Festivals Extra: Dave Cooper At Scott Eder Gallery
With this new book and the film he showed last year at TCAF, it's wonderful to have Dave Cooper around in a production/publication sense. His art can be astonishing on the wall, so any chance to go and look I hope you'll take. The opening is March 16.
* today is the first day of ECCC, the well-loved mainstream-focused show with heavy individual-creator involvement run by Reed. I don't know if Randy's Readers still exhibits at the show because I couldn't work the web site, but if they are, they have all the cheap awesome old mainstream comics your body requires.
* if I would advise one thing that I thought was lacking when I visited previous ECCC's is that I hope you make use of Seattle's awesome downtown. It's a weird city to ignore solely in favor of the host hotel's bar con. You can nighttime network and see something of the city you're in, I promise! Even on a 20-years-gone memory Andaluca and Wild Ginger are classic downtown Seattle dinner locations (albeit downtown-expensive), Vito's Restaurant and Lounge seems like it was built for hungry comics people, and if nothing else get a coffee at the Victrola up the hill from the convention center. The 5-Point is a sturdy sort-of near hearty breakfast and 24/7 spot and a little further beyond that is the deliciously miserable Mecca Cafe and Bar, where I sat for three hours and read the newspaper Short Run weekend. There are many more great places. I love bar cons, too, but I have as many great memories striking out to do a couple hours with a group of friends or soon-to-be-friends as I do spending the next six surrounded by the industry entire. Invite someone to get to know!
Bundled Extra: Marvel Announces Ta-Nehisi Coates And Leinil Yu On Captain America For July
The writer opines about the fear that comes with that particular gig at The Atlantic, which is also a great boost for the announcement. I have no idea why this wan't the first thing they announced. Alex Ross on covers.
This Isn’t A Library: New, Notable Releases Into The 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.
*****
JAN181694 BRAZEN GN $17.99 JAN181695 BRAZEN HC $24.99
This Penelope Bagieu one-person anthology seems like the kind of thing that can go on top of this column. I recognize some of the essay subjects, but not all. Bagieu is certain a pleasing cartoonist with which to spend some time, although I will note that what I heard back on her Cass Elliott biography is that even at book-length the analysis of its subject's life didn't go as deep as some readers might have hoped.
NOV170370 JACK KIRBY 100TH CELEBRATION COLLECTION TP $19.99 NOV172165A TRIBUTE TO MIKE MIGNOLAS HELLBOY SHOW CATALOGUE SC $24.99
I'm all for celebrating Jack Kirby's 100th even a couple of months late, although a collection of issues done by talent not Jack Kirby in the King's honor is probably the form of tribute in which I have the least interest. The Mignola book is based on a similar other-artist tribute model, previously on the walls of the reborn Cartoon Art Museum.
DEC170967 AMAZING CEREBUS #1 (OF 1) $4.00 DEC170547 RICK VEITCH THE ONE #1 (OF 6) $4.99 DEC170122 ELFQUEST FINAL QUEST #24 $3.99 DEC170638 SAGA #49 (MR) $2.99 DEC170857 BLACK PANTHER #170 LEG WW $3.99 DEC171655 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #252 $5.99
It's 1982 again with Dave Sim, Rick Veitch and Wendy/Richard Pini having new issues out -- actually, back in those days the Pinis' schedule would have made this a super-rare day, indeed. Veitch and the Pinis are working with familiar concepts. Dave Sim is doing the same, although I'm guessing this is the more recent strip-like and collage-like stuff he's done. Another cycle of Saga should please fans and comic shop owners. I'm still hanging in there on the newer Black Panther material; Marvel's reaction to the movie doesn't arrive until May. I always mention Knights because the issue numbers amaze me.
DEC171691 LITTLE PIERROT HC VOL 02 $14.99 DEC171621 PHOTOGRAPHIC LIFE OF GRACIELA ITURBIDE GN $19.95
I'm not familiar at all with either artist or either series, although if I remember correctly the Pierrot are short stories rather than book-length narratives. I'd like to take a look at each, which is where the comic shop comes one. The approach in Photographic Life sounds promising, although it's all in the execution.
OCT171243 PIZZERIA KAMIKAZE ORIGINAL GN HC $24.99 JAN181298 TENEMENTS TOWERS & TRASH HC $29.99
Two books I thought were already in stores. The first is the Hanaka/Keret book that I think might be 15 years old at this point, newly published by BOOM. The second is Julia Wertz's crowd-pleasing and Christmas gift list satisfying take on old New York neighborhoods. I assume with that one is that it's just available through this specific channel for those brave comic stores that want them.
DEC171090 STINKY CECIL IN MUDSLIDE MAYHEM GN $9.99
This is Paige Braddock in kid-friendly, animal-character form. Anything that makes the world less terrifying to those who find it inexplicably terrifying, I'm all for.
JAN181742 JOHNNY HAZARD DAILIES HC VOL 06 1952 - 1954 (RES) $50.00
I may not own this book or its five previous hardcover volumes until I get to heaven, but it's wonderful that it exists and you never know how life will turn out. You sort of either love working at Robbins' work or you don't, but I'm definitely in that first camp.
DEC171851 LONE SLOANE GAIL HC (MR) $19.99
Druillet. Time to stop and stare.
*****
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.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up * Mark Voger talks to Drew Friedman. Alex Dueben talks to David Collier. Team Comics Alternative talks to Gary Groth. James Lindholm and Meg Malone talk to Alison Bechdel.
Bundled, Tossed, Untied And Stacked: Publishing News By Tom Spurgeon
* here's Jennifer Holm in support of her Fall release The Third Mushroom.
* Steve Foxe over at Paste has arranged a preview of Marcellus Hall's Kaleidoscope City. Mr. Foxe also interviews Image resurgence secret MVP Rob Guillory about his latest project Farmhand and talks to the team behind the forthcoming The Weatherman.
* Marvel announces its plans for the very popular Black Panther character created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee with contributions from a host of talented creators. They'll do a new #1 and focus on a "galactic" storyline. Daniel Acuna will be on board working from designs created by Brian Stelfreeze for the most recent start at #1. Ta-Nehisi Coates remains the writer.
* another small sneak at the Frank Miller Dark Horse project Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander.
* finally: Heidi MacDonald revisits Marvel's recent run of half-assed relaunches. There's not more than one or two steps difference each time out, and the sameness is sort of hilarious; its unclear to me how much of how Marvel got there is general denial and how much is cynicism.
* a major exhibition featuring Pierre Sadek is the kind of thing that makes you wish you had a teleportation machine. I would be the worst person to given that technology, obviously.
* Gary Tyrrell has nice things to say about Spike Trotman, Evan Dahm and Riceboy. Jessamy Calkin profiles Matt Davies.
* I hadn't noticed that Stan Lee canceled an appearance in Cleveland, without specific cause. Every cancellation is worthy of note these days.
* by request extra: Frank Santoro is auctioning off a copy of Fantastic Four #52, featuring The Black Panther.
* Katie Skelly pulls into position as the latest diary-maker over at TCJ. That's a great feature, and Skelly as of late can do no wrong.
In preparing today's By Request column I missed an entry on this campaign on behalf of colorist Justin Ponsor for financial relief related to costs incurred while fighting cancer. I'm separating it out because I don't want you to miss it; these kinds of asks are probably the most important that the community receives.
All fortune and best outcomes to Mr. Ponsor, his family and his friends.
Comics By Request: People, Places In Need Of Funding By Tom Spurgeon
* hey, Batton Lash has a new Wolff & Byrd book up. Lash is the grand, dapper gentleman of comic book self-publishing at this point, and I hope he's supported in every last thing he does.
* Bruce Worden's initial goal looks obtainable here, but there's some work to be done. Worden is a small-press veteran and a writer of funny comics. Veteran Greg Baisden's ask will probably need an angel, or the whole project will have to be reintroduced as a campaign.
* best wishes in recovery to filmmaker and occasional comics scripter/general appreciator Kevin Smith.
* not comics: here are links to black feminist reviews of Black Panther. I saw that movie and enjoyed it. It is a peerless piece of pop culture. I hope it destroys every existing piece of backwards conventional wisdom about filmmaking it can and creates two dozen new ones of its own. Witnessing the quality, variety and strength of the characters there to emulate as a young person or simply have spark one's imagination as to the infinite possibilities of how to conduct oneself in life, I'm grateful.
* there's a nice piece at The Beat about ComicsPro weekend gossip and tweets from those on-hand. It's tough for a lot of retailers right now, to the point where I kind of have to think the substance of what the publishers are doing is either going to help... or it's not. Attitudes and personalities seem almost like a luxury right now, and probably get too much credit when things are going relatively well. I hope there are elements of the forthcoming sales landscape other than the new DC lines for the retailers to get psyched about selling.
FFF Results Post #497—Teachers
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Comics Teachers That Have Taught At An Institution And An Institution At Which They Taught." This is how they responded.
1. George Pratt (Pratt Institute)
2. Thierry Smolderen (L'école des Beaux-Arts d'Angoulême)
3. Anke Feuchtenberger (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Hamburg) (work pictured)
4. Jessica Abel (School of Visual Arts, New York)
5. Hendrik Dorgathen (Kunsthochschule Kassel)
*****
John Vest
1. Art Spiegelman (School Of Visual Arts)
2. Don Simpson (University Of Pittsburgh) (work pictured)
3. Jay Lynch (Chicago Art Institute)
4. Bernard Krigstein (High School Of Art And Design)
5. Brian Michael Bendis (Portland State University)
*****
Scott Dunbier
* Harvey Kurtzman (SVA)
* Will Eisner (SVA)
* Walter Simonson (SVA) (work pictured)
* Joey Cavalieri (SVA)
* George Pratt (Pratt, among several others)
*****
Tom Spurgeon
1. Jason Lutes (CCS)
2. Steve Bissette (CCS)
3. Brian Ralph (SCAD) (work pictured)
4. Laurenn McCubbin (CCAD)
5. Joe Kubert (Kubert School)
1. Ed Luce, California College of the Arts (work pictured)
2. Kevin Huizenga, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
3. Tom Hart, Sequential Artists Workshop
4. Ivan Brunetti, Columbia College Chicago
5. Rube Goldberg, Famous Artists School
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Mário Filipe
1. Nuno Saraiva (Ar.Co) (work pictured)
2. Filipe Abranches (Ar.Co)
3. Ben Katchor (Parsons School of Design)
4. Lynda Barry (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
5. Tom Hart (Sequential Artists
* the exhibitor application for the show with which I'm involved, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, is up on our site's exhibitors page. Please consider joining us in 2018.
* finally, the Minneapolis=based indy/alt show Autoptic is coming back. That's good news, I've been wanting to go to that one and it's never been possible and with it going every two years you have to wait a bit. Exhibitor applications are live if you scroll down the site's front page a bit.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up * best single line of publishing news I've read in months: Chuck Forsman to Faber & Faber.
* if I'm reading this twitter thread correctly, some of those involve with the kids comics store Little Island Comics are re-opening store. That is a good thing and hopeful in all the ways Chris describes.
* I'm sort of fascinated by the Wet Hot American Summer comic book project because it seems like there's 3X the amount of film in existence for the project than really needs to exist. Put another way, there's not exactly unexplored territory compared to other shows and concepts that get this done for them. Graeme McMillan names the creative team.
Bundled Extra: Marvel Re-Shuffles Deckchairs On The Helicarrier
I'm kidding. Come on! If this winter is going to last 37,000 days, I have to make jokes. Here's Graeme McMillan on Marvel's first line-shuffle of the CB Cebulski era.
Here's the thing, though. It's difficult not to kid the entertainment giant at least a little bit when 1) they call their new publishing shuffle a "fresh start" and the characters being used average about 45 years of publishing life, and 2) all the catchphrases and promises touting this new initiative sound exactly the same as the last half-dozen once-new initiatives. I'm not the worst with Marvel's characters and I'm not sure beyond a few obvious new characters narrowing the window I could tell you what year the accompanying art was made.
That doesn't mean I think failure is around the corner. Marvel's recent decisions, which I would call more conservative than progressive by a significant margin, should give them the kind of modest boost in the marketplace that comes when things are run with a steady hand, and might even get that extra boost that comes when talent plays to company strengths like the comic-book audience's general fondness for the Marvel characters. If the talent can execute, a new and improved same-old same-old could even buy Marvel enough time to find a special project or two that really works and allows a foundation around which the next few years of overall branding in publishing could be built: the next Marvel Knights, the next Marvels.
We'll see how damaged the system has become by June or July, I think.
* not comics: every teacher leaves an impression. RIP, Mr. Cline.
* stolen right from Frank Santoro's Comics Workbook site is this survey article about female cartoonists hard at work in Colombia. Man, there are so many cartoonists out there it's not even funny.
Rare Remote-Location Comics Editing Job Opens Up Here. Lion Forge again, but a remote-location job is rare in comics period and perhaps doubly so in editorial.
Bundled, Tossed, Untied And Stacked: Publishing News By Tom Spurgeon
* Katriona Chapman will have a big book in color out from Avery Hill this Fall: Follow Me In.
* veteran mainstream industry figure Danny Fingeroth is finishing up a Stan Lee biography to be published next year or late this year by St. Martin's Press. That should be interesting, if for no other reason than I think Danny has access to some written material nobody else has had.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up * Katie Skelly on specific elements within Belladonna Of Sadness. Sarah Horrocks on VS #1.
* I don't have anything to say about this artist or their art, but I wanted to experience the novelty of posting a story about cartooning in Turkey that didn't make me want to kill myself.
CXC 2018 is soft-launching its 2018 exhibitor registration with links directly to the Google Form made available on this site, through direct e-mailing and on social media. Those forms can be tricky, but over 80 people thus far have been able to use:
so try it as a scoop-up-and-replace if clicking through doesn't work.
This is for the Expo and Marketplace on September 29-30, our Saturday and Sunday of a show that begins Thursday morning, September 27. That's an 11-6 Saturday, 1-5 Sunday show. CXC Expo and Marketplace is curated and competitively so. We are working hard to focus on improving the exhibitor experience in 2018 by any and all means, and anticipate our best year yet.
Table costs and information through the docs link. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
sneak of this year's logo provided by Kevin Czap, CXC 2018's featured illustrator and CXC 2016's Emerging Talent Award winner
I've never read anyone make the "first graphic novel" claim for Panther's Rage until Riesman, although that gets claimed for everything more than 20 pages that came out before 1980 so it makes sense that someone would. My memory is that it wasn't much different than the standard long serials of its day except unlike the Steve Englehart model there was no overt foreshadowing of future plot lines. Another thing that has in common with its time is how Killmonger's spiked straps represented a keener and more aggressive take on violence, a raising of the stakes that nearly every Marvel noodled with back then (Wolverine, ninjas, Punisher).
I still like how talky and weird Panther's Rage reads, especially today after a decade and a half of Mamet-style dialogue, and I like those ornate formal art flourishes that everyone else digs. I like that there were comic relief characters, and I like that the whole plot came out of people thinking through the narrative consequences in place. I also think it had dinosaurs, and I like dinosaurs, too.
Word Made Official: Toonseum Closing Its Physical Space, Hoping To Regroup And Re-Energize
Pittsburgh's ToonSeum will close its physical space on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh at end of business on Friday. The building has been there for nearly a decade, according to that local report, one of many specialty museums in a crowded, local market. Pittsburgh has long been a general space for museums due to its tradition of rich regional patronage. ToonSeum was started in 2007 by Joe Wos, who left in 2014. John F. Kelly was named executive director in 2016.
The museum pledges a turnaround period focused on education meant to ignite and reinforce the local cartooning community, and plans to get into a more affordable space on year from now.
It's unclear until the rest of the story unfolds a year and more from now what this means in general. Comics has enjoyed such smashing victories in its culture's goals of become relevant as pop creation and legitimate as a source for literary work that stories like these are often seen as unique incidents working against the flow of history. However, the specific narrative for comics museums has a much rockier 21st Century. Pittsburgh is a curious comics town, festooned with comics-makers and supported by solid to great retail but without much of an impact at the city's arts and entertainment core. Kelly's real-world executive background is surely to be tested in the months ahead. All luck to him and his board.
Comics By Request: People, Places In Need Of Funding By Tom Spurgeon
* I had the wrong link up for Steve Hamaker's second PLOX volume. Here's the right one. It's been corrected in the previous post. I hope Steve will forgive me and you will consider planting yourself somewhere in that rare Venn diagram for comics about gaming culture and comics about Columbus, Ohio.
* a fundraiser to print the late Mark Campos' last, semi-abortive at the printing and distribution phase work, Casino Sono and get it back out there is nearing its initial goal.
* does anyone else get the feeling that a recent adjustment in how content is presented at Kickstarter favors successful projects on the immediately searchable pages? I hope that's not the case. I mean, I would get the impulse, it's college graduation rates and how those are used, but it makes it hard for old-timey search and link people to get projects in need unless they come over the social media transom.
* I am happy to read this super-broad essay about comics sales and approaches by the writer Chuck Dixon. I think it's great when any artist tries to understand the basic historical forces at work in their field. I think I would disagree with about 40 percent of it both in specifics and generalities, but 40 percent spread out all over the piece with no specific organization.
FFF Results Post #496—Publishers
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Publishers From Comics History You Have Enjoyed On Some Level. Name At Least One Person No Longer With Us And One Person Currently Working."
*****
Patrick O Watson
1. William Gaines (EC Comics) (pictured)
2. Georges Dargaud (Dargaud)
3. Mike Gold (First Comics)
4. Chris Staros (Top Shelf)
5. Seiji Horibuchi (Viz Media)
*****
Chris Arrant
1. Jeanette Kahn (DC Comics) (pictured)
2. Tony Lobito (Image Comics)
3. William Gaines (EC Comics)
4. Leyla Aker (VIZ Media)
5. Spike Trotman (Iron Circus)
*****
Rob Salkowitz
1. Denis Kitchen, KSP (pictured, with respondent)
2. Paul Levitz, DC Comics
3. Jim Warren, Warren Publications
4. Mike Friedrich, Star*Reach
5. Wally Wood (RIP), Witzend
1. William F. Gaines (EC Comics)
2. Cat Yronwode (Eclipse)
3. Deni Loubert (Aardvark-Vanaheim)
4. James Warren (Warren Publications)
5. Peggy Burns (Drawn And Quarterly) (pictured)
*****
Jeffrey A. Goodman
1. Richard Corben (Fantagor Press)
2. Gary Arlington (San Francisco Comic Book Company)
3. Pakito Bolino (Le Dernier Cri)
4. Alvin Buenaventura (Buenaventura Press + Pigeon Press) (pictured)
5. Don Donahue (Apex Novelties)
*****
Stephen Harrick
1. Deni Loubert (Renegade Press)
2. Gary Reed (Caliber Comics)
3. Zack Soto (Study Group) (pictured)
4. Andrew DelQuadro (215 Ink)
5. Dean Mullaney (Eclipse Comics)
*****
Mário Filipe
1. Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
2. Marcos Farrajota (Chili Com Carne / MMMNNNRRRG)
3. Georges Bernier, "Professeur Choron" (Éditions du Square)
4. Jean-Christophe Menu (L'Association/L'Apocalypse)
5. Dan Nadel (PictureBox) (pictured)
*****
Dave Knott
* William Randolph Hearst (King Features Syndicate)
* Annie Koyama (Koyama Press)
* Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics) (pictured)
* Tom Devlin (Highwater Books)
* Andy Brown (Conundrum Press)
*****
Sean Kleefeld
1. Spike Trotman (Iron Circus)
2. Jim Ottaviani (GT Labs) (pictured)
3. Joe Nozemack (Oni)
4. Bill Gaines (EC)
5. Mike Gold (First)
*****
Sterg Botzakis
1. Chris Pitzer (Adhouse Books) (pictured)
2. Annie Koyama (Koyama Press)
3. Craig Yoe (Yoe Books)
4. Hope Nicholson (Bedside Press)
5. William Gaines (EC Comics and MAD Magazine)
*****
thanks to those that participated; all art to its respective makers; all apologies for any unflattering photo from the CR archives
* I quite enjoyed this Mark Evanier story about jumping through hoops to make sure that veteran DC Comics artists had the scripts called for by their different contracts.
The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: Shows And Events
By Tom Spurgeon
* I think festivals can be a place where guests have the chance to meet with those offering business opportunities, and that is can be supported by the festivals. There are issues, but I think it can be done. I don't think that this is the way you do it, and the idea that Wizard gets a cut makes me barf in my mouth. I sometimes think they serve a purpose in comics, but other times I think we should just shut them off as best we can. This is one of the latter times.
Here's one that will likely have met its initial goal by next week's "By Request" column: a campaign to print the late Mark Campos' last comic, Casino Son. I recall that Mark tried to crowd-fund it himself, but that didn't seem like a natural thing for him and perhaps the writing about his work since his passing will cause people to take a look.
By Request Extra: PLOX Volume Two: Hell Is Other Players
I enjoy famous colorist and fine comics-maker Steve Hamaker's Columbus gaming-culture saga PLOX and I didn't want to wait until next week's column to take note of his crowd-funder for its second volume.
This Isn’t A Library: New, Notable Releases Into The 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.
*****
DEC171585 TOTAL JAZZ HC (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99
This is one of these weeks where I might not be seeing everything that's out, a general problem for me post 2014 or so that I have yet to solve. I'm working on it, though. A big book of Blutch's comics from Fantagraphics fits the bill in terms of the kind of thing I might go to the comics shop to see. Just look at the thing. Beautiful.
DEC170648 BINGO LOVE OGN $9.99
This mini-publishing phenomenon is quite the sweet, crowd-pleasing book and I think wants to work on that level, perhaps first and foremost.
NOV170577 INVINCIBLE #144 CVR A OTTLEY & FAIRBAIRN (MR) $5.99 NOV170578 INVINCIBLE #144 CVR B WALKER & FAIRBAIRN (MR) $5.99 MAY170659 BLACK MONDAY MURDERS #8 (MR) $3.99 DEC170714 KILL OR BE KILLED #16 (MR) $3.99 DEC170726 MAGE HERO DENIED #6 (OF 15) $3.99 DEC178007 X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #1 (OF 2) 2ND PTG PISKOR VAR $5.99 DEC178008 X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2) 2ND PTG PISKOR VAR $5.99
Single issues feel strong this week to me. The last issue of Invincible has to be given its due. I can't imagine a comic that has surged past its initial life expectancy like this one. Here's how much narrative we're talking about: the original, hook-worth twist isn't even mentioned in the opening summary, although it gets a callback in a late scene. It's affecting to see a superhero story because so few do. Black Monday Murders is told in a compelling way I enjoy and wish I saw more of. Kill Or Be Killed has become a better series the more it goes on, which is an accomplishment given how some of the genres tossed into the mix here limit extended storytelling. The third iteration of Mage still has a long way ago; I look forward to seeing how this turns out given how leisurely the first issues have seemed. And then there's Ed with a second printing. Yay, Ed.
OCT171728 YOU HAVE KILLED ME GN $15.99
This is a Jamie Rich/Joelle Jones effort from several years back or a brand new book sharing its name. I remember the earlier book being effect, unadorned genre work, solid in the context of like offerings and in the contest of those creators' careers.
OCT171888 JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #73 (C: 0-1-1) $10.95
All hail serial magazine publication that reaches 70+ issue. God bless Jacob Kurtzberg.
AUG178400 FULL BLEED COMICS & CULTURE QUARTERLY HC VOL 01 $25.00
This is the ambitious IDW effort to make a comics magazine for right now, a thrown gauntlet that includes not only the Ted Adams crew but at least a half-dozen new and old players. This is the commercial phase following the crowd-funded stage; those that got theirs at the Kickstarter level seem happy with their purchase.
*****
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.
Bundled, Tossed, Untied And Stacked: Publishing News By Tom Spurgeon
* the Toon Books front page has some information about their April release of Jaime Hernandez's The Dragonslayer, a collection of folk tales. I've seen it, it's gorgeous, and all Jaime fans will want one version of its cover/language formats in their home. There are very few non-Locas comics in Jaime's formidable career, so even if these weren't smart and fun they'd be worthy of study.
* finally: prolific Paste contributor Steve Foxe previews Femme Magnifique and Speak: The Graphic Novel with the help of Robin Furth and Emily Carroll, respectively.
Missed It: Talent Relations Department At DC Sends Out Social Media Guidelines A friend sent me the content of an e-mail purported to be a social media guidelines document shot out by DC's talent relations department last week. I'm not 100 percent great on how that particular company works internally, but I believe this is the office at DC they hired Ben Abernathy to run that took over things like pay sheets, art returns and how talent was taken care of at conventions -- it was one of their Burbank-era improvements.
Here's the text I was sent:
Dear DC Talent Community --
The comic book industry is a very special creative community dedicated to telling epic and legendary stories of action, heroism and intrigue with a rich and diverse portfolio of character. Both DC's employees, as well as its extended family of freelance talent, contribute to our success and are a direct reflection of our company, characters and comics. As such, DC expects that its employees and freelance talent community maintain a high level of professionalism as well as reasonable and respectful behavior when engaging in online activities. Comments that may be considered defamatory, libelous, discriminatory, harassing, hateful, or that incite violence are unacceptable and may result in civil or criminal action. In addition, comments that may be considered insulting, cruel, rude, crass and mean spirited are against company policy and guidelines. We ask, and expect, that you will help to create an online environment that is inclusive, supportive and safe.
Below you will find the most current version of the company's social media guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact DC Talent Relations department so that we can be of assistance.
DC Entertainment Social Media Guidelines for Talent
This policy has been developed to empower DC Talent to participate in social media activities, represent their creative endeavors well and share their passion for DC's characters, stories and brands. We recognize the vital importance of online social communities and this policy reflects our commitment to the best possible use of social media. Below are DC's recommended guidelines when partaking in social media.
* Stay positive when you post and we also recommend that you avoid negative comments in this very public forum. You may want to refrain from engaging with individuals who may be speaking negatively about you, other talent, DC, our fans and the comics industry as this is a no-win situation. If there has been a personal threat to you or those around you then in addition to alerting DC, please involve the proper law enforcement authorities.
* Use good judgment when posting, reposting and liking comments, photos and videos as these may have unintended consequences. Talent should take special care when using social media to ensure that comments and postings made by you are not associated with DC. Under all circumstances, please indicate that you do work for DC, but that your comments are your own and do not reflect those of the company.
* The internet is permanent regardless of "privacy settings" or other limits you may try to place on your posting. Think before you post, comment, retweet or like something.
* Do not reveal plot points, storylines or launch timing -- including photos or video of in-progress assets, artwork, story outlines, scripts, panels, announcement details, etc. without coordinating with DC Publicity. Members of the press may follow you on social media, and your posts can -- and probably will -- become news.
* Don't break news on social media. If you have any questions on what you can or can't post on any platform, DC Publicity or Talent Relations departments are available to assist. If you'd like to share DC news on your social pages, we recommend sharing news from DCComics.com, DCE-sanctioned social media pages and other news widely reported on credible news outlets.
* If you are contacted by members of the press or asked to participate in an interview about your work for DC, please coordinate this with the DC Publicity department so that news can be rolled out in an orchestrated fashion and elevated on DC digital and social channels as well.
And finally, we recognize that there can be a dark side to social media and to that end if you feel that you are being harassed or bullied through social media channels because of your work for DC or your association with us, please feel free to contact the DC Talent Relations department so that we can be of assistance.
There seem to be a few things going on here.
Whether due to causality or proximity, it's reasonable I think that this be seen as a first step to curtail abusive behavior by DC talent on the Internet. A corporation likes to have standards in place and recognized as such before they seek to hold people to those standards, and this strikes me as useful to them that way. I know when I have signed contracts they usually include the possibility of punishment for behavior that embarrasses or puts that employer in a bad light, so it's not surprising for me to hear that employers of contracted creative talent want something like that, too.
It's timely. Comics culture suffers in this moment from an advanced version of dog whistling where you just kind of openly complain about someone and then people that like you or have common-cause with you will step into that person's on-line space to extend that complaint. This may involved simply making their presence known or to directly argue against a specific this or that, or to ask a question, but the implication is clear: "I and others like me see you."
This is one of those activities that's clearly hostile in real-world terms but on-line gets the benefit of a kind of strident, ding-donged assertion that there's a definition of harassment out there carved into the back of the throne of the Kingdom Of Nerdania that means harassment occurs only by those a half-step removed of physically assaulting someone while shouting their motivations into an emotional lie detector as faultless as Wonder Woman's lasso that they are hateful and intend harassment. I suspect that for most of us, harassment occurs when someone is feeling harassed and a reasonability standard is applied as to the how and why. Directed group actions of any sort, even the invisible-lever kind, usually pass that reasonability standard. The recent comics-culture versions more than do so.
If nothing else, it seems that those involved in the culture now know the place at DC Comics interested in these matters, to add a direct e-mail to openly tweeted commentary about why this action or that action is allowed and/or tolerated: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (I encourage DC to accept related complaints there even if that was not their attention; and if not, I hope they provide another devoted e-mail address.) In a time when mentioning specific names in public on-line in terms of their potential abuse adds to a narrative of persecution that justifies and advertises aberrant behavior and its practitioners, this is a good thing to know.
All of this strikes me as tricky territory, for sure. There is something profoundly distasteful about any employer dictating your conduct or having a vote in how you speak on your own time. This distaste multiplies in an era where many people are paid far short of a living wage and are asked to mind such rules as if they were. Avoiding limits to one's behavior of this type is something that many feel they should be able to enjoy for what they give up by not being an employee -- or to reverse that, if one is to be treated like an employee, please provide health insurance.
In that way and others there may be potential slippery-slopes worth talking through. It seems likely any policy will be lawyered so that there are complaints from both sides of the political spectrum based on that political spectrum rather than the action on hand -- complaints that even when absurd may gum up the works. In an era when so much of the bulk of what's published is borderline profitable, more creators than usual may have what they say scrutinized in a "why bother?" fashion rather than what's just or fair to that person and all creators more generally.
In the end, every policy is judged by its execution. This one will be, too. A smart, sensible, outcome-and-implication minded approach will be needed to make any such policy work. I hope for the most beneficial, least-damaging result. We are far from there.
Go, Look: Rich Buckler 1970s Splash Pages I personally don't find many of these to be effective, but they certainly illustrate a house approach from that era...
* Jeannie Vanasco talks to Daniel Raeburn. Brian Heater talks to Joseph Remnant. I can't get this Adrian Tomine profile at the Washington Post to load, but I assume you'll have better luck and I assume it's by their alt-/arts- guy Michael Cavna.
It's not explicitly a sale driven by need, but an outfit as specialized as Spit And A Half could always always use and benefit from our attention. I myself bought one of the damaged Valium books and happy to pick a dinged copy of that on sale.
* not comics: here's a story about sexual harassment in the children's book industry. I suspect we will wee one element of this article a lot more moving forward, linking the despicable horrors of sexual harassment to the more general shitty practice of holding back female creators and industry members.
FFF Results Post #495—One In A Run
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Serial Comic-Book Runs You Enjoy And What Is For You A Stand-Out Single Issue Within That Run." This is how they responded.
*****
Matthew Guest
1. Defenders #50 from Defenders #46-50.
2. Flaming Carrot #14 from Flaming Carrot #1-17.
3. Mad Magazine # 180 from Mad Magazine # 1-549.
4. Beer Nutz #3 from Beer Nutz #1-3.
5. Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun! #48 from Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun! #1-50.
*****
Mário Filipe
1. Eightball #2 from Eightball #1-23
2. From Hell #7 from From Hell #1-11
3. Daredevil #181 from Daredevil #168-190
4. Swamp Thing #60 from Swamp Thing #21-64
5. The Uncanny X-Men #143 from The Uncanny X-Men #108-#143
1. Uncle Scrooge #29 from Uncle Scrooge #4-39.
2. The Adventures Of Little Archie #20 from The Adventures Of Little Archie #19-46.
3. Kona, Monarch Of Monster Isle #17 from Kona, Monarch Of Monster Isle #1-21.
4. Adventure Comics #294 from Adventure Comics #285-299.
5. Weird Science #22 from Weird Science #1-22.
*****
John Vest
1. Conan The Barbarian #24 from Conan The Barbarian #1-24.
2. Silver Surfer #5 from Silver Surfer #1-18.
3. Howard The Duck #16 from Howard The Duck #1-27.
4. Swamp Thing #34 from Swamp Thing #20-64.
5. Doctor Strange #181 from Doctor Strange #169-183
*****
Tom Spurgeon
1. Doom Patrol #42 from Doom Patrol #19-63.
2. Fantastic Four #51 from Fantastic Four #1-102.
3. X-Men #141 from X-Men #108-#143.
4. Cerebus #43 from Cerebus #26-50.
5. Love And Rockets #28 from Love And Rockets #1-50.
*****
Philippe Leblanc
1. Uncanny X-Men #121 from Uncanny -Men #94-150
2. Copra #21 from Copra #1-25
3. Immortal Iron Fist #16 from Immortal Iron Fist #1-16
4. The Wicked and The Divine #11 from The Wicked and The Divine #6-21
5. Lose #4 from Lose #2-7
*****
Marty Yohn
1. Jonah Hex #39 from Jonah Hex #3-53
2. Swamp Thing #21 from Swamp Thing #11-22
3. Night Force #7 from Night Force #1-9
4. The Shadow #6 from The Shadow #1-12
5. Star Spangled War Stories #197 from SSWS #168-204
*****
Douglas Wolk
1. Avengers #28 from Avengers #1-44.
2. The Spirit #553 from The Spirit #291-585.
3. Master of Kung Fu #71 from Master of Kung Fu #20-120.
4. 2000 AD #669 from 2000 AD #583-710.
5. Amazing Spider-Man #605 from Amazing Spider-Man #546-647.
*****
Sterg Botzakis
1. Eightball #3 from Eightball #1-18
2. The Mighty Thor #362 from The Mighty Thor #337-382
3. Sin #3 from Sin #1-5
4. Daredevil #191 from Daredevil #158-191
5. Detective Comics #571 from Detective Comics #569-575
*****
Andrew Mansell
1. Steve Canyon #19 from Steve Canyon #1-21.
2. Fantastic Four #112 from Fantastic Four #103-125
3. Nexus #50 from Nexus #45-50.
4. Hellblazer #23 from Hellblazer #1-40.
5. Love And Rockets #4 from Love And Rockets New Stories #1-8
*****
Sean Kleefeld
1. Fantastic Four #254 from Fantastic Four #220-294
2. Fantastic Four #352 from Fantastic Four #334-354
3. Fantastic Four #371 from Fantastic Four #356-416
4. Fantastic Four #500 from Fantastic Four #500-524
5. Fantastic Four #5 from Fantastic Four #1-102
1. Avengers #129 from Avengers #105-152
2. Avengers #162 from Avengers #158-177
3. Doctor Strange #18 from Doctor Strange #1-18
4. 2000AD #77 from 2000AD #61-85
5. Kane #14 from Kane #1-31
*****
Mike Borelli
1. The Saga Of Swamp Thing #56 from The Saga of Swamp Thing #20-64
2. Daredevil #231 from Daredevil #227-233
3. American Flagg! #7 from American Flagg #1-12
4. Animal Man #19 from Animal Man #1-26
5. Animal Man #8 from Watchmen #1-12
*****
Dan Morris
1. Doom Patrol #34 from Doom Patrol #19-63
2. Fantastic Four #352 from Fantastic Four #337-352
3. Captain America #193 from Captain America #193-214
4. Swamp Thing #34 from Swamp Thing #21-64
5. Uncanny X-Men #141 from Uncanny X-Men #108-#143
Go, Look: Comics That Challenged Alex Hoffman In 2017
this is a very good list of general recommendations for work out there a big chunk of which has to be sought out, if only 1-2 steps outside of older-people shopping patterns
* not comics: Forrest Ackerman probably isn't someone who registers with younger comics fans for reasons of categorical sorting. When comics was considered part of Nostalgia Culture, there was a lot more overlap between comics fans and fans of science fiction movie and old-timey radio shows. He died in 2008 and is not remembered fondly by some people speaking up.
* not comics: I find TV critic Alan Sepinwall almost ruthlessly devoid of specific insight, but I like the broad subject of how older material relates to newer material presented here, particularly at a point in comics where the great comics of this moment don't seem markedly better than the comics of 15, 20, 25 years ago as those comics seemed to the bulk of what was being produced 15-25 years before than that.
The cartoon in question seems cloddish and unimaginative in its straight-up 1970s-style depiction of its political position that it's hard to imagine anyone thought it achieved an effect worthy of running it in a newspaper. I'm sure now that politics are sports there are all sorts of defenses people have if that cartoon represents their home team. I look forward to a day when all of our editorial cartoonists add to a discussion through their work, in whatever way they wish, rather than replicate an abstracted stance within that discussion in as dull a way as possible.
The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: Shows And Events
By Tom Spurgeon
* a lot of people I know are oriented on ECCC. I won't be going this year, but that's become that very important comics region's biggest show. Seattle is an amazing city and an amazing city for comics -- although the times I've attended people didn't venture too far out of the HQ hotel's shadow.
* I don't know that I'd caught up with TCAF's initial special guest list for their 2018 show: sheesh, what a line-up.
* nice to see Brian Fies a Comic-Con guest the year of those horrible fires that took his home. Nice to see Jason Lutes any old time. Third wave of guests for CCI 2018 here.
* finally: Box Brown is currently out on tour in support of his First Second Book Is This Guy For Real?. Brown is as nice as they come in the world of professional cartooners, and I hope packed rooms meet him wherever he goes.
* for some reason I decided I wanted to read Noah Van Sciver's comic about time-traveling to 1990s Seattle and see if I could figure out which day he visited the way some people did figuring out what day Ice Cube was rapping about in Today Was A Good Day. My hunch is June 24-25, 1993.
* finally: there are some early CCI hotel rooms opened up for those with a badge already. Those tend to be hotel room outside the downtown core, but I've stayed in plenty of those and had a good time. I will water taxi to that show before I die.
This Isn’t A Library: New, Notable Releases Into The 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.
*****
NOV170679 GET NAKED OGN (MR) $24.99
Here's a comic that I've been looking forward to reading and almost certainly should have by now: Steven T. Seagle's and a bunch of artists fashioning comics essays all built around the subject of nudity. Seagle's has used a lot of his earned comics capital (time and money wise) exploring what I would imagine are artistically satisfying directions, and meeting him at those points of expression tends to be rewarding. It would be a better comics world if there were a book like this out every week.
OCT170056 GROO PLAY OF THE GODS TP $17.99
I will always buy comics made by the great Sergio Aragones. I know some of my friends reading this in serial form were delighted at the quality of the work, so I'm looking forward to getting into this one with some degree of anticipation.
DEC171240 GIANT DAYS #35 $3.99 DEC170757 SAVAGE DRAGON #231 (MR) $3.99 NOV170834 SNOTGIRL #9 $2.99 DEC170770 WALKING DEAD #176 CVR A ADLARD & STEWART (MR) $3.99 OCT178652 WALKING DEAD #176 CVR B SIENKIEWICZ (MR) $3.99 DEC170620 WICKED & DIVINE 1923 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (ONE-SHOT) (MR) $4.99 DEC170621 WICKED & DIVINE 1923 CVR B KOCH (ONE-SHOT) (MR) $4.99 DEC170878 BLACK BOLT #10 LEG $3.99
I enjoy John Allison's comics, and this one promises a special guest-star appearance, so hey, gotta buy. Savage Dragon has an explicit sexual element now, which is weird only if a mainstream show like Blue Blood went explicit for its 17th season. Neither the old status quo nor the old one makes this a comic for me. Solid performer Walking Dead is getting close to its usual first-act twist for the latest plotline. Those are always fun. Wicked & Divine: 1923 puts on display another strategy common to right now: bridging stories between major, prime storylines. And Black Bolt continues to chug along; I didn't know it was going to be published past its space prison storyline, so I need to catch up.
OCT170018 INCOGNEGRO A GRAPHIC MYSTERY HC $19.99 DEC170048 INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #1 $3.99 DEC170758 SCALES & SCOUNDRELS #6 $3.99 NOV170682 SCALES & SCOUNDRELS TP VOL 01 INTO THE DRAGONS MAW $9.99
Here are two standard Direct Market sales techniques: the first is relaunching an edition of a graphic novel the same week as the first issue of a sequel series comes out. The second is having a serial trade collection come out the same week as the first issue of the next trade. Both are designed, I think, to maximize the exposure a work might get in a market and to make sure that everything is available to new readers. I have never read the Incognegro books, but that's fascinating subject matter. I did read the fantasy book. It's sort of a contest to hit as many of the gaming-type fantasy cliches as possible, but it has a genial tone an the art is loose and expressive -- definitely one of the best of that frequent kind of book I've read.
OCT170050 MOEBIUS LIBRARY INSIDE MOEBIUS HC VOL 01 $39.99
It's a sign of our rich times in comics art that I would ideally check this one out in my store but then maybe wait to buy until we're a few volumes along. That sounds awful, because it's Moebius, but I feel there's a danger in committing to these kinds of projects.
NOV178638 MISTER MIRACLE #1 (OF 12) 4TH PTG (MR) $3.99 NOV178639 MISTER MIRACLE #2 (OF 12) 3RD PTG (MR) $3.99 NOV178640 MISTER MIRACLE #3 (OF 12) 2ND PTG (MR) $3.99 NOV178641 MISTER MIRACLE #4 (OF 12) 2ND PTG (MR) $3.99
That's a ringing endorsement for your publisher, that many printings, even if some people feel that any additional printing is a failure on a publisher's part in terms of gauging interest.
DEC171682 BLACK COMIX RETURNS HC $29.99 NOV171663 LIFE & LEGEND WALLACE WOOD HC VOL 02 $39.99
Two quality-book sequels. The Black Comix book I think is a sequel to one of the early smash-hit crowd-funders, in that the book itself sold out and became super hard to find. The first volume of the Wally Wood was up for an Eisner Award last year.
DEC171531 KILLING & DYING GN TOMINE (MR) $19.95 NOV171613 RED WINTER GN (MR) $21.95
Solid alternative-comics offerings. One is the latest edition of a super-solid recent Adrian Tomine work. I want every page he does on my bookshelves somewhere. The other is a D+Q offering about the domestic fallout from a love affair informed by age, class and political differences. I really enjoyed that one's deliberate pacing.
DEC172083 GRACE FOR GUS HC $17.99
This is a Harry Bliss comic for kids and I did not know it even existed until 30 seconds ago. Should be solid with that pedigree, though.
DEC172058 NEON VISIONS COMICS OF HOWARD CHAYKIN SC $29.95
Your Book About Comics for the week, continuing Brannon Costello's solid and lively exploration of the key indy-comic creator.
NOV171890 PLEASE DESTROY THE INTERNET GN $10.00
Matthew Sweater comes up in my mind as the guy who do that great t-shirt about someone asking their enemies be destroyed, bu the strip work I've seen is really funny. This should be, too. Another Silver Sprocket release.
*****
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.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up * Aug Stone on Mister Morgen.
* just going on twitter and randomly reading folks' delighted tweets about the Black Panther movie makes me smile these days. Of the many nice outcomes here if this holds or grows in projected scope, I hope one of them is more opportunities for work for creators of color, including comics creators.
* in the 2/2 episode listed here, Julian Lytle talks to Whit Taylor.
D+Q Inaugurates Twice-A-Year Paid Fellowship Program
All the details and program parameters are here. This sounds like a fine opportunity to work with a first-rate publisher for all the reasons that such a gig with these attributes -- limited run, 32 hours a week, paid -- might be attractive to someone out there. I look forward to the result.
Go, Read: Brian Hibbs On Comics Released Weekly Here. I appreciate Hibbs being upfront that his sample size is limited to his two stores, but I think this feels right in a way that I'm glad to have him speak up. If there's any evidence to the contrary, that weekly comics provide a sales boost unique to itself and worth disrupting that specific market's flow, now's the time to see it.
One thing Brian doesn't underline as much as I might is that even people that buy weekly might prefer to consume monthly title to title. That certainly describes me. I'd also be interested in how much easier it is for people to switch to a trade paperback purchase if they know one is coming in 45 days or so.
I'm worried that the market drivers are going to try and stunt their way out of the current downturn in sales by basically employing all the stunts. It could work, but if there's an opportunity to actually find a long-range tenable solution that drives markets away from self-damage, I'd prefer to see that.
Bundled, Tossed, Untied And Stacked: Publishing News By Tom Spurgeon
* looks like we've headed into the pre-orders phase on Michael Kupperman's highly anticipated All The Answers. There's a huge curiosity about this one given the general, obvious skill with which Kupperman has always made his comics but the very specific and very out-there sense of humor on display.
* here's a peek at the latest Ben Katchor at the beginning of its serialization stage. It looks gorgeous.
* Bill Schelly doing Jim Warren is as interesting an idea as I've heard today. I know a lot of people were surprised when he did a Harvey Kurtzman book given his history working with some old-time fan favorites and fandom directly, and that ended up being really good. Warren is still with us, too, unless I somehow missed his passing.
* of all the cartoonists and all the blogs that all those cartoonists have sprung onto the world, Kevin Huizenga's has to be one of the top five most interesting on a consistent basis.
* here's what we used to call a Hero History, basically, although in the form of a list of virtues, this time for the Kirby/Lee Black Panther character. That character has done pretty well in terms of creative line-ups and place in the overall Marvel narrative.
* finally: Evan Dorkin draws the only Captain America that makes sense right now.
DC Adds Young Adult And Middle Grade Graphic Novel Lines The Hollywood Reporter piece announcing DC's intention to launch two graphic novel lines aimed at younger reader is likely as good as any out there unpacking the basic facts. They're working within book-selling categories, both lines will be run by Bobbie Chase, both will feature stand-alone reading experience of the kind that are popular right now and the younger readers' reading space in general is a good one. A lot of their animation in particular seems to exist in these spaces already.
There is a rich vein of creators comfortable with these characters and looking for commercial work that finding names to announce should not be a problem for years to come.
I'm happy for everyone to get jobs and I'm happy for sensible decisions being made. Personally, I'm also just alt-indy not to hold out a lot of creative hopes for the books. I'm sure they will of a certain high quality but I will be surprised if anything made according to a set of standards like these will be inspired. I'll be happy to be proven wrong, of course, because who doesn't like more inspired work in the world? In the meantime, I hope for fair, lucrative contracts and that Gene Luen Yang's Superman Smashes The Klan is as fun as it potentially sounds.
I know there are convoluted ways to criticize activist/charity work in comics. It usually ends up being a complaint that the money or effort doesn't get spent in exactly the way you as a critical voice would prefer it. Me, I can't see a giant grant going to a creator to make work in a negative light without a significant attempt to be cynical that's beyond me these days. In fact, I think we have about three or four of these nice things, and if we can get to around 30 comics will be transformed forever. I'm not sure that industry itself solves anything without these kinds of efforts.
Comics By Request: People, Places In Need Of Funding By Tom Spurgeon
* Birdcage Bottom Books has reached the important 50 percent goal well ahead of its last week, which makes it funding likely. I'm sure there are stretch goals to be had with a publisher like this one.
* Charlton Neo has been up and running since 2014 and needs some help four years in to keep up their publication schedule.
* if I'm reading this correctly, a man with cancer wants to fund some of his treatment through his underground comix collection. This was a bit confusing for me to take in, and seems like a horrible thing for anyone to have to do.
* the Go Fund Me for St. Mark's Comics went very poorly. I wonder if this means a risk of closure, as turned out to be the case for Zanadu Comics.
* not comics: one of the tough things about ownership discussions and dialogue about the use of copyrighted material is that even a well-meaning thread like this one conflates a bit the difficulty in keeping one's material out of others' hands with the issue of whether or not it should be used. It is amazing how many people who function in the world still think not getting to do whatever you want with things created on-line is some sort of violation of their freedoms.
* Randy Tischler wrote in to report that Bill O'Connor has passed way.
* finally: anyone have word about an Autoptic Festival this year? I never could figure out who's running that fine, indy show. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
FFF Results Post #494—Inch By Inch
On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Characters You Enjoy You Believe May Be Shorter Than Average Human Height." This is how they responded.
*****
Mário Filipe
1. Astérix
2. Joe Dalton
3. Pip the Troll
4. Young Tim
5. Wesley Winston, The True-Man
*****
Stephen Harrick
1. The King of Id (The Wizard of Id)
2. Knives Chau (Scott Pilgrim)
3. Harvey Elder (aka Mole Man)
4. Police Inspector Belgique (Bandette)
5. Franky (The Goon)
*****
Andrew Mansell
1. Honest Crocus (Nexus)
2. The Snoid
3. Caster Oyl
4. Wash Tubbs
5. Joel (Gasoline Alley)
******
Tom Spurgeon
1. Al Pratt
2. Oberon
3. Mini Rivero
4. Eugene Judd
5. Hot Stuff The Little Devil
*****
Mark Brodersen
1. Mr Mxyzptlk
2. Tweedledee & Tweedledum
3. Howard the Duck
4. Puck
5. Bug (Micronauts)
* Steve Morris writes about the Tillie Walden webcomic On A Sunbeam as a best comic of 2017 and as a sign of the times.
* finally, Graeme McMillan talks to Tee Franklin about Bingo Love in an interview that really underlines how powerfully a successful on-line crowd-funding campaign can be a focal point for publicity and advance word on a book above and beyond the money raised.
Random Comics News Story Round-Up
* Abraham Riesman on Vertigo's influence. I usually enjoy Riesman's essays, which I find thoughtfully crafted. This one lost me several times, I think due to shifting contexts and a few incredibly broad claims made on the line's behalf. Still, I enjoy many of Vertigo's best works, and happy anniversary to its architects and artists.
* not comics: I've never made much money as an on-line person, so articles like this one baffle me. The thing is, I just can't figure out how you can have a site that's any more effective than you could have paying for an entire magazine (two support people plus an every weekday freelance outlay) the money they're paying the dude in question.
* hourly comic day was yesterday and while I haven't stopped to go through the results artist by artist, I know that Summer Pierre will have done a great job making comics under that constraint.
* this is an amazing ramble through all sorts of information about Wonder Woman and a dozen or so of the contexts through which one might seek to understand the concept and character.
* Jeremy Sorese talks to 
DEC170967 AMAZING CEREBUS #1 (OF 1) $4.00
* Mark Voger talks to 
* here's Jennifer Holm in support of her Fall release 
* Rae Epstein on 
* hey, Batton Lash 
* Ryan C on 
* Alex Hoffman on 
* best single line of publishing news I've read in months: 
Here's the thing, though. It's difficult not to kid the entertainment giant at least a little bit when 1) they call their new publishing shuffle a "fresh start" and the characters being used average about 45 years of publishing life, and 2) all the catchphrases and promises touting this new initiative sound exactly the same as the last half-dozen once-new initiatives. I'm not the worst with Marvel's characters and I'm not sure beyond a few obvious new characters narrowing the window I could tell you what year 
* Rachel Davies on 
* Katriona Chapman will have a big book in color out from Avery Hill this Fall: 
* Katie Skelly on specific elements within 
* I had the wrong link up for Steve Hamaker's second PLOX volume. 
* DW on 
* Robin Enrico on 
* Todd Klein on 
NOV170577 INVINCIBLE #144 CVR A OTTLEY & FAIRBAIRN (MR) $5.99
* Alexander Jones on 
* 
A friend sent me the content of an e-mail purported to be a social media guidelines document shot out by DC's talent relations department last week. I'm not 100 percent great on how that particular company works internally, but I believe this is the office at DC they hired Ben Abernathy to run that took over things like pay sheets, art returns and how talent was taken care of at conventions -- it was one of their Burbank-era improvements.
* Edwin Turner on 
* 
* Todd Klein on 
* Sean Gaffney on 
DEC171240 GIANT DAYS #35 $3.99
* Aug Stone on 
* looks like we've headed into t
* Alex Hoffman on 
The Hollywood Reporter piece 
* Birdcage Bottom Books 
* Sean Gaffney on 
* Alex Hoffman on 
