Nilah Magruder’s M.F.K. Wins Inaugural Dwayne McDuffie Award
Super-Publicist David Hyde sent out a press release yesterday evening that the first-ever Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity went to Nilah Magruder's web effort M.F.K.. The award was presented at the Long Beach Comics Expo to Magruder by Dwayne McDuffie's widow Charlotte McDuffie. A speech was given earlier by Reginald Hudlin.
Dwayne McDuffie was an admired and influential comics-maker, writer and producer who had an equally successful career in animation as he did in comic books. The award was designed to honor his commitment to diversity, displayed in part via the creation of diverse casts of characters in his writing and producing projects.
Magruder is a native of Maryland now working in LA as a storyboard artist and concept-art maker, who has worked in a variety of arts-related field. M.F.K. is self-published on-line. She launched the comic in 2012.
The four other nominees for this year's award were:
FFF Results Post #410—Last Five Digital Comics
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name The Last Five Comics You Read In Some Sort Of Non-Printed, Digital Form. Use The Countdown Format." This is how they responded.
Nilah Magruder’s M.F.K. Wins Inaugural Dwayne McDuffie Award
This should be the full PR, as a PDF: McDuffieAward2015.pdf -- I'm doing this from a phone in a restaurant. I'll have a newsbrief up tomorrow. Congratulations to Magruder, though, and to that awards program for shining a spotlight on that work.
CR Week In Review The top comics-related news stories from February 21 to February 27, 2015:
1. Despite the explosion of conventions all over the world and the convention's seemingly unique ability to draw criticism for things that never get applied to other shows, Comic-Con International's show in San Diego is still the E-Ticket ride to end all rides, with near immediate sell-outs and people spending three or so days a year not at the show trying to negotiate the registration and reservations processes.
2. What do you do when a convention loses its hotel? Re-schedule at a different venue, and run a one-day event on the old weekend for anyone that's already made travel plans.
3. The alleged thief behind the robbery of Jim Wheelock's stellar-sounding Silver Age-focused comics collection is arraigned without any further clue as to where the comics might have ended up. I think what might fascinate me as this moves forward is if a thief could have converted a bunch of comics like that into cash in a way that's both completely quiet but also yields enough money for it to be worthwhile.
Winner Of The Week
Whoever thought up this pro-NYC campaign at Marvel just as DC heads out to Burbank. Intentional or not. Not a lot of ways to spin against the energy of a longtime rival starting a new life someplace, but this one of them.
Quote Of The Week
"Even when some people pointed to that article as 'proof' that Image Comics wasn't all it was cracked up to be, Image stuck with me, kept publishing Skullkickers, and continued to make incredible strides in expanding the market for creator-owned comics. I've always been thrilled to have my creator-owned books published by Image because I knew why the company was formed and how it's always worked: Creators are in complete control of their comics and they're compensated based on its success." -- Jim Zub, in his update for how his creator-owned numbers are working out. I might disagree a bit on the characterization of Image's history, but the enthusiasm for his publisher is something a lot of Image's creators have right now and is a big factor in terms of who wants to work where on what kind of project.
*****
the comic image selected is from the brief but notable 1970s run of Seaboard/Atlas
By Request Extra: Comic Book People 2 Stalls At Halfway Point
The second of Jackie Estrada's comic book photo books drawn from her picture-taking at the San Diego Comic Con, this time featuring creators from the 1990s, looks like it may have reached a plateau at about halfway to its goal and is just stitting there now. I really like projects like this one because they provide some reward -- or at least not financial hardship -- for someone on the front lines of this kind of cultural history. Plus I just like looking at photos of my friends and cartoonist I admire when they're still zygotes. Anyway, this is a reminder for me that it's there.
* the writer Gary Tyrrell does a really good job covering the influence and impact of the crowd-funding mechansim Kickstarter on the fortunes of various webcomics-related projects. He has twosuch articles up this week.
* one thing that was impressed upon me this week was how much certain comics readers feel walled off from a lot of the work being done on social-media driven platforms. Usually I'd just make fun of these people for not having the inclination to track certain things down, but I do also worry that some creators don't care about having their work as widely disseminated as possible to people that would really love it. As always, I have no idea how to bridge these gaps, but it's weird that there are probably 20 interesting comics a big chunk of my comics-reading pals might never see and that there is likely a much bigger list from which I'm mostly divorced.
* finally, Kiel Phegley has a nice write-up here on Dark Horse shifting three lower-selling creator-owned series to digital-only in advance of a print trade collection. I think a lot of people are headed this direction, even if it's just creators putting up occasional chunks of comics to buy on Gumroad. At the same time, it doesn't seem like any of these series is particularly distinctive the way that, say, the Dark Horse-published Usagi Yojimbo and Resident Alien series have been.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up
* early-bird hotels (further away from the con, no refund, but easier to get and nail down) for Comic-Con International are available now. I believe I already have a room, or I'd be tempted to do this. As I get older, there's really little difference for me where I spend the night if it's not one of the super-convenient hotels right across the street from the convention center. I've stayed up to an hour away from the show in past years, and I probably will again at some point.
* I usually get a couple of notes from people when an article about the gender or orientation of a comic book character hits the comics-oriented sites, but this is the first time I can remember when both e-mails I got wondered why it isn't completely not extraordinary for a character to be oriented any way the writers and editors want them to be, particularly just a few years after a universe-wise reboot. I don't have a great answer for that.
* I always find these body-type exercises fascinating, even when I'm not engaged with the specific issues involved.
* finally, Tom Bondurant suggests some snow-day comics. I think the last time I sought out an "escapist" type comic for just that purpose, I ended up with the High Society book from the Cerebus series and the Smax mini-series from a few years back. Anyway, it's a kind of comic that comics does very well.
Jim Wheelock’s Comics Collection Still MIA; Alleged Thief Arraigned Here's the latest from Brattleboro, Vermont, where Jim Wheelock's stunning-sounding comics-collection was burglarized from a storage unit over a period of time. A thief caught entering various storage unit has now been arraigned, but there's still no sign of the comics that are missing even after a search of that man's home. Wheelock is interviewed and talks a bit about how he's rearranging his life after the loss of the collection. Not every collection is as valuable as its owner sometimes thinks, but this one as described with complete sets of key Silver Age comics sounded like it had significant potential value. I continue to hope for the best possible outcome.
This site can only aspire to announce every tour out there, but it's interesting to me that as of five years ago shop owners were complaining to me about the lack of physical appearances by comics-makers on behalf of their material and in 2015 that kind of thing is fairly common again. Granted, one of the reasons it's common is that there's an ability to put together tours that are direct market oriented, for sure, but you can also have tours that are bookstore-oriented, that are bookstore and kids event oriented, and even one that follow a different path entirely. I would say that the Jiraiya tour falls under that final designation, but it has elements of all the different kinds of stops one sees these days. It's also worth noting that these will be the artist's first appearances on behalf of this work outside of Japan.
I think the work Anne Ishii, Graham Kolbeins, Chip Kidd, PictureBox and Fantagraphics have presented to the world the last couple of years is really interesting in a lot of ways, and I'm glad to see the artists appearing at shows for those who want to meet them and making merchandise for those that love merchandise. Comic is still a small enough with a big enough space heater sitting in the corner you can go from virtually unknown to semi-ubiquitous based on one book and maybe a sweatshirt. I think that's healthy, really.
Bundled Extra: Marvel Plans Run Of NYC-Themed Variant Covers I usually don't do article about variant covers. A variant cover is a cover to a comic book that is intentionally made available in addition to a primary cover. They are usually used to boost circulation on titles so designated. In the 1990s they were used almost solely to boost sales in aggregate fashion: if you wanted to collect all of a run of Amazing Spider-Man, for example, you had to maybe buy a couple copies of an issue if it had more than one cover. If there was one variant given to a store for every 25 copies they purchased, you might buy that copy for enough extra scratch to make your store's investment worthwhile. They're also a natural hook on which to hang some PR. Today they're used in additionally ways that are slightly different in emphasis. Many of the variants one can imagine simply wanting for the art being offered more than you could in the old days -- you just might want a certain cover, like on by Skottie Young. That might be something you collect in and of itself. Some of the variants themselves became tied not just into a specific issue of a book but into an element of its selling -- a variant for a specific store to sell, an inducement for stores to carry more copies than ever, a variant that celebrates a movie release, a variant tied into a convention. They're not as openly abused as they were at one point as a constant presence in the market, but they have still have that aura of exploitative opportunism. They are comics' primary "if you want us to stop quit buying them" moment, even today.
Okay, I mention all of that because I noticed that NYT's noted soft-features-about-comics writer George Gene Gustines wrote one of those kinds of articles about Marvel doing NYC-themed variants. It covers the basics, but it leaves out one thing: DC Comics is moving to California. Marvel isn't. If that's not part of Marvel's thinking, then it should have been. It's at least hilarious. There's not a whole lot of things to do with your industry competitor going to the other coast but doubling-down on your love for the city left behind -- itself a location for the majority of your stories, as the article notes. For me, the article brings up the potentially interesting question of how much comics are a New York thing at all. Even Marvel might be argued to be less New York-centric than they used to be. A sampling of their big-hit movies haven taken place in locations like California and New Mexico and Washington, DC without missing a beat. I'm not close enough to that kind of material to be able to suss out an answer, but I'd read an article from someone who is. For a month, though, Marvel's all about the Big Apple. And for a traditionalist like me, that seems right.
Festivals Extra: CAKE Announces 2015 Exhibitors List
The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo has published its full list of exhibitors for their early-June show. You can find that list and descriptions of every artist here.
If one sign of health for a young show like that one is cartoonists worthy of special guest status showing up to exhibit during years when they're not special guests, CAKE certainly has that going for it. Chicago's a great town to visit and a great town for comics. I plan on attending.
The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: Shows And Events
By Tom Spurgeon
* the big news of the week is that SPACE lost its host hotel for its April date. It looks like right now that the main SPACE show will be moved to a new space July 18-19, while a small show maybe called "Extra SPACE" will be held on April 11-12 to accommodate those who have already made plans to travel there that they can't change. I'll be at both.
* there's a thorough five-part series at Nattosoup right now about how to present a convention table without breaking the bank: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I imagine a lot of people could benefit from that kind of practical advice, and it's something I've bookmarked for myself to read.
* I wonder sometimes if I'm beyond being able to read and enjoy pop-culture list-making exercises the way I used to, but that shouldn't stop anyone else from liking this comparison of hip-hop and comics.
* three of you sent me this, an indication that Ben Abernathy will be playing a role at the Burbank-headquartered DC Comics. That role is director of talent relations, according to this very good article by Heidi MacDonald, which sounds promising for them given how much creators are right on top of judging every move they make in terms of how it will have an impact on their overall career. I've said all along that nostalgia aside, this move could be very good for DC, as it will expose them to a completely different hiring pool at all levels. That doesn't mean it will be a good thing, but I think there's an opportunity there to change that division's culture in a positive way.
* finally, here is a repost of Kelly Sue DeConnick's advice on getting started in comics. Comics above all other media has almost no gatekeepers except for very specific expressions in very specific ways. But if my counted on my finding purchase in any field within three to five years, I'd choose comics. Still, it's never easy.
Bundled Extra: D+Q Formally Announces Its Fall 2015 Schedule
In a massive press release sent out earlier today, the iconic comics publisher Drawn and Quarterly gave shape and form to their Fall 2015 schedule.
Their announced releases are, organized by date:
* Red Colored Legacy (new softcover edition), Seiichi Hayashi (translated by Taro Nettleton), softcover, 240 pages, 9781770462120, August, $19.95.
*****
* The Native Trees of Canada: A Postcard Set, Leanne Shapton, 30 postcards, 9781770462137, August, $14.95.
*****
* The Owner's Manual To Terrible Parenting, Guy Delisle (translated by Helge Dascher), softcover, 204 pages, 9781770462144, August, $12.95.
*****
* Step Aside, Pop: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection, Kate Beaton, hardcover, 160 pages, 9781770462083, September 15 In-Store Date, $19.95
*****
* Killing And Dying, Adrian Tomine, hardcover, 128 pages, 9781770462090, October 6 In-Store Date, $22.95.
*****
* Pippi Longstocking: The Strongest In The World!, Astrid Lindgren and Ingrid Vang Nyman (translated by Tiina Nunnally), softcover, 160 pages, 9781770462151, October, $22.95.
That's a strong group across the board, with september and into October being reserved for heavy-hitters Kate Beaton and Adrian Tomine. I look forward to the Mizuki of the books I either didn't know about or had learned about and forgotten, and I think it's nice the Hayashi has gone to a different printing.
This Isn’t A Library: New And Notable Releases Into Comics’ Direct Market
*****
Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's no-doubt largely accurate list of books shipping from Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. to comic book and hobby shops across North America.
I might not buy all of the works listed here. I might not buy any. You never know. I'd sure look at the following, though.
*****
DEC141526 PRINCESS DECOMPOSIA & COUNT SPATULA GN $14.99 DEC141527 PRINCESS DECOMPOSIA & COUNT SPATULA HC GN $19.99
I'm a big fan of Andi Watson's work, and this latest from First Second is very cute and very attractive. I hope there will be a home for him there as I've always felt that there are more comics in Watson than publishers to which he's well-suited.
NOV140567 CRIMINAL SPECIAL ED ONE SHOT (MR) $4.99 DEC140664 FADE OUT TP VOL 01 (MR) $9.99
This is the pair of comics from the prolific team of artist Sean Phillips and writer Ed Brubaker out this week. The first celebrates the placement of the Criminal backlist with Image (they serial and initial trades were done with the Icon imprint), and the comic is a lot of fun: Brubaker picks up on the old black-and-white magazines being popular in prison as one of his touchstones this time, and it works. I've enjoyed Fade Out so far, but I have no sense of the sweep and scope of the story so maybe getting these books all at once will be a big help. You'd be doing all right just buying these comics this week.
DEC140113 MISTER X RAZED #1 $3.99 DEC140325 BATMAN #39 $3.99 DEC140328 BATMAN #39 COMBO PACK $4.99 DEC140415 SANDMAN OVERTURE #4 SPECIAL EDITION (MR) $4.99 NOV140666 ODYC #3 (MR) $3.99 DEC140759 SEX #20 (MR) $2.99 OCT140749 LOW #6 (MR) $3.50
This is the rest of the comic-book formatted material that interested me. I always look at whatever they're doing with Mister X. I haven't been following the Batman comics, but that's DC's most able performer and I've seen people talk about it in passing on-line which means a surge of interest in what's going on there. I'm not sure where we are the Sandman project, but I know I'll eventually want one copy of every issue. ODY-C is lovely to look at and fun to read, at least so far. I'd like to see were it goes for a while, unless it's only going to have a short run. Sex continues its loveless tribute to the sublimated urges of 1980s superhero comics, which is a fine a use of that genre. Low is equally lush-looking, and one about which I hear more than which I physically see. I'd take a look.
MAY140099 MANARA LIBRARY HC VOL 06 ESCAPE PIRANESI (MR) $59.99
That price point is a bit beyond me, considering that I don't have more of a detached admiration than an involved passion for what Milo Manara does. But I'm so glad it's being done, I think there's a lot more going on there than the limited range of problematic elements that usually get ascribed to the artist ahead of every other virtue. I hope to own the some day.
NOV141547 LOVE HC VOL 01 THE TIGER $17.99
I remember this one from when it was briefly a festival favorite -- I'm guessing three years ago now. It's part of a series of silent comic featuring one animal at a time, lushly visualized. I want one.
OCT140654 SEX CRIMINALS TP VOL 02 TWO WORLDS ONE COP (MR) $14.99
I'm just young enough to get the joke of the title, although it did bring on a lot of blinking before I snapped back to attention. The story has a bit of feeling to it where it seems like a decision was made to carry on with a narrative that might have been able to end just where it was -- that's not anything bad, it just means you get a little bit of establishment work a bit further along than you'd get in a series where it's clear it's going to be so many issues in length.
NOV141875 ALTER EGO #131 $8.95 DEC141165 BLEEDING COOL MAGAZINE #15 (MR) $4.99
Two comics magazine devoted to print. One hundred thirty-one issues of Alter Ego is kind of amazing.
DEC141551 METABARONS HC (MR) $59.95
There are 544 pages of Alejandro Jodorowsky + Juan Gim&$233;nez in here.
NOV141664 MODERN MASTERS SC VOL 30 PAOLO RIVERA $15.95
There is a very sweet introduction by R. Kikuo Johnson in front of this volume, one of those boosk about the sized of a square bound classic TCJ, just in this case stuffed with fun mainstream superhero comics art rather than whatever the heck we put in those old things (I didn't read them). I enjoy Rivera's work.
DEC140492 GARBAGE PAIL KIDS LOVE STINKS (ONE SHOT) $3.99
There's not a ton work out there specifically tailored to me, so I'm betting my eyes would wander and I bet they'd settle on this fact
*****
The full list of this week's releases, including some titles with multiple cover variations and a long, impressive list of toys and other stuff that isn't comics, can be found here. Despite this official list there's no guarantee a comic will show up in the stores as promised, or in all of the stores as opposed to just a few. Also, stores choose what they carry and don't carry so your shop may not carry a specific publication. There are a lot of comics out there.
To find your local comic book store, check this list; and for one I can personally recommend because I've shopped there, albeit a while back, try this.
The above titles are listed with their Diamond order code in the first field, which may assist you in finding comics at your shop or having them order something for you they don't have in-stock. Ordering through a direct market shop can be a frustrating experience, so if you have a direct line to something -- you know another shop has it, you know a bookstore has it -- I'd urge you to consider all of your options.
If I failed to list your comic, that's because I hate you.
Not Comics: Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue DeConnick Sign Deal With Universal For TV Development
There are likely several element to this story about comics-makers Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction signing a TV development deal that I won't understand due to my lack of experiencing covering or learning about such deals. My hunch is that with all of the different avenues for TV shows now, so many different platforms, that there's a premium on writers that can develop original properties but I have no idea if that comes into play on something like or not.
What I do know is that DeConnick and Fraction are both extremely well-liked and respected members of their creative fraternity, and as someone who share that high opinion of them I'm glad for them. I'm also glad as a comics fan that this kind of deal could mean increased freedom for the pair and thus perhaps make any comics they're seeking to do only those project near and dear to each of their hearts. Mostly, though, I want to mention it here because it's comics news -- not that they'll be making TV or that one of the things being made will be a Sex Criminals show (although the effect of Walking Dead on sales of the comics are well-established), but that for a lot creative people in comics this is an ideal outcome, so the career path of each creator will likely be inspected for things to replicate just as Robert Kirkman and Mark Millar's recent careers get inspected the same way.
* there's an argument to be made that Marvel has invested in its female superhero characters, all decades, the same way ten years earlier they spent some time cleaning up their space characters.
Festivals Extra: April’s SPACE Loses Host Hotel To Closure; Event Moved To Mid-July At New Venue
The Columbus, Ohio-based small press festival SPACE, the long-running comics show to grow out of the Spirits Of Independents tour some two decades in the rear view mirror now that's not named SPX, has moved from a show on April 11 and April 12 to the weekend of July 18 and July 19. The reason? The hotel that has hosted the show for the last five years has shuttered, sending founder and organizer Bob Corby scrambling for an alternative venue. They've found one at the Northalnd Performing Arts Center.
Corby's e-mail indicates the new venue had been on the show's mind for a while. "[The closure] was done without any notification and less than a week after they assured us we were all set for our original contracted date. We knew the hotel was having problems and were about to sign a contract with the Northland Performing Arts Center for 2016 when the closure occurred so we contacted them about a date this year."
Corby also noted that any exhibitors or ticket-holders that cannot attend on the new dates will have their money immediately refunded upon request, with the show's apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Intriguingly, this takes SPACE out of maybe the Spring's most crowded convention/festival weekend, and may allow some alt-indy folks to attend or maybe even find a bit of table space with a pal at MoCCA, which is itself switching venues this year. It also puts them the weekend after Comic-Con International. As SPACE is a show with almost no overlap with the San Diego event -- I bet fewer than 10 people work both shows professionally in any single year -- I don't expect any disruptions there.
Not Comics: Remember When The General Media Landscape Began To Feel Stable? Me, Neither…
It's been rough predicting the relative stability general media landscape in which comics operates for twenty years now. The last five to seven years has been particularly interesting in that we saw the first widespread mini-meltdown of an industry that supports comics (the newspaper heave and shudder of 2008-2009) as well as the rise of some specific tools and strategy -- if only by default -- for how comic books might distribute themselves digitally.
This article suggests that everyone is baffled right now as to the general future of media, which should be a concern for comics but also a mesuare of comics' relative insulation from a lot of these factors. One thing I like about the article is that it questions the profitability of media sustaining some semblance of its longtime support industries as opposed the a specific medium surviving or not. One of the reasons the comics part of the newspaper industry didn't suffer as much as other parts of the newspaper industry to the specific pressures of 2008 and 2009 is because the companies that serve that expression were far more ready in terms of things like staffing levels and wider media footprints to survive a drop in profitability.
If there's one glaring problem with the article, it's that I don't think it does enough to suggest that industry should conform to the new realities rather than shift strategies as a way to sidestep potential damage. In every industry there's a potential for trouble when if you were to build a company from scratch to do the same thing as a company that's been around for decades the two companies look very different. I think everything might be questioned over the next few years, particularly if there are limits to how many people find sustainable levels of success with newer versions of the old models.
Congratulations To Paul Constant On His Mighty Run At The Stranger; Best Of Luck In All Things
Paul Constant, for years a fixture at Seattle's The Stranger and a tireless, measured, thoughtful advocate for comics both in the city and as an art form, has left his position with the publication. I did a quickie interview with Paul here.
I like his writing a great deal: he's one of those people that can write on a broad enough range of subjects and at a high enough rate to be a workhorse but without losing his idiosyncratic voice. Anywhere Constant ends up will be lucky to have him. I hope his next gig or gigs will include writing about comics.
* this was a nice story in the Times about Stan Lee reaching out to the kids. It's a reminder of the power the best superhero characters have in the imaginations of a lot of young people. I'm glad they corrected their initial error.
* the guys at Deconstructing Comics talk to John Layman. Mary Duan profiles Dan Perkins.
* not comics: this seems like an article that might be meaningful to a number of you that are at a point in your career where the signs that it is a career might be hard to find or to explain to people. It's probably a perspective I could use, but I'm far too frightened to read it.
* not comics: I would really like to know what Jeff Bezos will eventually do with the Washington Post. I'd particularly like to know if comics will have a part in that. This article seems like it details things that could have done three weeks after the purchase, and the end result still isn't clear.
* finally, I didn't catch this while it was live, but it's a perfect example of what I think will be endless opportunities moving forward to not just say things on-line where people can read us saying them but to do something concrete even if modest. I'm all for the power of words and argumentation, I just think we're at a stage where solutions will come in a lot of different guises.
Missed It: Garry Trudeau To Receive George Polk Career Award In Journalism
I totally missed the announcement that Garry Trudeau would receive the George Polk Career Award in journalism on April 10. He is the first cartoonist to ever be so honored. Luckily, Alan Gardner caught it.
I'm a great admirer of the achievement of Doonesbury as we start to get well into this final phase of Trudeau's long and admirable career. I caught his television show Alpha House in part because through his work with Robert Altman Trudeau is a pioneer of prestige television as we understand it today. It very much struck me as an older man's show, kind in a way that most shows aren't, and I have great respect for the fact that Trudeau is basically allowed to keep his preferred tone even when working in a milieu that doesn't value the underlying sweetness that's always been a part of what he's done.
Another way to look at his career, though, is as a newsman -- another outdated concept, by which mean Trudeau is someone whose work is constructed to appear in newspapers, serves the papers' mission to inform in a lot of cases, and brings with it some sophisticated editorial commentary. I think there's a chance we'll have a few more great newspaper strips, but we'll not have anything like Doonesbury.
Missed It: Two Grants To Comic Book Readership Archive
I'm not sure I can track the provenance of the program itself -- it could be that it is best described as a shared resource -- but two grants originating with Indiana University will help fund a database related to the fan/professional relationship in comics production from last century. The specific period and publisher is 1960s through early 1970s Marvel. I am deeply fascinated by the thought that the organized fan impulses of later comics professionals played a huge role in how the overall industry was shaped, on all levels -- that Paul Levitz/Gary Groth generation, in particular.
I'm not sure I know any of the names beyond Carol Tilley's, but her presence makes me think the project is not only an interesting-sounding one, but one likely to yield positive results. It's certainly a rich area.
I think there's a great chance that the comics festival part of the cons and festivals seasons will settle into a routine of like maybe a half-dozen bigger shows but then an equal number of smaller, more regional, more sharply- and idosyncratically-flavored events like the one in Providence. I think that's a model that could work for a lot of people in that world of comics.
* it's a much more routine announcement, but Comic-Con named their fourth round of special guests for this summer's show. It's very comics-focused, and not all of the shows make a big deal of those announcements. I'm particularly happy to see Jen Sorensen involved, as she's become an award winning editorial cartoonist over the last few years and I have to imagine she'd be a great guest in terms of representing that field as it stands right now caught between the traditional model and the new on-line driven work.
It's going to sound dumb, but I'm also glad to see more cartoonists having a professional headshot photo to provide PR like this. I get why some cartoonists prefer to use a hand-drawn self-portrait, and they're usually beautiful, but it's not something that I would have ever used as newspaper editor back in the day. I feel the same way about character-driven photographs. I think the time is coming when this will be just part of what's expected, along with every cartoonist to present about their own work.
Go, Look: Jim Zub Updates His Creator-Owned Economics Model It's here. What's changed for the writer Jim Zub over the last few years is an increase in his creative profile and a better performance by his publisher, Image Comics, more generally in terms of how books that aren't runaway successes might perform in the Direct Market. Because Image is set up as a one-time fee program that doesn't change if you sell more books, any boost to your bottom line accelerates as your sales increase. You also benefit if you can expect a certain level of sales from your book or books and can thus print ahead of demand rather than suffer through multiple printings. Very worthwhile reading.
Comic-Con International Sets New Record For Badge Sales
Proving once again that there's no lack of interest from fans to attend Comic-Con International in San Diego, the show garnered the usual interested blog posts and regional media coverage for its near-instantaneous selling out of badges the Saturday just past. The term "SDCC" also trended for most of the day near or at the top of Twitter.
There are no doubt a lot of people deeply upset about how difficult it can be to get a couple of badges as there are likely people that are delighted as to how things turned out for them. The regional media article linked-to above notes that some people are just going to head for San Diego anyway, whether nor not they have a badge to do anything official. This is a worrisome set of circumstances for the convention. They have almost no control over the events outside of the buildings they're making use of, but will shoulder the blame if anything goes wrong. I've come to value SDCC/CCI as a valuable work weekend where a bunch of major comics players are assembled in a nice bunch of places at the most opportune time for the year for several days of meeting and disseminating information to an attentive world. The spectacle of it, though, the fan experience, I don't really have a relationship to that anymore, even though I consume a lot of media. It does make for an interesting show, with passions on high, and one I'll continue to attend.
Something To Recommend The Book Seth: Conversations I can't review Seth: Conversations. One of my interviews with the cartoonist is in the book -- at Seth's request. (I began to turn down these inquiries about two years ago as a matter of course, for personal reasons.)
What I feel might be worth noting for some of you out there is that the academic-market (mostly) book (which means it retails for 2-3 times as much as a mass-market book featuring the same material) has Dylan Williams' lengthy interview from Destroy All Comics in it, an interview that was both good and reasonably early in the artist's career. Destroy All Comics was one of many TCJ alternatives that popped up in the mid 1990s (others were Crash, Indy and The Staros Report). Jeff LeVine's Destroy All Comics was my favorite of that group, mostly for the idiosyncratic taste displayed by contributor Williams at a time when a lot of people had a hard time reconciling the craftspeople of a previous generation with the authors of the then-current. I'm glad this particular interview is getting out there and being circulated for another audience. Dylan was an interesting interviewer, and Seth is one of comics' all-time talkers.
* not comics: this is really awful. I can't imagine working in a hailstorm of abuse, and I don't all the way know how the stuff directed and focused one person to another isn't clearly harassment and prosecuted that way.
* Neil Kleid wrote an intriguing piece here about the act of co-opting existing characters for the sake of Jewish identity. I've never given that concept a considered thought.
* not comics: the comics writer Dan Slott has been tweeting some about the skin color of superhero characters in the books and in the movies. He's right: there are very few prominent white characters whose whiteness is part of their identity, and very few prominent non-white characters in that world whose identity isn't at least a little bit wrapped in those elements of their identity. It seems to me dumb not to considers as many actors as can be considered for these roles. It's weird that we're having these discussions now when even the Batman TV show was happy to use non-white actors in bad-guy roles that were white people in the comics, and four decades into introducing non-white characters as alternative mantle-holders, but there's a social construction out there right now that seeks to make some people feel like they're being harassed or demeaned by politically motivated efforts to changes things from whatever they're used to. It's dumb.
* I'm not familiar enough with S. Clay Wilson to figure out the differences in his earlier and later work, but the colors on this piece are as interesting as ever.
Five Fun & Interesting Books Either Comics Or Comics-Related You Can Get Right Now For Less Than $5
*****
* Moon Moth, Jack Vance and Humayoun Ibrahim, First Second, 2012.
These lists usually end up being filled with old cartoon collections, so I wanted to start with a book less than five years old. There are a lot of them starting to show up in this price range, as the publishing fervor for comics work has outstripped a bit the desired, broad audience that would support this much activity. Weirdly paced and odd-as-hell looking in the best way, Moon Moth may be my favorite publishing project for First Second. It's not one you forget, that's for sure.
*****
* The Ladies, God Bless 'Em, Helen Hokinson, EP Dutton, 1950.
You can always find New Yorker comics collections for less than $5. My favorites are the books by Charles Addams and Peter Arno, but I'm very fond of Helen Hokinson's cartoons as well. I think she may still gets a bit of grief for using gag writer, at least among the 30 people who care about old New Yorker cartoonists, but I've always felt the writers used served a tone she supplies. It's difficult to make cartoons that puncture the pomposity of a group of people that aren't on top of the world without being cruel, and Hokinson never goes there. They're fun to look at, too: her staging always intrigues.
*****
* The Best Of HT Webster: A Memorial Collection, HT Webster, Simon And Schuster, 1953.
I love this book, and you've probably seen it if you ever looked at the "cartoon books" in any library sale or in any used bookstore during the last 30 years. The blue of that cover is the blue I see when people say, "blue" -- that's how frequently I saw it in the 1990s. One thing that's great about it is that it really does try to capture the sweep of the then recently departed cartoonist, a cartoonist whose star had already faded (this book was the last one featuring the cartoonist's work). Webster worked early enough in comics that he moved through a bunch of different strips, not just one or two. He also worked during a time when it seemed -- at least to me -- there were wider entry points into humor than were later allowed and encouraged, and there's something poignant about reading a bunch of strips like the one above reprinted just as the high-concept gag cartoonists began to take over.
*****
* As The Kid Goes For Broke, Garry Trudeau, Holt, 1977.
Joanie Caucus is a top 10 all-time comic strip character, and the Ginny Campaign storyline may have been her best extended narrative. Watching people on-line blab endlessly about that recent SNL anniversary special reminded me that Doonesbury preceded that television show in terms of something that appeared in mass media that spoke the language of baby boomers. In its own way, it was just as much a phenomenon. I like the original publication of this book but love the "Doonesbury classic" white presentation. One added bonus is that unlike the above example, this book presents the strips in black and white, which is the best way to see the deeply hilarious middle finger that was the five days of the camera flying through space before it finds Joanie and Rick in bed together. It's impossible to imagine anyone doing that now or anyone caring as much as folks did at the time. What a great little book.
****
* Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head And Other Drawings, B. Kliban, Workman, 1976.
B. Kliban may be the funniest cartoonist without a major archival publishing program behind his work (although Charles Addams, mentioned in passing above, is right up there). In the late 1970s Workman published this book, then Whack Your Porcupine And Other Drawings and finally Tiny Footprints back to back to back, which is as good a run as any comics-maker has ever enjoyed (it was preceded by the mega-popular and influential Cat). If you've never had the pleasure, this is the book that's most frequently under $5 through used book sites. Kliban is essential.
FFF Results Post #409—The Last Five Books You Read
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name The Last Five Printed Comics Or Printed Comics-Related Books You Read, Five To One, No Matter What They Where." This is how they responded.
5. The Bus by Paul Kirchner (Tanibis Editions)
4. Creeping Death From Neptune -- The Life And Comics Of Basil Wolverton (Fantagraphics)
3. National Lampoon Presents The Very Large Book Of Comical Funnies (National Lampoon)
2. Shary Flenniken's Sketch Book (Self-Published)
1. Marvel Masterworks Warlock Vol. 2 (Marvel)
5. Superman 36, Geoff Johns, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, Laura Martin etc. (DC Comics)
4. Action Comics 39, Greg Pak, Scott Kolins, Aaron Kuder, Wil Quintana etc. (DC Comics)
3. Batman & Robin 38, Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalsiz etc. (DC Comics)
2. Ms. Marvel 11, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Ian Herring, Joe Caramagna etc. (Marvel Comics)
1. Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special 1, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, John Timms, Ben Caldwell and a bunch of other guest artists etc. (DC Comics)
5) Rat God #1, Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
4) Night Business #1, Ben Marra (Traditional Comics)
3) Night Business #2, Ben Marra (Traditional Comics)
2) Raw Vol. 2 #2, Various (Francoise Mouly/Penguin Books)
1) Crossed Badlands #72, David Hine/Nahuel Lopez/Digikore Studios (Avatar Press)
please in the future if I ask for formatting and links indulge me; it just takes so much time when everyone does their own thing and if I'm super-pressed for time -- and I'm about to move -- I will delete multiple entries
2. With TCAF announcing and CCI opening up for badges, it's con prep season in full with the con season itself to surge to full life in a month with Emerald City.
Quote Of The Week
"This one reminds me of the time the Canadian cartoonist Seth observed that Bill Watterson's works 'didn't mean anything to me' during an interview at the AV Club; from some of the reactions in the comments you'd swear he'd burned the American flag. And yet Watterson commands great institutional respect as a classicist, a quality entertainer -- and who's to say Bill Griffith hews to the same opinions he had 16 years ago?" -- Jog, whose column was the only thing to come out of a really dumb Guardian article this week on funnybooks and the purpose of art within them.
*****
the comic image selected is from the brief but notable 1970s run of Seaboard/Atlas
Festivals Extra: TCAF Officially Announces For May 9-10, 2015 With First Round Of Author Guests
TCAF Festival Director Christopher Butcher and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival have officially announced for 2015: May 9-10, with a promised full week of lectures and exhibits beforehand. The event -- which has blossomed in its decade-plus existence to become one of the worlds great gatherings for comics art -- also named its first nine guests. They are:
You can read short bios through the first link, or follow the linked-names out to individual web presences. That seems to pretty much encapsulate their approach: alt- and art-comics are well-represented, as well as recent books of import and a definite international thrust.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up
* I hope even if you're not able or inclined to give that you spend some time with writer James Hudnall's GoFundMe campaign for a look on how hard it can be for someone in the arts to recover from a devastating illness or injury. One reason why it's so important that the comics industry be as ethical rewards- vs. exploitation-wise as possible is that in many cases there's not a huge pool of money going to creators to help make up the difference between good times and bad.
Totally Missed It: Kenyan-Based Newspaper Banned In Tanzania, Likely Because Of Cartoon
I completely missed this brief report in the Washington Post about a Kenya-based newspaper being banned in nearby Tanzania. What is much more likely at actual issue here is a GADO cartoon critical of the Tanazanian government along with some prose work critical of the country's president.
The article points out that there are a lot of laws in Tanzania that outright restrict freedom of expression, and that the EastAfrican has been in operation regionally for more than 20 years. It looks like this case came up for the same reason that a lot of the anti-free speech laws seem to become an issue right now: the presumption that respect for public officials should be legally enforced.
The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: Shows And Events
By Tom Spurgeon
* I was happy to see a charity event added in front of Emerald City Comicon -- that's a great way to get elements of the city involved that aren't necessarily into a giant, costume-filled show like that one. Grants for local artists is almost always a good thing, too.
* speaking of ECCC, I keep looking at the fact they've already claimed April 8-10 for 2016 and knowing that's a weekend that's traditionally been used by Wonder Con and wondering if there will be a showdown there.
* Comic-Con has some technical tips about open on-line registration. I'm glad they do that. There was a time when we were all just figuring stuff out that I know some people were left out of registration processes for doing things like using an alternative browser.
* I will try to mention this elsewhere, but if you're in the NYC area I hope you're try to make it to the Desert Island anniversary party. I can mention it here because they run CAB. Our funnybook shops are some of our most important institutions.
* this article suggesting that Indianapolis' version of the Wizard World show will draw 5000 people notes that Naptown hosts a bunch of shows now, I think just due to the rise of show generally and the fact that as a big city with a solid gaming background it became the home to one of the big gaming conventions a few years ago. I think that would be a pretty good downtown in which to have a convention of some sort, although my hunch in general is that the Midwest isn't quite the hotbed for comics as it was in the mid-1980s. That's a total hunch on my partr based on my rudimentary knowledge of retailers in the area. Still, there's a lot of comics love in that whole region, and certainly like everyone else Hoosier consume nerd media of every kind.
* finally, WonderCon will host that Comic Creator Connection service again, where potential future comics collaborators can meet one another in a directed fashion as opposed to the old system of standing around and hoping sobriety/inebriation levels match up for a conversation.
* Christopher Murray writes about the neglect that comics studies has received over the years and how some folks are fighting for change. This one has been way better received than the last comics-related piece in the Guardian.
* this sounds like a Five For Friday: characters in comic books that didn't start out in the comic books. So like if a character started on a radio adaptation and worked his way back to the comics.
I Will Always Post The Tove Jansson Hobbit Art When It’s Out There Again, And It’s Out There Again via three e-mails and 40 tumblr posts; apologies to whatever comics entity had it first this time around
This Isn’t A Library: New And Notable Releases Into Comics’ Direct Market
*****
Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's no-doubt largely accurate list of books shipping from Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. to comic book and hobby shops across North America.
I might not buy all of the works listed here. I might not buy any. You never know. I'd sure look at the following, though.
*****
DEC141608 ARIOL SC VOL 06 NASTY CAT $12.99
I'm always delighted to see another volume of the translated Ariol series hit North American stores. I'm enough in the bag for the work that I'm actually mor worried about that mean-looking cat than I am pleased about an incremental push forward in the publishing effort. But this would be the first thing I'd read were I carrying these book home in a bag, for sure.
NOV141548 YO MISS GN A GRAPHIC TALE OF HIGH SCHOOL $12.95
It's a light week for most of the kinds of books enjoy, so I tried to see if there was anything at the margins of my comics-awareness I might find compelling. This one seems to more than fit that bill: a memoir of a teacher working in urban classrooms, with all the challenges that must entail. I have to admit I'm completely unfamiliar with the cartoonist, but I like the clarity of the pages I've seen and the ambitious nature of the project as a whole.
NOV141525 BARBARELLA WRATH OF THE MINUTE EATER HC (MR) $34.95
The second of the newly-translated Barabarella books, utilizing Kelly Sue DeConnick as a writer on the after-translation end. I always enjoy this work, although my memory of it isn't strong enough to tell you if the work becomes as weird as it eventually gets now or in a future volume.
DEC140056 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #128 $3.50 DEC140123 DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #7 MAIN BA CVR $4.99 DEC140136 GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #2 $3.99 DEC140770 AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #4 (MR) $2.99 DEC148186 AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #4 CVR B (MR) $2.99 SEP140728 INVINCIBLE #117 $2.99 DEC140095 EI8HT #1 OUTCAST $3.50 DEC140740 LAZARUS #15 (MR) $3.50 DEC140721 BITCH PLANET #3 (MR) $3.50 DEC141214 LUMBERJANES #11 $3.99 DEC140257 MULTIVERSITY MASTERMEN #1 $4.99
There's a whole bunch of interesting comic-book comics out today, although again, none really central to my comics buying. I always look at Mike Mignola-related comics. The Dark Horse Presents I'm told is a 200th issue of the series if you count all of its forms and permutations, so congratulations to them. I always buy Sergio Aragones, I don't care what he's doing, but Groo is as good as anything he does. Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw is a fantasy book from Image and creators Ben Dewey and Kurt Busiek, and one that I'm watching a bit to see how it develops. Invincible starts its space storyline this issue, I think. Ei8ht has art and co-writing from Rafael Alburqueque, a creator I track. I enjoy Lazarus; it has a stately pace to it, kind of like old 1970s glossy genre comics. I'm at least an issue behind on Bitch Planet and three on Lumberjanes but they are not waiting on my indolence to thrill their audiences and build more buzz. There's also the latest in the Multiversity series, which if you haven't sussed it out are all #1's.
DEC140876 ALL NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA #4 $3.99 DEC140874 ALL NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA FEAR HIM #3 $3.99
Is this really two separate series? Why would you do that? If it's not, I apologize.
DEC141894 NEIL GAIMAN DAVE MCKEAN CRAZY HAIR YR SC $6.99 OCT141477 WALKING MAN HC 10TH ANNIVERSARY ED $25.00 DEC140655 CRIMINAL TP VOL 02 LAWLESS (MR) $14.99
Three re-issues. The first is one of the Gaiman/McKean kids books, and I believe that one was all the way unavailable by now. They're cute and if you're a fan of either comics-maker, I think they're worth having. The Walking Man I'm a little less certain of the exact provenance but it looks like this is a reprint of the original formulation for the book rather than an expanded version we've been promised for a while now. The Criminal books are back for the Brubaker/Phillips team as they settle in even further at Image. I always thought those were undersold in their original conception, and I think the below design is appealing in a way that other design wasn't, which might help.
*****
The full list of this week's releases, including some titles with multiple cover variations and a long, impressive list of toys and other stuff that isn't comics, can be found here. Despite this official list there's no guarantee a comic will show up in the stores as promised, or in all of the stores as opposed to just a few. Also, stores choose what they carry and don't carry so your shop may not carry a specific publication. There are a lot of comics out there.
To find your local comic book store, check this list; and for one I can personally recommend because I've shopped there, albeit a while back, try this.
The above titles are listed with their Diamond order code in the first field, which may assist you in finding comics at your shop or having them order something for you they don't have in-stock. Ordering through a direct market shop can be a frustrating experience, so if you have a direct line to something -- you know another shop has it, you know a bookstore has it -- I'd urge you to consider all of your options.
If I failed to list your comic, that's because I hate you.
Please Take One Last Look At The CALA 2014 Exhibitors
Did you attend CALA 2014 or are you a person that might know some of the people that attend shows like that one? I could use your help on some basic IDs.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
*****
*****
Konstantin Steshenko
*****
CALA07
*****
Julian Callos
*****
Mackenzie Schubert
*****
CALA25
*****
CALA37
*****
Ellen T. Crenshaw
*****
Kasey Williams, Gene Goldstein
*****
CALA50
*****
Michael "Mouse" Arthur
*****
Dave C. Smith
*****
Geneva Hodgson
*****
William Gibbons
*****
Laurie Piña
*****
*****
* not comics: Scott McCloud's The Sculptorhas secured a movie deal. I don't know what the First Second contract is like other-media wise, I bet it's pretty good, and I'm happy for creators to see return on their work in that direction if that's a goal of theirs. It's hard to make a living as a cartoonist, harder all of the time, and who doesn't love the McClouds? Also, I'm pretty sure The New Adventures Of Abraham Lincoln is less than 20 years old, so I wish that 20-year figure could be excised from wherever people are getting it.
Festivals Extra: A Pair Of Comic-Con International 2015 Notes
* open on-line registration begins on Saturday. Since that requires a code and whatnot, I assume those who participate in that know what it is and how to prepare for it.
* they've announced their third round of special guests for this summer's show, which I've been paying attention to this year to see how they build a list. This time we get the "little superhero" creators Franco Aureliani and Art Baltazar; two solid pros in Steve Lieber and Jimmie Robinson, and the writer Sara Ryan. Because Comic-Con's guest list is so expansive, I really enjoy seeing how they spend their picks that aren't like these titantic wowza guests, because I think the way they do that is a strength for them.
* totally missed this PW article by Susana Polo about comics that have received the attention and support of the Valkyries retailers' group. I also flew right by this First Second-generated article about how far off they plan their seasons and some of the particulars as to that planning.
Missed It: Pushing Comics Forward (The Launch Of It, Anyway)
I had a couple of people over the weekend e-mail and ask why I never commented fully on something called "Pushing Comics Forward," which I'm told came to the attention of most people via this interview with BOOM! Editor-In-Chief Matt Gagnon. From what I can tell this is a public initiative/campaign emphasizing comics' need for increased diversity at all levels of participation, which I believe in comics almost always also encompasses representation on the page. I mostly missed that one, except to make a couple of jokes about the phrasing, and to see Brandon Graham ask after the basic BOOM! deal as opposed to the basic Image deal, which is fair game. The campaign also explains a couple of tweets directed my way, one by Ross Richie of BOOM!, that I was also pushing comics forward. I'm sure I responded with a dumb joke. Sorry, Ross.
I'm all for whatever people need or can best use to keep these issues in focus. I'm also sympathetic to the idea that the benefits of a more diverse industry are so obvious that maybe it should be ingrained in our DNA at this point rather than something we need a virtual clubhouse and some tag lines to foster. There's a fine line between victories worth celebrating and long-overdue, fundamental shifts that should maybe make us wince. I think we're in a between-place on all of this stuff. From similar efforts I've seen in other art forms there can be non-ideal results. One is that campaigns sometime hinder people from the kind of self-analysis and change that might make a difference: there's a tendency when presented with something like this to define yourself as one of those so on board you're just glad that what you've already been doing has a name, as opposed to really digging deep and figuring out if you've done as much as you think you could have. I think there's also a tendency for one kind of representation issue to manifest itself at the expense of others. So if I'm presented with something like this, and I have, say, a pretty good work history hiring and publishing women, I might point that out and be relieved I'm on the right side of things rather than use that as a first step to dig into how well I've been doing with similar issues based on race, religion, orientation, ability, and so on. Neither of these -- nor anything related -- is a reason not to pursue such goals, but they might be worth keeping in mind.
I wish the absolute maximum success to everyone who participates in this and those that will move in the same direction. I think the next couple of years will be interesting on issues of diversity and other topics at the heart of comics because there will be an increase in chances for people to make practical and meaningful moves in the direction of the industry they want to see. I think that's where comics can get creative. Yes, this will mean some arguing and rallying on the Internet, but it will also mean things like declining to be on a panel without representative make-up when that panel purports to be about an entire industry, or refusing to work on something for free you think should include a payment, or perhaps requesting that a job you've been asked to put in for also be pitched by someone that isn't privileged in the same way you are. There's always some work and usually some risk involved, but we're all richer in the end.
Please Take A Second Look At The CALA 2014 Exhibitors
CALA 2014 was a success. Much less successful is my ability to remember names. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Thank you so much for even considering it.
*****
*****
CALA01
*****
Molly Knox Ostertag
*****
Sam King
*****
CALA07
*****
Aaron Whitaker, Melinda Tracy Boyce
*****
Monica Ray
*****
CALA15
*****
CALA20
*****
CALA25
*****
CALA37
*****
Greg Means, Damien Jay
*****
David Wolter
*****
CALA45
*****
CALA48
*****
CALA50
*****
Jeremy Arambulo
*****
Megan Dong
*****
CALA59
*****
CALA62
*****
CALA64
*****
CALA66
*****
CALA70
*****
*****
By Request Extra: Ariell Johnson And Her Comic Book Store
I've only seen maybe a half-dozen retailers turn to crowd-funding of any type past the "Oh my goodness, save us!" variety in the years I've been doing this column. There doesn't seem to be a community-wide passion for the retail end of things, which is too bad: I can't think of any place money would return to the overall community more effectively over time than through the support of key elements of infrastructure.
Ariell Johnson has a compelling story to tell. She wants to open a shop in the New Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. You can read about her here, and the project here. I hope you'll consider supporting her, particularly if you're in that region of the country. One of the unique strengths of comics right now as compared to other art forms is a brick-and-mortar option for sales, distribution and culture.
* this article from a conservative news/opinion web site about the current Thor storyline could not be more dreadful if it were the work of ten parodists working around the clock for a full week. I would imagine it's possible to not like the creative move, even, and not have your objections conform to the regular, tired, ludicrous, shouty, culture-war positions. The idea that the author projected sexual orientation onto the Miles Morales character and then didn't adjust the in-body argument when it was shown to be a misapprehension says all you need to know about the level of discourse.
Please Help Me Identify The Following CALA 2014 Exhibitors
I had a very nice time at last December inaugural CALA event, and hope to attend for many years to come. I had photos take of the vast majority of exhibitors. I knew some, but here are 43 I don't recognize.
I usually put two or three people in these who have slept in my home or with whom I've had dinner 50 times, so apologies in advance to those people.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) I tried with this SPX and with Twitter, and it broke me; I just gave up and stayed in bed for ten days. Plus I lost about 200 followers who I'm guessing were driven insane by what happened to my feed during that week. (I don't mind losing people, but I hate giving someone a bad day because I couldn't think ahead.)
Anyway, thanks in advance. It was a very young crowd and a very warm day. My thanks to the patient people photographed.
*****
*****
CALA01
*****
CALA02
*****
Katie So
*****
CALA05
*****
CALA07
*****
Nick Iluzada
*****
Alison Dubois, Jesse Balmer
*****
CALA12
*****
CALA13
*****
Yumi Sakugawa
*****
CALA15
*****
Nick Sumida
*****
CALA20
*****
Jonathan Bell Wolfe
*****
Edie Fake
*****
CALA25
*****
Andrew Carl
*****
Bob Flynn
*****
Jen Tong
*****
Andy Ristaino
*****
Seo Kim
*****
CALA37
*****
CALA38 -- I need the guy next to Greg Means, assuming that's Greg Means.
*****
Jensine Eckwall
*****
Rebekka Dunlap
*****
CALA44
*****
CALA45
*****
Rachel Dukes
*****
CALA48
*****
CALA50
*****
Ben Costa
*****
CALA53
*****
CALA54
*****
Stu Livingston
*****
Ben Zaehringer
*****
CALA59
*****
Frank Gibson, Becky Dreistadt
*****
CALA62
*****
CALA64
*****
CALA66
*****
Mike Freiheit
*****
Shawnee Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs
*****
CALA70
*****
*****
FFF Results Post #408—Second-Tier Heroes
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Marvel Or DC Characters That You Like That Have Never Carried A Name-As-Title Ongoing Series But You Think Maybe Could." This is how they responded.
Tom Spurgeon
1. Agatha Harkness (pictured)
2. Kitty Pryde
3. Karkas And The Reject
4. Ben Boxer
5. Bobo Bennetti
*****
Stephen Harrick
1. Kilowog (pictured)
2. Maria Hill
3. Vandal Savage
4. Fire & Ice (as a team)
5. Batroc the Leaper
*****
Dave Knott
* Bizarro
* Sharon Carter / Agent 13 (pictured; unless it's a trick)
* Ra's Al Ghul
* Beta Ray Bill
* Doctor Thirteen
1. Doc Samson (pictured)
2. Lady Sif
3. Space Cabbie
4. Wonder Tot
5. Thundra
*****
William Burns
1. Amadeus Cho
2. Monica Rambeau
3. Karnilla the Norn Queen
4. Janet Van Dyne (pictured)
5. The Captain (from Nextwave)
*****
Des Devlin
1. The guy holding his head on Action #1
2. The Elf With A Gun, from The Defenders (pictured)
3. Johnny DC
4. Homeless Bag Lady, from Howard the Duck
5. Art Arteries, from Plop! #2
Gunshots At Lars Vilks Event In Copenhagen May Have Claimed One Life; Vilks Unharmed This is still breaking, but I thought maybe some of you would like to look in and pay attention to that one today. Vilks is an artist who a couple of years after the Danish Cartoons Controversy did a drawing of Muhammed's head on a dog's body and has since been threatened and assaulted for it. He's kind of the figure between the Danish Cartoons and the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, in a way, although I would say he's different than both of them in very specific ways that matter. I assume we'll read him described as a cartoonist rather than an artist who attempted a cartoon drawing for a very specific purpose, but that's only a little bit aggravating at this point. At least for me.
CR Week In Review The top comics-related news stories from February 7 to February 13, 2015:
1. A cycle of harassment continues in Malaysia as the award-winning cartoonist Zunar arrested, detained in his home, eventually released. For a tweet.
2. Continuing a potential slight surge of support and interest in cartoonists being compensated fairly, comics folk rally around Rebecca Mock when her work is used, initially without credit and never with permission, by the recording artist, producer and DJ Diplo.
They're offering a range of options, $12 and up; the participating artists for 2015 are Jillian Tamaki, Anna Deflorian, Becca Tobin and Michael DeForge.
I've very much enjoyed past issues of Frontier, and look forward to this one. If this isn't a world of comics in which you're naturally invested, one of the under $40 options strikes me as a way to be introduced to four really interesting artists in a classy, attractively-designed way.
This Isn’t A Library: New And Notable Releases Into Comics’ Direct Market
*****
Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's no-doubt largely accurate list of books shipping from Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. to comic book and hobby shops across North America.
I might not buy all of the works listed here. I might not buy any. You never know. I'd sure look at the following, though.
*****
DEC141525 SCULPTOR HC GN (MR) $29.99
This is the big-event release of the week, the entry of Scott McCloud's Sculptor into the direct market, where I think more than a lot of bookstore sales-successes it should move a significant number of copies there. McCloud is everywhere right now, interview- and review-wise. It does suggest that while festivals are nice for a lot of mid-major releases to provide a boost the big books kind of operate independently of any one show.
DEC141503 LOVE AND ROCKETS NEW STORIES TP VOL 07 $14.99
Another strong, strong, strong, strong, strong issue. I thought Gilbert's line looked more settled and assured than the last couple of issues -- this really thin line he's been using. I'm probably complete wrong about that, though. A beautiful-looking issue all-around, and page after page of Maggie and Hopey walking around town.
DEC140138 1 FOR $1 USAGI YOJIMBO $1.00 DEC140070 ABE SAPIEN #20 $3.50 DEC140406 ASTRO CITY #20 $3.99 DEC148092 BITCH PLANET #1 2ND PTG (MR) $3.50 DEC140757 SATELLITE SAM #11 (MR) $3.50 NOV140685 SOUTHERN BASTARDS #7 (MR) $3.50
That's an odd bunch of books. I'll look at anything Stan Sakai does even though I imagine I already have whatever material they've prepared to be presented at that discount level. I've never heard from a retailer about that kind of discounted single book series doing well for them, but I certainly see them set up when I visit various comic book shops. The Sapien is this week's Mignola-verse title. The Astro City I feel like people forget about a bit, but it feels to me very much the same title it was during it's mid-'90s heyday. They printed a lot of that first Bitch Planet, so a second printing is worth noting for that reason rather than the usual caught-by-surprise reaction to a new title reason. Satellite Sam seems to get looser and funnier every time out, and a similar long game seems like it might be necessary to best appreciate Southern Bastards.
OCT140029 CREEPY ARCHIVES HC VOL 21 $49.99
Always, always, always look through this material. It's pretty far down the list in term of the kind of material in which I'm naturally interested, which makes me notice reprint series because at some point picking up a bunch of these book in used bookstores might be a strategy for me to climb on board.
JAN130157 GARY BASEMAN CHOUCHOU PARTY LIGHTS $14.99
This is actually an item: these are party lights with little Gary Baseman creatures acting as the bulbs. I thought it woud be an art book, but I'm happy to recommend looking at these. Why not? That sounds like it would be cool.
OCT140355 DC THE NEW FRONTIER DELUXE ED HC $49.99 OCT148007 EIGHTBALL LIKE A VELVET GLOVE CAST IN IRON TP $19.99
Two heavy-hitter re-releases. I have to imagine if you're interested in this material you already own it, but if you don't, I think these are basically the versions I have and with which I'm very happy. New Frontier serves as a nice coda to 1980s comics-series deconstructions, while Velvet Glove was Daniel Clowes' first great work.
DEC140693 STARLIGHT TP VOL 01 $14.99
This is pretty as all get-out, featuring the work of Goran Parlov, but I found it dissatisfying to read as a seriesl. It feels like a movie pitch more than even the typical Mark Millar-written book feels like a movie pitch, and it feels like the middle part of that script was gutted -- it feels three or four setpieces short.
DEC140696 TREES TP VOL 01 (MR) $14.99
The first trade of a science-fiction story by Warren Ellis and Jason Howard. It's not my kind of material, but I enjoyed just fine the few issues of the serial when I encountered them. There's a ragged sense to Ellis' work now, a kind of willingness to risk having something slam to the ground, unsuccessful, that's super appealing.
DEC141504 PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 10 1955-1956 $35.00
Hey, it's one of the great traditional comics works at the height of its powers. Can't imagine anyone would want that... although things are taken literally these days I should probably say that of course you do. It's a really fun strip to read. The domestic stuff is still hard for me to figure out, but the boys' adventure material is first rate.
SEP141579 ROY THOMAS PRESENTS BRIEFER FRANKENSTEIN HC 1948-52 $47.99 OCT141606 ROY THOMAS PRESENTS BRIEFER FRANKENSTEIN SLIPCASE 1948-52 $64.99 SEP141580 ROY THOMAS PRESENTS PLANET COMICS HC VOL 06 NOV 42 - MAY 43 $47.99 OCT141607 ROY THOMAS PRESENTS PLANET COMICS SLIPCASE ED VOL 06 NOV 42 $64.99
Have no idea what's going on here, but I like the comics Mr. Thomas is presenting.
DEC141506 SWEATSHOP TP PETER BAGGE $19.99
I have very fond memories of this group effort spearheaded by Peter Bagge, about the cartoonists working in a shop run by an old, cranky bastard who managed a medium-to-major hit in the 1970s and is now way, way, way on the other side of whatever actual artistic relevancy he might of enjoyed, if any. The convention issue in particular I remember making me laugh, the way that cartoonists want these shows to be something it isn't likely they'll ever be. This was a DC book, but it looks like they let it go to be reprinted at Fantagraphics (or perhaps just into Peter's control more generally). However it happened, I'm happy to revisit the material.
DEC141508 DISPLACEMENT GN $19.99
I almost missed this one. This tale of taking her grandparents on a cruise is Lucy Knisley's best work to date, and an interesting companion piece to her other travel stories.
DEC141852 ART OF JACK DAVIS SC BINARY ED $18.95 DEC141883 BOBBY & MAGIC PEN YR SC $9.99 DEC141853 JACK DAVIS SOME OF MY GOOD STUFF SC BINARY ED $15.99
I cheated and looked at Jog's for the books section this time out, because I was confused by this group. Looks like they're all Jack Davis-related releases from a new publisher, and that the Bobby work is quite recent. Davis is one of the five greatest living comics, so anything that gets published that I don't have I want.
DEC141865 DC COMICS VISUAL HISTORY HC $50.00
This is one of those (basically) in-house corporate histories. Expect a lot of art. I think this was a holiday-related release from just last year, now kind of settling into a position as a backbone of the self-regard section of their book catalog. I'd look at it, for sure.
JUN141047 FRANK THORNE RED SONJA ART ED HC VOL 02 $150.00
I always love looking at Frank Thorne's work. I'm trying to figure out whose oversized-book program this is... okay, it's Dynamite's. This isn't my favorite period for Thorne -- it might not be top five -- but that's certainly his most popular character in terms of the full force of his career.
SEP140509 LOAC ESSENTIALS HC VOL 06 BARON BEAN 1917 $29.99
I enjoyed the Bungle Family book in this series so much I went and pulled my other copies for this month's bedside comics perusal. I expect this second George Herriman book to be as fascinating as the first one.
*****
The full list of this week's releases, including some titles with multiple cover variations and a long, impressive list of toys and other stuff that isn't comics, can be found here. Despite this official list there's no guarantee a comic will show up in the stores as promised, or in all of the stores as opposed to just a few. Also, stores choose what they carry and don't carry so your shop may not carry a specific publication. There are a lot of comics out there.
To find your local comic book store, check this list; and for one I can personally recommend because I've shopped there, albeit a while back, try this.
The above titles are listed with their Diamond order code in the first field, which may assist you in finding comics at your shop or having them order something for you they don't have in-stock. Ordering through a direct market shop can be a frustrating experience, so if you have a direct line to something -- you know another shop has it, you know a bookstore has it -- I'd urge you to consider all of your options.
If I failed to list your comic, that's because I hate you.
Go, Look: Patsy I'm not sure I've ever seen a story strip where the dailies had to be constructed to be run vertically or horizontally; although maybe I just hadn't noticed
Go, Read: There Are A Bunch Of Rebecca Mock/Diplo Stories Out There Now It's worth revisiting. Kevin Melrose is a superior linkblogger, so that initial link goes to his post at Robot 6. You can certainly find articles and posts a bunchofplaces now, though. Here's a piece at one of the bigger sites. Most of the articles point out the use of the work without recompense or permission and the asinine responses made by Diplo to both Mock and Hope Larson.
I tend to think it entirely appropriate when this kind of thing plays itself out on-line. It's effective in many cases. There's even some delicious irony in that many acts of stealing art these days to be designed to flatter the thief with positive recognition such as the kind received on-line. I'm sorry for anyone that had to deal with the unpleasantness of this, and I'm sorrier for the initial act of exploitation, just that we still have those issues. Both of those things are horrid. Hopefully we can all learn a lesson about looking like a dipshit when you try to justify exploiting someone's work, and doubly so when they're brave enough to assert their right to set the terms of use for their work. Don't steal. Pay.
In a related story, more appropriate degrees of appropriation as opposed to outright theft, Buzz Dixon points out the artist that recently appropriated work by Scott Teplin to some deserved blowback also seems to be familiar with Virgil Finlay.
Festivals Extra: Mocca Festival Unveils Eleanor Davis Logo
It's a pretty self-explanatory announcement, but who doesn't like looking at new Eleanor Davis art? It also fits into the Society Of Illustrators' primary areas of interest given artist Eleanor Davis' successful career as a commercial illustrator.
Missed It: David Campiti Recovering From A Minor Stroke
Randy Tischler just e-mailed me to inform me that industry veteran David Campiti had a recent, minor stroke and is now recovering from it. Tischler noticed it here. Campiti talks about it in Facebook posts like this one.
I wish Mr. Campiti a quick and full recovery. And while every situation is different, and if this one develops in that direction so be it, I have to admit some small relief that word of Campiti's recent setback did not come with an alert related to financial distress.
IDW Publishing Announces Move, New Gallery And Artists’ Space
The PR for IDW's move into a historical Point Loma location that will come with both artists space and a gallery is pretty self-explanatory -- nothing about the PR suggests any questions to me. I think this particular "there it is" story is worth running, though for a couple of reasons. One is that my inbox was flooded with about a dozen e-mails -- in this day of social media and texting that's a flood -- from comics professional surprised that an extravagant move like this is on IDW's things-to-do list.
But you know what? They've done really, really well the last several years, both in terms of pursuing media opportunities outside of comics but related to comics and in terms of finding new ways to sell the comics they publish and produce. They were early on digital, that Artist's Edition format is the best-received prestige format in the medium's history, and their big-media partnerships have gone very well. They've also found ways to bundle and package material in a way that's brought them eyeballs and significant business. So a gallery makes perfect sense in that they've constantly found news business areas and space-related opportunities are a thing they might be able to do very well.
This is also the second of two things that might serve as a reminder that San Diego is a longtime solid comics community of good standing, the other being the fact that Comic-Con seems to be sponsoring a local book club event or two which indicates they might have a stronger between-shows presence in that region moving forward.
* I'm not sure I've ever seen a convention program cover treated as exclusive news, but whatever works, I guess. Good on them. I'm not sure that says something about the continued surge in interest in conventions or the way that comics media functions right now or half and half or what. It's a nice cover.
* Comic-Con announced its second wave of guests, and they seem to be playing to their usual strengths. Scott McCloud will be there in support of The Sculptor, while Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki will be there in support of last year's award-winner This One Summer. I like very much the idea that Comic-Con isn't bound to guests solely in the year they have something big to sell; a couple of my favorite guests from last year were cartoonists whose books were out in 2012 and 2013. Once you get to the point of being invited to that show, it strikes me that you've reached a point where you're a draw to your type of fan, period.
* finally, Linework NW has announced its exhibitors using the split-exhibitor strategy that it's hoping will keep fan interest high but also serve that immense creative community and those that wish to visit that immense creative community. I hope to attend this year's show.
* not comics: this is terrifying. I'm not a part of that world at all, I literally play no games, but I'm part of some of the surrounding communities (I use Twitter) and I'm familiar with the mindset and every day this stuff stands is a travesty. As much as the comics community struggles with racism and sexism -- as much as I do -- what's going on in that community just strikes me on the level of people running around screaming and stabbing each other and messing themselves, just bonkers behavior where it's hard for me to find purchase to even comprehend a first step. One thing I don't understand on a less philosophical, big-picture basis is how language directed at someone for effect continues to get a broad free speech pass.
Diplo Uses Rebecca Mock’s Work Without Permission Or Compensation; Responds Idiotically
The twitter stories are always a little bit hard to track because 1) the responses are individually-tiered and 2) everyone participating in them thinks the story is easy to track while those that aren't right there in the moment tend to get baffled by the drift that particularly social media platform causes. Also, I'm super-old. So if I screwed this up, get word to me.
Anyway, what seems to have gone on is that the artist Rebecca Mock noticed the recording artist, DJ and producer Diplo was using art of hers without permission, tweeted towards Diplo to desist noting that proper steps weren't taken, after which some other artists also asked the question/took up Mock's position -- one of whom was Hope Larson. Diplo eventually responded with this virgin fraternity pledge-level putdown. A credit afforded Mock claimed in that apology was apparently given after the complaint was made and still doesn't equate to permission for use, let alone compensation.
That a successful artist in a field not-comics turns out to be entitled and crass shouldn't surprise anyone, but it's nice to see an artist paying attention and forcefully asserting her rights, and to see members of her community back her up.
Links, Statements And Notes As They Relate To The Charlie Hebdo Killings
This recurring column is a clearinghouse for various links and articles related to the killings in and around the Charlie Hebdo offices, and its violent aftermath in Paris a couple of days later. There will be links to material and the employment of images here or in the linked-to articles that may upset. Every link and every image used is intended to better facilitate this site's mission to inform.
* a lot of folks have been pointing to this article as a way of thinking that might inform people on the issues currently before us including Hebdo. I don't think this one applies, really, but the people who sent me the link sure do.
* finally, Maren Williams writes on the different conception of free speech that exists in France. I think that's the source of a lot of frustration for people who saw the killings an issue of free speech first and foremost, but maybe did so without being aware of the vastly different conceptions of this principle in play out there.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up
* I hope that as many of you that are interested are reading Charles Soule's essays on the about-to-expire critical-darling superhero series She-Hulk.
* Daniel Elkin on Colin Smith on comics criticism. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I wasn't interested in criticism as much as simply writing about comics. Of course, soon after making that realization, my productivity plummeted.
* everyone in this article comes off pretty poorly, at least according to my initial reading. I think that's mostly how it's written, as clearly the artist ripping off Scott Teplin is in the wrong in terms here. No matter how anyone comes across in any article, how much appropriation is fair appropriation strikes me as always being a worthwhile subject, and this is a pretty good example of both this kind of activity and the kind of verbal back-and-forth which can occlude a simple, rational adjudication of what's going on.
* one from late last year that's popped back up: Sarah McIntyre writes about the word "author" and how it can be problematic when describing the creation of illustrated or comics work because of how we process it in terms of it being a prose term. This is a subject I find endlessly fascinating.
* not sure how this ended up in my bookmarks, but a lot of attractive art here.
Zunar Arrested, Detained In His Home Over A Tweet
The Malaysian cartoonist Zunar is apparently being held in his home overnight in anticipation of his giving a statement about a tweet he made early this morning (way early for the US; it's a significant part of the world away) -- an escalation in a kind of spiraling conflict between the artist and police authorities that I wasn't sure could spiral more impressively than it had been lately. This news story characterizes the tweet and gives Zunar's lawyer's reaction.
From this remove it clearly seems that some sort of personal or institutional vendetta is involved here. Zunar was left pretty much alone until he won what must have been an embarrassing decision for the authorities involved about their asinine, bullying behavior towards the artist in 2010. Since then it's been a renewed cycle of arrests, visits, confiscations and general harassment that seem characterized more by petulence than sense. Zunar is by nearly the entire world's understanding a forceful but nowhere near radical or strident cartoonist; his mode and tone are pretty mainstream, all things considered, and clear of shock tactics or anything upsetting in terms of invective. Zunar's content may change some minds, or may draw attention to political realities people would rather have ignnored, but to portray him as some sort of social danger is ludicrous. All power to him, and shame on those giving him a hard time.
Missed It: Retrofit Announces 2015 Line-Up + Subscription Drive The small alt-/arts-comics publisher Retrofit comics announced the 2015 line last week: an ambitious line-up in multiple format featuring the work of 12 creators. Those creators are:
While the bulk of the creators will be featured as spotlight artists, Burggraf's contribution will as the editor of an anthology called Future Shock.
Retrofit also announced the details of their subscription program, which is generally a key thing for small publisher due to issues of capital allocation and setting print runs.
Shipping on print to the US is free; Australia/Canada/Mexico/NZ/UK $12; otherwise $36.
A 2014 book sent to the buyer or to a friend will also be included.
The first two books up are Mowgli's Mirror from Schrauwen and Drawn Onward from Matt Madden. They've also announced that Weissman's contribution, more than 100 pages in length, will arrive for San Diego Comic Con. Brown's contribution, not scheduled, will be a collection called An Entity Observers All Things. Most of the releases will be in conjunction with comic arts festivals.
Go, Look: One More Round Of Ross Andru Spider-Man Splashes Andru's run on the character was the time a lot of fans and readers felt the title finally lost narrative steam it had maintained all the way back to its initial, impressive run, but the veteran artist's work was always super-solid
Go, Read: A New Mark Waid Interview On His Comics Retail Endeavors In Muncie, Indiana
I pay more than the usual attention to Mark Waid's comics retail endeavors in downtown Muncie for the fact that I grew up there. But I'm glad to. Waid's involvement in this part of comics is extremely interesting, talented comics people taking on a second area of comics (stores, making comics, conventions) is a huge and vital trend, and Muncie is the traditional "Middletown USA" so checking up on comics there is like checking up on comics in all of the markets between the coasts.
Theyr'e also really fun interviews, filled with way more candor than you usually get about the frustrations of making that very specific retail platform work. I'm grateful whenever they're done. This time up it's a store-name change and what looks like some settlement of the basic business set-up and orientation driving us into a discussion of the hassles and day to day obstacles that any retailer might face.
Bundled Extra: Sparkplug Books Announces Five Additional Titles To Its Sparkplug Mini Series Line Sparkplug Books announced four additional titles to its "Sparkplug Mini Series" for 2015 and one for 2016. This is a group of curated, short-run mini-comics and has featured books from Asher Craw, Whit Taylor and Yumi Sakugawa.
The new books, their respective creators and their release dates are:
* Ce Ze (SMS #4), Suzette Smith, April 2015Ÿ
* An As-Yet Untitled Comic (SMS #5), O. Horvath, June 2015
* An As-Yet Untitled Comic (SMS #6), Nalleli Sierra (Naji), September 2015
* An As-Yet Untitled Comic (SMS #7), Ebin Lee, October 2015
* An As-Yet Untitled Comic (SMS #8), Solomon Fletcher, February 2016
All five comics will cost $6 each and feature black and white interior pages under a color cover.
Festivals Extra: Hey, Go Get A Room For SPX 2015 They ran out of rooms at the host hotel for the 2014 Small Press Expo last year around August 1. I bet they'll run out much earlier for 2015. So you might want to avail yourself of a room reservation earlier rather than later. You'll have to double-check as you're making them, but I'm pretty sure they're easy to cancel right up to that week, if that makes a difference.
Tips.
1) This is probably one of the more important reservations to make in all of comics festival-going because of the "Camp Comics" element of the show, so you might want to let that motivate you to action. TCAF, in contrast, I don't see much of a difference wherever the hell you want to stay.
2) Sometimes when you do a room through an event they won't let you guarantee a certain kind of bed arrangement (one bed or two). If it's a chain, though, and you're a points program member, a reservation you make through an event should show up in your reservations profile as soon as you make it. You can usually edit your reservation profile from there, including a request for two beds. It's worked for me before, anyway.
3) Looking at the prices by day for Wednesday through Monday just through regular sites, it looks like Sunday they may have more reservations than on other days. So if you can't get the system to accept, say a Friday to Monday rez, you might get it to go for a Friday to Sunday rez, after which you can use a getaway hotel or a similar strategy.
4) If you don't get into the Marriott but find yourself accessing this post at some future, frustrating date, the back-up hotel for a few comics-makers last year was this Hilton, one subway stop the direction away from downtown DC away. I heard good things, and I'm nearly at the age where a little remove may do me more good than harm.
As is always worth nothing, SPX is one of the foundational North American comics shows. If that whole general area of comics interests you in any way, I urge you to try it out some year.
* finally, there's just a few hours left on a crowd-funder for a Jim Lawson project. Lawson's had an interesting career, and I hope he gets to do whatever he wants.
* here's Dan Savage on the purported sexlessness of the Marvel movie superheroes. My memory is that those films nearly all have a bit of sex floating in the air, in different ways, so the discussion here seems to be about a general cliche of comics rather than those movies. As they note, the movie version of Tony Stark certainly has sex, but I also remember that original Spider-Man movie had at least that one sexy scene that's been parodied to death, Thor has been both sexually desirous and sexually desirable and Wolverine is played by one of the most handsome men of the modern cinematic age. There's a whole subplot in Captain America 2 that the guy needs to date. It's not exactly James Bond, but still.
FFF Results Post #407—The Young Ones
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Comics-Makers You Like Age 30 Or Younger, With Three Caveats: 1. Not Yourself (Never Yourself), 2. Link, 3. You Can't Use Any Of The Ones I've Used." This is how they responded.
Loser Of The Week
I guess Marvel, as much as PR "battles" matter. (They don't really matter.) A nice announcement about a new female character-centric Avengers title featuring the talented creators G. Willow Wilson, Marguerite K. Bennett and Jorge Molina was outstripped by the avalanche of DC material in terms of trending news, and from what I've heard didn't even receive the TV-announcement component of its TV/on-line strategy.
Quote Of The Week
"The first item in each file was something innocuous -- a Reds schedule or an old bill -- as if concealing the true contents of his pornographic comics. No one entered his office except by invitation, and even then, nobody dared go behind his desk. His children had been out of the house for more than 25 years. Concealment was part of the creative process, born of shame and guilt, that he maintained long after there was anyone to hide it from. He needed the fetishized process of secrecy to draw." -- Chris Offutt
*****
the comic image selected is from the brief but notable 1970s run of Seaboard/Atlas
Go, Look: The First Best Thing I Saw This Morning
Eleanor Davis tweeted out a photo of a letter that John Porcellino sent her after the then 15-year-old cartoonist sent him her first mini-comic, Marzipan. I like letters of encouragement, I like the use of letters and the US postal service generally, and I like the title of Davis' first comic. I think we should all write letters and do a better job of replying to them.
* so yesterday I bought Katie Skelly's 10-page PDF birthday comic about Tonya Harding, which is a hell of a sentence to write. Anyway, it made me think that I don't know anything about single-issue releases in on-line PDF form, like that comic wa on Gumroach. I was perfectly happy to spend the money for that comic, but the fact that I don't hear about a bunch of people doing this makes me wonder if that's just a no-go on-line in terms of rounding up a lot of business. I have no idea what that means. I think that while people are happy to read comics that way now, we haven't found a lot of ways that money gets spent on-line. That's just a hunch on my part, though.
* I don't usually try to run links to site's straight-up, no-curation appropriation of others' material (others strongly disagree that this is necessary or that I try very hard), but I'm not sure I've ever seen this comic before.
Conversational Euro-Comics: Bart Beaty On L’Arabe Du Futur: Une Jeunesse Au Moyen-Orient (1978-1984)
By Bart Beaty
If I had been betting on which cartoonists was most likely to enter the ranks of two-time winner of the prize for best book at the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême this past weekend, Riad Sattouf would not have been the one that I would have laid my money on. Because Angoulême has restructured its prizes many times in its 42 years, it is difficult to make precise comparisons with the past, though by most understandings previous two-time winners are Fred, Baru, Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman, and Christophe Blain. Sattouf, who won previously in 2010 for the third volume of his satiric Pascal Brutal series, was awarded the Fauve d'Or again on Sunday evening, for his memoir, L'Arabe du futur: Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient (1978-1984).
At this point in his career, Sattouf is know as a man who wears many hats. In addition to the afore-mentioned parody of the hyper-macho contemporary man (Pascal Brutal), he has published autobiographical works (the best of which is the anti-circumcision book, Ma Circoncision), semi-autobiographical comics featuring his character Jérémie, and his weekly strips in Charlie Hebdo, La Vie secrète des jeunes (his contribution to the multi-million selling post-attack was one of the absolute highlights of that newspaper). In addition to his work as a cartoonist he has, like his friend Joann Sfar, transitioned into filmmaking, having directed Les Beaux Gosses in 2009 and Jacky au royaume des filles in 2014. He has also done voice-acting for Sfar's Petit Vampire television series.
So, a man of many talents. I was critical of the selection of Pascal Brutal as the best book of 2010, but am much less so of L'Arabe du futur, which I think is Sattouf's best book since Ma Circoncision (though I am also a fan of La vie secrete des jeunes, two volumes of which were collected by L'Association).
This book is very much in the "sweet spot" of autobiographical works that tend to win acclaim in contemporary comics (it also won a prize from RTL). The book tells the story of Sattouf, who was born in 1978 to a French mother and a Syrian father. When his father earns a PhD, he takes his family to live in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi and then to Syria, under the dictatorship of Hafez Al-Assad. The book is a relatively straightforward depiction of Sattouf's life in these two countries. It is told in a very direct way (lots of narration captions) with a keen eye for visual detail within the framework of Sattouf's extremely cartoony visual style.
For me, the book raises a number of very interesting questions about the nature of autobiography. As this is the first volume in an ongoing series, the book deals with only the first six years of Sattouf's life and memories. I don't know about you, but my memories of my life at that age would not fill a book -- at least not one with convincingly written dialogue about the nature of democracy and dictatorship in the Middle East. I know many readers who presume that Sattouf fictionalizes his ostensibly overheard work in La vie secrète des jeunes (though he adamantly insists that the words spoken by his characters are, in fact, things that he has heard on the streets of Paris), and this is a book to give aid to the doubters. This is a very detailed family history from a narrator possibly too young to recall the nuances of what he lived through.
And, yet, what he lived through is gripping reading. The particularities of the socialist experiments in Libya and Syria at the period of pan-Arabism and Soviet support are fascinating. The book has something of the bizarre travelogue feeling that comes from Guy Delisle's work, and the family confessional of Marjane Satrapi. Both are clearly strong influences. Sattouf's portrait of his father is extremely unflattering in this volume, as is the image of the Middle East. This is a real "warts and all" portrait.
While Sattouf will never be considered one of comics's great visual stylists, he does use satirical cartooning traditions well. A highlight of the book is the use of color: chapters set in France are colored blue, Libya is yellow, and Syria is pink. Sattouf uses very occasional spot colors (on flags, for instance) in interesting moments. This is one of the more interestingly colored books of recent years. Kudos to Allary Éditions for backing this lovely production.
I will not be surprised to see this book appear in an English edition in the future -- presumably when it has been completed. The subject is topical and fascinating and the craftsmanship is subtle but appealing. I don't think that I would have picked it as the best book of 2014 personally, but it is also not a grave injustice that Riad Sattouf is one of the most celebrated cartoonists in the history of the Angoulême festival either.
Go, Read: Andy Oliver On Formatting Choices And DIY Culture Andy Oliver has a piece up at Broken Frontier that's a little bit all over the place but gets at some interesting questions about the effect of formatting possibilities on DIY culture. The main thing that's interesting to me there isn't the old saw of whether or not something that's nicely done plays against the culture but more along the lines of the way certain formatting choices change the way you appraise the book. I'm not sure that's the same thing, and I think sometimes -- not here -- that's assumed. I know that I don't care what an object looks like according to what it's supposed to look like, whatever standard might be used. At the same time, I totally get the feeling that comes up that something in a softcover or Xeroxed form reads and feel differently to me than when that presentation is more elaborately done, or if a book is a hardcover rather than a soft. I'm not sure why that is. I'm not sure Oliver knows, either, but it's fun to read him bat it around a bit.
If nothing else, you might check out Oliver's article and click on some of the links for the huge number of names dropped in the making of the piece.
Go, Read: My Dad, The Pornographer
Chris Offutt's widely linked-to memoir-style piece on cleaning up his late father's office and digging through his lengthy career as a genre writer and writer of pornography takes a comics-oriented twist about two-thirds of the way in. That means I can mention it here.
The two interesting things to me were 1) that comics element and what material was being done there and Offutt's initial impression of the role it played in his dad's life, and 2) a kind of reverse-negative portrait of the market in which Andrew Offutt worked. I thought this particularly compelling in terms of how much the market shaped what and how the elder Offutt wrote, which is something about which we're not always honest when dealing with the creation of any kind of art.
Update: Rodrigo Baeza notes that the elder Offutt worked with Eric Stanton at least once.
The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: Shows And Events
By Tom Spurgeon
* WizardWorld will be doing a show this year in mainland China -- May 30 to June 1. That's interesting all by itself but even moreso with Reed putting a show in France this year. Assuming there's enough interest in western content along the lines of what Wizard likes to present for anyone to think this is a good idea at all, I would imagine the success or failure of that event is largely up to the partnerships involved and how this gets executed on the ground. I'll guess we'll see! It may sound odd, but so did conventions in India -- at least for some folks -- and that's an ongoing thing now.
* here is your exhibitor line-up for RIPExpo, in Providence. I heard that was a fun show last year and wish them luck with the second, in late March. That's a fine arts community and comics community to have a show like that one.
* I'm going to do a big push on the Angouleme Collective Memory down the page for tomorrow's final go at it. If you have something you feel is worth sharing, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) In fact, if you have anything at all, even if you think it's not worth sharing, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Random Comics News Story Round-Up
* Greg Stump and Dave Lasky will do another one of their Seattle classes starting out the end of February. I would do that class just to watch Greg and Dave interact.
* Bob Temuka writes about getting sick of comics shops. Been there. Late 1990s.
* I believe it's also Annie Koyama's birthday. I don't know her birthdate, so I can't wish her a happy birthday that way, but I can here. Happy birthday, Annie.
* Theo Ellsworth has a big show up at Giant Robot and many of the works are still on sale. Here are a few works. Here are the direct listings. I enjoy Ellsworth's stand-alone artwork quite a bit.
India Supreme Court Proclaims Comics An Unsafe Profession
It was only in passing, but I agree with the person that turned the remarks made at the Indian Supreme Court into a short feature article: it's kind of astonishing to hear legal arbiters at that level kind of admit that there are dangers in India -- and by extension several other market -- for those that would make cartoons and caricatures. Of course, I think I'd rather have the justices dismantling any legal apparatus that allows cartoonists to be harassed against all reason rather than simply commenting on it, but I don't always get what I want.
It looks like one such move begun a couple of years ago in the Aseem Trivedi case might be one the kind of safeguard that rational thought would welcome -- the idea that sedition can't be applied to a criticism of individual, say, or without their being imminent danger involved. Let's hope there's more of a step in that direction in that vital, complex market for comics and cartooning.
Today’s Press Release Of Interest: Spawn’s Digital Debut
I'm not sure if there are a ton of traditional + current market books that have yet to debut in some digital form on the market, but apparently that's the case with Todd McFarlane's long-running comic about that undead master of the chain and cape, Spawn. I am totally baffled as to what the market would be here -- I'm guessing men in their 30s and 40s that were once fans and looking to catch up for commutes and downtime in big chunks without the hassle of hitting the quarter bins, but hell if I know. We're also at a point in the reading cycle where this work could be discovered anew, although I'm not sure how it would to a brand-new reader. Spawn was the most consistently top-selling of the original Image Comics wave, and certainly the by-name point man of that whole, startling, mainstream comics stage rush.
Not Comics: The Simpsons Go To Auschwitz
This isn't something that appears in a notebook from a heavy stoner sitting the back of a 7th grade study hall, but an actual "controversial artist" of note, driving a thinkpiece by what I assume is someone who makes their living writing opinion articles. My dad wants to leap out of his grave to make a "slow news day" joke.
Weirdly, as I think the article points out, the family looks okay in that last one suspects-it's-supposed-to-be devastating photo, all things considered.
I could have the artist's intentions all wrong -- it could be an absurdist joke, for instance, or a commentary on the limits of media, or a sly dig at tropes like "go to Auschwitz." I mean, any recurring character on a TV show would be a bad, serious-face choice for something like this because the finality involved with the Holocaust is a big part of the horrifying element involved and characters like these simply can't convey the grimness of that end. Unless someone convinces me otherwise, this might up there for worst image-appropriation ever.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up
* the SPX lottery is open. This is the process by which they determine who gets the tables that are left over after they do their invites. Small Press Expo is one of the foundational shows, and I urge everyone to try and exhibit and least once in their lifetime.
* here are a couple of webcomics that ended up in my bookmarks without explanation and I'm too old to remember the why of them on my own: The Last Diplomat, Dust Piggies.
Comics-Makers, Comics Amongst Battery Of Winners And Honorees Announced At ALA Mid-Winter Meeting
This is as big of an overall list of medal winners and honors-award winners in the youth media category I can remember seeing announced by the American Library Association at their mid-winter meetings. The big recipients of the traditional, you've-likely-heard-of-them-before awards were Kwame Alexander, whose The Crossover from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is the John Newbery Medal winner and Dan Santat, whose The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend was the Randolph Caldecott Medal winner.
Several comics-makers were given "honors awards" for their work, with one cartoonist-related book receiving one of the named prizes.
* Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki won two honors awards for This One Summer. It was one of six books named a Caldecott Honor Award winner, and was one of four books named a Printz Honor Award winner. A press release from First Second says this is the first time a comic/graphic novel has won a Caldecott Honor Award.
* Cece Bell's El Deafo, from Amulet Books, was one of two books named a Newbery Honor Award.
* the First Second-published Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust, from Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lizano and Greg Salsedo with a translation by Alexis Siegel was one of two books named a Batchelder Honor Book.
* a video adaptation of Patrick McDonnell's Caldecott Honor winning Me... Jane won this years Andrew Carnegie Medal.
* Mo Willems Waiting Is Not Easy! with Hyperion was one of two books named a Geisel Honor Book.
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Huge congratulations to those creators and to all those involved with the making of those books, both comics-makers and those employing more traditional methods.
Festivals Extra: Comic-Con Announces First Round Of CCI Guests
I don't think I'll be making an individual post of every single group of guests that Comic-Con announces -- there are like 50 cons now, including a dozen or so elite shows that I just couldn't physically track this way, so I have to pick and choose. That said, I think CCI's guest list is always worth noting whenever I can do it because 1) they have this old-school element to it, and 2) they do a good with emerging and mid-level comics guests.
Neither one of those groups is represented here, though, unless maybe you count Stout as a long-time friend of the show. This just strikes me as a solid list of popular creators.
* Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet, Captain Marvel, Pretty Deadly)
* Artist Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog)
* Author Lev Grossman (The Magicians)
* Writer/Director/Producer Reginald Hudlin (Black Panther Animated Series, Django Unchained)
* Artist/Illustrator William Stout (The Dinosaurs)
Comic-Con is July 9-12 this year, with a July 8 preview night.
OTBP: Copra #19 although it's a juggernaut compared to some of those we feature in OTBP, Michel Fiffe's comic still serves its self-created niche in rewarding fashion
* finally, there's a new Osamu Tezuka-related fundraiser going, I imagine without looking either directly or at least spiritually from the wreckage of the giant Tezuka crowd-funder from several months ago. It looks like the smaller crowd-funders work for them.
* finally, this show is new to me; they're doing vendor applications right now. That's the big MoCCA/SPACE weekend, so I can't imagine anyone traveling out there, but there are more than enough comics-makers that use 'zines in that region.
Your 2015 Festival De La Bande Dessinée Prize Winners
The various prizes endorsed by and related to the Festival De La Bande Dessiné have all been announced by now, late on the festival's final day. Riad Sattouf took home the biggest prize not the festival presidency with the first volume of his L'Arabe Du Futur. The only North American I noticed on the prize list was Chris Ware, who won the Prix Spécial Du Jury for his Building Stories. A prize named after the Charlie Hebdo publication went to the five comics-makers killed in the publication's offices January 7.
Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees. I'll cluster these as the festival web site separates them.
The top comics-related news stories from February 21 to February 27, 2015:
* Ng Suat Tong on 
I usually don't do article about variant covers. A variant cover is a cover to a comic book that is intentionally made available in addition to a primary cover. They are usually used to boost circulation on titles so designated. In the 1990s they were used almost solely to boost sales in aggregate fashion: if you wanted to collect all of a run of Amazing Spider-Man, for example, you had to maybe buy a couple copies of an issue if it had more than one cover. If there was one variant given to a store for every 25 copies they purchased, you might buy that copy for enough extra scratch to make your store's investment worthwhile. They're also a natural hook on which to hang some PR. Today they're used in additionally ways that are slightly different in emphasis. Many of the variants one can imagine simply wanting for the art being offered more than you could in the old days -- you just might want a certain cover, like on by Skottie Young. That might be something you collect in and of itself. Some of the variants themselves became tied not just into a specific issue of a book but into an element of its selling -- a variant for a specific store to sell, an inducement for stores to carry more copies than ever, a variant that celebrates a movie release, a variant tied into a convention. They're not as openly abused as they were at one point as a constant presence in the market, but they have still have that aura of exploitative opportunism. They are comics' primary "if you want us to stop quit buying them" moment, even today.
Okay, I mention all of that because I noticed that NYT's noted soft-features-about-comics writer George Gene Gustines 
* Todd Klein on 
NOV140567 CRIMINAL SPECIAL ED ONE SHOT (MR) $4.99
* Sean Gaffney on 
* Sean Gaffney on 
I can't review 
* Henry Chamberlain on 
The top comics-related news stories from February 14 to February 20, 2015:
* Sean Gaffney on 
* J. Caleb Mozzocco on 
NOV141548 YO MISS GN A GRAPHIC TALE OF HIGH SCHOOL $12.95
* Richard Bruton on 
* Sean Gaffney on 
* Todd Klein on 
The top comics-related news stories from February 7 to February 13, 2015:
DEC141503 LOVE AND ROCKETS NEW STORIES TP VOL 07 $14.99
DEC140696 TREES TP VOL 01 (MR) $14.99
DEC141508 DISPLACEMENT GN $19.99
But you know what? They've done really, really well the last several years, both in terms of pursuing media opportunities outside of comics but related to comics and in terms of finding new ways to sell the comics they publish and produce. They were early on digital, that Artist's Edition format is the best-received prestige format in the medium's history, and their big-media partnerships have gone very well. They've also found ways to bundle and package material in a way that's brought them eyeballs and significant business. So a gallery makes perfect sense in that they've constantly found news business areas and space-related opportunities are a thing they might be able to do very well.
* James Kaplan on 
* John Wenzel talks to 
The small alt-/arts-comics publisher Retrofit comics announced the 2015 line last week: an ambitious line-up in multiple format featuring the work of 12 creators. Those creators are:
* these profiles of New Yorker cover artists are always pretty cute; 
Sparkplug Books announced four additional titles to its "Sparkplug Mini Series" for 2015 and one for 2016. This is a group of curated, short-run mini-comics and has featured books from Asher Craw, Whit Taylor and Yumi Sakugawa.
They ran out of rooms at the host hotel for the 2014 Small Press Expo last year around August 1. I bet they'll run out much earlier for 2015. 
* 
* Josh McCullough on 
The top comics-related news stories from January 31 to February 6, 2015:
Institutional
* Rob McMonigal on 
Andy Oliver 
* Todd Klein on 
Commentary and reaction around the Internet to the passing of the cartoonist 
* Chris Hampton on 
* 
* James Kaplan on 
