Comic Book Resources

What Are You Reading?

From Hell

Hey there, hi there, ho there, it's time once again for What Are You Reading. Our guest this week is blogger and Top Shelf pr guru Leigh Walton. Want to know what Leigh is reading this week? Of course you do! Click on the link to find out, then let us know what you're reading in the comments section.

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What Are You Reading?

Blood's A Rover

Welcome to What Are You Reading. I hope everyone had a nice Halloween and spent at least part of it reading comics.

Our guest this week is Chip Mosher, Marketing Director at Boom! Studios, publisher of such fine books as Irredeemable and The Muppet Show. As the image above hints, Chip's been reading some rather interesting (and gritty) material, so click on the link below to discover what he and the rest of Robot 6 have been reading recently. Oh, and don't forget to let us know what you have been reading in the comments section.

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Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Disney and Marvel

Retailing | Could Disney's planned $4-billion purchase of Marvel signal the return comic books to the mass market? "I see the Marvel acquisition by Disney helping to expand the genre of comic books and remove it from the dusty basement of the world," says direct-market retailer Creswell. "I do see Disney stepping in and offering retailers outside of the direct comic book market incentives for selling Marvel products," Creswell said. [Reuters]

Publishing | Long-struggling e-book site Wowio reportedly has informed publishers that payments for the second quarter of 2008 will be made by Nov. 15. Wowio, which was purchased last year by Platinum Studios, was sold in July to a holding company formed by Platinum President and COO Brian Altounian. [Bleeding Cool]

Long Beach Comic Con

Conventions | The inaugural Long Beach Comic Con kicks off today at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. Guests include Berkeley Breathed, Stan Lee, Tim Bradstreet, J. Scott Campbell, Amanda Conner, Geoff Johns, Dave Johnson, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Scott Lobdell, Dustin Nguyen, Darick Robertson and Mark Waid. The Long Beach Post and Gazettes Town-News have previews. [Long Beach Comic Con]

Events | 24-Hour Comics Day will be held Saturday at locations around the world. [24-Hour Comics Day]

Conventions | Heidi MacDonald posts her Small Press Expo round-up/wrap-up/photo parade. [The Beat]

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Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Disney and Marvel

Business | Faculty of the Wharton School consider the benefits of Disney's planned purchase of Marvel, and some of the obstacles the House of Mouse may face: "... Disney will need to be careful, as it integrates Marvel into its fold that it doesn't choke off the culture of the comic book company that gave birth to the bold characters Disney now desires." [Knowledge@Wharton]

Business | DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson discusses digital publishing, attracting new readers, and what traits she'll look for in a new publisher for DC Comics: "A couple things, although it is very early to say too much about this. A strong, credible partnership with the editorial team that complements what they do well, and having perhaps a greater knowledge of the publishing business than I. But also a forward-looking emphasis on how we're going to grow build the business, both in terms of physical and digital publishing. ... It's going to be a key role. I'm not looking to stick my nose in in ways that don't add value." [Comics Alliance]

Publishing | Alan David Doane briefly interviews Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief and publisher of IDW Publishing. [Trouble With Comics]

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Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Twilight: The Graphic Novel

Publishing | Deb Aoki takes a look at the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, which features color character sketches from Yen Press' newly announced Twilight: The Graphic Novel, and assurances of the involvement of author Stephenie Meyer. “Stephenie is reviewing every page, every panel," says Kurt Hassler, publishing director for Yen Press. “People should feel like they are getting a rare glimpse inside her vision of the property.”

Aoki points out that neither "manga" nor "manhwa" is mentioned in the brief article. [About.com]

Publishing | Speaking of Kurt Hassler, Christopher Macdonald interviews him about his background in the book industry, founding Yen Press, and the state of the manga market. [Anime News Network]

Publishing | Dynamite Entertainment has acquired the comic-book rights to Stargate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's long-running TV franchise. The publisher plans three series: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe. The comic license previously was held by Avatar Press. [ICv2.com]

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Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Twilight art

Publishing | ICv2.com calls the just-announced graphic-novel adaptation of Twilight from Yen Press "the closest thing to printing money that we’ve heard about this year." That sounds about right. The retailer-oriented website goes on to characterize the move as "the kind of deal that could be a transformational event for Yen," the three-year-old imprint of Hachette Book Group. Brigid Alverson rounds up some online reaction. [ICv2.com]

Publishing | Viz Media rolls out its complete SIGIKKI online manga magazine, and reveals the titles that will join Children of the Sea on the free website. [press release]

Johnny's Resin figures

Legal | Here's a little more on DC Comics' multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Bradenton, Florida, resident John Stacks, who's accused of selling unauthorized resin kit figurines based on the 1960s Batman TV series. “This was not a profit thing,” Stacks says. “This was a hobby that I enjoy. ... It’s not that I’m making a fortune. I’m making nothing. It’s ridiculous.” [Bradenton Herald]

Crime | If you've been wondering what became of the young man who, dressed as Superman, got into a highly publicized scuffle with police last week in Times Square, wonder no more: Twenty-three-year-old Bronx resident Maksim Katsnelson has withstood the mockery, and even gained a fan following. Kevin Deutsch gets Our Hero's backstory. [The Riverdale Press]

Publishing | Sean Kleefeld points out that Marvel stock is at its highest point ever. [Kleefeld on Comics]

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What are you reading?

Remake by Lamar Abrams

The weeks go by so quickly now. Welcome once again to What Are You Reading. Our special guest this week is fellow CBR contributor, former Wizard staffer and interview expert Kiel Phegley. Kiel just got back from MoCCA with a passel of books and he's eager to talk about them, as is the rest of the Robot 6 crew. Don't forget, though, to let us know what you're currently reading in the comments below.

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What are you reading?

Essential Man-Thing Vol. 1

Welcome to What Are You Reading Our guest this week is the blogger and critic Noah Berlatsky.

Click on the link to find out what Noah and the rest of us are currently reading. And don't forget to tell us what you're reading too in the comments section.

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Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Final Crisis

Publishing | Yen Press has confirmed the release dates for volumes 6-8 of Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&!, the popular comedy series previously published by ADV Manga: Vol. 6, September; Vol. 7, December; Vol. 8, April 2010. Yen Press announced at New York Comic Con that it had acquired the license to the offbeat manga. [Yen Press, Anime News Network]

Creators | Laura Hudson talks to Grant Morrison about Final Crisis, "Batman R.I.P," event comics, and the high expectations of fandom: "A lot of artists are naturally wary of fan pressure and the excessive criticism that come with a higher profile, so they put their all into a project, knowing that if they do less than the best they’re capable of, 50 jeering bastards on the Internet will turn up to personally insult them." [Comic Foundry, reposted from the Spring 2009 issue]

Creators | Wind up Alan Moore and watch him go (Part 27): "Much as I love the medium, I despise the industry. I've always despised it to a certain degree but after this last few years and all this nonsense with the films, I believe it to be a completely poisonous place that isn't really going anywhere. I did once feel I was part of a movement that wanted to change comics into something was valuable to culture, but I don't really feel that kinship in the way I used to." [The Guardian]

Publishing | Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief and publisher of IDW Publishing, discusses moving the company away from the horror niche, signing author Joe Hill, and his new series with Ben Templesmith Groom Lake. [The Cult]

Creators | Our own Chris Mautner posts the full interview he conducted with writer Ed Brubaker before the release of Incognito #1. [Panels and Pixels]

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NYCC | Ten announcements that make us happy

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man

New York Comic Con was a bit of a whirlwind, even if you weren't actually, y'know, there. Publishers revealed new titles, new creative teams, new initiatives, new prices.

However, there were some announcements that just stood out, because of the creators involved, or because we've been hoping for them, or -- any number of reasons, really.

These are the 10 announcements (in no particular order) that made J.K. Parkin and me particularly happy:

1. Dark Horse's Noir anthology: This apparently got lost in the hustle and bustle of the convention's first day, because I didn't know about it until I saw the press release on the publisher's website. Edited by Diana Schutz, Noir will feature bleak stories by such heavy hitters as Brian Azzarello, Gabriel Ba, Eduardo Baretto, Ed Brubaker, Rick Geary, Paul Grist, Jeff Lemire, David Lapham, Fabio Moon, Dean Motter and Sean Phillips. It's due out in September. -- Kevin

2. The Unwritten by Mike Carey and Peter Gross: I'm a sucker for just about anything Mike Carey does, particularly if it's for Vertigo ... from Lucifer to the criminally underrated Crossing Midnight. Throw in Peter Gross and an intriguing idea, and I'm there. -- JK

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NYCC | Saturday round-up

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man

With Saturday sold out, and wireless providers taxed to the limit -- thank you, Twitter and live-blogging -- it's no surprise that the second day of New York Comic Con was brimming with publishing announcements:

• Marvel rolled out plans for expanded digital content, including an original Spider-Woman motion comic -- billed as the publisher's first "all-new in-continuity" work using motion-comics technology -- written by Brian Michael Bendis and directed by Alex Maleev, a motion-comics adaptation of Astonishing X-Men #1-10, and a five-issue online series called Dark Reign: Made Men. (On Friday, Marvel announced the online-exclusive miniseries War of Kings: Warriors.)

• Marvel's nine-year-old Ultimate imprint will be canceled and relaunched as Ultimate Comics, which will feature four series. The flagship title, renamed Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, will continue to be written by Bendis but will be illustrated by David Lafuente. Artist Stuart Immonen is moving to New Avengers.

Powers, the creator-owned series by Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, will relaunch with another Issue 1 under the Icon emblem.

• Yen Press has picked up the license to Kiyohiko Azuma’s popular slice-of-life comedy Yotsuba&!, which had withered at ADV Manga.

• Insanely popular webcomic Penny Arcade will move to Del Rey with Penny Arcade, The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11.5 Year Anniversary Edition, a 208-page hardcover edition set for release in February 2010. Dark Horse published the first Penny Arcade collection in 2006.

• DC Comics confirmed that writer Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams III will take over Detective Comics with Issue 854 for a run that stars, at least initially, Batwoman. Rucka said Williams will be on the title for "12 issues, guaranteed."

The publisher also revealed the composition of the Bat-Family of titles in the wake of the "Battle for the Cowl" crossover: Detective, Batman, Batman and Robin, Batgirl, Batman: The Streets of Gotham, Red Robin, Outsiders, and Gotham City Sirens.

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NYCC | Yen Press snatches up Yotsuba&!

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 6

The big manga news today out of New York Comic Con is that Yen Press has picked up the license to Yotsuba&!, the popular comedy series previously published by ADV Manga.

Yen will release the sixth volume in September.

Kiyohiko Azuma's manga, which debuted in Japan in 2003, centers on the offbeat, everyday adventures of a quirky girl named Yotsuba, and her family and friends.

Yotsuba&! was nominated for a 2008 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids.

ADV originally advertised Vol. 6 for release in February 2008, but canceled the solicitation. Vol. 5 was released in October 2007.

Yen also announced it has acquired Spice and Wolf, and Crescent Moon Story.