Comic Book Resources

DC gives details on hardcover Wednesday Comics collection

Wednesday Comics

Over at the Source blog, DC's Alex Segura posts some info that was released at the Baltimore Retailer Summit today on the upcoming hardcover edition of Wednesday Comics.

"The hardcover collection of the series, which will retail at $49.99, will clock in at 11 x 17 inches, which will present the series in a deluxe, big-screen format befitting the series, which was originally printed on broadsheet newspaper pages," Segura writes.

This great news for anyone who was waiting for the collection or just wants a more permanent means of keeping it around. Now when does it come out?

Quote of the day | Paul Pope on lessons learned from Wednesday Comics

Paul Pope draws Dune

"I wanted to try applying the lessons learned from the Wednesday Comics experience to a different subject, here finding a source which would be difficult to illustrate as a page of comics, given that there is very little suggested action. I find that with the format of Wednesday Comics (which is really the traditional Sunday Comics page), one must condense the plot and action to the briefest yet most vivid bursts of information available-- there is a lot of space on the page for the illustrations to really overwhelm the reader/viewer, but there isn't a lot of space for story development in the sense of how we'd develop a plot or work up dialogue for a typical comic book page. In a comic book, one page may be well drawn or well written, but it is still just a single facet of a larger whole. One page can be preceded or followed by another, but no one page carries the entire weight of the sustained narrative. The Wednesday Comics single page format forces the artist to create a story unit which may well be part of a larger storyline, however it still must be able to stand alone."

--Paul Pope

(Also, click the link to check out his really awesome Dune artwork).

What are you reading?

Labor Days Vol. 2

Welcome once again to What are you reading?, the weekly column where the Robot 6 team runs through what comics and other stuff they've been checking out lately. As Chris is in Bethesda this weekend, I'm filling in for him as your host.

Our special guests this time are Philip Gelatt and Rick Lacy, creators of the Labor Days graphic novels published by Oni Press. Volume two, Just Another Damn Day, is now available in finer retail establishments everywhere. (You can check out a preview here).

See what they've been reading, as well as the rest of the Robot 6 crew, after the jump ...

Continue Reading »

Everyone's A Critic: A round-up of comic book reviews and thinkpieces

Asterios Polyp

• The great and all-powerful Ng Suat Tong provides one of the most comprehensive and detailed critiques of Asterios Polyp I've seen online yet. Seriously, Tong's one of the finest critics comics have ever had. The fact that he's writing again, even if it's just a one-time thing, is cause for joy.

• Frank Santoro reviews issues #1-4 of Richard Sala's Ignatz series, Delphine: "The story surrounded me and carried me away to a very real world. It's a cartooned, exaggerated world, but a real world nonetheless."

• Johanna Draper Carlson reads a whole lotta vampire manga.

• Graeme McMillan offers 25 thoughts on Wednesday Comics. He also admits to liking X-Men Forever. That's very brave of you Graeme.

• Similar to our Collect This Now feature is David Welsh's License Request Day, where he picks manga that haven't been translated yet, but should. This week he recommends something called Paros No Ken.

• It's been up for a few days now, but I have to point an arrow towards Katherine Dac's review of Children of the Sea, which is one of the best takes on the book yet.

Continue Reading »

Six by 6 | Six strips we'd love to see in a second Wednesday Comics

I was chatting with some friends the other day about DC's Wednesday Comics series, which led to the inevitable "So which strips are your favorites?" conversation. It was also interesting to see such a wide variety in the ones people named as their favorites -- for instance, one of my favorites is probably "Metamorpho," which was on another person's list as being one of the weakest. And I noticed that in this week's Splash Page feature on the CBR home page, Chad, Tim and special guest Matthew J. Brady all listed "Kamandi" in their top five (with two of them putting it in the top spot), but I don't think any of the folks I was talking to listed it as one of their favorites. So maybe there's something in it for everyone.

In San Diego, there was some discussion at the Wednesday Comics panel about a second edition of the weekly series, and a few creators even talked about other people they'd like to see work in the format and what characters they might want to tackle next time. So I asked the Robot 6 crew what they'd like to see in the not-yet-announced-but-hopefully-inevitable Wednesday Comics II. Here's what we came up with ...

1. 'Mazing Man by Bob Rozakis, Stephen DeStefano, and Karl Kesel: 'Mazing Man's characters and subject matter are fairly well-suited for the "newspaper" format. It wouldn't even have to be a continued storyline, just 12 standalone pages. Maybe Maze interacts with Denton one week, Guido the next, and Brenda and Eddie the week after that. (Tom Bondurant)

Continue Reading »

What are you reading?

Kurosagi Delivery Service Vol. 9

Is it Sunday again already? Time for another What Are You Reading then. Our guest this week is blogger and Bleach fanatic John Jakala. Has John been reading Bleach this week? Click on the link to find out. Oh, and don't forget to tell us what you are reading in the comments section below.

Continue Reading »

What are you reading?

Prince Valiant Vol. 1

Welcome to another round of What Are You Reading. Our guest this week is blogger, critic, Comics Comics editor and expectant dad Tim Hodler. To find out what Mr. Hodler and the rest of us are reading this week, click on the link below. And be sure to let us know what you're currently reading in the comments section.

Continue Reading »

Your Mileage May Vary: Wednesday Comics

So DC's Wednesday Comics had its debut recently. It's new and different, so it's very interesting to see what people have to say about it.

Glenn Walker thought it was amazing:

Wednesday Comics #1

Kyle Baker’s Hawkman is stunning. Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred have recreated the Silver Age Metamorpho perfectly. The Flash is the peak of sequential storytelling. Great to see a jet age Green Lantern, it’s the era he was created for. Father and son Kuberts do Sgt. Rock, just as husband and wife Palmiotti and Conner give us a delightful take on Supergirl, Krypto and Streaky. Dave Gibbons and Ryan Sook pay homage to Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant with Jack Kirby’s Kamandi just as Paul Pope does the same for Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon with his Adam Strange. It’s just beautiful.

And for those of you for whom that last paragraph means nothing, don’t worry. The best thing about Wednesday Comics is that it’s non-continuity. In English, that means it’s mainstream – it’s accessible to any readers new or old. If you’ve been reading these things forever or if you wouldn’t know a Teen Titan from Tony the Tiger, you’ll still enjoy this.

Continue Reading »

Robot Reviews: Wednesday Comics

Wednesday Comics #1

Wednesday Comics #1
by lots of people
DC comics, $3.99.

Wow.

OK, that's clearly not enough. How about this: Wednesday Comics is a candy-colored delight. A pop-art extravaganza that both evokes the past while offering something distinctly modern and unique at the same time.

Still want more?

Continue Reading »

Heroes Con + Wizard World Philly | Catching up on the weekend's news

Longbox

This past weekend Philadelphia welcomed Wizard World, while Charlotte hosted HeroesCon. Two East Coast conventions, separated by more than 500 miles and a couple of states. If you were away from your computer, then you may have missed some of the announcements that sprang from both venues:

• For years people have been asking for an "iTunes for comics." Well, it looks like we might actually get one. Rantz Hoseley's Longbox will be a free download available later this year for PC, Macs and Linux. Comics can be download for a suggested price point of $.99 per issue, with the potential for block and subscription pricing. BOOM! and Top Cow have already signed on.

• Marvel had a lot of announcements at the show. Spinning out of the Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover that kicks off any day now will be a series of one-shots that fall under the heading of Dark Reign: The List. Basically Norman Osbourn starts making a list of everyone standing in his way who he needs to do dirty, nasty things to.

The eight one shots and the creators working on them are:

Dark Reign: The List – Daredevil by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan
Dark Reign: The List – Wolverine by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic
Dark Reign: The List – Hulk by Greg Pak and Ben Oliver
Dark Reign: The List – Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott and Adam Kubert
Dark Reign: The List – Avengers by Brian Bendis and Marko Djurdjevic
Dark Reign: The List – Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction and Alan Davis
Dark Reign: The List – Secret Warriors by Jonathan Hickman and Ed McGuiness
Dark Reign: The List – Punisher by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr.

The project was announced at around the same time both in Philadelphia and in Charlotte. For more info, check out CBR's interviews with Bendis, Fraction and Remender, as well as Pak, Hickman and Aaron. Also, Aaron talks a little bit about his Wolverine one-shot on his blog; it will feature both Marvel Boy and Fantomex, as well as a new Weapon XVI.

Continue Reading »

The 'mettle' of a man: 'Metal Men' preview

Metal Men

I was pretty excited to hear that the Justice League International team supreme of Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire were reuniting to do a 'Metal Men' back-up feature in the upcoming Doom Patrol series by Giffen and artist Matthew Clark ... and now seeing a preview of Maguire's work whets my appetite to see more.

And let's not forget that they're also appearing in DC's Wednesday Comics series, with art by some other legendary creators, José Luis García-López and Kevin Nowlan. It's going to be a good year for the six (seven?) elemental robots this year.

DC previews 'Green Lantern' feature from Wednesday Comics

Green Lantern

DC's The Source blog continues to roll out previews for their upcoming Wednesday Comics title; today, they've got a page from Green Lantern by Kurt Busiek and Joe Quinones.

I like the book will not only feature fringe characters like Kamandi and the Metal men, but also DC's more prominent characters like Superman and Green Lantern.

Paint it black: DC Comics solicitations for July 2009

Grumpy Old Fan

July should be an interesting month for DC Comics. Its latest big event arrives at last, and it launches a distinctive weekly throwback to the comics pages of yore. One seems like a license to print money, and the other may end up being simply an exercise in novelty printing. Still, I'm looking forward to both, and I'm cautiously optimistic about each.

Onward!
Continue Reading »

More from Wednesday Comics: Kamandi and Metamorpho

Kamandi from "Wednesday Comics," by Dave Gibbons and Ryan Sook

At the risk of going overboard on posts about DC Comics' Wednesday Comics miniseries, I'm compelled to link to these two latest samples -- revealed this morning -- because they're just stunning: Metamorpho, by Neil Gaiman and Michael Allred, and Kamandi, by Dave Gibbons and Ryan Sook.

While I'm a fan of all four creators, I give special attention to that Kamandi page which, with its art, coloring and lettering, evokes Hal Foster's classic Prince Valiant. That's especially appropriate for a title designed to mimic the Sunday comics page.

The Jack Kirby credit at the bottom of the page is a nice touch, too.

DC offers a first (official) look at Wednesday Comics

Batman from "Wednesday Comics," by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

DC Comics has debuted two pages from its much-anticipated weekly miniseries Wednesday Comics: Superman by John Arcudi and artist Lee Bermejo, and Batman by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.

Officially announced last month, the broadsheet-sized comic will feature 15 one-page stories serialized over 12 weeks. Other creators involved include Neil Gaiman, Michael Allred, Joe Kubert, Amanda Conner, Kyle Baker, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Pope, Walt Simonson and Dave Gibbons.

The Mark Chiarello series is set to debut this summer.