtPatient]

Creators | Collaborators Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering talk at length about their historical graphic novel Burke and Hare. [Forbidden Planet International]

Creators | Warren Ellis offers for download his scripts for issues of Fell, Desolation Jones and Ministry of Space. [Warren Ellis]

Webcomics | El Santo spotlights a handful of politically conservative webcomics. [The Webcomic Overlook]

Comics | The Son of Satan is back, baby! [The Cool Kids Table]

Friends of Lulu

The winners were announced this morning for the 2009 Friends of Lulu Awards, which recognize "the people and projects that helped to open eyes and minds to the amazing comic and cartooning work by and/or about women."

Nominees were selected by a panel of judges, with the winners voted on by the public.

The winners are:

Kim Yale Award for Best New Talent: Kate Beaton for Hark, A Vagrant

Lulu of the Year: Danielle Corsetto for Girls with Slingshots

Woman of Distinction: Joanne Carter Siegel

Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work: Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale and Nathan Hale

Female Comic Creator’s Hall of Fame: Gail Simone

Best Female Character: Monica Villarreal, from Wapsi Square by Paul Taylor

Brief biographies of each of the winners can be found here.