Random Comics News Story Round-Up

* it looks like Frank Santoro will be hosting local scene reports for the next several installments of his Sunday space at The Comics Journal. This time: Philadelphia.

* Paul Gravett provides a title-soaked survey of British comics in the 21st Century.

* Bill Baker on The Canterbury Tales. Nick Smith on Same Difference. Jared Gardner on The Lives Of Sacco & Vanzetti. Sean Gaffney on Hark! A Vagrant. Grant Goggans on Coffee And Beer Money. Greg McElhatton on Strange Talent Of Luther Strode #1. J. Caleb Mozzocco on a bunch of different comics. Alan David Doane on Little Nothings Vol. 4. Johanna Draper Carlson on various Viz books and Supergods. Ted Brown on Scream Queen #1.

* please remember that any links to older Collective Memories can always be added, even when those CMs are no longer on the daily rotation. Brendan Wright's APE report and Jeremy Tiedeman's remembrance of his friend Dylan Williams are two links that went up this morning.

* Brian Hibbs wonders out loud if we've ever had a superstar writer that follows a certain career trajectory. I can't figure out exactly what trajectory he's describing, but the comment-makers seem to be having fun with the question.

* the cartoonist Richard Thompson will be participating in this weekend's Moving Day fundraiser for Parkinson's, and you can support him.

* I pretty much disagree with about one specific observation/conclusion per paragraph in this Sean Witzke piece, but I think the general ideas presented here -- particularly that the pursuit of being cool is a) locked into comics' general DNA at this point and b) may arise from a specific pathology in comics culture -- are ideas worth pursuing.

* JK Parkin talks to Jim Gibbons.

* missed it: this was out there last week, and I'm not certain I mentioned it. The digital facilitator comiXology reports that over 40 percent of their titles were released the same day as their print iteration. I think I phrased that correctly; the point is that same-day release of digital and print seems more and more an inevitability.

* these are the kinds of things that may only interest me, but this is the first time that I've seen someone mention a Kickstarter campaign and in doing so state with comment that a book is being published by someone not the artists. Younger or hipper people than I am won't see this as anything to notice, and they may be right, but it still jumped out at me.

* the hobby business news and analysis site ICv2.com, the blog for the comics industry news portal Newsarama and the funnybook-focused on-line magazine Comics Alliance weigh in on a big story from last week, the Barnes & Noble push back against DC Comics' exclusive deal with the next Kindle device. As I've said before, I think this is a bit more flash than real heat: 1) DC likely has the chance to go back to offering these DC books through B&N's digital program after a Christmas season and in time not to disrupt its ability to push its first wave of New 52 books through all channels; 2) the books in questions are solid back stock books for which one can argue the novelty and press of being offered on the new device for a holiday season outweighs the same period's sales in a channel they've long been available; 3) my hunch remains that this is less about publishing DC and more about warning any other book publishers away from offering authors or lines to the Kindle exclusively at a time when they would be much more dependent on B&N shelf sales for the initial success of the book. I mention that last because you're seeing a lot of "How Dare DC"/"How Dare B&N" in comics circles. It is worth keeping an eye on this because all the players are now likely to be more agitated, which could drive decision-making.

* not comics: now there's a headline that makes you want to read the story. Or go back to bed, I'm not sure.

* Johanna Draper Carlson notes that the Image comics series Infinite Vacation has fairly slipped from view, and uses that development to wonder after the ability of independent comics to sustain interest and an audience due to the difficulties in publishing them.

* Vera Brosgol will be temporarily shutting down some site sales for a few days at some point over the next few weeks for a very good reason: she's moving into her new home.

* finally, I would imagine that Richard Sala's site would be a very good one to bookmark for the Halloween season.
 
posted 3:05 am PST | Permalink
 

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