The shipping news: At Ninth Art, Greg McElhatton combs through June Previews for "Things to Come" in August, while the Ninth Eight looks at "The Forecast" for books shipping this week.

More than pretty pictures? The New York Times (registration required) reports on Marvel's new prose imprint, and wonders whether superhero adventures will have the same appeal without pictures. Marvel's Gui Karyo assures they will:

"Time after time, we have shown that we have classic characters that interest readers, regardless of the format. Whether it's on TV, in movies, or on the printed page, Spider-Man has a compelling story to tell."

His father's legacy: The New York Times (registration required) talks with cartoonist Mark Bode, son of the legendary Vaughn Bode, who recently completed his father's work The Lizard of Oz:

"When he died, I knew I was going to have to take over because I didn't want the worlds to die with him."

Fantagraphics will publish the book next month.

Bizarro world: The Kansas City Star (registration required) profiles Bizarro cartoonist Dan Piraro.

Strangers in the night: The San Francisco Chronicle's "Night Cabbie" encounters comic artist Phil Noto:

I ask, "What convention are you in town for?"

He smiles, then says, "The Comic Book Convention."

"Are you a collector?" I ask.

He says, "No."

"I was when I was a kid, I saved them all," I tell him. "Batman, the Blackhawks and Superman."

"I do covers," he says. "I've done some Blackhawks and Wonder Woman -- Wonder Woman covers 198 and 199."

"Are you famous?" I ask him.

"I don't think so," he answers.

In the beginning: The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the other big Peanuts book published this year, the Charles M. Schulz Museum's M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings:

"With Li'l Folks, you can see that Sparky already knew very strongly what he wanted to say and the impact he wanted to make on his readers. He spent those 2 1/2 years playing around with art styles. At first it was a sophisticated display of line work and, by 1950, when (the cartoon) ended, the (drawings) had a very strong resemblance to early Peanuts."

Drawing in students: The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that more and more graphic novels are making their way into school libraries:

"People's first reaction is, 'Oh my God, you have comic books in high school libraries? Let's get real.' But if this is the way to get reluctant readers to read because of the format, then that's a good thing."

But not everyone is convinced it's such a good idea:

"I think English teachers are all too soft-hearted. When did a biology teacher turn to his students and say, 'Oh, you don't like photosynthesis? OK, let's stop doing it.' Do I care if a student doesn't like Great Expectations in the first 15 pages? Our job as educators is to broaden student interests, not pander to them."

(Thanks to Matt Maxwell for the link.)

Sometimes they do come back: Hints had been dropped for the past couple of weeks, but now it's official: Alan David Doane's Comic Book Galaxy has returned, with contributions by Doane, Chris Allen and Marshall O'Keefe. There's no set schedule for updates, so readers are encouraged to sign up for the mailing list.

Making waves: At Time.com, Andrew Arnold recommends four marine-themed comics to read on the beach: Leviathan, The Octopi and the Ocean, Fish and Gyo.

Manga's appeal: The New York Times Magazine (registration required) looks at the rapidly rising popularity of manga in the United States, focusing on one of the hot titles of the moment, Rurouni Kenshin:

"The open-ended, almost soap-opera-style story tells of Rurouni Kenshin's befriending a young woman and a little boy, and it alternates between humorous, vaguely romantic episodes and improbable sword fights. The hero is honorable, mysterious and, although he looks like a Spice Girl, basically invincible. According to Viz, almost half of the title's readership is female. In fact, it seems to be young girls who are behind much of the current manga boom, probably because many titles don't rely on superhero punch-ups."

Luann creator wins top honor: The Kansas City Star (registration required) reports that Luann creator Greg Evans received cartooning's highest honor, the Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year. The award was presented yesterday in Kansas City as part of the National Cartoonists Society's annual convention. Terry Moore won in the comic books category for Strangers in Paradise.

Creating a "secret world": The San Jose Mercury News (registration required) talks to manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh! international phenomenon:

"I am trying to create a world that people over 17 can't understand. ... Children want to possess a closed, secret world as their own world. They want to draw you into that world, but they also enjoy the fact that you can't really enter it."

Reading (comics) is fundamental: The New York Post reports on Marvel's Summer Reading Challenge, a contest aimed at getting kids ages 6 to 11 to read more books. Participants have to read five books, then write an essay about their favorite. Grand-prize winners receive $1,000 worth of Marvel merchandise, while first-place winners get free one-year subscriptions to two Marvel comics.

Uhhhh ... Colorado's Rocky Mountain News decides it's a good idea to get superheroes ready for the beach. Along with Wonder Woman, Superman and Supergirl (yes, that's them above), we're treated to a trailer-park makeovers for Jean Grey, Storm, Mystique, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Spider-Man and, I think, Mary Jane (though it could be someone from Lil Abner).

Comic shop to close: The Adrian (Mich.) Daily Telegram reports that Tim's Cards and Comics, a downtown staple for the past 17 years, will close on June 12.

Flipping through Previews: Laura Gjovaag combs through June Previews, pointing out the books that caught her eye. She's nice enough to highlight Digital Webbing Presents #17 (JUN04 2442) on Page 279, which includes my 16-page story "Bad Elements: Good For the Soul." (You just knew this was going to turn into self-promotion, didn't you?)

"Anime weirdness": Courtesy of Eiso from Viz comes the Sabrina Gallery. It's like the anime version of The Stepford Wives.

Happy blogday ... err, blogoversary? Sean Collins marks his first year of blogging. Congratulations, Sean!

Make with the funny: The Kansas City Star reports from this weekend's gathering of the National Cartoonists Society.

Comics fashion? The Alien Online reports that the Diesel clothing company has teamed up with 2000 AD to launch a new fashion line "inspired by the world of science fiction and fantasy comics":

"Available with every purchase, a specially commissioned 2000 AD comic will feature the Diesel fashion editorial 'The Return of the Ice Crusaders', together with 'exciting bespoke stories on bizarre clothing and youth culture from the 2000 AD archives, providing a perfect backdrop to the Diesel vision of future fashion.'"

Sony and Marvel call truce: The Hollywood Reporter has news that Sony Pictures and Marvel have settled Marvel's lawsuits over the handling of the Spider-Man and Men In Black movie franchises. Terms of the deal, of course, weren't disclosed.

The scholarly Harvey Pekar: Australia's The Age profiles Harvey Pekar, who stopped in Melbourne as part of his world tour:

"I don't think I'm a typical American. For one thing, I'm fairly scholarly, I do a lot of reading. I'm not at all nationalistic like many Americans are. I think what the United States is doing in Iraq is just crazy and dangerous. I'm glad I live in America and not some country where everyone is starving. But when you elect a guy as stupid as George Bush, you've got to wonder about the electorate."

The Invincible man: Comic Book Resources talks with Robert Kirkman about Invincible:

"When it gets down to it all what I'm really doing is seeing where people in the past have zigged and zagging instead. I'm trying to keep things fresh. If it's been done before, I'm not going to do that. I'm trying to make this book interesting, not a regurgitation of all the comics I've enjoyed as a kid. Whether or not I'm succeeding is anyone's guess but I'm certainly trying. It's really as simple as reading a comic and going, 'man, it would've been cooler if they did this instead' and then throwing that in the comic. Of course... that could just be considered regurgitation comics I enjoyed as a kid. Hell, I don't know what I'm doing."

Trademark battle in the making? The St. Louis Business Journal reports that a Deerfield, Ill.-based investors group called X-Men LLC has purchased enough stock to make itself the fifth-largest shareholder of Falcon Products Inc., a commercial furniture manufacturer.

Review revue: The Washington Times' Joseph Szadkowski reviews Fused! Think Like a Machine #1-4, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies hardcover, The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde hardcover and Wolverine/Captain America #1-4.

Dini leaves Warner Bros. Animation: How'd this slip under the collective radar? In a May 25 entry on his website, Paul Dini announced he's parting ways with Warner Bros. Animation:

A number of folks who visit this site have followed my writing and producing career at Warner Bros. Animation over the past fifteen years. It is now with a mixture of excitement and sadness that I announce, effective immediately, I am leaving WBA, at least for the foreseeable future. From assorted Spielbergia through Batmen present and future, onto Superman, Duck Dodgers and finally closing out on JLU and a certain super powered pup, I was lucky to work on some great projects with a truly gifted assortment of artists and writers. I’ll miss them Part of me hates to leave ol’ Termite Tower (the somewhat presumptuous name the Tiny Toons crew and I gave our digs in Sherman Oaks when we started back in, yikes, 1989!) but new opportunities are calling and it’s time for me to go. On the horizon I look forward to doing more live feature film writing, more comic book writing (my own characters and others) and generally stretching myself in other creative areas. But a nice long vacation is what I need right now and I think I’ll lose myself on a desert island for a while.

Expect more details, I suppose, when the news sites or Variety pounce on the story.

Separated by more than an ocean: PopMatters examines the strange and complex affair between French and American comic books:

"On the one hand the French find American comics incredibly crude, while on the other (or maybe to make up for what they perceive as the lack of attention by Americans) they reproduce them in lavish versions that look cool on any bookshelf. Then there is the subject matter: while the French might knock American superheroes as 'brainless macho violence,' how do you explain the obsessive fascination of all French comic creators with equally brainless, macho and violent American genres such as Westerns and gangster flicks?"

This edition of PopMatters also features reviews of Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist and The One, The Last Word in Superheroics.

Child's play: Newsarama talks with Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba about Ursula, their "all ages" graphic novel from AiT/Planet Lar:

"We make our lives much more complicated then they should be, and this story is about how simpler life can be, simple like when we were kids, simple like when we fall in love. When you are a child, there are no mysteries in life, everything is what it looks like to be, and there are a lot less layers in our actions. When you are in love, everything seems to fit right into place in your life and you start to think and live better. So we wanted a simple story told in a simple way to would show that."

Hyde and seek: The Pulse has word that IDW Publishing has canceled Steve Niles' Hyde one-shot, originally scheduled for June, and will resolicit it for October. Nick Stakal will replace Aadi Salman as artist.

Slow. News. Day: Wow. There's nothing going on today. I guess the comics industry -- along with everyone else -- started the holiday weekend early.

The variant debate, part ... whatever: At ICv2.com, Peter DeFelice of Pyramid Comics and Cards says retailers need to tell Marvel to end its variant-cover policy:

"Didn't we learn from the past that endless variant covers, chromium editions and the like bring only short term buyers into our stores, over inflate the market, and in the end make us all look bad when their comics are worthless? If Marvel wants to put out variants, make them orderable as DC Comics does so the true fans don't feel left out."

Greatest hits: In advance of The Punisher's June 10 premiere in Malaysian theaters, The Star counts down Frank Castle's Top 10 comic-book appearances.

Royale mess: Japan's Mainichi Daily News reports that 10 Tokyo schoolboys inspired by the bloody film Battle Royale were arrested after a gang fight with teachers. The students, who sneaked into the school's PA room and blared the film's theme music before being stopped by teachers, are charged with obstruction of business and trespassing:

"We just loved the movie and wanted to run the theme song over the school PA system. Before we graduated, we wanted to create a legend."

A male teacher sustained a broken bone during the fight.

Touring McSweeney's: At Broken Frontier, Shawn Hoke (not a permalink) provides a guided tour of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern No. 13, "The Comics Issue" edited by Chris Ware:

"The artists chosen are among the best in cartooning and most of the stories are new, while others may have appeared in other venues. This book offers an excellent opportunity for the curious and the overwhelmed. If you have no idea where to start with quality art comics, this issue of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern collects some of the best creators telling stories that are unhampered by ridiculous continuity problems. The strength of this volume lies in the diversity of stories and styles it represents. This isn’t simply navel gazing or showing off for art’s sake, but rather a collections of stories and strips that elevate the medium from its bastard art status label, not that there’s anything wrong with bastard art, mind you."

The End is surely near: I just bought a subscription to Newtype. The weather forecast calls for black sun and blood-red moon. Keep your eyes peeled for white, red, black, and pale horses.

Bat repellent: Publishers Weekly (subscription required) provides an interesting assessment of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's Batman: Broken City:

"Broken City, reprinting a recent run of the Batman monthly, turns the Dark Knight over to scripter Azzarello and artist Risso, the team behind the nail-tough crime series 100 Bullets. Though initially eye-pleasing, it’s not much fun to read. The bewildering plot, concerning a murder investigation and a fistful of villains old and new, involves little method and much mayhem, all set to our hero’s voiceover musings—a hard-boiled narration that strains after effect. Azzarello’s Batman is a frankly repulsive figure, terrorizing and torturing his victims, moving among crooks like an old, incestuous acquaintance. Yet despite his encounters with thugs, cops and victims, he remains essentially alone. Predictably, he obsessively replays the scene of his parents’ murder—Batman’s primal scene—in familiar, Frank Miller-esque fashion (the usual traumatic montage). Azzarello ignores the character’s larger-than-life, Shadow-like grandeur, offering instead a crudely sadistic vigilante; worse yet, he forgets to humanize the very people for whom Batman supposedly undertakes his mission. As in 100 Bullets, Risso’s art is an eye-stopping consolation, blending noir-ish chiaroscuro and crisp, clear-line elegance (with nods to Miller and Tim Sale). Though Risso’s breakdowns can be perplexing, in general the images are sharp and startling, compensating to a degree for Azzarello’s unremitting bleakness, while partaking of the same grim attitude. In sum: graphically enticing, but confusing and, finally, repellent."

PW also reviews Seth's Clyde Fans: Book 1 ("quietly mesmerizing"), Peter Bagge's The Bradleys ("alternately hilarious and harrowing"), and others.

Not so magical? UPenn's Daily Pennsylvanian files a brief -- and disappointed -- report from last weekend's Wizard World East.

Summer reading: Seattle Weekly looks at some of the "cartoon books" coming out this summer, including The Glamour Girls of Bill Ward , Tijuana Bibles: Art and Wit in America’s Forbidden Funnies, 1930s–1950s, The Complete Peanuts (1950–1952) and R. Crumb: The Comics Journal Library, Vol. 3.

Anime invasion: California's Metro Newspapers previews the 10th annual FanimeCon, which is expected to attract some 5,000 fans this weekend to the San Jose Convention Center:

"As ugly is to an ape, so is cute to anime. Because of dangerously soaring insulin levels among anime fans, organizers held a 200-word essay competition asking which anime character most deserved to be clubbed to pieces for the high crime of supercuteness. At the convention, the winning creature will be presented in piñata form for summary destruction. (pick Ed from Cowboy Bebop!)"

Life, less animated: In an ... unusual commentary at Tech Central Station, Doug Kern argues that soulless and non-violent cartoons lead to unimaginative and emotionally comatose teens (well, specifically, boys):

"I always assumed that the threat of litigation had driven violence from Saturday morning. After all, if you show Superman frying a supervillain with his heat vision on Saturday morning, then, sure enough, some idiot kid in Dubuque will fry his little brother with heat vision one fine Saturday afternoon, and then everyone loses except the lawyers. But I was wrong. Federal regulators, rather than nervous trial attorneys, wussified Saturday morning TV in the early seventies. Uncle Sam made our cartoons insipid, in the hope that a nice stiff dose of cultural chloroform would deaden our proto-male violent tendencies and transform us all into prissy poindexters who would eat our vegetables, sit still in our seats, and eventually vote for French-speaking politicians."

Comics classified: The Virginian-Pilot takes notice of an unusual classified ad -- "A comic book collection: $500,000; yard swing, $50; small fridge, $50. Stuff" -- and talks to Gloria Query about selling her late husband's collection:

"I can’t tell you how. But I’m going to make over a quarter-million off that comic-book ad. Good things are already starting to happen."

Taking a jab at censorship: The Troy (N.Y.) Record previews "The Joy of Censorship," the one-man show by MAD Magazine senior editor Joe Raiola that takes a satirical look at First Amendment issues, and touches on the problems faced by MAD in the 1950s.

The art of comics: The Miami Herald spotlights artist Andy Warner, who teaches a monthly workshop for kids on how to creat comic books:

"The dynamism [of cartoons] can capture so many emotions. You can tell great stories. It's a dynamic form of self-expression, and I like to help people let themselves out through their drawings."

Press to play: It was only a matter of time, I suppose. Marvel has announced it's creating an imprint called Marvel Press to produce prose books based on its characters. First up, Mary Jane II in June, followed by a "fantasy Wolverine title for adults," then a "middle-grade" Spider-Man book. Ruwan Jayatilleke left Scholastic's Book Group in April to edit the imprint.

DC, by the numbers: At The Pulse, Marc-Oliver Frisch checks in with a look at DC's month-to-month sales, noting solid increases by the publisher's "critical darlings," Birds of Prey, My Faith in Frankie and Y: The Last Man. Another critical favorite, Gotham Central, seems to have stopped its slow decline (and sales of its first trade are respectable).

The Losers, too, seems to be leveling out. But life doesn't look so good for DC's new Focus line, which continues to hemorrhage readers.

Wonder years: At Polite Dissent, Scott mourns the loss of that sense of wonder comics once held, and considers what should be done to attract a new generation of readers:

"When I was younger, comics were easily available. I would run down the block to the corner drugstore once every couple of weeks to buy some comics to read. I would scan the racks, and pick-up the comics with the most exciting and enticing covers first. The stories were easily accessible. I could tell what was going on even if I had never read the title before. The stories also had action; not necessarily fights, but there was a definite sense of story progression from the start to the end of the issue. An occasional cliff-hanger was fine, but most stories were self contained. I would read and re-read them until the books were on the verge of falling apart. The price was right; with a couple of crumpled dollar bills, I could buy at least four comics."

Legion found: Newsarama confirms that Mark Waid and Barry Kitson will revamp Legion of Super-Heroes, beginning with Teen Titans #17, continuing through September's Teen Titans/Legion Special and culminating in December's Legion of Super-Heroes #1:

"I loved Legion Lost and admired the forward-thinking science-fiction elements Abnett, Lanning and their co-conspirators brought to the series. That said, I think every creator working on the book since longtime writer Paul Levitz left over 15 years ago -- including me -- has been continually shackled by an ever-changing, ever-morphing continuity that’s continually weakened the Legion’s very foundation. With all the earth-shattering, world-redefining events that are happening in the present-day DCU in general in the next year or so, DC felt that there’d be no better opportunity to rethink and redefine the future as well."

Worley, family in need: The Pulse passes along news of writer Kate Worley's battle with cancer, and the plea for donations to help her family keep their home.

The one about the retailer: At Silver Bullet Comic Books, "The Panel" tackles "the shortsightedness of retailers":

The shortsightedness of retailers predominantly ordering from only the Diamond Top 50 will kill the comics industry. Discuss.

Retailer Stephen Holland: "By restricting the diversity of comics available on the shelves for the public to buy, the retailers in this industry are restricting the diversity of potential customers, and thereby their ability to generate income. The most catastrophic effect of which is that the creators of the material which we so desperately need to reach literate adults -- those 99% of the population who prefer straight fiction, autobiography, adult fantasy, humour, crime, politics and the downright weird -- aren’t making enough money to produce comics regularly. Some have a day job instead. Some may give this medium up for good. ...

"... If more retailers stocked these creators’ comics, the shops would make more money and the creators would make more money, then the creators would be able to produce comics more often, and then everyone would be making more money."

Dark Horse's Scott Allie: "The question immediately craps on retailers for making conservative business choices in a dangerous and some would say dying direct market. It's not shortsightedness if it's the only way they can keep their doors open. If the retailers are shortsighted, so are the readers, the publishers, and, yes, even the creators. ...

"... Business As Usual in all its ugly forms is what will team up like the Fatalistic Fifteen to destroy comics. What will save it is publishers, editors, creators, retailers, marketers, and websites all expecting the best of themselves and those they control to present the best material and push it on the most people. I don't think there's near enough of that going on."

Future Entertainment's Bob Layton: "It’s killing me and most Indy publishers. No one can blame the retailers, most of which are hanging on by their fingertips. However, that practice almost insures that the same 'cookie cutter' products are going to be jammed down their throats on a monthly basis. Look -- as a former executive of a shareholder-run company, the bottom line is 'units sold' -- regardless of what those units represent. Fifteen monthly X-Men books guarantee a certain amount of units to the company’s bottom line. So, it becomes a vicious cycle that eventually will eliminate product diversity."

Donna Barr, who always has a great response: "They keep saying that. I keep waiting for that to happen. Somebody let me know if that ever happens. In the meantime, I refuse to be part of the 700th panic or discussion of this subject. Been there, done that."

Little Archie collected: ICv2.com also has news that Archie Comics will release a 96-page Little Archie Comics trade paperback, collecting stories from 1961 to 1965. The collection, which has a $10.95 cover price, will ship on Sept. 21.

Mmm BOP: ICv2.com reports that Boomerang is airing the original "Sandy Frank" episodes of Battle of the Planets at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sundays and 1 a.m. Mondays:

"The return of this series, which inspired Alex Ross and numerous other artists with its unique character design, is good news for retailers. In addition to Battle of the Planets action figures from Diamond Select, Top Cow is planning another six-issue Battle of the Planets mini-series for the fall, and Rhino has released six individual BOP DVDs (containing the first 12 episodes) and one Ultimate BOP box set (with the next 12)."

Drawing cartoonists: The Kansas City Star (registration required) previews the 58th annual Reuben Awards Weekend, the convention of the National Cartoonists Society, held Friday through Sunday in Kansas City.

Best of the best: In its annual "Best of San Francisco" issue, SF Weekly has named Graham Annable (Grickle and Further Grickle) as Best Unknown Local Cartoonist:

"Maybe it's because he's originally from Ontario, Canada, but Graham Annable draws cartoons that lack the cynical, biting tone of many other Bay Area comics. Annable's collections, Grickle and Further Grickle (published by Alternative Comics), don't feature ennui-ridden art-school rejects like Adrian Tomine's or misanthropic freaks like Dan Clowes'. There certainly aren't any big-butted lascivious lasses, as in R. Crumb's tomes. Instead, Annable showcases simple folk undergoing simple tasks, like trying to get rid of a cough, weaseling a ride to a party, or attempting to keep a dog from eating a neighbor's wombat. But Annable's elastic facial expressions, superb comic timing, and wonderfully patient pacing -- probably learned from his other career as a video game animator at LucasArts -- make the regular Joes seem far more human than those of his peers. Of course, he's not above a little fart humor as well, as when a grandfather attempts to pass off his flatulence as gassy cloud children trapped in his belly. Hee haw."

(Link via Silver Bullet Comic Books.)

Witch craft, Part 2: Following on the heels of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the St. Paul Pioneer Press spotlights Tania del Rio, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduate who's giving Sabrina the Teenage Witch a manga overhaul.

Yes, I'm self-promoting again: Digital Webbing Presents #17, which includes my 16-page "Bad Elements: Good For the Soul," has been assigned its order code (is that what they're called?) from Diamond for June Previews: JUN04 2442. It's set for an August release. This issue is 40 pages (no ads), with a full-color cover and a black-and-white interior. The price? Just $2.95.

In "Bad Elements: Good For the Soul," two police detectives are called to a retirement home to listen to the ravings of a senile resident. But what begins as a routine visit quickly turns into a tale of murder, magic ... and frogs. Art is by Brian Churilla, with grayscales by Eric Erbes. This is the second installment of "Bad Elements"; the first stand-alone story appeared in DWP #11.

I now return you to regular blogging, already in progress.

Sketching Dave Johnson: At The Pulse, Atomeka Press' Ross Richie talks with Dave Johnson about his comics career, and why he draws covers instead of interiors:

"I was pretty lucky early on. I guess somebody recognized that I could actually design a halfway decent cover, so I got to do most of my own covers early on. When it finally came to the point when I realized I couldn’t make a living drawing interiors, I was just too slow and it was just taking too much out of me, doing covers was a nice little option. What really sealed the deal was getting a job in animation, having a 40 hour week dedicated to that job pretty much guarantees that I don’t have the time to do interiors. And frankly, interiors takes so much effort to do for so little pay-off when I can do a cover and get as much if not more exposure for doing the cover than doing all of the interiors. I’ve always been more of a singular artist image anyway. I think my storytelling is all right, but I tend to like to get in and get out because I get bored real easy and when you’re drawing a huge comic book project and you’re drawing the same characters over and over again, it tends to wear on me pretty bad. Makes Dave an unhappy boy. Covers are a nice little solution to that problem."

The Dave Johnson Sketchbook ships this July from Atomeka.

Local Dead Boy does good: The Providence (R.I.) Journal profiles local creator Eric Lebow, who publishes comics through his own Dead Boy Press.

Marvel, by the numbers: At The Pulse, Paul O'Brien examines Marvel's month-to-month sales, noting that orders for the first post-Morrison issue of New X-Men fell by 14.6 percent:

"But let's not jump to conclusions. This month's NEW X-MEN and UNCANNY X-MEN issues were effectively promoted as fill-in stories. Issues #155-156 are the first issues by the new creative team of Chuck Austen and Salvador Larroca, but Marvel have promoted May's X-MEN #157 as the real beginning of their run. Fill-in issues never sell that well, and the book should get a big push in the May chart thanks to Reload. Next month's chart will be the first real test of Austen and Larroca's success on this book."

However, he is puzzled by the 27-percent drop between Issues 4 and 5 of The Punisher. There doesn't seem to be a good explanation for that one.

I'm fascinated by the freefall of Venom, which started out a year ago as the strongest of the Tsunami launch, with sales of some 92,592. Now, 13 issues later, it's at 27,537 and falling. I can't understand why major editorial changes weren't made months ago. Silver Surfer isn't faring much better, though. Flip a coin to see which gets axed first.

Stop the presses! Movie Poop Shoot's prodigal son A.K. returns for a two-week engagement, filing the first entertaining installment of a two-part Q&A with NYC Mech creators Ivan Brandon, Miles Gunter and Andy MacDonald. He also references Gay Talese.

A very Sammy interview: Digital Webbing talks with Sammy creator Azad about Tourist Trap and A Very Sammy Day:

"By design, Sammy is such a flexible character that I can plug him into virtually anything my muse comes up with. I’ve got literally dozens of short stories and mini series ideas to keep me busy for years to come. No two stories are alike. I’ve got everything from Seinfeld-like stories about the mundane to epic world conspiracy stories to sci-fi. What ties them all together is this unfortunate soul named Sammy whose bad luck gets him in over his head. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all I need."

Philadelphia experiment: In this week's "Pipeline," Augie De Blieck Jr. files his report from Wizard World East, and it's not that flattering to Dan DiDio and the DC panel:

"DiDio did the slide show presentation, highlighting a couple dozen series with short corny write-ups, as is the DC norm. The only problem is that he had no other clue what to do past that. On the dais with him were Howard Porter, Tom Raney, Justin Gray, Mike Turner, Ron Garney, and Dan Jolley. DiDio took a half hour to give the slideshow presentation and then opened up the floor to questions which ranged the gamut, only half of which could be touched upon by the people on the panel. The disorganization wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that DiDio acted like a drunken lout through most of it, giggling at his own jokes and several others that went unheard. I could be charitable and think of it as a nervous reaction to the flop sweat appearing on his brow, I suppose. The best he could come up with was asking creators on the panel what they thought of books they had nothing to do with - or which had just come out three days ago. When one mentioned he hadn't read the book yet that DiDio was asking him about, DiDio mockingly (I hope!) scolded him for not reading through his comp box. The book just came out on Wednesday! Comp boxes are monthly, if I've heard correctly.

"It was so bad that there were two running jokes that comprised the majority of the dais conversation. 'It's the best book I've ever read' and 'she's a lesbian.' Truly, it was a shining moment for DC."

(And thanks for the plug, Augie.)

Astonishing revelations: UnderGroundOnline talks with Joss Whedon about Astonishing X-Men and the Firefly movie:

"It's not like I ran home and said, 'Honey I'm going to be making those big comic book dollars.' If I did a comic, my first instinct would be to do something that I created because I have things to say. Most of the things I have done have been owned by 90 different people. A comic book is something you can't make your own, but the bottom line is that it's the X-Men. That was Joe's trump card. I love that team, I loved what Grant was doing with them, and I grew up with them as much as I can I say I've grown up. The idea that I was going to spend a year telling them what to say and do made me just about as happy as any geek has ever been. I did it for the happiness."

This part made me laugh, though, on a couple of levels:

UGO: "Are you going to pull a Ben Edlund and put out twelve issues in five years, or go at a faster pace like Kevin Smith?"

Whedon: [laughs] "Fray was in the Edlund/Smith mode of storytelling. I don't have a choice this time. I signed a contract to meet deadlines. I know how Marvel works and I take it seriously. I'm not running three shows, so to me this is my TV show this year. It's going to air, so I better get to making it."

Top Cow discovers manga: ICv2.com also reports that Top Cow is playing catch-up by releasing a 128-page, digest-size, black and white trade at "a manga-like price point of $9.99." The book, called Myth Warriors, pushes all the right buttons: skateboarding teen, magic amulet, giant mecha warrior, and a fight to save the Earth.

Dark Horse turns to prose: ICv2.com reports that Dark Horse has officially announced the formation of two prose imprints, M Press and DH Press:

"M Press, the more literary of the new ventures, will include both fiction and non-fiction titles. Its first release, Shanghai Diary, is a remarkable story of the survival of a Jewish family trapped in the Far East during World War II."

It's also been reported that Bob Andelman's Will Eisner: A Spirited Life biography will be published under the imprint.

DH Press will concentrate on genre fiction and pop-culture material, including novelizations of manga titles, and original military science fiction. Publishers Group West will distribute the imprints to the book market.

Marvel and Lion's Gate expand deal: Reuters reports that Marvel has signed a deal with Lion's Gate Entertainment to develop eight animated DVDs based on its comic characters. This expands a distribution agreement that already includes films based on Black Widow and Iron Fist.

Gutter snipes: Rich Johnston marks the 100th installment of "Lying In The Gutters" with a few interesting tidbits:
* Although there's no "light" to indicate the reliability of the item, it seems Micah Wright has been fired from the final issue of Stormwatch. Chalk it up to Rangergate or an unlikely deadline disagreement.
* Josh Middleton's Sky Between Branches could be brought under Marvel's Icon imprint (along with something by Gaiman).
* I can't figure out who the artist is with the initials "SMG" who's supposedly working on an Ultimate Captain America miniseries with Mark Millar. But I'm not sure that I care.

Philly Vertigo: Comics Continuum has a little more coverage from Wizard World East's Vertigo panel. Of particular interest:

* The Losers' second trade paperback, Double Down, is set for November release.
* Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol will be collected, with the first volume to be released in September with a new Brian Bolland cover and three never-before-seen pages. The second volume, which includes art from Morrison, will be released in December.
* Morrison and Frank Quitely's We3 will ship bimonthly, and Vimanarama will launch in January.
* Mike Kaluta is the new cover artist for Lucifer.
* Richard Corben is the artist for Swamp Thing #7-8, a fill-in story written by Will Pfeiffer. A permanent writer hasn't been selected.

Raising hell: Writing for Publishers Weekly (subscription required), Heidi MacDonald reports on the brisk sales of the Hellboy trade paperbacks, spurred by release of the film:

"At the beginning of May, the book was number 1 on Bookscan's graphic novel list, and there are five Hellboy titles among the top 100. The first book, Seed of Destruction, which formed the rough basis of the movie, quickly sold 20,000 copies, about half through bookstores, and now has sold about 40,000. Hellboy: Wake the Devil has sold close to 20,000 copies. Early demand outstripped the available supply; additional books had to be air freighted to the U.S. from China. 'It did exceed our wildest expectations,' said Michael Martens, Dark Horse v-p of business development."

Legal challenge: The San Jose Mercury News reports the California Supreme Court on Thursday will hear arguments in a 2001 case involving a high school student was convicted in juvenile court of violating a criminal threats statute after handing "dark poetry" to a classmate. The poem read, in part, "I can be the next kid to bring guns to kill students at school":

"For school officials and law enforcement, the case is seen as an opportunity for the state's high court to provide guidance for when something a student has said or written should be sufficient to warrant a trip into the juvenile justice system. School officials have increasingly turned over cases of threatening behavior to police, prompting concerns among civil liberties groups that normal student expressions of inner turmoil are being treated like crimes instead of social and mental health problems."

The student's cause has been championed by Michael Chabon and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, among others. "If students are punished for doing what psychologists and school counselors say they should do, they will not stop having bad feelings," the CBLDF wrote in briefs to the court. "But they will stop expressing them."

Reading room: The Seattle Times reports on the opening of the $165.5 million Seattle Central Library, which features a spacious Young Adult section stocked with manga and graphic novels. Photos of the incredible new structure can be found here.

They walk among us! In this week's installment of "The Comic Pimp," James Sime looks at the "zombie contagion," giving a rundown of books like The Walking Dead, Dead@17, Lone, The Goon and Demo #6.

Angels in America: Mike Allred talks to Newsarama about his next project, an adaptation of The Book of Mormon called The Golden Plates: The Shape of All Things:

"Think It’s A Wonderful Life meets Conan the Barbarian! There's no other book that is so rich with adventure, action, romance, courage, beauty, and spiritual enlightenment; at least, none that I'm aware of. At the very least it's a phenomenal story rich with visual power. So, if I pull it off. It'll be the most significant thing I'll ever be a part of."

The shipping news: One more stop at Ninth Art, with a look at "The Forecast" for books shipping this week. Their book of the week is Tristan Crane and Ted Naifeh's How Loathsome.

Continuity crises: Also at Ninth Art, Paul O'Brien looks at the pleasures and perils of comics continuity:

"Because of the way the audience has been trained to respond, continuity still means money. So commercial pressures lead publishers to fudge the issue. Stories with glaring continuity obstacles will be blithely asserted as canonical, regardless. On occasion, stories that aren't in continuity at all will be released without actually clarifying the point, in the hope that nobody will notice. The current PUNISHER series appears to be out of continuity, for example (it gives a completely irreconcilable version of Microchip's history). God only knows whether ROSE AND THORN is meant to be in DC continuity. I spent half an hour trying to work it out, and I was left none the wiser."

Coming to terms with terror: At Ninth Art, Chris Ekman wonders why comics aren't realistically addressing terrorism:

"The highest-profile post-9/11 attempt came, naturally, in CAPTAIN AMERICA, in a 2002 arc written by John Ney Reiber that pitted the patriotic hero against a stand-in for Osama bin Laden, but nonetheless attempted to be even-handed. Paul O'Brien wrote an admirable and comprehensive takedown of the story at the time; for this article, I only need to talk about the villain, Faysal al-Tariq.

"In his showdown with Cap, al-Tariq explains that he hates America because his poor unnamed country-of-origin was used as a proxy battleground in the Cold War, and American-funded guerrillas murdered his father as he was out tilling the fields. This in no way resembles the actual experience of bin Laden, member of a wealthy and highly-favoured commercial family in Saudi Arabia, then as now one of the US's most cosseted client states. Apparently Reiber - or quite possibly his editor - can't imagine anybody hating America without having been personally wronged by it."

On the upswing? In its analysis of Diamond's Top 300 for April, ICv2.com reports that sales were up again last month, with a 6 percent overall increase over April 2003. That follows a 15 percent increase in March. The site also notes that Diamond shipped more than 230,000 copies of Superman #204:

"Piece sales on top comics dipped somewhat vs. March, with 17 of the top 25 titles down, and only five up. The bottom of the list was also weaker than March -- the bottom book in March sold 1901 copies; in April, only 950."

As usual, ICv2 has sales estimates for single issues and graphic novels. In single-issue sales, six of the top 10 titles broke the 100,000 mark. The first non-DC or Marvel title on the chart was Dark Horse's Conan #3, checking in at #34 with an estimated 48,588 copies. DC/Vertigo's Bite Club #1, which held the 100th spot, sold just 24,043 copies.

With the exception of Spider-Girl, Marvel has held firm to its imaginary Line of Death, with all of its recently canceled titles hovering below or slightly above the 20,000 mark: Captain Marvel #22 (21,742), Elektra #35 (20,313), Runaways #14 (19,363), Hawkeye #7 (16,607), Inhumans #12 (15,696) and Human Torch #12 (13,168). Spider-Girl #72 sold some 20,533 copies.

At DC/Vertigo/WildStorm, the Line of Death isn't so cut and dry, with titles such as Gotham Central, Hellblazer, Lucifer, The Losers and Plastic Man falling, in some cases, well below 20,000. Of course, most of those see new life in their collected editions (and the first Gotham Central trade clocked in at #16 on the Diamond graphic novel list).

Carey on Elektra: Comic Book Resources talks with Mike Carey about writing the Ultimate Elektra miniseries for Marvel:

"... I came out of exclusive with DC in March - at the very end of March - and I came out with a yen to write a strong superhero book. Partly this was because I wanted to show that I could, and partly it was because I grew up immersed in that tradition, reading all the DC and Marvel superhero books I could get my hands on, so I've always wanted to write something in that genre.

"So anyway, I was talking to editors both at Marvel and at DC about possible projects that I could work on, and the Elektra miniseries was mentioned as a possibility by Ralph and Nick at Marvel. And I pitched for it. I think they were looking at ideas from a number of other people, too, but they liked my take on the character and my ideas for where to go with a five-part story arc. So they gave me the green light, and here I am. Having a great time, I have to say."

POW! reshuffling: Arturion Entertainment announced today that it has "completed the reorganization" with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment, meaning that POW! will become its wholly owned subsidiary.

More from Philadelphia: Comics Continuum files its reports from Wizard World East, and includes some nuggets left out of the coverage by Newsarama and The Pulse. Some highlights:

* In his "Cup o' Joe" panel, Quesada mentioned that Garth Ennis will be working on another Marvel character "very soon," and that Neil Gaiman will have another project for the publisher next year.
* During the Avengers panel, editor Tom Brevoort said Captain Marvel will reappear in another title, but not The Avengers.
* In the DC/WildStorm panel, Dan DiDio said Andy Diggle and Pascual Ferry's Adam Strange miniseries "will reset the science-fiction aspect of the DC Universe." In what may or may not be an unrelated statement, he also said there are plans for Mister Miracle and the New Gods.

Hansen's comics cycle: CyclingNews.com talks with pro cyclist, journalist, novelist and sometimes comics writer Matt Hansen, who reveals he's about to return to one of his first loves -- comics:

"I have been given a shot to try my hand at working with the Transformer comics, with Dreamwave productions. I'm really excited about that and I hope it will go well for me."

Review revue: The San Francisco Chronicle briefly reviews Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist Vol. One:

"You don't have to have read Kavalier and Clay to enjoy these snappy little vignettes of costumed superheroics, but readers with a sense of the history of American comics will appreciate the sly jokes and loving inside references. Told in a variety of styles -- from Japanese manga to grim 'n' gritty '70s urban drama -- these short tales capture the pulpy fun of a bygone era. The contributors' enthusiasm for the material is evident on every page."

Old Boy takes second prize: Korean director Park Chan-wook's Old Boy, based on the Japanese manga about a man who is kidnapped and tortured for 15 years, won the Grand Prize of the Jury (second prize) on Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. The Korea Times has the story.

Rising Talent: The Clarksville (Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle profiles local native Daryl (a k a Talent) Caldwell, focusing on his rise in the industry and his recent stint on Superman: Godfall. The article is littered with errors, from identifying Michael Turner as owner of Image Comics (a "graphics firm") to referring to Caldwell's first published work as Fanthom: Killian's Tide.

Brubaker assembled: It's all Wizard World East, all the time! In a disjointed report from Marvel's Avengers panel, The Pulse has news that Ed Brubaker will work on an Avengers story after the "Avengers Disassembled" event. It's not clear how that fits into Brian Michael Bendis' relaunched series, though.

And because the joke apparently never gets old, Joe Quesada pretended to call DC's Dan Didio and say, "Sorry we are taking all your talent, sorry we have a 45% market share."

Update: In its coverage, Newsarama contacted Brubaker for comment:

"I can't comment, other than to say that yes, I accepted the job. I start work after my exclusive ends, so it's going to be tight, but I'm really psyched about it.

"I'm not leaving DC or WS, I still have a lot of work there, and I have no problems with them, I just got a nice job offer that I couldn't turn down, and I wanted to go freelance for a while anyway."

Quesada panel highlights: Newsarama reports on the "Cup o' Joe" panel at Wizard World East. Some of the highlights:

* Ultimates Vol. 2, No. 1 is tentatively scheduled for October. Now placing bets ...
* A new Black Widow series, by Richard K. Morgan and Bill Sienkiewicz, will launch in September.
* Quesada said Astonishing X-Men #1 sold "an amazing amount of copies" -- some 225,000, according to Newsarama sources.
* Bryan Singer's run on Ultimate X-Men is targeted for the first quarter of 2005.
* A Ghost Rider series is set for early next year. Could it be the Dan Wickline/Ben Templesmith pitch?
* And last, but certainly not least, the long-promised Dr. Strange miniseries, by J. Michael Straczynski and Brandon Peterson, will debut in September. It's a Year One "ground-level take of the character."

Runaways on hold: Newsarama talks with Brian K. Vaughan about the future of Runaways, which sees its "season finale" with Issue 18. What's "season finale" mean? Eh, that's not entirely clear:

"After giving it a ton of thought, I came up with what I think is a really cool new direction for the book. It will still be called Runaways, and it will still be a parable about kids surviving the evils of the adult world, but our heroes will be in an all-new setting and have an all-different purpose. And since not everyone makes it out of issue #18 alive, we might even introduce a few new runaways -- and villains -- to the roster, too.

"But don't worry, the book isn't going to become West Coast Avengers or New Warriors Jr. or Wolverine and the Runaways. Our book is set in the Marvel Universe, and I'm not at all opposed to finding unexpected ways to further integrate our characters into that world -- I think our Cloak and Dagger crossover was one of our better stories, but the higher-ups at Marvel definitely understand that the series works because it's fun and different and new, and they're not going to kill what makes the book special in order to save it."

Marvel in August (again): Marvel's August solicitations were leaked on Thursday, but now the "official" information has been released, complete with cover images. Wow. Not even a Tony Harris cover for Identity Disc #3 can lift Marvel's covers above blah. Takeshi Miyazawa's cover for Mary Jane #3 is appropriately playful, though, even if it is just a pinup.

Trade listings can be found here.

By book or by nook: Singapore's Straits Times looks at the creative methods some bookstores are using to lure customers. In one secondhand bookstore, called ink, sandwiches and soups are served as customers relax on plush sofas amid shelves divided into categories like "Weird" and "Quirky." A Japanese eatery called Cafe Bon Gout has shelves full of manga and other books.

A first? Hispanic Business reports on the arrival of Americo, which it calls "the first Latino superhero." The comic book, created by Eli Hernandez, is scheduled for September release:

"Americo is a first in many ways. He was chosen by the people, by the spirits of our people and our land; he's not an accident of nature. He didn't become a superhero because he was bitten by an insect, and he didn't come from another world."

Tomb raiders: Comic Book Resources has a brief interview with Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, who provide an 18-page preview of their upcoming graphic novel The Tomb, illustrated by Christopher Mitten.

Eastern owner sentenced: The Hartford Courant (registration required) reports that A. Robert Palmer, former owner of Eastern Color Printing, was sentenced to three years' probation for his role in a bad-check scheme to keep his company afloat. In 1933, Eastern Color published Funnies on Parade, considered the country's first modern comic book.

X-panel: Newsarama reports from the Wizard World East X-Men panel, where the long-rumored Nightcrawler series was announced, but with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Marvel Knights 4) as writer instead of Chuck Austen. Darick Robertson will pencil the series, which launches in September.

A new What If? series also was announced: " Ideally, creators currently on specific characters will be tapped for stories, rather than bringing in outside creators."

Turning Japanese: The Albuquerque Tribune takes note of the rising popularity of Japanese culture in the United States:

"Japanese animation is a $19 billion industry in Japan and makes up about $106 billion of the country's gross domestic product -- that's half the country's car industry.

"In the United States, Japanese animation has grown into more than a $100 million industry, with anime far surpassing manga in popularity."

Spreading the Word: Today's Christian looks at Christian-themed comics, focusing on Jim Krueger and Metron Press.

Marvel stock sale triggers drop: Reuters reports that Marvel Enterprises stocks fell 5 percent today after Vice Chairman Isaac Perlmutter and Chief Creative Officer Avi Arad sold a portion of their stake in the company.

Oppenheimer analyst Peter Mirsky: "It's not a positive signal, ahead of Spider-Man 2 coming out. That said, Spider-Man 2 should be a positive for the stock. Both of these executives have sold shares in the past."

Marvel spokesman Matt Finick: "These are executives that have a lot of wealth tied up in shares. They are simply diversifying their portfolio."

Making a Difference: The Pulse chats with Eisner nominee Derek Kirk Kim about his influences, his career and his advice for aspiring comics creators:

"Do what you want to do. Do what you love. Don't pander to others or do something you think other people will like. Do what makes you like yourself in the morning."

Variations on the theme: At Newsarama, retailer Rick Shea examines the financial burden Marvel's variant-cover policy places on retailers, and what the return to multiple covers could mean to the industry:

"The good news on the variant front is that every copy of both covers of S/B #10 and Superman #205 will sell for cover price and not a penny more, at least initially, because they ship in equal numbers. Although, and not letting DC get off the hook, compulsive fans will want both covers, which will boost sales. Retailers who realized this increased their orders accordingly.

"On the Marvel side, the bad news is that an obsessive compulsive collector will have to shell out possibly as much as $100 for the level one cover of AXM # 1 and then as much as $10 to $20 for the level two cover, depending on where you get it. The irony is that Marvel will not see any extra money for these actual variants, but instead will see the money from the other books you have to buy to get those variants. So NXAX will be much higher on the sales charts that month (and that month only) than most retailers actually believe they can sell, thanks to the artificially inflated numbers. On the upside, I'm sure with this second variant that Marvel will indeed get that coveted number one spot edging out the tagteam of S/B #10 and Superman #205.

"Here’s the burn -- most people won't pay the ridiculous prices for the variants, but the completists will indeed give an arm and a leg to get a copy, and that's the part that I think could kill the industry. Someone spending up to $100 for a new comic when that could buy them 40 other great issues is a big waste of money. I won't hold back saying that. There are more good comics out now than there have been in a long time, and I'd hate for those 40 issues not to sell so that someone can have that uber-incentive cover with the same story as the $2.99 comic. I feel the same way about the CGC garbage with grading and slabbing new comics at 9.8 and selling them for ridiculous prices. Another thing the industry can do without."

Return of the Eagle: Silver Bullet Comic Books reports that the UK's presitious Eagle Awards will return after a four-year absence. The awards ceremony will be held in November at the UK Comic Expo in Bristol.

(Barnes &) Noble causes: At ICv2.com, the Barnes & Noble controversy continues, with TalesOfWonder.com's Andy Eaton weighing in on the limited edition Ultimate Spider-Man hardcover:

"So, what is our response to B&N's move? We admire it. We do not begrudge anyone's decision to purchase an exclusive. In fact, we would do the same if the right opportunity presented itself. The move by B&N appears calculated to take advantage of the Spider-Man 2 movie hype and will likely introduce new readers into the industry, not a bad side effect. Instead of demonizing either B&N or Marvel (or both), we evaluate our position and react accordingly. It would be arrogant for us to assume that we do not have to respond to these competitive pressures or that we are somehow 'owed' something by comic book publishers. I know that B&N (and the rest of the mass-market) touch a different customer than the direct market. Sure, there is some overlap, but for Marvel not to attempt to tap this market in the midst of Spider-Man 2 would be an opportunity lost. Besides, Marvel has not left the direct market 'high and dry.' The publisher has given direct market retailers the incentives it needs to more effectively compete with B&N on Ultimate Spider-Man specifically. It is up to the retailer to make the most of the opportunity presented."

Retailer Daniel McAbee recommends that comic shops not surrender to the likes of Barnes & Noble, but instead "get off our collective butts and compete":

"We have formed a Manga Buyers Club card to give to our customers to give them an incentive to purchase ALL of their product from us. When they fill their punch card with $12 minimum purchases, they get a $10 credit to use on anything in the store. We are also offering a 'Money-Back Rack' of risk free mange for them to try. In the past we had more manga titles than anyone, and we still have a substantial lead, but with more and more attention from the Big Boxes, that may not be the case by years end. We are trying to act now to minimize the damage that they can do to our customer base by giving them incentives to stay loyal. It used to be easy to be in the Manga game, but now we have to work harder to make the same money from the same buyers.

"As far as the B&N exclusives go, I have always had the B&N Marvel Masterworks to sell to my customers at regular retail thanks to bulk buying of them from my local store. I have already placed an order for the Ultimate Spider-Man as well. I encourage everyone to do the same if they are interested in having the books for themselves."

Shell of a movie? In its coverage of the Cannes Film Festival, Daily Variety calls Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence "a major let-down," and wonders why it was chosen for Cannes over Casshern, "which bests Innocence in inventiveness and sheer excitement at every level."

Witch craft: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune (registration required) carries this blurb on Tania del Rio, winner of Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga contest and new creator on Archie Comics' Sabrina the Teenage Witch:

"Who says majoring in comics will get you nowhere? Tania del Rio, a 2002 MCAD grad, has been hired to hip up the image at New York-based Archie Comics Publications by making over Sabrina the Teenage Witch in manga style. (Archie and crew were deemed too hopelessly square for such an update). Although Sabrina, who has been casting spells since 1962, has enjoyed renewed popularity due to the TV series, her print persona was overdue for a makeover. Del Rio, who grew up reading the series, is now in charge of both illustrating and writing the new manga Sabrina, which debuts in June. See, Mom and Dad? Told you so."

Pekar, on tour: Australia's Sydney Morning Herald talks with Harvey Pekar in advance of his Sunday appearance at the Sydney Writers' Festival:

"I've never made any money in comic books, despite the fact I've been written about in The New York Times. My stuff, it's kinda grim and even underground comic readers want a little more action, they want more sex ... I'm the same person with the same insights."

Wonder women: The New York Times reviews the work of Icelandic pop-artist Erro, whose "Femme Fatale" exhibit at the Goethe Institute features brightly colored paintings of powerful women, including Wonder Woman and other comic-book heroines.

Ex Machina images: Comic Book Resources concludes its preview of WildStorm's Ex Machina with a sneak peek at color pages from Issue 1.

Better dead than Red, redux: Writing for The Washington Times, David Eldridge bemoans Superman's current place in popular culture, where he's forced to shill for American Express or battle teen angst in "a darn-near-unwatchable" TV series. But Eldridge insists the Man of Steel's worst indignity is defending Communism in Superman: Red Son, written by Mark Millar, who, apparently, "earned his name in the comics biz by introducing the world's first homosexual superheroes":

"Save the world a couple of times over, and what do you get? Batman's always sneering at your sense of duty. Wonder Woman won't give you the time of day. And then there's always some cynic like Mr. Millar who wants to be The One Who Destroyed Superman."

Speaking of shilling, Superman returns today for the second American Express "webisode" with Jerry Seinfeld.

Retail roller-coaster: The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press looks at the ups and downs of comics retailing, spotlighting Tardy's Collector's Corner, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, but also noting the overall decline in the number of stores:

"There were once 19 comic book stores here; now there are about eight. There is no shortage of those who enjoy the hobby, but there is a limit to how much they are willing to spend."

The comics jones: I took my once-in-a-blue-moon pilgrimage to the region's one good comic shop this afternoon, and loaded up on books both old and new:

* Julius, by Antony Johnston and Brett Welder
* Bite Club #2, by Howard Chaykin, David Tischman and David Hahn (I wasn't overly impressed with the first issue, but I'm giving it a second chance)
* Demo #5-6, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan
* Gotham Central #19, by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark
* The Losers #11, by Andy Diggle and Jock
* Seaguy #1, by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart
* District X #1, by David Hine and David Yardin
* Wizard Edge (yeah, it's been that long since I've been to a good comic shop)
* Catwoman: Selina's Big Score hardcover, by Darwyn Cooke
* Sleeper #1-3, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (for a friend; they were out of the trades)
* Newtype #5

So, I should be set, at least for a couple of weeks. Heck, if I come off my comics high, I may even crank out a couple of reviews this weekend ...

Idol chatter: J. Torres and Comic Book Resources are back for another round of Comic Book Idol. The open call begins May 27.

August leaks: The Newsarama message board has Marvel's August solicitations, which include the "season finale" of Runaways, the last issue of X-Statix, the previously mentioned launch of Ultimate Nightmare, and an Ultimate Elektra miniseries by Mike Carey (Vertigo's Hellblazer and Lucifer). Of particular note:

* The "Avengers Disassembled" storyline continues in Avengers #501, "guest-starring every Avenger ... ever!"

* If that's not enough, there's the Avengers #500 Director's Cut, complete with foil-enhanced cover and behind-the-scenes extras. You've been warned.

* I still don't know how I feel about the new Invaders series.

* While the "Reload" event continues with Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld's X-Force #1, Chris Claremont trots out X-Men: The End, Book One: Dreamers & Demons #1-2. I just wish they'd kill them and get it over with. (The mutants, not the creators ...)

* Well, this is unexpected: Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin) is writing a story in X-Men Unlimited #4.

(Link via Fanboy Rampage.)

CrossGen's swan song? Newsarama reports that CrossGen has canceled Kiss Kiss Bang Bang #7, and will put El Cazador on hiatus while a replacement is found for penciler Steve Epting.

"I’ve never wanted to get stale": Variety.com's Bags and Boards talks with Stuart Moore:

"My specialty is science fiction, but I like a lot of different kinds of novels, movies, and comics. I really admire the careers of film directors like John Sayles and Steven Soderbergh who make very different projects at different times, applying varying techniques depending on the film but bringing their basic sense of storytelling and moviemaking to each one. The closest we have to that in comics is Alan Moore, who -- aside from being an amazing talent -- also hops genres a lot. That’s my ideal as well.

I’ve never wanted to get stale in my working career -- that’s why I left a very comfortable job at St. Martin’s Press, and why, after nine years on staff, I left DC rather than just sit around and do the same thing. The same is true of my writing. You have to challenge yourself, make yourself try new, difficult things all the time. Otherwise, you get very bored and restless -- I do, anyway. And then I’d probably just take it out on my cats. Especially the one who keeps trying to steal my chair."

Nightmare visions: The Image message board apparently has the goods on Warren Ellis' next project for Marvel, Ultimate Nightmare:

ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE #1 (OF 5)
Written by WARREN ELLIS
Penciled by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
PART 1 (OF 5)
Superstar Warren Ellis teams with hot newcomer Trevor Hairsine (Ultimate Six) to tell a story of international intrigue that shakes every Ultimate book to its core! As world communications systems break down, the source of the anomaly is revealed as Tanguska, Russia. Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. leads a force comprised of Captain America, Black Widow and Sam Wilson to investigate, while, simultaneously, Charles Xavier of the X-Men dispatches his own team consisting of Jean Grey, Wolverine & Colossus. And what they discover there – and what happens next – defies belief!

(Link via the vigilant Marc-Oliver Frisch.)

Planet Larry, revisited: Ken Lowery continues his chat with AiT/Planet Lar publisher Larry Young.

Water world: Newsarama talks with Ronald Shusett (Alien, Minority Report) about the very cool-looking Shark-Man, due out in July from Atomeka Press. Retro sci-fi in an aquatic setting? Steve Pugh art? I'm sold.

House bill poses threat: Newsarama carries a release from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund about the Parents’ Empowerment Act, a bill in the House of Representatives that would allow the parents of any minor to sue anyone who disseminates any material with material that is "harmful to minors":

"The bill allows compensatory damages starting at no less than $10,000 for any instance in which a minor is exposed to 'harmful to minors' entertainment products. The bill also allows that punitive damages and reasonable fees may be awarded to the prevailing party at the discretion of the court. The bill also seeks to strengthen the current test courts utilize in determining what is obscene material by providing a separate definition of obscenity specifically for children. It is an affirmative defense to action under this bill if a parent or guardian of the minor owned the material.

"The bill is in its earliest stage, but if it passes, it will seriously threaten retailers, distributors, and publishers."

Into the Firestorm: Dan Jolley talks to UnderGroundOnline about the dangers of revamping Firestorm:

"There is indeed a very vocal contingent out there, who have made statements ranging from 'I'm not going to buy this book no matter what' to 'I'm hoping this book fails miserably' to 'Dan Jolley must be the laziest writer on the planet.' But, y'know, I was prepared for this kind of reaction by, of all things, Voltron, one of the books I'm writing for Devil's Due. Encountering the die-hard Voltron fans -- and there are quite a few of them -- made me realize that, if you're working on a property that has been published in the past for any significant length of time, there will be people out there who love it, who are devoted to it, and who don't want it changed under any circumstances. When we announced that we were 're-imagining' Voltron (which we did, basically, by keeping all the cool stuff and jettisoning all the non-cool stuff) the reactions from some of the fans were staunchly negative. 'How dare you change this story?' they demanded. 'Why fix what ain't broken? You're going to screw everything up beyond repair!' But now we're about to have our tenth issue on the stands, and every single one of the vocal naysayers has been completely converted, and loves what we're doing. I don't know if that's going to happen with Firestorm, but I'm anxious to find out."

The DVD connection: Also at ICv2.com, retailer Robert Scott calls for cross-promotions between comics and comic-based DVDs:

"Marvel's recent string of successes have allowed them to go from taking whatever they were offered as happened with the first X-Men and Spider-Man movies, to being able to set their own terms. There is absolutely no reason that a free special edition comic could not be created in support of each new comic based movie released on DVD. The comic could be offered to comic shops similarly to FCBD comics, perhaps in bundles of 50-100 at $10-15 per bundle.

"Ideally, the book could be 32-64 pages containing a front story starring the property on the DVD with the back story(s) involving excerpts from other books or the main property crossing over with other characters.

"Each new release DVD would have a sticker on front noting that there was a coupon inside redeemable for the Special Edition comic at local comic shops. Publishers and retailers sharing the cost and bringing it to a such a small cost, only the most belligerent could argue against it."

Killing them softly? It took a few days, but retailers are beginning to weigh in at ICv2.com on news of the Barnes & Noble Ultimate Spider-Man hardcover. John Miller of Lost Realms in Boca Raton, Fla., cuts to the chase, saying the limited edition hardcover is "one more way Marvel is killing the comic store."

"Don't get me wrong -- I know Marvel loves us, we buy their comics every month (with no return policy, unlike Wal-Mart stores or bookstores ). We buy them if they are late (Ultimates) or we never get them (anything by Kevin Smith ). And don't forget the months that they ship two books a month, doubling our invoices and giving us less shelf time to sell through. I especially loved it when they publish books every week such as New Mutants and X-treme X-Men, and my customers who come in once a month miss out on some books."

Mainstream releases: ICv2.com notes the summer release of two major graphic novels from mainstream book publishers: Birth of a Nation (Crown Publishing), by Aaron McGruder, Reginald Hudlin and Kyle Baker; and Persepolis 2 (Pantheon), by Marjane Satrapi.

Examining Yossel: New York's Jewish Press talks with comics legend Joe Kubert about Yossel: April 19, 1943, about a young boy in the Warsaw Ghetto who is ultimately murdered by Nazis:

"A few important and very experimental decisions distinguish Yossel from other graphic novels and Holocaust literature. No individual move makes Yossel so particularly fascinating, but the combination proves an exciting recipe. Firstly, the creative non-fiction component of writing a fictional story based on research and commitment to fact creates a complex dynamic. Kubert draws the novel in pencil, because, 'How could Yossel get ink?' The work reflects the reality of Yossel`s circumstances: pencil stubs and crumpled pieces of paper."

Comic strip eulogy: Gary Trudeau just keeps making headlines. This time it's with the announcement that the Memorial Day installment of Doonesbury will be devoted to listing the names of the more than 700 U.S. military personnel killed during the war in Iraq. The Hartford Courant (registration required) reports that comic strips historians say this is the first time such a eulogy has appeared on the comics page:

"This is the only time I can think of this happening in the comics. Every D-Day, Charles Schulz did a special drawing in Peanuts, but nothing like this."

Teen beat: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports on the new Central Library's efforts to appeal to teens, with a spacious, brightly colored Young Adult section offering a selection of manga and graphic novels, computers and high-tech "sound domes" for listening to music.

Machina man, Part 2: Comic Book Resources talks with artist Tony Harris about Ex Machina, his new WildStorm series with Brian K. Vaughan:

"It's a great workout for me as a story teller. It's a great mix of high drama, political intrigue, and action- with a splash of costumed stuff, too. So I can't rely on the splashy hero shots to carry the visuals. I have to rely on my ability as an actor with the facial expressions, the body language between characters, etc. ... That's what drives this project for me. So when you get to action, hopefully you will have been sucked into these characters and their lives, then the action sequences become urgent in a huge way. Plus there is the other major character in Ex Machina: New York City! Jeebus!! I though creating and drawing Opal City in Starman was tough -- this is harder. New York is real, Opal was not. There are alot folks that live in and love New York. Plus they know it quite well. Brian is a native to New York City as well, so it was really important for me to give the city the respect it deserves. Right down to the slightest details. City Hall, Cops uniforms, police cars, FDNY, specific areas in the 5 Burroughs, and most importantly, The Brooklyn Bridge. If you are a New Yorker, you will appreciate this book."

Philadelphia freedom: The Philadelphia Daily News (subscription required) briefly spotlights Michael Turner, the guest of honor at this weekend's Wizard World East:

"I actually have some good friends in Philly and have been to a few Eagles games and had a lot of fun there. I love the town, and ... we have some really great fans there."

Distributing Initial D: In its coverage of the Cannes Film Festival, Daily Variety reports that Media Asia has signed an all-rights distribution deal for Japan with Gaga Communications on the live-action film adaptation of Initial D, the manga series that already has spawned a TV cartoon and animated features.

Cookie monsters? Where does Women in Refrigerators stand on removing the heroine's head in order to get to the "delectable treats" inside? Take it up with the Science Fiction Book Club and Wicked Cool Stuff, both of which offer this slightly creepy cookie jar:

She is poised and ready to fight for truth and justice, or to dispense some delectable treats. The head lifts off to dispense the cookies.

It could be yours for about $80.

Marine life: At Movie Poop Shoot's "Comics 101," Scott Tipton continues his examination of Namor the Sub-Mariner, picking up with his reintroduction in Fantastic Four #4.

The winner takes it all: Winners for the big Demo contest have been posted at Near-Mint Heroes. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all those who entered. And a special thanks to Larry Young, Mimi Rosenheim, Brain Wood, Becky Cloonan and AiT/Planet Lar, Ed Dukeshire and Digital Webbing, and everyone who helped to promote the contest.

Slipped Disc: The Pulse talks with Robert Rodi about Identity Disc:

"We were looking for all 'A-list villains' -- or I should say, 'A-list villains of a certain kind.' It wouldn't make sense to have, say, Galactus running around New York on an espionage caper. We finally settled on Bullseye, Deadpool, Sabertooth, Juggernaut, Sandman, and Vulture."

Apparently, nobody told Rodi that Juggernaut isn't a villain anymore, and that Vulture and Sandman don't even rate a look at the "A-list."

The price is right: TalesOfWonder.com uses the announcement of Barnes & Noble's 992-page hardcover Ultimate Spider-Man "Limited Edition" to its own advantage -- by offering the original three-volume hardcover set for the same price. Silver Bullet Comic Books has the press release:

"That’s three separate hardcover books, each printed on glossy stock paper in over-sized, but practical, dimensions. The artwork is clearly seen in all its glory, not manipulated to fit a freakish monstrosity, with pages stuffed into a cavernous spine that prevents true savoring of spectacular Marvel art. As Marvel continues to release each new volume of Ultimate Spider-Man separately, your bookshelf collection will dazzle with its sequentially numbered organization. And your health will remain intact while reading these fine stories, as the 3-Volume Set will not in any way inhibit blood flow to the chest or leg regions."

To be continued: At Silver Bullet Comic Books, "The Panel" is asked whether "indefinitely ongoing series" are necessary, or should stories be more contained, as miniseries or one-shots. Dark Horse editor Scott Allie has an interesting response:

"Fans seem to like ongoing series, readers have been brought up on them, and they still sell better than anything else. In my life, a given series begins and ends when I start to and then cease to read it, but plenty of people want to stick with characters or a title for a long, long time. Questions like this, I think, stem from the comics' industry's self-loathing attitude that we should be doing it like whatever other medium we're trying to dryhump at the moment. DVDs, film? They're comics, and they evolved out of periodicals, and they're mostly still periodicals. My personal reading tastes gravitate toward series with beginnings and ends, but I don't look down my nose at an issue in the triple digits if it's well done."

Gill Fox dies: The Associated Press notes the passing of Pulitzer Prize-nomianted Gilbert T. "Gill" Fox, who died Saturday. He was 88. Fox was employed by Quality Comics, then went on to work on Popeye and the first Hi & Lois comic strips, and in animation, from Betty Boop to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Adventures of Joe Phillips: 365gay.com spotlights the work of comic artist, magazine illustrator and Adventures of Joe Boy creator Joe Phillips.

Life after Angel: The Philadelphia Daily News (registration required) talks with Joss Whedon about the end of Angel, the start of filming on Serenity, and the launch of Astonishing X-Men:

"When I was a teenager, the 'X-Men' was the most extraordinary book out there. It's really just a question of childhood love. Most guys (their dream) would be a chance to play for the Yankees. For me ... It would be to write the X-Men."

The name of the game: As more and more comic books are optioned for films and video games, a survey by the Entertainment Software Association indicates about one-third of gamers would like to see fewer licensed properties, and more original concepts. Reuters reports on the fine line game developers must walk, weighing often-hefty licensing fees and changing tastes against the marketing power of properties like Spider-Man and Harry Potter:

"If we could make all original games and grab a large share in the industry, then that would be a no-brainer."

Library focuses on Maus: The Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call reports that the Bucks County Free Library has selected Maus as the featured title for its first One Book One Bucks County reading and discussion program. Throughout 2005, residents will be encouraged to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, and the library will organize activities devoted to Holocaust studies and the technique of comic art.

The library will buy 500 copies of Maus, making them available in branches as well as post offices, coffee shops and other venues. Other finalists for the inaugural series were Yossel: April 19, 1943 and Persepolis.

Machina man: Comic Book Resources goes in-depth with Brian K. Vaughan about Ex Machina, his upcoming series from WildStorm:

"Well, I hope the book makes money for WildStorm so we can keep doing it, but beyond that, I just write books that I want to read. It would be nice if people dig it, but trying to second-guess your audience is madness. I was pretty sure that Y: The Last Man would be canceled at Issue #6, and The Hood would be Marvel's best-selling new ongoing series, so what the fuck do I know? All I can do is work really hard on things that I care about."

Noble intentions: Silver Bullet Comic Books talks with Jay Faerber, whose Noble Causes will relaunch this summer as an ongoing series:

"I admit, the book's had a shaky publishing life. We really have tried everything, and that's mainly because I didn't want to give up on the book without having tried everything. I didn't want to look back and think, 'Maybe if we'd gone to b&w …' or 'maybe if the book was just a mini-series.' So, we tried stuff. If it didn't work, we examined why, and tried something else. This time, we're trying the format that super-hero fans like best — the ongoing, color, monthly series. I think that if you do anything less than a monthly, too many fans will just decide to wait for the trade. But super-hero fans have a special relationship with monthlies — I think that, generally speaking, it's their format of choice. They like hitting the store every week, and getting their stash, and reading Previews, and seeing which book their favorite character is going to guest-star in. All that stuff. And I don't want it to sound pompous when I say 'they.' I guess I should say 'we,' because I'm still a big super-hero fan myself. I get to the store almost every week, and spend at least $20 each time. So, I'm hoping that by being on the stands every month, in color, fans will realize that they can rely on us to provide some kick-ass entertainment."

The end of Love: Oni Press has announced that Andi Watson's Love Fights will wrap with Issue 12. Here's Jamie S. Rich:

"Now, before anyone freaks out, you should know that this wasn't due to low sales or me kidnapping Andi Watson and taking him away to my mountain lair before James Lucas Jones could get his butterfingers on him-it's a simple case of creative choice (just like my run-on sentences). Andi originally planned two arcs of LOVE FIGHTS, but eventually it became one twelve-issue story that encompassed everything he wanted to say. He sat down to plan out the next story line and realized everything he came up with was too similar. Rather than give folks a retread of what had come before, he decided to give the book a vacation. I am guessing somewhere tropical."

Multi-tasking: Newsarama talks with Peter David about his newly announced Multiple Man project, named MadroX (because, let's face it, it just isn't a mutant book without a big "X" on the cover):

"He's practically the 'Hamlet' of Marvel. All of us have to make choices in our life. Every so often we reach a crossroads and we say, 'Okay, this direction instead of that direction.' Not Jamie. He's someone who's capable of living as many lives as he wants, experiencing whatever he wants, going in whatever direction he wants. As a result, because he can do practically everything, it makes it hard for him to do anything. Or, at the very least, to place any value of one thing over the other because he never has to make that qualitative decision. He never has to figure out what's more important to him. As a result, he's becoming increasingly disconnected from life. He's all alone in a crowd, especially since he's his own crowd. So he becomes a detective as an endeavor to remain in touch with the world, with trying to help people and--perhaps most important--to experience their lives."

Manga, on exhibit: The Portland (Ore.) Tribune profiles manga and anime illustrator Katsuya Terada, who just launched the first U.S. exhibit of his sketches, silk-screen prints and magazine covers:

"What’s unusual about Terada is his main characters are more robust and tough-looking. Most manga artists are known for being cute. He occasionally creates a mood that is genuinely disturbing. He’s a lot more baroque, more gothic, more scary. If Terada looks less Japanese it’s because, in many ways, he combines Japanese and American elements. Many would say he’s Western."

The girl with the most cake: Newsarama steps up its new love affair with manga with an article about Courtney Love's new shojo experiment, Princess Ai:

"Certain elements of Princess Ai's personality, experiences, and fashion sense are based on Courtney and her life. When it comes to Ai's fashions, in fact, Courtney had a very significant influence on Ai in the character design stage. Courtney even supplied some rough sketches of different outfits, shoes and looks along with character and personality notes. When I saw the faxed pages, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the drawings. I know lots of musicians are artistic in many ways, but I didn't know she could sketch."

Oh, Canada! Speaking of Jeff Parker ... On his blog, The Interman creator files a report from last week's Calgary Comics Show:

"Albertans are undaunted by snow, and plenty came out for the afternoon. They had to be reassured that the hockey game would be aired at the show though -- go Flames!-- and it was. Some of the friendliest readers you could hope to meet, even though I charged them too much for my book. Hey, that exchange rate confuses me. I did bigger sketches than usual in the books. No matter how much Canadians say they don't really say 'Eh' and 'aboat', you get them in their element with comics and hockey all over, and they can't help themselves. The only thing that confused me was buying a coffee that morning, where they didn't let me add the cream and sugar. I guess I can't be trusted to bring along my passport, so it's probably best to take that responsibility out of my hands too."

Recommended reading: Here's another case of me never remembering when certain columns appear on certain websites. Premature senility is no fun, I tell you. At Broken Frontier, Matt Maxwell (no permalink) catches up on Eric Shanower's Age of Bronze and Jeff Parker's The Interman.

The numbers game: Comic Book Resources has Diamond's Top 300 for April, without estimated sales figures. We'll have to wait on ICv2.com for those. Not surprisingly, Superman #204 took the top spot, with Superman/Batman #9 in a distant second.

Kicking into high gear: ICv2.com reports that American manga publishers plan to release more than 1,000 English-language manga volumes this year.

Going global: The New York Post looks at IDT Corporation's recent moves to position itself as an international entertainment giant: purchasing Manga Entertainment, making deals with Todd McFarlane and Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment, and acquiring the rights to Archie Comics characters.

After the Manga deal, IDT Entertainment is looking at $170 million in revenues for the fiscal year.

Immortalizing Garfield: The Grant County, Ind., Chronicle-Tribune reports that a former councilman is trying to drum up support to erect statues of Garfield in each of the county's communities. The cost? Just $80,000 to $100,000. Garfield creator Jim Davis is a Grant County native.

Success story: The Calgary Sun briefly notes the return of native son Todd McFarlane, who spoke to students at his alma mater.

Gettin' his game on: The Seattle Times reports from E3 -- the Electronic Entertainment Expo -- in Los Angeles, and speaks briefly with Concrete's Paul Chadwick, who is writing a new ongoing storyline for more games based on The Matrix.

Outlining a career: Arizona's Today's News-Herald spotlights inker Danny Miki, who spoke to art classes at Thunderbolt Middle School while he was in town to visit his mother-in-law:

"They don’t have schools to get you into comics. ... You should draw and practice whenever you can -— but not during algebra. Then you send in samples. Keep the editors happy -— meet deadlines, whatever it takes. That’s the way to keep getting work. Marvel pays $115 to $200 per inked page -— different magazines pay different rates."

The shipping news: Previews Review updates with a rundown of what's coming out this week, including the Trinity hardcover, Dang, Lucifer #50, Planetes Vol. 3 and Seaguy #1.

Fringe benefits: Publishers Weekly (subscription required) chimes in on last week's announcement that Del Rey Books will produce a series of Batman novels with DC Comics, and adds an unintentionally funny quote from Paul Levitz:

"Batman benefits when we tell his story in many different media."

DC in August: DC Comics has released its August solicitations. Highlights include:

* "War Games," the big Batman Family crossover, kicks off with Batman: The 12-cent Adventure and continues through virtually every Bat-related book, except for (it seems) Gotham Central and Birds of Prey.

* Dustin Nguyen turns in a great cover for Robin #129, a stark contrast in style to the more cartoonish covers by Damion Scott.

* Batman Adventures #17 marks the end of the series.

* The tributes to Julius Schwartz continue with DC Comics Presents: The Atom #1, The Flash #1, Justice League of America #1 and Superman #1.

* Is it just me, or have the first three issues of Doom Patrol had essentially the same cover? Just me? Okay.

* The Legion #37-38 marks the end of the series. Again.

* I'm loving the covers to Sleeper Season Two.

* Wildcats 3.0 ends with Issue 24.

* Fabien Nury and John Cassaday's I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun, a World War II spy/supernatural thriller, looks intriguing. Sixty-four pages for $6.95? Sure.

* Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's WE3 debuts. (Quitely's been productive lately, also supplying covers from Bite Club and Books of Magick: Life During Wartime.)

(Link via Fanboy Rampage, because I thought the solicitations weren't released until 5 p.m. I'm slipping, I tell ya.)

TV nation: Newsarama provides a link to a Quicktime version of Tokyopop's television ad. I can't seem to open the file, but maybe someone else will have better luck.

Atomeka age: At Comic Book Resources, James Sime talks with Atomeka publisher Ross Ritchie about the company's return:

"The flavor of the company should be a mainstream independent -- while that seems like a contradiction, we want to create stuff that would be very accessible to a fan of a Marvel, DC, Image, or Dark Horse book, but is looking for something new, off-beat, and innovative. Other companies do cool indie books better than we ever could -- who wants to compete with juggernauts like Fantagraphics, Slave Labor, Top Shelf, Oni, or Sirius? They publish great material and they'd run us into the ground. Instead, we're staking out turf that lies in between the big boys and the indie scene. Very much in the vein of the 1980s independent 'overground' publishers like Comico, First, Pacific… or the original Atomeka!"

GrimJack freed -- and up for grabs: John Ostrander and Timothy Truman's GrimJack finally has been freed from its legal entanglement. Now, the creators are shopping the property rights. Newsarama has the press release.

Multiple choice: It doesn't carry the weight of, say, the announcement of the new Dr. Strange series, but Newsarama reports that Peter David will tackle the Multiple Man as one of his upcoming Marvel projects. So, there you have it.

Working-class heroes: Ninth Art also profiles cartoonist Raymond Briggs, creator of The Snow Man Story Book and When the Wind Blows.

The Eisner effect? At Ninth Art, John Fellows repeats what Ed Brubaker and others have been lamenting for a long time: The Eisners mean little in the comics marketplace:

"An Oscar win can guarantee you a boost in sales of your film. It can guarantee an actor more roles (or kill their career, if you believe in the Oscars Curse). It can make or break a director's next decision. But an Eisner means next to nothing to the vast majority of comics fans.

"Oh, it allows the creators themselves the opportunity to slap each other's backs, but if it doesn't mean anything to the paying customers, why bother? It's all part of the continuing shyness of comics and its unwillingness to accept its quality. Like the cute guy who never gets a date because he doesn't have the confidence to ask girls out. (He's a friend of mine. Honest.)

"Because we as a collective -- the industry, and the fans -- have decided that however good a comic is, it's still a comic. It's paper and ink and staples. It's nearly sixty years of men in stripy jim-jams bitch-slapping each other. And so whatever we do, it's never enough."

By the numbers: Japan's Asahi Shimbun reports that many magazines, long accustomed to exaggerating circulation figures, will release more realistic numbers beginning this fall. The new data will be calculated by the Printers' Association of Japan and submitted directly to the Japan Magazine Publishers Association to avoid interference by publishers.

However, the newspaper reports, several magazines -- including comics magazines -- "have expressed less eagerness" in participating in the new data release.

Tough sells: The Seattle Times reports that Generation Y -- a term that covers ages 13 to about 25 -- is a little more savvy about advertising than previous generations, forcing marketers to take more creative approaches:

"'They're faster, they're doing more, they're aware of more, and that's the big difference in terms of marketing,' said Sean Denny, senior manager of strategic marketing for LucasArts Entertainment, which develops video games set in the Star Wars story line."

The article cites Ubisoft's use of a 16-page comic at Penny Arcade to promote its Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow video game. According to Ubisoft's vice president of marketing, the comic made the game's main character look like an idiot, but it helped to build the game's brand.

Obligatory "Todd's balls" joke: The Washington Post chats briefly with Todd McFarlane about hockey, and his company's action figures.

"Rage" subsides: At Silver Bullet Comic Books, Markisan Naso announces that this week's installment of "All The Rage" will be his last:

"... [T]here are really two things that made me decide to step down. The first is this sense that the weekly gossip column is becoming a tired institution. Nearly every comic site has cloned Rich Johnston, and editors are starting to realize they can cover gossip from newsgroups and message boards in their regular news sections. Second, despite this spike in activity, rumors are increasingly hard to come by. Publishers are Big Brothering down on employees to plug information leaks and people aren’t as willing to talk as they used to."

Occasional "Rage" contributor Blair Marnell will take up the rumor-mongering next week.

In his final installment, Markisan delivers the long-promised interview with Colleen Doran about the Scenes From the Small Press documentary, her comics work, and her struggles with sexism and sexual harassment in the industry:

"... I realized that most of the power that these people have over you is power you can take away from them at any time simply by speaking up for yourself. If you recoil from them and act frightened and shamed, then they live on that. That's why they act the way they do. They love to see the little woman scared and cringing. Your power is their shame. They fear exposure. None of them ever want any of this to be made public. If this guy is one of those small press weenies, a freelancer shouldn't fear speaking up for one second. These guys are pipsqueaks on a cosmic scale. They don't seem weak when you're a kid just starting out, and you will probably never see the money they owe you if you fight them, but you don't want to be stuck working for those jerks anyway. Might as well leave and let everyone else know what they are in for if they go to work for this freak. There was no internet when I was starting out. There is now. News travels fast. If the man who is giving you a hard time is working for a big company, he is a major liability to that company. If you keep careful records, get him on tape and if you are smart, you can really build a case. Go directly to your superiors and let them know what is going on. No major publisher wants a scandal or a lawsuit. They will be forced to deal with the matter, one way or the other. Ultimately, you just want to do your job in a place where you don't want to be grabbed and jumped and bullied by some pervert. If your behavior is impeccably professional, you will win in the end."

Sammy the Seal author dies: The Associated Press reports that former New Yorker cartoonist and children's book author Syd Hoff died May 12 from pneumonia. He was 91.

Book notes: The Alien Online notes that Ballantine will publish Harvey Pekar's three original graphic novels and an anthology of previously published stories from his American Splendor series beginning this fall. The website also mentions that Bob Andelman's Will Eisner: A Spirited Life biography will be published by Dark Horse's new nonfiction imprint, M Press.

License to thrive: The Indianapolis Star knows where the real money lies for films studios (and comics publishers): licensing deals. Here the focus is on Garfield: The Movie, with its tie-ins with Wendy's restaurants, Goldfish crackers and Ty Beanie Babies. But it could just as easily be, say, Spider-Man:

"They are the kind of licensing deals that generate more than $7.6 billion a year for film studios and their partners, according to The Licensing Letter, a trade publication.

"Without them, a movie might not even be made because Hollywood studios have come to rely on the revenue to defray the costs of making and promoting a movie.

"'If you can't generate enough tie-ins, then you no longer have a true summer blockbuster film,' said Ron Leone, assistant professor of media and film at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass."

The most alarming interesting part may be that Garfield, which hasn't been remotely fresh or funny for at least two decades, already rules over a $750 million-a-year merchandising empire.

"We'll make great pets!" Nostalgic for those comic-book ads of yesteryear? Then today's your lucky day. The Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star informs us that it's National Sea-Monkey Day. Really:

"Thanks to over-the-top marketing by the late Sea-Monkey inventor, Harold von Braunhut, legions of kids imagined their lady Sea-Monkeys smearing on lipstick.

"Whimsical images showed the water-bound creatures walking tiny dogs, reading tiny newspapers and batting tiny volleyballs over tiny nets.

"'When Michelle got hers, I wanted to know where the little castle was, and the pearls and the barbecue apron,' Barclay said. 'I wanted that mystical kingdom I was promised.'"

"Unfortunate coincidence": The Associated Press reports that Universal Press Syndicate will offer a replacement strip for the May 23 Doonesbury, which depicts a man's head on a platter. The distributor said the original strip was drawn before Nicholas Berg's death in Iraq, and called it an "unfortunate coincidence."

Doonesbury creator Gary Trudeau issued a brief statement: "I regret the poor timing, and apologize to anyone who is offended by an image that is now clearly inappropriate."

Comics marathon: Colorado's Rocky Mountain News is a little slow on the draw covering last month's local 24-Hour Comics Day activities. To make up for it, the newspaper includes a slideshow of the event, and an odd sidebar assessing the state of an industry dominated by "mammoths" like Marvel and DC.

(Belated) review revue: I missed this on Wednesday, primarily because I can never figure out when PopMatters updates its comics section. In any case, this go-around, PopMatters covers Steven Grant's My Flesh Is Cool #1-3, Artesia Afield, The Losers: Ante Up, The Matrix Comics and Miracleman, Book One: A Dream of Flying.

Daily dose of Demo: Because, it seems, no day would be complete without a mention of Demo, I'll point out that Brian Wood has unveiled the above design for the four-color series screenprint, which will be available soon (no mention of price, though).

Cover story: At Newsarama, retailer Brian Hibbs weighs in on the variant-cover debate:

"Variants harm. They skew retailer’s cycle sheets and increase risk on later issues. They send the wrong messages to readers. Each and every one of them runs the risk of being 'the straw' that causes a collector to quit the hobby, forever. I’ve been selling comic books my entire adult life, and I can assure you that there is lasting and long-term harm in promoting 'collectibility' over content.

"And all of this is in service of what? The number one spot on the sales charts? Why do you care about that? Quick, someone, anyone, tell me without looking it up, what the top selling book of April 2002! No, no one remembers because it’s just not a meaningful fact. The only thing that actually mattered about Transformers: Generation One #1 was, 'was it any good?'"

Winging it: The Pulse talks with one of my favorite artists, new Hawkman penciler Ryan Sook:

"You see Art Adams draw an ape and there are tons of details, where as a Jack Kirby drawing of an ape consists of about five curved lines. Yet both are equally successful. So my approach to Hawkman is the same as almost anything else I draw, I try to give enough that the viewer can understand what they're seeing, and then try to make it look cool to me. That's the only honest way to approach a drawing I think."

Just because it's Friday: Via Metro Kitty, a comparison of MySpace users' hairstyles with those of Marvel Comics characters. Hilarious, yet terrifying.

A tale of two artists: Marc-Oliver Frisch links to Igor Kordey's original pencils for Excalibur #1, which he'd completed before Marvel unceremoniously removed him from the title. (His pencils for the entire issue also can be viewed as a PDF document.) I'm not a fan of Kordey's work -- I don't dislike it, mind you, I just never paid it much mind -- but it strikes me as much more interesting than what was turned in by his replacement, Aaron Lopresti.

Mini-comics, big ideas: At Time.com, Andrew Arnold looks at Allison Cole's Never Ending Summer, James Kochalka's Sketchbook Diaries Vol. 4 and Jeff Brown's Unlikely.

Comic controversy: KAKE-TV in Kansas reports that sixth-grader Brenda Wickham was suspended for three days after creating and distributing comic books that teachers and administrators found objectionable. The school superintendent says the comics depicted three students and two teachers in a way he described as "humiliating":

"The school suspended her for three days for inappropriate behavior, obscene language and sexual harassment. The principal also warned the school could choose to file criminal charges and place her on a sexual predator list for the rest of her life. Brenda admits she did make fun of students and called some gay in her comic books. But she says she didn't know it was sexual harassment or that it was offensive."

Back for more Hellboy: Revolution Studios has officially announced plans to make Hellboy II, with Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola developing the new story.

Comics education: The Exeter (N.H.) News-Letter profiles retailer Hector Diaz, who will tour state libraries to promote comics and literacy as part of the 2004 New Hampshire Summer Reading Program. Diaz designed the program's logo and promotional materials, which include an informative comic-book page.

Movie Magic: The Hollywood Reporter has word that Swedish directors Simon Sandquist and Joel Bergvall will direct the film adaptation of DC/Vertigo's Books of Magic. Neil Gaiman will be executive producer. I realize the movie likely is at least a couple of years away, but I wonder whether its content will have any effect on the direction of the upcoming The Books of Magick: Life During Wartime? (Of course, Gaiman is co-plotting the series, too.)

Planet Larry: Ken Lowery chats with Larry Young about Planet of the Capes:

"Amongst Marvel and DC, I think DC is closest to my own mindset. Slow and steady wins the race, you know? I think both companies are hamstrung by needing to service their own corporate masters, but what're ya gonna do? It's the nature of the beast.

"I wanna emphasize that none of these analogues are direct-line stand-ins for companies or characters or what-have-you. You can figure out what I think about each, honestly, by just a careful reading of the dialogue."

Sojourn's end: Newsarama also reports that CrossGen has pulled the plug on Sojourn as of Issue 34, despite the series being solicited through Issue 37. Former Sojourn writer Ian Edington had said the title would end with Issue 41.

Respect his Authority: Newsarama confirms that former Wildcats artist Dustin Nguyen will, indeed, be the new artist on The Authority, joining Ed Brubaker on the WildStorm title:

"I had already planned to head back to WildStorm after Batman. I promised a lot of people I would, plus I’ve always felt at home there. They were the first to give me a shot at things, so I was hoping if Batman had gotten me any good press or recognition, I could drag that back with me to WildStorm and see what damage I could do there. Plus it’s all one world to me... I still get to hang out at the DC booth every year, so that's plenty."

Summertime, and the living is easy: Dark Horse Comics has released its August solicitations.

Novel ideas: Also from ICv2.com, Del Rey Books has announced a "creative partnership" with DC Comics to develop a series of Batman novels. The three books, scheduled for release in 2005 and 2006, will be written by former Batman Animated writer Michael Reaves and Steven-Eliot Altman with involvement by DC editors.

The deal also will include movie novelizations of Catwoman and Batman Begins.

Promoting literacy: Speaking of Reading Is Fundamental, ICv2.com reports that Viz has become "the first major graphic novel publisher" to partner with the children's literacy organization. Viz titles such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and Shonen Jump will be made available through RIF's network of schools and clubs.

B-But reading is fundamental! The Associated Press reports that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi scolded rookie lawmakers for reading manga and talking on their cell phones during legislative sessions:

"Don't send e-mail on your cell phones or read comic books in Parliament while in session. You can be seen very clearly from the prime minister's seat. You should really stop that -- it's disgraceful."

Motor City madness: The Detroit News previews this weekend's Motor City Comic Con, which includes among its guests ... Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air).

Tales to Astonish: The Boston Herald talks with Joss Whedon about his upcoming run on Astonishing X-Men:

"I'm trying to create some villains of my own that are fun to look at. The problem with the X-Men's rogues gallery is that very few of them have been as exciting as the X-Men. The most interesting ones -- Rogue, the Juggernaut, the White Queen -- all became X-Men. I've been robbed."

Manga's fan-fiction phenomenon: Taiwan's Taipei Journal reports on the Comic World Fancy doujinshi fair (essentially, a manga fan-fiction gathering), held May 1-2 at the Taipei World Trade Center:

"In Taiwan, the doujinshi phenomenon has a decade-long history. It started out with high school and college student clubs. Later, local comic book publishers got into the act by organizing doujinshi fairs and other events. As of five years ago, such fairs were held twice yearly in Taipei. Now, the city has four per year, and doujinshi enthusiasts can be found islandwide, holding their own local conventions.

"Even professional writers and illustrators with an established reputation sometimes create and publish doujinshi works independent of their publishers and sell them at fairs just for the fun of it. For aspiring illustrators trying to break into the commercial manga and anime scenes, doujinshi offers a way to make a name for themselves, allowing them to circumvent publishers too conservative to take a chance on newcomers with new ideas. Popularity in doujinshi circles might win them the chance to create completely original works with a major manga publisher."

Pimping mode: Digital Webbing Presents has posted previews for Issues 15, 16, 17 and 18. The Issue 17 preview includes five pages from my story, "Bad Elements: Good for the Soul" (art by Brian Churilla, with grayscales by Eric Erbes).

Special treatment: Newsarama reports an item that Johanna Draper Carlson had earlier this afternoon: Barnes & Noble will offer a "Limited Edition," 992-page hardcover Ultimate Spider-Man, composed of material previously only available in three separate collections. The special edition will retail for $49.95 ($34.96 online); combined, the three separate collections would cost $90, or $47 softcover.

Expect retailer backlash at ICv2.com in the next few days.

Bird feed: Newsarama talks with Steven T. Seagle about his autobiographical graphic novel, It's A Bird, which has been lauded by numerous mainstream critics but essentially ignored by the traditional comics-reading audience:

"I just hoped people would find it. I'm glad they have. The fact that it's been more people outside of comics than in is just a really interesting sidebar. It sold out at Amazon.com yesterday, but my local shop still has two copies! DC has done an excellent job of showing the book to more traditional book markets - we've been covered in The New Yorker, Salon.com, The Washington Post, Time, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, a lot of regional papers, and we were even the editor's pick in the book section of this week's Entertainment Weekly - which yes, is owned by AOL/Time/Warner, but come on! How often does that happen? Hopefully the outside push will get people in comics to cruise back by and take a look at the book as well."

Tempests and teapots, Part II: At her SuperLime AOL Journal, Heidi MacDonald responds to bloggerati reaction to her Comic Buyer's Guide column in which she said a lot of comics blogs are "really dopey," and many "can pretty much be safely ignored." Eh, by now I'm sure you've read the furor, so there's little need to elaborate on that front.

I was going to quote parts of Heidi's response, but I think it's best read in its entirety, particularly because she feels the "offending paragraph" was taken out of context. Fair enough.

(Link via John Jakala who, it seems, wins some sort of prize.)

How will it play in Peoria? ICv2.com reports that Central Park Manga will launch Be Beautiful, a new imprint for yaoi titles, in August.

IDT to acquire Manga Entertainment: IDT Entertainment has been busy. Today comes a press release announcing it has signed an agreement to acquire Manga Entertainment, the anime production and distribution company.

Manga Entertainment, which co-produced Ghost in the Shell, is one of the largest distributors of anime outside of Asia, with rights to more than 300 titles.

International Splendor: Japan's Daily Yomiuri reports on Harvey Pekar's plans to turn his worldwide promotional tour into a comic book and an animated feature:

"I had some interest from a guy from the BBC in doing a script for an animated feature about the trip, and so I have been taking notes every day, as things have happened to me. I think I may get a comic book story as well ... I don't know, maybe it won't work out but I hope it will, I'm trying and working hard on it."

Rousing America's conscience: An exhibit of 1940s editorial cartoons about American response to news of the Holocaust will debut Sunday in New York City at a conference called "Teaching and Learning About America's Response to the Holocaust," sponsored by The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. The exhibit's logo and illustrated introduction were designed by Joe Kubert, who will hold a press conference with son Adam at 5 p.m. Sunday. Here's the complete press release.

Review revue: Salon.com reviews Lovecraft, It's A Bird and Y: The Last Man.

Doing it himself: The Gladstone (Mo.) Sun-News has a puzzling and, at times, almost indecipherable profile of local creator Mike Sullivan who has self-published a comic called Intermezzo.

Your "Comics Aren't Just For Kids" link o' the day: The Corvallis (Ore.) Gazette-Times reports on a presentation at the public library by comics retailer Matt Ashland called "Illustrated Books and Graphic Novels: The New Art Form." Here's the best part:

"Graphic novels, which are mostly produced with soft covers, found their niche around the world before they became popular about three years ago in the United States. Ashland said the books' high regard has resulted in 20 to 25 percent higher sales throughout the country each of the past three years.

"And generally, these aren't your kids' comic books anymore. Most of Ashland's customers are between the ages of 20 to 35, though a Japanese novel series called 'Manga' has drawn the attention on the younger crowd."

Medicine man: My new favorite semi-comics blog is, I think, Polite Dissent, written by Scott, a comics fan and board-certified family practice physician. Scattered among entries about politics and medicine are great assessments of comics storylines with medical elements or premises, such as The Avengers' "Red Zone" arc or Dr. Mid-Nite's surgery scenes in JSA. Scott (I don't see his last name anywhere) picks nits, pointing out when a bacterium is mistakenly referred to as a virus, or that Mid-Nite's operating room is something less than sterile. I'm a sucker for things like that.

Think of it as "The Law Is A Ass" for the medical set. It's a fun read.

Cover me: Brian Wood gives a sneak peek of the cover to Demo #10.

Filter furor? A short item at The Pulse about the postponement of Mighty Mini Con has stirred a little ruckus in the comments section. For reasons unrevealed (although I have my guesses), the message board's filter censors Rick Olney's last name:

Rick ***** has announced that due to health reasons the Mighty Mini Con has been postponed. The convention was supposed to occur in June. ***** has said if he's able the convention will be rescheduled to October. Keep checking the official website for more details.

Augie De Blieck Jr. comments: "Oh, that's good. O-L-N-E-Y is a banned word at Comicon.com. ... That's embarrassing."

And Darryl Hughes writes, more pointedly: "I find it odd that the man has a heart attack and you can't even find the compassion to print his full name in a news story about HIM! If he had died from the heart attack, would he still be Rick *****? Or would you have considered running his full name then?

"I think it's time everybody on all sides got over this goddamned pettiness. Especially at times like these."

Finding Namor: At Movie Poop Shoot, Scott Tipton's "Comics 101" focuses on everyone's second-favorite undersea monarch, Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Contest deadline: Today is the final day for the big What If You Were Different? Demo contest. Come up with a creative superpower, tell us how you would use it, and you could win tons of prizes, courtesy of AiT/Planet Lar and Digital Webbing.

Tempests and teapots: The comics blogeratti are atwitter over Heidi MacDonald's column in the May 14 issue of Comic Buyer's Guide, in which she apparently suggests the abundance of comics blogs is, well, a bad thing. H at The Comic Treadmill provides some excerpts:

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. And I have to say a lot of them are really dopey. (No names.) Give 1,000 monkeys 1,000 typewriters and eventually they’ll write an issue of Night Nurse or create a blog. And, except for a very few sites, I realized they can pretty much be safely ignored. When you give everyone a voice, no one can hear everything.

(That, by the way, is my first use of the long-rumored "blockquote"; I find coding such a challenge.)

I haven't read the column in question, so I can't really address Heidi's grievances with any depth or authority (I recommend reading H's well-reasoned response). But I can't really get worked up about it, either. Heidi MacDonald, who seems intelligent and nice enough, thinks a lot of comics blogs are "dopey," and that many can be "pretty much ignored"? Eh, I'll survive; her opinion on the subject doesn't affect me.

("When you give everyone a voice, no one can hear everything" does smack of elitism, though. It reminds me of curmudgeonly newspaper editors who used to harrumph about the growth of news and rumor websites. Where are the gatekeepers?!?)

That said, I find it odd that Heidi holds so many comics blogs in such low regard, particularly given that, on its best days, "The Beat" is little more than a blog that repeats nuggets of news and gossip that already appeared on other blogs and websites. And I won't even mention the apparently aborted Seventh World.

Oh, well. Next thing you know, she'll be poo-pooing folks with their own Delphi forums.

The tie-ins that bind: At ICv2.com, retailer Gail Burt weighs in on the recent discussion about variant covers, but adds that the real problem is the proliferation of tie-in books:

"So let's just use Marvel as our example publisher for a moment (they are not the only ones who do this, we're just using them for the sake of having someone to use) and see how that plays in reality. The problem is that printing up a gazillion more X-Books does not result in the consumer (or the retailer) having one extra dollar to spend on them. And that's where they are going to start shooting themselves in the foot at the publisher level. People's disposable income (that which they budget for comics) is pretty much set. They may over-spend for a little while, but eventually, reality sets in and they either have to cut back or at least rein in their spending.

"If there are four Spider-Man titles each month, a consumer can keep up and feel their collections are complete. But when you get to four Spider-Man titles EACH WEEK, the consumer becomes bewildered, overburdened, and discouraged - they can no longer afford to keep a complete collection of Spider-Man, so do they choose which titles to continue with? Not always. The collectors who have been with the hobby for years will wisely choose to spend their money on the best of those offered. But the newer people don't do this. The phenomenon I've seen with new customers is: THEY QUIT -- ENTIRELY. They can't afford EVERYTHING, so not really understanding that one doesn't have to collect EVERYthing, they simply quit."

A legacy, in black and white: Nashville's City Paper uses the release of The Compete Peanuts 1950-1952 as a chance to examine the legacy of Charles M. Schulz:

"'I think people are going to be surprised by it,' Jean Schulz, Charles' widow, said of the book's content, 'but I think they're going to be rather charmed. When they decided to rerun the strips after Sparky died [in 2000], I thought they might go back to the strips from the '50s, but United Features Syndicate [the strip's publisher] said nobody would recognize it.'"

Spider infestation: At Silver Bullet Comic Books, Spider-Man artist Terry Dodson addresses the sheer volume of Spider-books:

"I wouldn't do a Spider-Man story if it was just OK, and there is too much Spider-Man stuff out there - but there is a little film called Spider-Man 2 coming out in June and I believe Marvel wants plenty of material out there for people to buy.

"However, Mark's come up with a great story for Spider-Man and it's worth working on."

Lifting the veil: Radio Free Europe profiles Marjane Satrapi, creator of the autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis:

"I was confronted by people who didn't have any idea how my country was, and there was lots of prejudice about Iran because in the '80s [Iran represented] the bad, the evil, and there were so many wrong ideas about my country. And I kept on [repeating] this story forever and ever, trying to explain to people that the situation was not that easy and the world was much more complex, especially the government of Iran, which is not a democratic government and is not representative of its people, etc., etc. And finally I said that if I make the book, I'll write it for once and for all, and I don't have to repeat it forever."

Graphic language: Comic Book Resources talks with Nat Gertler about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating A Graphic Novel, co-written and illustrated by Steve Lieber.

"It's gone well beyond a passing fad": USA Today looks at the rapidly growing popularity of manga among tweens and teens, and particularly among girls:

"'Before (manga), it was a constant struggle to appeal to women,' says Bill Liebowitz, owner of Golden Apple, a Los Angeles comics store. 'They get introduced to manga through mainstream bookstores, then when they're shopping for shoes on Melrose (Avenue), they have some reason to come into our store.'

"... It's like rap music, first dismissed as a trend. It's gone well beyond a passing fad."

In a sidebar, the newspaper provides a bit of a manga primer, complete with a rundown of popular titles.

Death becomes him: Variety.com (same deal) also reports that production-management company Circle of Confusion and video-game developer Backbone Entertainment are working on film and comic book versions of the Death Junior video game.

The comic, about the teen-age son of the Grim Reaper, will be illustrated by Courtney Crumrin creator Ted Naifeh. In an April 22 entry on his Live Journal, Naifeh says the three-issue, full-color series will be written by screenwriter Gary Whitta, and published through Image Comics.

Spawn, reborn: Variety.com (subscription required, I think) reports that Todd McFarlane plans to bring back Spawn: The Animated Series, and develop at least two more animated projects with new partner IDT Entertainment:

"Since the day the last show aired, not a day goes by when someone doesn't ask when 'Spawn' is coming back. I was at the point where I was either going to do it myself or find a partner. Now, with IDT, I'll be able to bring the ideas, coupled with a company that owns an animation house that everyone is familiar with."

The original Spawn cartoon ran on HBO for 18 episodes over three seasons before the cable network pulled the plug, in part, because of the cost of running an animated division. McFarlane told Variety he'll start by approaching HBO about the new series, "and then work our way down."

IDT recently announced it had signed a deal with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment to co-produce and distribute animated projects.

But have you seen American Power? Writing for the arch-conservative FrontPageMagazine.com, Michael Lackner turns an eye to The Punisher comics series, and the "leftist propagandizing" of Marvel and "Irishman Garth Ennis" (h-h-he's not even American!):

"In a just released special one-shot story, this comic book franchise is used to denounce America’s pursuit of the War on Terrorism. In The Punisher – The End we find our hero in an America totally devastated by nuclear war caused by -– of course -– American militarism and corporate greed. We are treated to a pedantic 'Progressive' discourse by the enlightened Punisher: 'Once upon a time there was a bunch of evil f-cks. [fully spelled] Hardly anyone knew, because they were so good at keeping it quiet. But these particular evil f-cks owned the world. And they made the world a cruel and terrible place. They ran the great industries that poisoned the air. Their businesses turned whole countries into slaves. … They made puppets out of presidents and started wars for profit. Eventually, they came to believe that there was nothing that they couldn’t do. And so one day – inevitably – they pushed the planet’s luck too far.'"

Lackner, who in 2003 co-authored a white paper with Michael Medved called "The Betrayal of Captain America" for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, sums up the problem with The Punisher thusly:

"It appears that Ennis and Marvel prefer to live in a vulgar world of leftist fantasy, where an evil American government allied with greedy multinational corporations is the enemy of humanity. If such self-hating beliefs are allowed to permeate the popular culture unchallenged, if our strength of will is sapped before we defeat our real enemies, our very survival may be jeopardized.

"As if that were not enough –- all this is really bad storytelling. Garth Ennis uses the Punisher as a two-dimensional stick figure to spout his 'Progressive' political platitudes. Very uncreative."

From stage to page: The New Haven (Conn.) Advocate spotlights the work of Yale School of Drama graduate and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who also writes Marvel Knights' 4:

"Aguirre-Sacasa is a natural entertainer. He draws you in easily, using tried and true mainstream wit and charm. It's what he does when he has you in his clutches that you might want to prepare yourself for.

"In Aguirre-Sacasa's hilarious relationship comedy Say You Love Satan, a young gay man tires of his too-good-to-be-true boyfriend, escapes to a nightclub and hooks up with Old Scratch on the dance floor. The quips and gags lessen as the tryst heats up, and the play ends in a near-apocalypse.

"In a play originally titled Archie's Weird Romance (before names were changed to protect innocent, copyrighted characters), Aguirre-Sacasa has an American teenage comic book icon, also revealed to be gay, dating joy-killer Nathan Leopold in 1950s Chicago. The whimsical satire on family-friendly pop culture characters is really a harsh indictment of the comic book industry, which started censoring and emasculating itself amidst the fear-mongering and witch-hunting of the McCarthy era."

Dot-com debacle: USA Today chronicles the mess that was Stan Lee Media, the dot-com that launched to much fanfare in 2000 only to fall apart in a $25 million stock-manipulation scheme hatched by co-founder Peter Paul:

"The case is particularly vexing to fans of Stan 'The Man' Lee, the former head of Marvel Comics who helped create Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Avengers and hundreds of other characters in the 1960s and '70s. The start-up was supposed to launch a late-life career for Lee, who would introduce new characters and eye-popping yarns on the Web to another generation. Others would handle the business end.

"'It's a larger-than-life ending to a fantastical tale,' says Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics and a longtime observer of Lee. 'This was played on an operatic stage.'"

The revolution will be televised (again): Publishers Weekly (subscription required) has more details on Tokyopop's television-ad campaign, including some of the time blocks:

"John Powers, Tokyopop v-p, marketing, told PW that the manga publisher has commissioned a series of 30-second television spots that will appear on MTV, the Cartoon Network, Spike TV, G4TV (the interactive gaming network) and TechTV beginning May 10. On the Cartoon Network, the spots will appear during the late-night time block (beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturdays), which features anime and Western cartoons, and the Toonami time block, which features anime from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m."

The spots will feature the "Join the Manga Revolution" theme the publisher uses in print ads.

Seven Days of Demo: Tomorrow is the deadline for the big What If You Were Different? Demo contest. Come up with a creative superpower, tell us how you would use it, and you could win tons of prizes, courtesy of AiT/Planet Lar and Digital Webbing.

Summer lovin': FHM, the magazine for guys too embarrassed to buy Penthouse, names Mark Millar's Wanted as one of its "Things for the Summer," dubbing it "the comic of the summer." The magazine also features a rather subdued Q&A with Millar:

"I'd been writing superhero books for a couple of years and getting ever-so-slightly bored. I think I just hit a point where I couldn't relate to these decent, all-American characters and wanted to write a book about a lying, greedy, lecherous little fuck like me. Criminals are always more interesting than cops and so I applied this same logic to the superhero genre which, surprisingly, hasn't been done too often in the past."

The shipping news: Previews Review combs through the titles shipping this week so you don't have to, and provides some solid commentary on the format of Bite Club, the paperback edition of Orbiter, the return of Blue Monday and more.

Ad campaign: Also at ICv2.com, retailer Robert Scott rants about advertising comics on television, and attempts to force a parallel with the music and movie industries:

"Movies and CD's cost far more to create and promote than comics and per title, are produced on a far less timely pace and at retail carry a much smaller retail value. Why do I say this? Well, movie franchises normally release installments once every 2-4 years and music albums every 1-2 years with singles sprinkled in. SRP on DVDs seems to run $20-25 and CDs run $10-15.

"Looking at comics and reviving and expanding an old analogy (from Ellis IIRC) comic issues or "singles" are released as often as monthly or 12 per year with an average cost of $2.75 or $33/yr and are often collected into at least 1 "Album" at $15. So a single title with one TPB, produced at a cost far less than it's CD/DVD brethren, has potential retail sales of $48/yr or 2-3x the CD/DVD."

So if you add the 2 and carry the 1 ... the analogy still doesn't work.

Variants and the market: At ICv2.com, retailers Corbit Wilkins and Steve Nemeckay have mixed reactions to variant covers and their role in market decline.

Wilkins: "What worries me for the market today? Just compare the Marvel, DC, and other companies Previews listings with their listings from one, two, or five years ago. I'll pick on Marvel just to make my point. I can't speak for other retailers, but who really wants to see District X? Captain America and Falcon? Amazing Fantasy? Spider-Man/Doc Ock mini's? Spider-Man Unlimited? Rogue? Excalibur? Starjammers? And on and on.

"There are only a limited number of dollars to be spent on comics of the same type. All of these new offerings are only going to dilute the sales from other titles. And when the writing or art starts to fall off, then the consumer is completely disinterested. Especially when every new title is $2.99 or more! We don't need more X-Men titles, Spider-Man titles, or others. Just give us good books on time."

Nemeckay: "What I have a problem with is incentive covers. My customers want them and that forces me to, in some cases, over-order what I can sell of a book. I'm the end consumer, not my customer. I have no return privileges. If I order and don't sell it, I'm stuck."

Politics, as usual: Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias looks at how cartoonists like Aaron McGruder, Dan Perkins, Gary Trudeau and, yes, Ted Rall have been targets of political backlash:

"Some U.S. papers yanked the strip — which wouldn't be the first time for Doonesbury — supposedly because, when he discovers his leg is gone, B.D. yells 'Son of a bitch!'

"I say 'supposedly' because, judging from the reaction of Fox News windbag Bill O'Reilly, the cartoon was offensive not only because of its penny-ante profanity but because of its — what else? — politics."

Renaissance man: Broken Newz talks to actor / writer / composer Bill Mumy about television, movies and comic books:

"... I've been a big fan of comic books since I was a little kid. In fact, I used to write and draw my own comic books when I was on the old Lost in Space series. (still have 'em in storage! Ooooh, 'Captain Panther and the Fox' 'The Comb and his crime busting beauty Caramia!' pretty funny stuff!) Anyway, in the mid 80's I was spending a fortune buying old Golden Age books from the late 30's and 40's and I was making personal appearances at a lot of sci fi and comic book conventions all around the country here so that I could find books for my collection. At one of these cons I struck up a friendship with Jim Shooter who was running Marvel Comics at the time. We kicked a few ideas around and that led to me and my friend, fellow actor and musician Miguel Ferrer creating and writing a mini series for Marvel called The Comet Man. Halley's Comet was due to pass by soon, so it was a timely idea. A fairly traditional super hero origin that then went into a non-traditional dark story. Marvel liked it and the six issue mini series sold over half a million copies."

Review revue: The Honolulu Star-Bulletin praises Greg Rucka and Matthew Clark for turning around the "middling" Adventures of Superman.

Your daily dose of Corridor: The Kerala News takes its turn with India's first graphic novel, Sarnath Banerjee's Corridor. It's an odd little story, one that misspells Banerjee's name, and asserts that graphic novels are called "adult comics" in the West.

Mercury rising: The Pulse spotlights Mercury Studios, which includes Matthew Clark, Terry Dodson, Paul Guinan, David Hahn, Drew Johnson, Karl Kesel, Steve Lieber, Ron Randall, Pete Woods and Rebecca Woods. Here's Clark:

"I hate working alone ... actually I hate working at home. I like getting up and going someplace creative, not into the next room. Our Studio for the most part is a very creative environment. Toys, Posters, Reference Files Replica cars and guns. Plus the added bonus of asking a question and getting different approaches to the same problem from different styles."

Legion, lost: The Pulse talks with Gail Simone and Dan Jurgens about their four-issue run on The Legion, and learns the series will end (again) with their last issue:

"I think there are two sleeping giants at DC, frankly. The Legion, and the Shazam family. It's not a matter of talent, because the previous team kicked all kinds of ass. I think it's more a matter of making sure readers know how amazing and fun and entertaining these concepts are. I'm hoping that this story is just a fun spark, a little piece of that. I know DC has some huge Legion plans, and what I know about them is amazing. Ours ties in a bit with that, in ways that won't be completely obvious right away, but it's also just big crashing fun on its own."

For the past five years, AiT/Planet Lar has staked its claim to a corner of the comics universe, producing books that are “intelligent but not high-brow,” “boisterous but not obnoxious” and “unconventional but not obtuse.” Guided by Larry Young and Mimi Rosenheim, the company has created a recognizable brand, no matter whether it’s publishing science-fiction epics or historical fiction.

AiT/Planet Lar’s latest success, the 12-issue Demo, is a bit of a departure for a publisher better known for graphic novels. Larry and Mimi agreed to answer a few questions about that series, their company and the industry:

Q: Brian Wood said Demo was "almost impossible for me to properly describe ahead of time." What was it about the concept that made you want to publish the series?

Larry: Well, there were several factors operating, here. First, I've known Bri for a while and we've not only been able to put out some good comics together, but we're pals, too. So we've been working together for so long that we have kind of a shorthand. I don't even remember how he pitched to me, but it was probably something that just organically came out of his work with Becky Cloonan on Channel Zero: Jennie One. You know, something like, "I was thinking about working with Becky on a monthly, and address some of the subjects I like in comics. Make it look really sharp, stretch our muscles." So I think, "Monthly, 'super' powers, written by Bri, with art by Becky? Self-contained, mini-OGNs, high quality production values? I can sell the hell out of that one." So he didn't have to pitch it to me, really. I totally respect Bri and Becky as artists on top of their games, so the last hurdle was me translating all the positives to Mimi, so she could see whether or not it would make financial sense for us. I'm the crazy man, and she's pretty conservative, so whenever we agree on a project right away, it bodes well for its success. And Mimi didn't need any convincing ...

Q: How important is Demo's format -- 12 standalone issues, essentially short graphic novels -- to its creative and commercial success? In your mind, could the stories have been told successfully in another format?

Mimi: I suppose so, but this is the format it was written for. Self-contained, individual issues, that can even be read "out of order." Didn't you and Bri even discuss not putting numbers on them, originally? Just sticking with the titles?

Larry: Yeah. Numbering them ended up being our one concession to "regular" comics marketing; it's enough of a change-up from our usual as it is to not make retailers figure out a new racking system for it, too.

Mimi: One of the things I like best about it is that you can read them "out of order" because every issue can be bought and read and enjoyed on its own merits. We saw people at WonderCon buying an Issue 1 or an Issue 3 or what-have-you because they were intrigued by the cover or the pitch or whatever coming back for the rest of the issues the next day. That was great. Shows the format is more inclusive than the regular comics, the standard monthly model.

Q: Why do you think the book's format was so difficult, at least initially, for so many readers to understand or appreciate?

Larry: I don't think it was as challenging for people as all that. It's a comic book, you know?

Mimi: New things take time to understand. Demo is a hybrid, a way of us bringing the original graphic novel format we're known for to readers who may be used to getting their comics in a monthly dose.

Q: Demo's sales seem to be doing something unusual: after the typical drop-off between the first and second issues, it's actually seeing a steady climb. Issue 5 actually outsold Issue 2. Is that something you expected? To what do you attribute that anomaly -- positive reviews and tremendous word-of-mouth, or the "new-reader-friendliness" of the format, or some combination?

Larry: It's not as anomalous as all that. It's just the nature of how comics are ordered in the direct market by retailers. Retailers hedge their bets and usually order half of #2s as they do of #1s because when the orders for #2 are due, they haven't even seen how #1 performs in their shops. I was able to stem that a little by sending copies of the first three issues out to comic retailers and links to PDFs of the completed issues, and the orders for #2 only dropped a third. That's when I knew that Brian and Becky and Ryan [Yount] and Mimi and I were going to be working a year on something that would be one for the ages. You know, that it wasn't just me who thought it was a brilliant idea, and well-executed. If you can get comics retailers to respond favorably, it's a home run. The big trick for independent publishers is to get the books into the shops in the first place, and if Demo is on the shelf, it's going to stand out with its confident design and superior production values. Readers pick it up like frat boys buy Cheetos. So retailers are going to stock them, and people will keep buying them. Of course, we have them always in print and available, so they can get as many as they need.

Mimi: There are plenty of factors which add up to sales, and good reviews and buzz and approachability of the material all factor into it. But like William Goldman famously wrote: "Nobody really knows anything," and so all we can do is our best work. And we're doing our best work.

Q: Fans and critics have hounded you since issue 1 about whether Demo will be collected as a trade paperback. So, I feel I have to ask: are you any closer to a decision on that front? How much of a factor does the sheer number of pages (somewhere around 300) play, and what kind of price point would make the trade affordable to readers and profitable to you?

Larry: This is like asking a marathon runner on Mile Eleven when he's going to run another marathon. Mimi and Bri and Becky and I aren't even going to look at any of those variables until Ryan drops the completed book into a FedEx box to go to the printer. And even then, it'll probably be a day or so after that, because then we're going over to the Isotope with three cases of beer to celebrate a year's worth of hard work.

Mimi: Oh, you know Ryan will just say "What's next?" like Martin Sheen on The West Wing.

Larry: Yeah, but my version's better.

Q: From a publishing standpoint, you seem to zig when everyone expects you to zag. Just when most people start associating AiT/Planet Lar with graphic novels, you put out something like Demo. Then you wade into the superhero "genre" with Planet of the Capes. Are these calculated moves to do the unexpected?

Larry: Here's the thing: I pay attention to mainstream entertainment in other media, so the things that I respond to and are interested in and influence me aren't in comics. And for Mimi, that's even more true. We just like other things as well as comics, and try to bring a sensibility of what works in other media to that of comics. That whole "HBO of comics" thing you hear about our company, most recently on the Variety comics blog, was ironically in a review about a couple of our upcoming superhero books. So there's a place for superheroes, sure, but when we do them they aren't going to be boy's adventure stories. Planet of the Capes is an allegory for the industry, and Hench is a cautionary tale. The costumes are just the detailing on a fast car, not the car itself.

Q: How difficult is it balancing writing and running a comic company? Do you find your duties as publisher eating into your creative efforts?

Larry: Obviously, the creative/administrative schism is a left brain/right brain thing, and sometimes it's hard to switch gears. When we first started, I thought I was going to be able to do an Astronauts in Trouble adventure with Charlie every three months. And then I thought it might be nice to have a book a year out. Then whole years went by where I did a bunch of free-lance writing but not for comics. So, yes, the more administrative and creative development and other-media deals we do are rewarding, but not in the same way as reading a comic that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the hard work of you and your talented friends. So that's why I do "Proof of Concept." I steal a day for myself and write up a twelve-page script for artists to draw. Going to collect 'em all into a graphic novel, and have a nice little collection of short stories. So the media empire still gets run, and the part of me that just wants to write stories gets Thursday to himself.

Q: Outside of AiT/Planet Lar titles, what comics, or creators, do you read regularly?

Mimi: I love Top Shelf's books. Brett and Chris have an amazing line.

Larry: Kurt Busiek is doing a great Conan now. IDW has some good-looking books. I have lunch with Kieron Dwyer every Wednesday and we go to the shop after. I just go browse the comic racks and buy something that catches my eye. I love comics, and I'll read anything.

Q: Why aren't people reading more American comics, and what should be done to change that?

Mimi: I don't think it's all that much of a problem. I guess you specified "American" comics to set aside manga, but comics are comics. More people reading manga means more people reading comics, and that's nothing but good. Because for every person exposed to good comics with Chobits or Ranma or ... I don't know, pick your favorite manga, there's someone who's going to respond to Electric Girl or Jax Epoch or Colonia or Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden.

Q: What's the most important thing you've learned in the five years of AiT/Planet Lar?

Larry: That there's room for everyone, and that there will always be someone somewhere making good comics. Slow and steady wins the race.


In case you missed them, you still can read the interviews with Demo creators Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan.

Seven Days of Demo: Wednesday is the deadline for the big What If You Were Different? Demo contest. Come up with a creative superpower, tell us how you would use it, and you could win tons of prizes, courtesy of AiT/Planet Lar and Digital Webbing.

The shipping news: Ninth Art also provides a look at the noteworthy books shipping this week, including Blue Monday: Painted Moon, Gotham Central and District X.

Brand flakes: At Ninth Art, Paul O'Brien tries to decipher DC Comics' imprint formula:

"DC loves imprints. Unfortunately, it's not always clear that DC knows what they're for. Even outside WildStorm, things tend to get a bit blurry. Most people have a reasonable fair idea of what Vertigo's meant to represent, but a curious muddle of mature readers comics bearing a normal DC Bullet logo has sprung up around the edges. It's perhaps understandable that FALLEN ANGEL has been bracketed with the superhero comics, but LIGHT BRIGADE? A 'war and horror' series featuring angels in World War II? Is there a single good reason why that wasn't in the Vertigo imprint? It's not even a marginal case -- it's the sort of premise a Random Vertigo Miniseries Generator would come up with."

Strange tales: Newsarama talks to Andy Diggle about his upcoming Adam Strange miniseries:

"... It’s a fantastic premise, but his adventures have followed pretty much the same pattern since his first appearance in the Fifties. After half a century, I thought maybe it was starting to get a little stale. What I hope I’ve done is create a new story for Adam which uses everything that makes the character great –- the jet-pack, the Zeta-Beam, Rann, Alanna -– but turns it all on its head, so you genuinely don’t know where it’s going to end up.

"I also love the idea of contrasting the mundane world of Earth with the fabulous, colorful world of Rann, so I deliberately started the story in the darkest, grimmest place in the DCU -– namely, Gotham City. As Adam’s quest takes him further and further away from Earth, the scale of the action escalates exponentially, until by the end of it -- Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. Let’s just say it’s big, with serious ramifications for the DCU as a whole."

Variation on a theme: ICv2.com discusses the return of variant covers with Marvel's Gui Karyo, DC's Bob Wayne, Image's Erik Larsen and Dark Horse's Jeff Macey.

Wayne: "Depending on how you do a variant cover, it's a matter of degrees. I think there is some possibility on any variant cover that it increases the possibility of someone buying more than one copy, and buying it for speculation. I think the fifty/fifty split, because it puts a substantial number of copies of both covers into the channel, tends to make it where it's not a highly collectible item in that respect. I don't think it causes a substantial amount of speculation. Smaller quantities certainly lead to folks who are interested in speculation. The general rule of thumb is we try not to publish original story material in a format that's unreasonably inaccessible because of a limited run. Variant covers don't seem as compelling a distinction as the actual story content. I don't have in my collection every variant cover that DC's produced in the sixteen and a half years that I've been here. I haven't felt compelled to keep one of each, and I probably had the easiest access of most people reading this interview."

Karyo: "... Dan, Joe and I are all constantly watching the market place - and in particular, we have been watching the variant cover effect since Dreamwave's Transformers covers. It is not that we watch or react to DC specifically, but it is foolish not to watch the market. What influences us is that there is apparently a large demand for these covers from our customers."

Larsen: "It's a manipulative way of doing business. It's not something I would encourage people to do. This isn't the early nineties. It's trying to foster the whole collectors' mentality thing. I don't know that there are that many real investors out there, or that that sort of thing should be encouraged. People ought to concentrate more on making sure that the books themselves are of decent quality."

Macey: "I think variant covers are sought out by speculators; they don't necessarily turn people into speculators. I think people can buy two copies of the same comic with different covers because they like both covers, rather than because they think the comics will be worth untold riches down the road."

Suburban obsessions: The Chicago Daily Herald profiles Julie Larson, creator of The Dinette Set syndicated comic strip.

Weird science: The Dallas Morning News (registration required) talks to college professors who are using Hollywood blockbusters and comic books to help teach science. There's even a course titled, "Everything I Know About Science I Learned From Reading Comic Books":

"We're talking about people who are not going to be scientists, but they live in a world that is increasingly technologically and scientifically oriented. We want them to be savvy enough, so that when it comes time to vote for county commissioners or run for Congress, they have enough science know-how to reasonably evaluate science-based questions that come up in daily life."

Porn, again: For all you "adult" comics fans (and I don't mean the Vertigo kind), Carnal Comics has released Carnal Comics: The Inside Story, a 56-page softcover edition featuring "long-lost artwork from the Carnal Comics archives and brand-new illustrated essays and interviews with virtually everyone ever involved in Carnal, from the publishers through the porn stars who co-crafted comics themselves." Here's the press release.

Remolding the Man of Steel: The May 17 edition of Time magazine examines DC Comics' latest plans to reinvigorate Superman:

"For America's multimillion-dollar Superman industry, it's a serious problem. This is a guy who's from outer space — he was born on the planet Krypton, let's not forget — but he's also from another time. He debuted in the 1930s, when Americans liked their heroes like they liked their steaks: tough, thick and all-American. Nowadays we prefer our heroes dark and flawed and tragic. Look at the Punisher (wife and kids dead), or Hellboy (born a demon), or Spider-Man (secretly a nerd). Look at Batman: his parents were killed in front of him, and he dresses like a Cure fan. Now look at the big blue Boy Scout, with his cleft chin and his spit curl. He's just not cool."

Paul Levitz, Jim Lee, Chuck Austen and Jerry Seinfeld are interviewed for the piece.

Star-spangled banter: Silver Bullet Comic Books chats with Robert Kirkman about his upcoming run on Captain America, which will include appearances by old standards such as Batroc the Leaper, Hydra, Mr. Hyde and the Serpent Society:

"I'm just trying to have fun. I love Cap as a character and I'm just trying to celebrate his coolness and show people what I think is so cool about the guy. I'm not trying to be different for different's sake. I'm just trying to do a cool, entertaining, Cap story. It'll be loaded with nods to what has come before. I'm all about the respect."

For Peanuts: The St. Paul Pioneer Press (registration required) notes the release of Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings from the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, and The Complete Peanuts, from Fantagraphics:

"The father of Peanuts was never keen on collecting Li'l Folks into a book: 'I wouldn't let them,' he once wrote, 'because the style is just too different from what I draw now.' Although he was fond of saying, 'I never like anything that I did yesterday,' his widow thinks she knows better.

"'We know he cared about these cartoons,' she says, 'because he pasted almost all of the panels into an album that he kept his entire life.'"

Millar's tale: UK's The Guardian reviews Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son:

"Millar's allegory has at its heart a character study, albeit one of a heroic refugee from a long-dead world. The reversal of political backdrop and inversion of the familiar inevitably raises questions of nature and nurture and specifically throws into sharp relief the comforting assumptions behind this all-American symbol."

Exiting NYX: Yesterday on his message board (registration required), Josh Middleton explains why he's no longer working on Marvel's NYX, two issues sooner than originally planned. Apparently, it's "a combination of unforeseen conflicts, poor planning, and simple lack of production":

"To do good work takes time, and most importantly, careful planning. Good work is never the product of wishful thinking, nor are good working relationships. When goals are set and relationships and schedules are built around those mutually agreed upon goals, it is important for all parties involved to honor their commitments from the outset to the best of their abilities. When things go awry, honest assessment and full disclosure is imperative in keeping everyone united in finding a realistic solution to whatever has thrown the ship off course. Denial and that damnable wishful thinking cause immeasurable damage to a relationship built on trust. When you're chasing the carrot, you inevitably get the stick.

"With this in mind, I felt it was best that I end my involvement on NYX to hopefully facilitate the achievement of the decidedly different goals of Marvel and myself. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity I was provided with and the support I received while working on the title.

"There are many unforeseen obstacles to overcome in publishing as in life and blame could hardly be found in having to change the rules of the game to accommodate such events. It is only irritating when a train clearly destined for derailment is knowingly and continually boarded at the station, even when announcements of the inevitable are repeatedly being made.

"In the end, I will spare the details as to how Marvel could have done better in assisting this Prima Donna in achieving artistic excellence, and will simply say that it was my own lack of enthusiasm which ultimately led to my demise as interior artist. In my heart, I know that one must believe in what they are doing or the work will suffer immensely, if it is completed at all. I tend to think I am especially sensitive in this area, and though I try to keep things in perspective, if content or circumstance prevent me from properly engaging my heart, the work is over before it begins (though admittedly I may have manufactured a means to forgive myself too easily with this sentiment).

"If indeed it does speak to my lack of professionalism or my inexperience as a comic artist, or simply my arrogance, I have still managed to somehow forgive myself for quitting a game I could never win, and in many ways, had no desire to play in the first place. I sincerely hope that fans of my work on NYX will forgive me, too, and that I can hopefully win their attention once more on whatever is next."

(Link via the Brian Wood Forum.)

Seven Days of Demo: Don't forget the big What If You Were Different? Demo contest. Prizes include tons of swag from AiT/Planet Lar and Digital Webbing. In case you missed them, you still can read my interviews with Demo co-creators Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. Look for more interviews next week.

Abe, honestly: The Galveston County (Texas) Daily News interviews area native Ginger Turner, writer of the Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President children's graphic novel.

Review revue: Science Fiction Crows Nest reviews Kevin J. Anderson's The Saga Of Seven Seas: Veiled Alliances.

Cartoon network: The Acton (Mass.) Beacon discovers the Anime Crew, a student group at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School that spends Thursday afternoons watching Japanese cartoons:

"I thought it was a really cool form of art and really different from American cartoons. This is a really fun place ... It's nice to be in a group of people with similar interests."

The Kids are alright: 24 Hour Museum reports on an exhibit dedicated to the Bash Street Kids comic strips at the Ballymena Museum in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Hoop dreams: 4-Color Review chats with Jod Kaftan, editor of Tokyopop's Sports Manga line, about the publisher's NBA series.

Sea tales: Grant Morrison talks to Newsarama about his Seaguy miniseries:

"The story started out as a kind of palate-cleansing exercise - after the heavy, 'realistic' approach of the Marvel stuff, I wanted to do something surreal and whimsical, in the vein of my Doom Patrol stories again -- an ocean-going picaresque adventure, you might say.

"Then I had the idea to develop Seaguy into a weapon I could use to fight back against the trendy and unconvincing 'bad-ass' cyncism of current comics, most of which are produced by the most un-'bad-ass' men you can possibly imagine. In the current climate, it seemed like an act of rebellion to deliberately create 'the new sentimentality' and produce work that was almost embarrassingly dripping with tender and awkward feelings. There's a strange kind of Edwardian vibe hitting the world right now - a kind of slowing down, a promenading feel as people rebel against manufactured 'cool'. Seaguy can be seen as art at the vanguard of this new attitude.

"As the story progressed and took on a life of its own, it soon became clear that it was really about the 'big brothering' of society, omnipresent surveillance and global disinformation. It’s about the dumbing down of culture, the creation of capitalist 'comfort zones' in the midst of social decay, about a world tranquillized and satisfied and quite unaware of the dark glue that holds it all together.

"… and talking tuna fish."

Joe Casey, version 2.0: Variety.com's Bags and Boards concludes its two-part interview with Wildcats and Automatic Kafka writer Joe Casey:

"Lately, I’ve been content with the fact that if DC and Marvel do nothing but cool, slickly-produced superhero comicbooks, that’s fine. They shouldn’t be expected to be producing Shakespeare every month. Nor should they be expected to reinvent the wheel. That’s what companies like Dark Horse, Image, AiT/PlanetLar, Oni and Tokyopop are here for. Good pop art doesn’t necessarily have to be 'disposable' in a quality sense, but it’s the nature of pop to eat itself. What’s 'in' today? Let’s see it, let’s celebrate it, then let’s get it out of the way for the Next Big Thing. Now, if you take one step back from that, you can definitely find areas where subversion can occur. And that is what I’m interested in, to a certain degree. But, again, I’m also interested in creating some comic books that people can read, enjoy and then toss away. Whether or not they save the book as a piece of 'high art' has no bearing on whatever experience they had actually reading the thing."

Retailer ping-pong: Yesterday at ICv2.com, retailer Sara Grey complained that Marvel and other publishers are hurting stores by announcing their big advertising campaigns for Free Comic Book Day after shops have sent in their orders. Today, Marvel's Andrew Lis responds with tips on how retailers can take advantage of Marvel's "aggressive, unique FOC policy" to adjust their marketing plans and comics orders.

If you’ve read comics with any regularity over the past several years, you‘ve probably seen Brian Wood’s work: Channel Zero, The Couriers, Jennie One, Couscous Express, Fight For Tomorrow and even, briefly, Marvel’s Generation X. Oh, and don’t forget his Eisner-nominated covers for Global Frequency.

But it’s Wood’s current project, Demo (AiT/Planet Lar), that’s drawing the most attention. Entertainment Weekly said the series’ “touching character sketches breathe with a sense of space and life rarely seen in books about mutants.” Variety described it as “scarier and much more human than mainstream comics usually dare to be.”

Wood pulled himself away from writing the final three issues of the series to answer a few questions about, well, Demo:

Q: Demo doesn't fit neatly into any traditional comics genres. It's a slice-of-life comic, but with superpowers. It's a comic about superpowers, but with no clear heroes and villains. That's not an easy concept to market in the current comics climate. How does reader response compare to your expectations, both in terms of sales and critical feedback?

A: Well, it’s interesting. Whatever people were expecting from Demo, I don’t think they got. Issue 1 was probably the closest Demo gets to anything like a "traditional" superpower book, so people were like, “OK, we get it, it’s like the X-Men, sorta.” The gag in the first few pages of that issue, that poke at the commonly used phrases in mutant books, most people took seriously.

Then when #2 came out, everyone went: "What the fuck? What's going on? Nothing! Well, something, but I don't know what." "This isn't a story." "I could have told this in six pages." "This sucks." "It's like Preacher." "What happens to this girl?" "I don't get it." And so on. Take your pick. That was a calculated move on my part -- I had actually written #2 first, but wanted to ease people into it with something a little more expected, Issue 1.

With #3 and onwards, the people that understood the book really started to like it, and everyone else drifted away, which is fine and good and makes sense. I still got, and still do get, static from people because they expected it to be something else. But for the most part that stopped. Now there are tons of hardcore Demo fans who are really smart, really got into it, and love it. And I love them back.

What a lot of people don't get is what a massive risk this book was for us to do. Seriously. I am not just talking financial risk, although that is considerable and much thanks to Planet Lar for taking that leap on a book that was almost impossible for me to properly describe ahead of time.

The creative risk was hefty as well. In an industry where 95 percent of the comics are totally safe, status quo books that sell to fans who want nothing but, Becky and I decided to take a year out of our lives and do something entirely different for us, different for the genre, intensely personal at times, and switch it up month after month. We have new characters, new settings, new vibes and, in a way, new art, month in and month out. We took a gamble people would respond, and they have. I honestly and truly wish more people in comics took risks like that, even if they fail. Without stuff like that, we die.

And the people who do take those risks now, they have my respect. I wish them all the success they can handle.

Our sales are healthy -- rising even. The response at conventions is huge, lots of people buying entire runs of the book. You know those are brand-new readers. I love that.

And for the most part the critical feedback has been excellent. Lots of grumblings and mutterings on Delphi message boards, but it’s hard to get too upset about that when Variety, Entertainment Weekly, San Francisco Bay Guardian and even Wizard are praising the book up and down.

Comments from other creators have been nothing but positive as well.

Q: It seems as if a lot of readers and reviewers had a tough time figuring out what to make of Demo's format -- essentially that it's 12 short graphic novels (complete with behind-the-scenes "extras") tied together by a theme. Do more people seem to understand, and appreciate, the concept now that we're about halfway through the series?

A: Yeah, the people who are used to decades upon decades of monthly installments on a story have a hard time. But those readers would have a hard time with Demo anyway. Snagging new people on to Demo is almost laughably easy -- it doesn¹t matter which issue they start with. They can just pick whichever one looks coolest to them and enjoy a complete story.

I'm surprised more creators don't do this.

Q: You mention on your Live Journal that you're outlining the last three issues. Looking back, have you been able to accomplish what you set out to do from a creative standpoint?

A: Absolutely, and then some. Ten times over. This is my proudest work of my career, and of my entire creative life.

Q: Do you already know how that final issue ends?

A: Not yet, but it's just another single issue story, you know? Issue 12 is no more meaningful than #3 or #8, in terms of the series as a whole.

Q: Has the direction of the series -- or your approach to it -- changed since you started it?

A: A little bit. I always knew that if I ever came up with an idea for a story but couldn’t find a way to incorporate a "superpower" into it, I wouldn’t sweat it. These stories don’t all need powers in them, and there is no way I would force it. And this has happened a few times already -- #6 is a total supernatural/horror story, and #8 is more psychological than anything else. In #7, depending on how you look at it, could go either way.

It all still fits the vibe of the series, and all the stories are unmistakably Demo.

Q: Back in August, during Newsarama's Brian Wood Week, you said, "I'm taking huge strides forward in my concepts and writing." How do you think Demo compares to your previous work? In your opinion, is this your best work to date?

A: Most ambitious, most technical, most emotional. It’s also very different from anything I have done before, so it’s hard to compare. I think in terms of what I set out to do with Demo, and with all my books, it’s the most successful on all counts.

Q: There seems to be some hesitancy about whether Demo will be collected in a trade paperback. Has a decision been made yet one way or another, or is that something you will settle on after Issue 12 hits the stands?

A: Well, that decision is based on sales. We haven’t made that call, but the fact that sales are rising makes me, on a personal level, hopeful. But Planet Lar is a business like any other, and Demo is nearly 300 pages long. They'll have to make that call. We haven’t discussed it yet.

Q: Here's the dreaded final question: What's next for you after Demo?

A: A rest. And a few graphic novels. Doing a monthly comic can be a grind at times. I need a break!


* To read Wednesday's Q&A with Demo artist Becky Cloonan, go here.
* For information on our big Demo contest, with tons of prizes from AiT/Planet Lar and Digital Webbing, go here.
* For more Demo goodness this week, keep an eye on these participating blogs: Eat More People, The Johnny Bacardi Show, Near-Mint Heroes and Ringwood Ragefuck.

Angry, and proud of it: In Toronto's Eye Weekly, Guy Leshinski profiles Johnny Ryan, creator of Angry Youth Comix:

"As usual, Ryan's cut had hit its mark. 'I'm always glad to hear I'm annoying the uptight liberal prigs that are out there,' says Ryan, his snark-rimed monotone bristling over the phone from LA. He fondly recalls a review of one of his books at www.sequentialtart.com, a website for women in comics. The critic had warned her readers to avoid Ryan's work at any cost, writing solemnly, 'A bully can only be a bully if you allow him to intimidate you.' Ryan responded in his next issue with a story about a female cartoonist who's peed on by her all-male classmates and thrown out the window. 'Whenever I see people who really get irate about what I'm doing, I make a small effort to continue insulting them in my work.'"

Must-see TV? Variety.com (subscription required) reports that NBC will air The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman, based on the Internet-exclusive American Express ad shorts, from 8:44-9 p.m. on May 20. The special will mix original footage of Jerry Seinfeld and the cartoon Superman with clips from the Internet shorts. There's no word yet on whether American Express is paying for the ad time, or if NBC is simply viewing it as a way to get Seinfeld back on NBC.

Serial humor: The Washington Blade profiles cartoonists James Asal (Adam & Andy) and Paige Braddock (Jane's World).

Things that go bump in the night: Singapore's Straits Times checks in on the horror resurgence in television and comics, and recommends a handful of American books, such as The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Bite Club, Neal Adams' Monsters, and 30 Days of Night.

Hate the player, not the game: IGN Insider talks to Ames Kirshen, Marvel's manager of game development, about licensing, brand management and, um, Sub-Mariner:

"A lot of times our licensed products have failed in the past. In the past, for the most part, it was up to the publisher as to who takes the brand and shepherds it on the development side and what it turns out to be as the end product. Picking the publishing partner is obviously extremely important, but what developer is working on your product is also important. Whether it's a new developer, or a developer with certain competencies -- those are major factors in terms of what game we end up with. So another part of my role is to identify what partners we want to work with on the development side as well.

"We have the Namor the Submariner property, which Marvel Studios is extremely excited about -- they've been pitching it as their Lord of the Rings or Star Wars fantasy property. It's a Universal film, and it's going to be huge, but it's also going to be an extremely effects-heavy and challenging game to make. So the question there is not just finding the right publisher, but also the right developer who can do this epic film franchise justice."

Well, that was fast: After announcing their big plans just two days ago to promote Spider-Man 2 during Major League baseball games, Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios and Major League Baseball have decided to dial back the hype -- at least a little bit. Because of negative fan reaction, the Spider-Man 2 logo no longer will appear on first, second and third bases. Comic Book Resources has the story, but you can go here for the official spin.

Strange days, indeed: At his Delphi forum, Andy Diggle confirms the long-rumored Adam Strange miniseries, tentatively titled Planet Heist, for release in September. (Link via Newsarama, which reposts some nice art by Pascal Ferry.)

Larsen's Image: ICv2.com has a few questions for Image Comics publisher Erik Larsen about the company's plans for Free Comic Book Day, and how his new job is going:

"It's a lot of fun, and it's just cool to be able to do this.

"You know, I love comics; I'm a comic book fan, I show up at my store on Wednesday every week. They don't have a pull slot. I buy stuff off the shelf and talk to the people who are working at the store and all the rest. I like the idea of being able to get the books off the rack and not have it be that it's all taken care of for me. I like browsing. I like looking for stuff. Then when I miss issues, scrambling to fill in those gaps is just part of being a comic book fan, I guess."

More on Corridor: Maybe I should just do a Daily Corridor Watch. Express India interviews Sarnath Banerjee, writer of Corridor, what's being called that country's first graphic novel:

"I loved comics as a kid and later on my girlfriend simply loved graphic novels. And when she left me in a hurry, a part of her collection was left for me. I read those books, all the while thinking of her, and soon wanted to write one of my own."

The blockhead, collected: The New York Times (registration required) talks to Charles M. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz, about the release of The Complete Peanuts, 1950-1952:

"There's nothing like seeing his work in its entirety, day after day, the little changes. ... I'm not a Peanuts expert. It's the first time I've looked at his early work in anything except when I archived the strips."

Rall gets death threats: The Associated Press reports that political cartoonist Ted Rall said he's received numerous death threats over his cartoon satirizing the media's response to Pat Tillman's death.

Spreading the word: The Pan American Health Organization is turning to Monica, the popular comic-book character created by Brazilian artist Mauricio de Sousa, to promote its continental vaccination campaign. For the effort, de Sousa created a special Monica's Gang comic called Vaccination: An Act of Love, which will be distributed to children in some 35 countries.

Review revue: The Hartford Advocate reviews The Comics Journal Library, Vol. 3: R. Crumb, The Comics Journal Special Edition, Vol. 4, Drawn & Quarterly, Vol. 5 and The Fixer: A Story from Sarajevo.

MAD, MAD world: At Time.com, Richard Corliss looks back at the life, and satirical genius, of MAD magazine founder Harvey Kurtzman.

Tangled web of advertising: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Spider-Man's conquest of Major League Baseball. For the first time, MLB will sell ads on the bases for a Spider-Man 2 movie promotion:

"Home plate will remain untouched, but a Spider-Man logo will be placed on the other bases and in on-deck circles.

"In addition, trailers of the movie, which opens June 30, will be played on ballpark scoreboards."

KRUNKstravaganza: Not to be outdone, the Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch profiles KRUNK cartoonist George Tautkus:

"I think some people responded negatively to KRUNK because I wasn't making jokes with it. I aim to challenge people with KRUNK, and I don't believe you should limit [the comic strip] medium to just jokes."

"Philosophical shorthand": The University of Minnesota's Minnesota Daily profiles political cartoonist and comic-book artist Andy Singer:

"The combination of words and images is kind of a philosophical shorthand. I can say or articulate a complex idea in a single panel that would take me 400 or 500 words to write down."

Excelsior: While we're looking at business deals (and press releases), IDT Entertainment announced it has signed a deal with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment to co-produce and distribute animated projects for broadcast and direct-to-DVD. IDT also has acquired a minority equity interest in the company.

Domestic policy: Marvel Enterprises, everyone's favorite "global character-based entertainment licensing company," announced it has made Jay Franco & Sons Inc. its sole provider of domestics. That means Jay Franco will introduce an exclusive line of Marvel-themed beach and bath towels, sheets, blankets "and other home furnishing products."

Seven Days of Demo: Brian Wood offers a glimpse of Becky Cloonan's art from Demo #8. That gives me an excuse to plug our big Demo contest, which continues through May 12. And, just in case you missed it, I posted a quick Q&A with Becky yesterday. Look for more interviews over the next several days.

30th century boy: I'd meant to link to this yesterday, but got sidetracked by a free-lance project. Bruce Baugh continues to score serious points by dissecting the first three issues of The Legion (for those who can't keep track of all the reboots, that's the current incarnation of the title). I can't help it; I have a soft spot for the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Flight plan: Kazu Kibuishi gives Newsarama a glimpse of Flight, Vol. 1, a 208-page anthology to be published in July through Image:

"Flight is a big book full of stories, done in comic form. The first volume features some of the best comics I have ever seen, and being a real stickler for good work, I say that objectively despite my involvement in the project! The contributors really pulled through with their stories and produced some of the best work of their careers. They're such heartfelt, incredible comics."

To catch a thief: Also at PopImage, Adi Tantimedh chats about Blackshirt, his 96-page original graphic novel from Moonstone Books about an ex-SAS operative turned thief.

Singular sensation: PopImage talks to Ben Templesmith about Singularity 7, his upcoming four-issue series from IDW Publishing.

A tale of two spectacles: In this week's "Permanent Damage," Steven Grant addresses the Micah Wright controversy, and offers an interesting look at CrossGen's downward spiral:

"Where Alessi really went south from the beginning was his insistence on being the company's creative force.

"Not that Crossgen produced bad books. They just weren't good enough to stand out. Alessi's core concept – the Sigil that gave people on various worlds in the 'Crossgen Universe' superpowers – was intended to be a unifying element to disparate books, but the underlying question, apparently never asked, was whether disparate books needed a unifying element (not to mention one that pegged them as superhero comics when the company was marketing itself as not producing superhero comics). Creating 'fantasy' comics wasn't necessarily a bad idea in itself, but failing to successfully market them to the audience that buys fantasy material was a major error. (Which may explain the superhero element; Crossgen targeted the direct market, which almost never does serious marketing for anything but superhero comics.)"

Joe Casey, version 1.0: Variety.com's Bags and Boards has the first installment of a two-part interview with Wildcats and Automatic Kafka writer Joe Casey:

"Basically, I just like writing characters with as much depth as I can squeeze into them. Wildcats was rich with diverse characters, both old and new, that I really enjoyed exploring. They were unpredictable in their actions, as well as unpredictable in their relationships with each other. That was what I really got off on as a writer and I think a lot of our readers did, too. More than once, someone would comment on how they could never predict what was going to happen next. How many superhero titles can you really say that about? It was also a series where I could subvert a lot of the inherent clichés of superhero comicbooks. Why else would I put the prototypical gun-toting badass of the cast in a wheelchair for two years or put the 'Superman' character in a business suit in a corporate high-rise office and make him more of a visionary speech-maker rather than an action star?"

WildStorm, rebranded (Part 2): The Pulse carries the release about DC Comics' rebranding of WildStorm, and has examples of the new logos and cover dress.

Night line: UnderGroundOnline talks to Nicolas Mahler about his humorous take on the horror classics, Van Helsing's Night Off, and the international state of comics:

"It is interesting that everybody thinks comics are more accepted everywhere else. In Austria, that is not the case, for instance. You could say that France is more open-minded, but for non-superhero/fantasy stuff like mine, it is difficult everywhere. In France, it may be easier to find a niche, but that is what it is: a niche. In the U.S., 'independent' comics have a hard time, I guess, but that's the same in Austria, or in Germany. When people hear 'comics,' they think superheroes. I think that's the same everywhere. It is difficult to get a comic book in a regular bookstore, where I think it would belong.

"... Even in France, artists are saying how hard it is for independent work to be recognized. Of course, I think that is worse in the U.S., but I have no insight here...I think comics artists are not respected anywhere, but I think that is a good thing. With respect comes boredom and the will to do art. And I think that is a bad thing, especially in comics. I can't look at comics that try to be art. A comic has to tell an interesting story in a good way, that's it. That's hard enough."

"Herding cats": ICv2.com chimes in on the formation of the International Comic Arts Association:

"As for the publishers, there already is a comic book industry trade organization for publishers, the CMAA (Comic Magazine Association of America) and it appears to be the very model of a dysfunctional, quarrel-ridden and impotent trade organization. The CMAA's problems demonstrate the need for a real comic book trade organization that could promote the industry, but they also demonstrate how difficult a task building such an organization can be. Perhaps Mr. Enervold has the ability to herd cats -- we certainly hope so."

Hoping for a revival: The Japan Times reports that Manga Action, which suspended publication in September because of low sales, is relaunching with a new focus on more "adult" subjects, such as stories about abductions and cults:

"Some people may feel that social issues make for too serious reading for the comics. But it can be entertaining if you think of it as the comic version of the tabloid press and television shows that feature gossip and current affairs."

Chief editor Katsushi Minoura said this time the magazine won't make the mistake of catering to "popular tastes," as it did a few years ago when it offered "obscene material" in hopes of attracting male readers:

"This tactic failed to revive sales, and eventually Manga Action's circulation fell to some 70,000 -- a fraction of its 1972 peak of 1 million copies -- by the time its publisher suspended publication."

A new contest, and more: How do you follow a contest as successful as last month's Great Losers Giveaway? How about with something bigger and, depending on your tastes and perspective, possibly better?

This time around, we -- and by "we," I mean Johnny Bacardi, Shane Bailey, Rick Geerling, Ken Lowery and me -- are spotlighting Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan's Demo, published by AiT/Planet Lar. If you're not familiar with Demo, it's a 12-issue series of standalone stories -- miniature graphic novels, if you will -- about teens trying to cope with superpowers, and life (and death) in general. For issue summaries, go here.

So, we're asking: What if you were different? What if you had powers that set you apart from everyone else? What would become of your life? How would you change? We want to know what superpower you'd want to have, and what you'd do with it. Be creative. None of that "I'd want invisibility so I could watch people shower" nonsense. Make it <