The Comics Reporter

May 24, 2013

Go, Follow: Adrian Tomine Prints

details and how to buy here

posted 5:30 am PST | Permalink

Assembled, Zipped, Transferred And Downloaded: News From Digital

By Tom Spurgeon

* a second volume of Danger Country will apparently be up on StudyGroup12 sooner rather than later.

* Heidi MacDonald at The Beat points out that how the purchase of Tumblr is a big comics story, too, because of the number of people using it as a primary platform to both get noticed as comics-makers and to process comics and comics imagery.

* I have to assume I made this a stand-alone post between the time I'm typing this (Monday afternoon) and the time this rolls out (Friday morning) but Drawn.ca RIP. That was a mighty, mighty, on-line source for comics-makers and visual artists.

* it's for her print comics, but apparently Becky Cloonan has a successful web-oriented sales portal for that self-published material.

* it looks like you can get at non-Naruto Masashi Kishimoto work via some digital something or other. This is the kind of hard-hitting, technologically forward reporting this recurring post provides.

* I've been saying they should do something like this with the Legion Of Super-Heroes material at the very least. At this point, however, it might be better if they just tried everything that way.

* finally, Ben Templesmith will provide the cover to Warren Ellis' next e-book.

posted 5:00 am PST | Permalink

If I Were In Portland, I'd Go To This

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If I Were In Phoenix, I'd Go To This

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Forthcoming Comics-Related Events, Through June 2013

Go, Look: Nobody

posted 3:00 am PST | Permalink

Random Comics News Story Round-Up

* Heidi MacDonald reminds that it is NCS weekend. Break out the tuxedos! It feels like Rick Kirkman's weekend to me, so let me apologize to Mr. Kirkman right now because I'm always wrong.

* Jeffrey O. Gustafson on Feynman. Tom Bonderant on the Green Lantern-related comics of Geoff Johns. J. Caleb Mozzocco on Green Team #1.

* Michael May suggests that selling out isn't necessarily a bad thing if what you care about is the comics rather than the intellectual property shared by the comic and the movie/tv show. I think he's right. One of the reasons I think tireless work on the behalf of comics is worthwhile is that I would like any money to be made elsewhere to be additional money rather than the primary money made. I wish we valued the contributions of comics-makers independent of their success elsewhere, even on matters in which they have little say. Comics has greater honor as a creative endeavor than we routinely afford it.

* not comics: someone is making a documentary about Michael Netzer; I would watch the heck out of that.

* Mike Munzenrider profiles Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon.

* not comics: this is a cute story about a little girl answering Marvel trivia questions. The superhero universes and all of their detail -- and none of the distressing adult emotional complications of other similarly complex soap operas -- remain vastly appealing to smart young people. It's one of the best arguments that the continuity heavy superhero comics should be reasonably kid-friendly as opposed to that approach ghettoized in their own lines.

* I would have to imagine that there's room for someone to do something with the disco dazzler; I wish those options weren't almost always to fold a character into some team book in a serious, adult, macho way, but I wish for a lot of things.

* hey, someone is living the dream I had every night from ages 11 to 13.

* finally, I haven't seen anything like this Boulet cartoon since Solano Lopez showed up on Saturday of SDCC 1995 with homemade cookies.

posted 2:00 am PST | Permalink

Carmine Infantino Would Have Been 88 Today

posted 1:05 am PST | Permalink

Happy 65th Birthday, Alan Zelenetz!

posted 1:00 am PST | Permalink

Happy 53rd Birthday, Wimbledon Green!

posted 1:00 am PST | Permalink

May 23, 2013

The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: Cons, Shows, Events

By Tom Spurgeon

* looks like Motor City was something of a hit. It's a good time for cons, in nearly all of their various incarnations.

* it's ICAF and Phoenix and Vancouver this weekend. Keep an eye on Vancouver... that's a town everyone should want to visit, and could potentially begin to draw major arts- and alt-comics traffic from Portland and Seattle. I know I'd love an excuse to visit in future years. I also thought their space last year was really cool.

* here's an ICAF preview.

* and here's a Fantagraphics Photo Set From TCAF. Still collecting those links.

* finally, kudos to MECAF on their fifth anniversary show last weekend. Here's a report from José-Luis Olivares.

posted 5:00 am PST | Permalink

If I Were In Portland, I'd Go To This

posted 4:30 am PST | Permalink

If I Were In Portland, I'd Go To This

posted 4:30 am PST | Permalink

If I Were In Phoenix, I'd Go To This

posted 4:30 am PST | Permalink

Go, Look: Gengoroh Tagame Tour Photo Set

posted 3:00 am PST | Permalink

Random Comics News Story Round-Up

* Gary Tyrrell passes along word from Fred Gallagher that he's feeling better after a recent surgery to correct a general condition.

* Sean Gaffney on Negiho: Mahora Little Girls. Sean T. Collins on the superhero comics of Kate Beaton.

* when I was a kid, the anti-Batman was Superman.

* here's a list of 42 webcomics you need to read.

* it's always fun to look at a gallery of mainstream comic book images. There are always about five or six pretty good ones in such an array.

* the writer Matt Fraction takes a look at Bob Kane's grave. There's a funny story someone told me once that I can't quite remember about Stan Lee being at another funeral and walking around trying to find Kane's last resting place.

* the Library Of American Comics site has a longish piece up on the "Moon Maid" contests.

* I've seen people talking about a Jason mural but I've never gone to look at it until now and whoa. Yeah, that's nice. I really like the space Jason has carved out for himself in North American comics; I don't have a sense of how he does in any of the European markets

* holy crud, what a great episode of SMMA.

* Matthew Brady has been writing about One Piece in short bursts at his site. I'm glad when someone writes about that comic because it's super-popular and I don't quite understand it.

* so I guess Comics Observer runs suggestions for new readers based on the comics that come out every Wednesday...? That's nice. I wish I'd thought of that. It's always tricky to find that balance between comprehensive coverage and focused recommendation.

* finally, I greatly enjoyed this piece on sometimes comics artist Ray Houlihan, and would have even if he weren't at times a comics artist. The visuals are lovely.

posted 2:00 am PST | Permalink

Happy 62nd Birthday, John Bolton!

posted 1:00 am PST | Permalink

Happy 50th Birthday, Mike Deodato!

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May 22, 2013

Go, Look: Glorious Jack Kirby Art From Captain America #210

posted 8:55 am PST | Permalink

Your 2013 Glyph Awards Winners

This year's winners of the Glyph Comics Awards were named last weekend in conjunction with Philadelphia's East Coast Black Age Of Comics Convention. The nominees slate was very independent-comics oriented, which to my memory was a break with how previous years broke down. It's always nice to see veteran Jerry Craft pick up an award.

Winners in bold:

STORY OF THE YEAR
* The Call; Steve Broome
* KOBK; C. J. Johnson, SMACK!
* Monsters 101; Muhammad Rasheed
* Shadowlaw; Brandon Easton and Scott Kester and Ryo Kawakami
* Ultimate Comics Spider-Man; Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Samnee and Kaare Andrews and Mark Bagley

BEST COVER
* Indigo: Hit List 1.0; Richard G. Tyler ll
* Jaycen Wise; Richard G. Tyler ll
* Night Stalker; David Miller
* Shadowlaw; Scott Kester and Ryo Kawakami
* Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6; Kaare Andrews and Mark Bagley

BEST WRITER
* Steve Broome, The Call
* Brandon Easton, Shadowlaw
* C. J. Johnson, KOBK
* Keith Miller, Tri-Boro Tales
* Muhammad Rasheed, Monsters 101

BEST ARTIST
* Jacob Newell, Origins Unknown: Point Of Authority
* Jerry Gaylord, Fanboys Vs. Zombies #1-9
* Charlie Goubile, Corsairs
* Chris Samnee, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6
* Richard G. Tyler ll, Jaycen Wise

BEST MALE CHARACTER
* Bomani, H.O.P.E.; Raymond Ayala and Rafael Desquitado and Jacob Elijah Hallinen and Kim Jacinto
* Dashawn, KOBK; C. J. Johnson and SMACK!,
* Miles Morales, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man; Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Samnee and Kaare Andrews and Mark Bagley
* Mort, Monsters 101; Muhammad Rasheed
* Jaycen Wise, Jaycen Wise; Richard G. Tyler ll

BEST FEMALE CHARACTER
* Christina, KOBK; C. J. Johnson and SMACK!
* Larue Dalcour, Corsairs; Daniel McNeal and Charlie Goubile
* Dyana, Night Stalker; Orlando Harding and David Miller
* Indigo, Indigo: Hit List 1.0; Richard G. Tyler ll
* Tia & Zari Jenkins, Surpurbia; Grace Randolph and Russell Dauterman

RISING STAR AWARD
* Raymond Ayala, writer, H.O.P.E.
* Steve Broome, writer and artist, The Call
* Brandon Easton, writer, Shadowlaw
* Sharean Morishita, writer and artist, Love! Love! Fighting!
* Willie Smith, writer and artist, Blackguard: Psycho Therapy

BEST COMIC STRIP OR WEBCOMIC
* Ant; Julian Lytle
* Blackguard: Psycho Therapy; Willie Smith
* Blackwax Boulevard; Dmitri Jackson
* The Call; Steve Broome
* Mama's Boyz; Jerry Craft

FAN AWARD FOR BEST WORK
* Ascended: The Omega Nexus; Roger Reece and Jerry Reece
* Origins Unknown: Point Of Authority; Victor Dandridge and Jacob Newell
* Shadowlaw; Brandon Easton and Scott Kester and Ryo Kawakami
* Ultimate Comics Spider-Man; Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Samnee and Kaare Andrews and Mark Bagley

*****
*****

posted 8:50 am PST | Permalink

OTBP: New Comics #1

posted 8:45 am PST | Permalink

Catching Up With Syrian Cartoonist Ali Ferzat In Norway

There's a profile of the exiled Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat up on CNN here. It's kind of a odd article in that some of the flourishes confuse -- I'm not sure if you see a bloody man on the side of the road in the early morning you would process him as someone out of favor with the state for his cartoons before deciding "no thank you" on a pick-up -- but there are some details there I'm not sure I knew. For instance, the article says that Ferzat left the country not out of general political concerns but mostly for therapy, and that it was Kuwait that he went to first (some reports had Egypt).

I'd love to know what Ferzat thinks of some of the current particulars in that country's horrifying internal struggles, but I can understand why a profile would stick to the cartoonist and gallery owner's own, compelling story.

posted 8:40 am PST | Permalink

OTBP: Murray The Bird

posted 8:35 am PST | Permalink

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library Confirms Current Location Closing Dates, This Fall's Big Festival

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum has posted its official closure dates in anticipation of their move into nearby Sullivant Hall, a fine reminder that this is about to go down. I think that's a big deal as the new space is like 10 billion times more impressive and roomy and geared towards the public. It's basically a shut down of all satellite program immediately, limited access for scholars by appointment through mid-summer, and then a full shut down until mid-September. The big coming out party is in November, and I urge comics fans looking for something to do in the Fall that were maybe going to go to Brooklyn to think about that one. We should all go pay respect to Lucy Shelton Caswell in some way, I think.

posted 8:30 am PST | Permalink

Go, Look: The Jake Wyatt Riot

posted 8:25 am PST | Permalink

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