Comics and ... eh, mostly comics.
It's not you, it's me. Really.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 7:50 AM
There doesn't seem to be much going on today, which is just as well, because I'm not really in a blogging mood. I'll update this afternoon if either the news or my mood improves.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:31 AM
Also at Ninth Art, Paul O'Brien considers why Marvel and DC have come crawling back to the Big Event Comic:
... Marvel and DC have always had a firm motto of, 'Never waste time coming up with a new idea when you can recycle an old one'. Both companies have a little cupboard of concepts and strategies that never really work, but that keep getting wheeled out every few years on the grounds that they've had a rest, and it might work this time. It's been a while since we've had major crossovers. If you work from the assumption that they were never a bad idea in the first place, merely overexposed and badly done, then you might take the view that we've had a rest from them, the audience has detoxified, and the time is ripe to give this excellent device another shot.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:19 AM
At Ninth Art, Greg McElhatton sifts through April Previews to highlight some of the best comics shipping in June. Among the highlights: Skyscrapers of the Midwest #2, Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 3, Antique Bakery Vol. 1, Gravity #1, and Northwest Passage #1.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 7:57 AM
I rarely succumb to the call of the meme, but I've been lulled by a day spent listening to the dulcet tones of Avery Books as he ponders the life of Jesus. Plus, that rat-bastard Ed sent one in my direction.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 6:57 PM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 6:49 PM
UGO.com devotes a special section to the Marvel Next initiative, talking with editor in chief Joe Quesada and the writers of eight of the books about "the next wave of new Marvel characters and ideas that are going to set the comic book world on its ear."
Quesada, on why readers should give the titles a try: "... Look, has your ol' pal Joey Q ever steered you wrong? We're on one of the greatest creative rolls at Marvel since the early sixties. We've got new projects and characters coming out of the halls of "The House" that you just don't want to miss. Ten years from now, folks will be looking back and kicking themselves because they can't afford to buy these issues from back issue bins, so don't miss out!"
Marc Sumerak, on Machine Teen: "I don't think comics have necessarily neglected teen drama over the years -- there are plenty of great books, even in mainstream comics, that have very skillfully approached important teen issues and relationships. But even so, those themes have always tended to be the B-story running alongside the superhero stuff. Seeing how prevalent teen drama is in today's mainstream media, it's about time that those B-stories started coming to the forefront in comics as well. Drama is drama, whether you're wearing wear a cape or a pair of khakis. As Marvel has proven over the years, a character's personal life can be far more interesting than their superhero one.""... Ironically, promotion tends to flow in the direction where it's least needed - towards high profile projects with top flight creators where word of mouth alone would seem to guarantee success. Sometimes -- just occasionally -- you get the big push behind a small project, making a difference. It doesn't seem to be anything you can influence yourself, though: it's a mysterious and little understood phenomenon, like spontaneous combustion."
(Carey also mentions that he's working on another book with Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel, his collaborators on My Faith in Frankie.)
Adam Warren, on Livewires: "... The problem is, even if Livewires or any other Marvel Next book were to possibly appeal to some minor element of the vast manga readership, it would presumably do so as a trade paperback compilation of a miniseries or story arc, appearing on the bookshelves somewhere near the scads of manga. I just can't see the typical manga reader suddenly bailing over to the comics store to pick up individual issues of any comic ... or 'pamphlets,' as some publishers have begun to refer to individual issues.
"... But even if a Marvel Next (or any other) book were to have success as a TPB compilation, it's all too likely that the title would've been already been choked off by low direct-market sales for its individual issues. So, a book first has to survive with decent issue sales in the direct market before it can have any hope to thrive elsewhere ... which is what I hope Livewires will do. Hey, it ain't like this is a particularly abstruse or hyperspecialized title, chock full o', say, effeminate pretty boy-on-pretty boy action ... not that there's anything wrong with that, shoujo and YAOI fans. It's a high-speed story about high-tech mecha indulging in high-test mayhem and adventure, leavened with heaping helpings o' humor, characterization and spectacle. Not like all that's necessarily out of line with the general preferences of the direct market, though, as I mentioned before, maybe the lack of capes and masks may prove fatal. Oh frickin' well."
Fiona Avery, on Arana: The Heart of the Spider
Fred Van Lente, on Amazing Fantasy
Craig Kyle, on X-23
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:18 AM
The Vermont Guardian looks at how James Sturm's Center for Cartoon Studies ended up in a former department store in downtown White River Junction:The center is currently in the midst of a $600,000 capital fundraising campaign. Approximately half of that amount has been raised, sometimes with some very surprising donations. For example, [Center managing director Michelle] Ollie was in White River Junction one night in January when a fire leveled a building in the downtown area. When firefighters blocked off some of the streets, Ollie offered a ride home to a stranded couple. A few days later, they sent a check to the center’s fundraising campaign. There have been lots of in-kind donations such as accounting, permitting, legal and architectural services as well as books from publishers that will fill the center’s library. Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons televison show, donated an autographed cell from the show that was auctioned on eBay. Peter Laird, one of the co-creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, donated $150,000.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 10:26 AM
Today, Tom Spurgeon has an interesting interview with writer Matt Fraction:
Spurgeon: Can you describe the extent of your professional interest in comics? I mean, do you want to do a lot of them? Is there someone's career in comics that would serve as a rough model for what you'd like to do?
Fraction: There are definitely stories that I want to tell that only work on the page; as long as I can't get them out of my system, I suppose I'll try writing them. I wouldn't mind doing a lot of comics but, at the same time, I tend to not play well with others so... so I don't know. There's definitely a degree of creative autonomy my day job affords me that I look for in comics to keep from going nuts.
And I'd be Frank Miller, circa 1985. Blank check, no oversight, full control, final cut, and a gajillion readers.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:16 AM
The Montreal Mirror talks with cartoonist Kim Deitch about his father's influence, Waldo, and the "graphic novel":
Isn't that a starchy term? I just found out that that was a gift from Will Eisner. He was a great man, but I think he was defensively stuffy about the whole thing. Comics are like a junk literature medium. In a way I think we should just relax and let it be a junk literature medium. Most of the great literature classics turn out to be the best of the junk. If you look at the work of Charles Dickens, they didn't come out in finely bound volumes, they were first published in parts, with splash panel and a jazzy logo and a few pictures inside. They looked a lot like comics. They were for the masses. My old man says most of everything is lousy, and I agree with him. We always look through the lousy to get to the good stuff. But you know what? They used to call me a hippie when I was younger, and I thought, "Well, if a black man is a nigger, then I'm a hippie." They'll call you whatever they want to call you. The name isn't that important.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:50 AM
Asahi Shimbun reports that an increasing number of die-hard anime fans are flocking to Japan for behind-the-scenes tours of animation studios and shopping sprees at speciality shops.
According to an official at Studio Pierrot, an anime production company in Mitaka, Tokyo, anime otaku in the United States and Europe are well-versed in titles that are not even broadcast in their countries. They get their information from anime magazines, the Internet and pirated DVDs, the official said.
Another factor has been the talent of Hayao Miyazaki, the nation's most acclaimed animated film director. Miyazaki has gained international recognition with such feature films as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:37 AM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:02 AM
ICv2 has the breakdown of North American direct-market figures for February, noting that dollar sales of comics and graphic novels were up 15 percent over those in February 2004 -- the best month since the retailer website began tracking year-over-year numbers last March.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:50 AM
Rolling Stone briefly spotlights "existential cartoonist" Paul Hornschemeier (Mother, Come Home, and the upcoming The Three Paradoxes):The Three Paradoxes, Hornschemeier's new graphic novel, to be published in June by Fantagraphics, employs multiple narratives and continues his "fascination with the subjective world," he says. "I'm interested in the deterioration of memory and the nature of first-person accounts." Is there a unifying element to the variety of artwork and color schemes in his work? "My style has a kind of Midwestern openness," he says.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:37 AM
IGN.com (or is it FilmForce?) has 10 questions for artist Tim Bradstreet, who talks about his influences, what project didn't live up to expectations, and what he'd change about the industry:
Royalties for creators across the board. Some companies are good with this but most are not. I'm not asking for the world here, I'm just saying when a company does a poster with my artwork on it, I should see a small percentage from that. Or if my covers are reprinted in a collection I should be compensated just like the interior artists are. If my work is used on a toy package, I need to be compensated a second rights fee, and if not a royalty situation, at the very least higher rates for the original work that ends up being merchandised to death. I'm just talking fair treatment here.
There is no good reason that companies should be able to use someone else's vision to sell their products and not cut them into it in some small way. If this was the case you'd find more top creators would be less inclined to work on some creator owned book and more interested in doing established characters. Just my two cents.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:19 AM
A Los Angeles Times story looks at the increasing popularity of shojo in the United States, and what publishers, and even TV networks, are doing to meet the demand.
The article notes that of the 400 manga Tokyopop will publish this year, more than half will be aimed at girls. Viz, meanwhile, is releasing 140, plus launching the Shojo Beat anthology and graphic-novel line.Until recently, there just hadn't been much for girls. Sure, stories of bulked-up superheroes saving busty women appeal to boys, but there's typically little an 11-year-old girl can relate to. Ditto for the indies, which have more varied story lines but are for older readers.The article also points out the rise in American-drawn "manga, with Tokyopop set to release eight to 10 shojo books by U.S. creators.
Even if there were a slew of tween girl comics, what awkward junior high schooler would risk wandering into a comic book store and rubbing elbows with its stereotypical man-child clientele? Shojo, like all manga, is where girls actually want to go -- in malls, at well-lighted bookstores. And the relationship-oriented stories follow subjects to which they can relate -- love, family, identity, responsibility -- in soap-opera serials spread over multiple volumes.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:53 AM
The Knight Ridder/Tribune wire service carries an article that provides a little more information on Marvel Comics' return to 7-Eleven stores beginning in June.
Titles from the publisher's all-ages Marvel Adventures will lead the charge, followed by some of its most popular books, such as Amazing Spider-Man and Astonishing X-Men. As had been hinted in earlier reports, the comics apparently will be in flipbook format -- 64-page books featuring two stories, with a $3.99 price tag.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 7:52 AM
Publishers Weekly (subscription required) reports that New York Is Book Country probably will disband itself as a nonprofit, and likely will not hold an event this year.
The festival had seen a growing presence by comics publishers, with last year's Graphic Novel Pavillion showcasing 10 exhibitors, including DC Comics, Drawn and Quarterly and Marvel. Comics artist Tara McPherson provided a Sandman poster for the 2004 event. Previous years had featured work by Jim Lee and Art Spiegelman.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 1:23 PM
No, you haven't clicked on The Comics Curmudgeon by mistake (though that would never really be a mistake).
It's a slow news day, so I figured I'd take this opportunity to mark the first time since roughly 1968 that Family Circus has triggered a reaction of any kind -- beyond, "What, 'Not Me' again?"I am writing about the Family Circus comic in your March 8 edition.
The comics should not be a place for politics, but a source of entertainment for children. Bill Keane's Hitleresque view on society is not only an insult to all intelligent humans, but also to your journalism.
The Family Circus is a disappointment to society at large. We kindly ask that you remove this offensive comic from your paper.
Sophia Starrett
Students Against Offensive Literature
Hallowell
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:58 AM
The Chicago Tribune considers The Ring, a cultural phenomenon that's spawned three films, two additional novels, eight manga, a television miniseries, a radio drama, video games, merchandise and an entire wave of Japanese horror ("J-horror").The roots of the Ring phenomenon twist back through the history of Japanese culture and traditions. Despite being rooted in contemporary media technology, the Ring re-scans an ancient archetype -- the vengeful female spirit or demon ("hannya") that has haunted Japanese culture for thousands of years.
"In Japanese folklore, Kabuki theater and Noh drama, female ghosts are motivated by anger and resentment," says Susan J. Napier of the Asian Studies Department at the University of Texas. "There's lots of ghost-women who have been raped and murdered and who return to wreak horrible vengeance." Like these wronged women, Sadako/Samara elicits our sympathy and our fear because her murderous motive springs from human brutality.
While this social dimension suggests how an intrinsically Japanese figure captured the world's imagination, the surprisingly un-horrific catalyst for the Ring craze looks at his creation logically, biologically and philosophically.
"I'm not really interested in the occult," says author [Koji] Suzuki, who has also published child-rearing books. Looking at the Ring's global popularity, Suzuki suggests that his horror books are frighteningly compelling because they evoke humanity's precarious nature. "Humans march along between order and chance, the ridge along the abyss of chaos," he says.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:22 AM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:37 PM
In professional wrestling, the only thing more difficult than keeping track of who the good guys are is figuring out who has the rights to the name "Hulk Hogan": Marvel Enterprises, World Wrestling Entertainment or Terry Bollea.
This may have been as part of a settlement from a trademark infringement suit Marvel had filed against Hogan back last year, which was dismissed in September 2004. Marvel had been seeking $100,000 in damages according to court documents.Expect more coverage when and if details become less confusing.
WWE learned of Marvel and Hogan's agreement on 2/25 (they announced he was joining their Hall of Fame just three days later) and petitioned Judge Victor Marrero to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, since the matter was no longer a valid issue as Marvel had no claim to the "Hulk Hogan" name.
WWE also requested that Marvel's countersuit against them, which claimed there was a contract breach over their agreement on how the Hulk Hogan name would be used, be dismissed as well. Attorneys for Marvel requested the court continue to oversee that situation and make a ruling. A conference was scheduled for 3/18 to handle the matter before the Judge, but the actual case of who owns the trademark and rights at this point appears to be settled - Hogan himself now owns it.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 3:12 PM
At his blog, Neil Gaiman responds to Todd McFarlane's comments about ownership of Miracleman. He also mentions that he's in "the concluding stages of talks to bring the Alan Moore Miracleman stories and the stories I wrote and Mark Buckingham drew back into print."
Good old Todd. This was the same kind of thing he was doing in the fan press before the legal case. Charitably, I think it's fair to say that he's telling huge and easily disprovable fibs. No, he doesn't (whatever he says in the interview) have a trademark on Miracleman. The shared trademark that Eclipse had was found to have expired in the mid 90s, before Todd bought the remains of Eclipse. (Todd put in a new Miracleman trademark application back in 2001, before the legal case, which we opposed as soon as we found out about it, and which hasn't been granted.)
Beyond that, he's also distancing himself from the reality-based community in his description of the result of the legal case. (I'm not sure what to say about that, other than it's all been pretty extensively recorded.) If Todd actually owned a share of Miracleman (something that became more and more unlikely as we finally saw the actual documentation he had on it, which consisted only of: a contract that said that Eclipse's rights to the character automatically reverted if someone other than Dean Mullaney owned Eclipse, and an expired Trademark notice for a Trademark shared with me, Mark Buckingham and Eclipse) then, yes, he kept that share at the end of the trial. Meanwhile, Mark Buckingham and my share of Miracleman isn't in any doubt at all. I didn't walk away from what Todd had; Todd simply couldn't demonstrate that he owned anything that I was walking away from.
We're in the concluding stages of talks to bring the Alan Moore Miracleman stories and the stories I wrote and Mark Buckingham drew back into print. (The stories are copyright Alan and me, the art is copyright by the artists who did it.)
Currently, I'm also one of the largest creditors of Todd's comic company.
I used to get hate mail from Image Fans accusing me of delaying the Image 10th anniversary book (which was due out in 2002) because, following the trial, I now co-owned the Cogliostro character, and people from Image were at one point, apparently, telling people that I was stopping the comic coming out, which came as rather a surprise to me, because it was the first I'd heard of it (and was also nonsense). Cynically, I can't help wondering if Todd claiming he's now putting Miracleman into the just-a-little-bit-late comic is just a way to put off actually publishing the comic for a few more years.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 2:38 PM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 1:47 PM
At The Comics Reporter, Tom Spurgeon continues his week of showcases with new interviews with Scott Mills and James Kimball, a limited preview of new works by Dylan Horrocks, and a 2002 Q&A with John Romita.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:20 AM
ICv2 reports that Tokyopop is smartly using Clip-Strips to market its Cine-Manga line in Wal-Mart stores, displaying the books alongside the corresponding DVDs, or hanging them at the end of toy aisles or near cash registers.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:02 AM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:26 AM
San Francisco's Super 7 store will present an exhibit of the original drawings, paintings and prints of James Jean from April 8 to May 11. Jean will be on hand for the April 8 opening, which coincides with the April 9-10 Alternative Press Expo:
In the current wasteland of contemporary art, filled with the tired repetition of iconic characters, styles and motifs, James Jean is one of the few inspirational artists out there. Just one look at any of his works will immediately win you over. And he's definitely already wowed the comics industry, receiving the Eisner Award (the comics industry's equivalent to an Oscar) for his groundbreaking cover artwork on both Fables and Batgirl; breaking all the rules in terms of perspective, composition and color palettes.Super 7 is located at 1630 Post St. in San Francisco. For more information, visit the store's website.
You've probably even already seen his work without knowing, the great illustration used on the Donna's recent Gold Medal album or San Francisco's own Stratford 4's forthcoming major label debut cover art, and spot illustrations in a variety of high profile publications. We're also proud to help spread the word on his new book, published by AdHouse Books, Process Recess, which collects much of his work, including his amazing sketchbooks.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 2:30 PM
At The Comics Reporter, Tom Spurgeon turns a week of limited Interent access into an opportunity to showcase a few new features and some archived pieces. Today, he offers up a fresh Q&A with Peter Bagge, archived chats with Alex Robinson and Jeff Smith, and an excerpt from an interview with Frank Frazetta, conducted by Gary Groth, which is set to appear in The Classic Comics Illustrators: The Comics Journal Library Volume 5.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 12:07 PM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:55 AM
The Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer spotlights an exhibit at Atlanta's William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum dedicated to Golden Age comics, and their creators, many of whom were Jewish. Called "ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938—1950," the exhibit boasts original comic book art, memorabilia and Hollywood serials featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and other World War II-era heroes.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:49 AM
To give the channel a fresh, un-Manhattan look, its designers scouted teenagers' dressers and bedroom walls, finding inspiration in regional T-shirt logos and posters. They filmed empty schools and suburban houses in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and populated them with the Tomine cartoon kids who comment, sometimes in oblique near haiku, about the evening's programming, creating a sort of Degrassi halo effect. ''I like him,'' a cartoon girl says. ''Like a crush?'' her friend asks. ''As much as I like Degrassi!'' the first responds, almost sincerely.In the Sunday Arts section, The Times looks at the obstacle cartoonist Brad Neely is encountering with screenings of Wizard People, Dear Reader, his "re-envisioning" of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone using a satirical soundtrack.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 7:15 PM
Publishers Weekly (subscription required) takes note of Kurt Hassler's transformation from graphic novel buyer for Borders and Waldenbooks to manga writer for Tokyopop. His first title, Sokora Refugees, will be released in April.
But other manga publishers pointed to a conflict of interest—gatekeeper for a hot category with limited shelf space gets a book deal from a shrewd publisher. Although one publisher told PW, "Anything that helps manga in the marketplace is great," another said, "Give me a break. I'd give him a book contract, too, if it would help get me extra shelf space." Yet another publisher suggested, "Maybe we should give the manga buyer at B&N a book contract?" And a bookseller for a regional bookstore chain noted, "Well, that's kind of a conflict, but I guess it's okay as long as his bosses know what's going on."Tokyopop's Mike Kiley said the decision was based on the quality of the book, not on who wrote it.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 11:20 AM
Reports from Wizard World
• C.B. Cebulski is leaving Marvel. No immediate plans, he just wants to take a break.
• Toykopop has joined the manga restructuring ranks, with some high level execs being let go in the past few weeks.
Comic Book Resources, Newsarama and The Pulse have coverage of yesterday's Joe Quesada panel.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:41 AM
Asahi Shimbun warns that if last year's declining sales figures are any indication, Japan's days as a "comics powerhouse" may be numbered.
The market has been sustained by people in their late 20s and those in their 30s. Members of that age group have been a driving force for the comics market, and publishers target them with revised versions of comics they read when they were young.
The problem is that not many items cater to children. Thus, not that many teenagers read comics.
In the past, there was a saying among industry experts that once children find something interesting, adults also decide it is interesting.
A real recovery for the market, says the institute, means finding talented comic writers whose works appeal to children.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:37 AM
Two articles follow up on Wednesday's item about cutbacks at ADV, the Houston-based anime distributor and manga publisher:
... For ADV, their future in manga depends on overall success in the business on which the company was built starting in 1992, perhaps more so than any competing publisher. It may also hinge on the success or at least mitigation of any setbacks when it comes to concurrent efforts with a television network. Yet it also allows for certain synergistic endeavors. As reported, the company's manga division will emphasize titles with a connection to properties for which they also produce related anime DVDs, such as Eijie Nonaka's Cromartie High School. In that case, the anime series and the manga trades have been packaged together and even used as cross-promotional tools. ADV hopes to pursue projects with the ability to stand out in some way in a crowded marketplace, related anime or no.Meanwhile, retailer website ICv2 dismisses Internet doomsayers who point to the cutbacks as a sign of the "end of the manga boom," noting the prediction "is not borne out by sales results from either bookstores or the direct market."
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 10:01 AM
Here's a piece I forgot to link to when it originally appeared: The Seattle Times carries a Los Angeles Times article about the philosophical and stylistic gulf between anime giants Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii, which may represent a great struggle within the artform.
"Animation studios are surviving, animators are getting better paid, but the quality of new works is not improving," Oshii, director of Ghost in the Shell, told the newspaper. "On the surface, it's thriving. But in reality, there's very little new happening."
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:55 AM
The April 7 issue of The New York Review of Books devotes a sizeable chunk of space to reviewing Jonathan Lethem's comics-influenced Men and Cartoons, The Disappointment Artist and The Fortress of Solitude -- under the wonderful headline, "Welcome to New Dork" -- and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:40 AM
Using the U.S. release of Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy as its springboard, the San Diego Union-Tribune launches into a surprisingly thorough examination of steampunk, the sci-fi subgenre that imagines a world -- often, a decidedly Victorian one -- in which modern technology developed much sooner than it really did.
"Steampunk is where my being a Goth, a silent-movie fan and a sci-fi geek meet," said Cory Gross, who operates a great steampunk website that, unfortunately, will quickly exceed its Geocities bandwidth.If nothing seems punk about English fops in top hats, that's part of the point of the name. It was coined as a play on cyberpunk, the literary movement that took root in the ***'80s as a reaction to conventional sci-fi.In accompanying sidebars, the newspaper points out "cultural artifacts," such as Disney's Tomorrowland, that have steam roots, and offers a list of steam-powered films, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Wild, Wild West and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Cyberpunk writers like William Gibson peopled their dystopias with world-weary, nihilist heroes and brought hackers and computer networking into the sci-fi realm.
Steampunk is a kind of reaction to the reaction – embracing retro notions of character and style while retaining cyberpunk's renegade, anything-goes spirit. It might be likened to how the angry, austere punk rock of the ***'70s led to the New Wave of the ***'80s, with its flamboyant fashions and self-conscious romanticism.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 7:55 AM
Tokyopop's Luis Reyes assures Newsarama that Tsutomu Nihei's Blame! will be released in September* -- free of the "censorship" drama associated with DC/CMX's Tenjho Tenge:
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 9:51 AM
Remember Gerry Roberts, the distraught collector who wouldn't rest until the person who stole 1,000 of his vintage comics was brought to justice? Well, he was accused of turning vigilante in his quest to recover his books.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:50 AM
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:28 AM
Last month, we learned that movie-based video games are no longer a sure thing. Now we're told that traditional toys tied to films are hit or miss.
Fantastic Four might be the most kid-friendly of the bunch: The plot concerns four friends who gain superpowers after their space shuttle gets doused with radiation. The two other films, in comparison, are expected to explore darker themes: Star Wars: Episode III, for example, details the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, a good-goes-bad theme that might put off some parents and confuse some kids. On the other hand, it could delight young kids who clamor for stuff that was once reserved for their older siblings. Batman Begins chronicles the violent events that impelled Bruce Wayne to turn into Batman.A longer version of the article can be found here.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 7:57 AM
Publishers Weekly (subscription required) reports that ADV, the Houston-based manga publisher and anime distributor, has laid off as many as 40 employees, with possibly about 25 from its manga division.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 12:42 PM
At IGN, writer Brian K. Vaughan talks about Runaways as a "subversive kids book," Y: The Last Man's 60-issue lifespan, and how reader reaction influences his writing (it doesn't):... I have a big enough ego that I just don't care. In Y, a couple of issues ago, there was a two-part arc with a theatre troupe and Yorick wasn't in it too much. I think about 90% of readers really hated it. They were like, "What's the point?" and "Let's get back to the main story." And, uh, I don't care. This is something that I wanted to tell and these are characters we'll revisit and will have a larger importance to the story. So, no, for good or bad, I write stories that I want to read. And you know, it's great when people like it. Bad reviews make me eat Oreos and feel miserable, but no, it doesn't change my desire to tell the story exactly the way I set out to do it.He also addresses his desire to create his own characters, instead of simply maintaining old properties:
We'd all be f----- if Stan Lee had come into comics and said, "Oh boy, I've got this Superman story I'm aching to tell." He didn't do that. He really came in and wanted to create new things and built this House of Ideas. I think we do need great creators like Bendis to nurture those characters and be the caretakers and keep them alive and vibrant for a new generation. I think companies also need guys who want to come in and keep stirring new stuff into the pot and that's certainly more my wheelhouse.
posted by Kevin Melrose @ 8:59 AM