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Saturday, January 10, 2004
Happy 75th Birthday, Tintin.
posted by Matt 12:45 PM EST permalink
Friday, January 09, 2004
preview: richard hahn has provided the cover and a three-page preview of the upcoming release of lumakick #2, a new collection of short stories that follows on the heels of the xeric grant winning first issue. eddie campbell says "It's the best comic book debut I've seen for quite some time. I'll be looking for Richard Hahn's next one." and here it is:
  
(click on the pics above for a larger image)
if you like what you see, please ask your local comic book store retailer to order a copy for you. as with a lot of indy's, odds are it won't be racked unless you've got an exceptional retailer in your area. the diamond code is "Jan02 2548" for the new issue (44pp, $5.95) and "Jan02 2547" for the first (40pp, $4.95). i highly enjoyed the first one myself as well.
posted by peter! 11:24 AM EST permalink
Thursday, January 08, 2004
ROLLING STONE GIVES SACCO'S THE FIXER PROPS
Press Release
Joe Sacco is the subject of a two-page feature in the 1/22/04 issue of Rolling Stone which is timed to the release of his new Drawn & Quarterly graphic novel THE FIXER. The legendary pop culture magazine states that Sacco is "America’s best comic-book artist" and also "one of today’s sharpest war correspondents." Contributing writer Mark Binelli travelled to Portland to interview Sacco for the in-depth career overview. Harvey Pekar, who is interviewed for the profile, commented that “Joe is top-notch and his books are really important for the medium."
THE FIXER has landed at the top of several best of 2003 lists including Time.com, Village Voice, Publishers Weekly, LA Weekly and Booklist. Sacco has been profiled for Salon.com, Publishers Weekly, Boston Globe, Globe & Mail, National Post, CBC’s The Arts Today, The Toronto Star, The Oregonian, LA Weekly, Dallas Observer, and Toronto¹s Eye. The Onion, Publishers Weekly, Washington Post, Willamette Weekly, Eastbay Express, Montreal Mirror, Portland Mercury, Now Magazine and the Montreal Gazette have also featured and/or reviewed the new graphic novel.
Hardcover - ISBN 1-896597-60-2 - 106 pages - b/w - $24.95 US - $36.95 Canada
More information on Joe Sacco and THE FIXER can be found at www.drawnandquarterly.com.
posted by Matt 12:27 PM EST permalink
link: over at journalista, dirk has been busting on creator john byrne over his recent slew of questionable insight including this piece on saving monthly serials from the expanding growth of trade paperbacks and graphic novels. yeah, i know mocking byrne has become something of a spectator sport among the online comics communities, but it still makes me laugh (remember: we are cruel hosts):
"Please note that Byrne's "unamortized" cost of producing an original trade paperback undoubtedly includes the fat page rate that he now earns cranking out superhero comic books. By contrast, other comics publishers have issued piles of original graphic novels by this point, with artists offered somewhat lower advances than the gelt to which Byrne is accustomed, balanced by the possibility of additional checks generated by royalty percentages down the line. This is a system often referred to by prose publishers as "publishing." "
to be fair to byrne, i've heard the same arguments from a number of retailers and comics pros who likewise want a return of the comic industry of 1982. unfortunately, a little something called "progress" requires one to either change or fade away.
posted by peter! 10:56 AM EST permalink
link: who knew? but it looks like the orlando sentinel began running graphic novel reviews last november courtesy of writer todd caviness, including this recent piece on graham annable's further grickle collection and alternative comics' hickee anthology. an archive of all four of todd's articles is also available on the site. mainstream press is good.
posted by peter! 10:41 AM EST permalink
interview: i'm obliged to run a pic of dino's busted nose everytime he gets mentioned in this blog -- we are cruel and we like it. here's an interview recently posted at silver bullet comics. once you get past the men-in-tights, dean talks about his collaborations with harvey pekar, as well as his upcoming creator-owned publishing plans:
"In the upcoming 48pp picture novella, The Devil's MuuMuu, Billy Dogma accidentally rips Jane Legit's competition dress and his overwhelming guilt sends him to Hell. Stranded in the netherworld, Billy opens old wounds about his long-lost mother when he strikes a bargain with legendary serial killer Ed Gein! I drew half the tale over two-years ago and I'm waiting for a lull in my schedule to finally finish the comic. With the freelance life, you're always hustling and never know what and when your next gig is going to be, so that lull may occur sooner rather than later. I'm hoping to put this baby to bed soon and get Top Shelf to release it for the summer of 2004, so I can get started on my next Billy Dogma experience: Peek-A-Boo Lipstick."
posted by peter! 10:31 AM EST permalink
TWO HUMANOIDS VOLUMES UP FOR PRIX d'ANGOULEME AWARDS
Press Release
The graphic album series Bouncer and Stéphane Clément (Daniel Ceppi) were nominated for the 2004 Prix d'Angoulême Awards Nominations. Bouncer features art by François Boucq and story by Alexandro Jodorowsky. Stéphane Clément features art and story by Daniel Ceppi. Both books were nominated in a new category, Best Series.
The winners will be announced on January 22, 2004 by the organizers of the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême, France. Humanoids Publishing congratulates François Boucq, Alexandro Jodorowsky, and Daniel Ceppi on their superb work on their respective books.
Bouncer is an epic adventure of the American West turned on its ear and filled with strange characters and situations that could only have originated from the mind of El Topo Director, and Metabarons author, Alexandro Jodorowsky. The artist, François Boucq, has previously been awarded the Grand Prize of the City of Angoulême, which is awarded to a living author, cartoonist or scriptwriter (French or foreign), based on his lifetime's work or his contribution to the development of cartoons. The full-color, 56-page hardcover graphic album for Mature Readers retails for $15.95. Originally released in English in September 2002, the album is available at quality direct market comic book retailers and continues to be available by re-order from Humanoids Publishing.
Stéphane Clément are the chronicles of a contemporary traveler who finds adventure, intrigue, and danger dealing with drug traffickers, terrorists, and smugglers of ancient artifacts around the world. The full-color, series currently consists of eleven 56-page hardcover volumes. It has not yet been released in English.
posted by Matt 1:57 AM EST permalink
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Thinking more about that Portland article (scroll down) and the pull-quote that mentions Greg Rucka (or rather, the dying pamphlet form of comics), I realize that it's pretty criminal that the writer used the DC Trifecta Hook while mentioning him and at no point brings up the other stuff he's written, including Queen & Country, which is the best monthly book out there right now, and has nary a pervert suit in sight.
posted by Matt 1:35 PM EST permalink
link: steven grant sets the comics world straight in this week's column at cbr:
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the biggest story of '03 (jeez, I sound like I'm telling tales of the Yukon gold rush, don't I?) was the manga explosion here in the states. Here people are saying what a big deal it is that Loeb and Lee jacked BATMAN to – what? 150,000 copies sales per issue? – when SHONEN JUMP was doing 350,000-500,000+, and selling mostly on newstands and by subscription..."
he goes onto to explain how the current manga revolution is definitely not a fad and how naysayer fanboys can basically eat his fuck. more importantly, though, he uses the i-ching! to predict the future of the comic book direct market. really, he does.
posted by peter! 10:48 AM EST permalink
link: humanoids is having a blow-out sale of their hardcover graphic novel line, including some of the best books they've published to date. i recall a number of people bitching and moaning about the pricepoint of their hardcovers (a sentiment which i've never agreed with), so here's your opportunity to affordably catch-up. some of my favorites, linked to their corresponding artbomb reviews:
  
(thanks, shawn, for the link.)
posted by peter! 10:37 AM EST permalink
interview: the interstitial arts foundation has recently profiled and interviewed indy cartoonist david lasky of urban hipster fame:
"I'm fortunate in that I've been hooked up with publishers, like my first publisher, Edd Vick, who believes in what I'm doing enough to give me a large degree of freedom. The downside of this is that I very rarely am paid for any of the comics I create. If I can't interest a publisher, I self-publish."
posted by peter! 10:25 AM EST permalink
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Will somebody read this and tell me what it means? I have a feeling it might be important.
Oh, wait, Dirk did. Right on.
posted by Matt 1:13 PM EST permalink
Jim Lee talks to Howard Chaykin about the latter's return to comics after some time working in TV. Which is all well and good, I suppose. The article introduces the reader to Chaykin via Lee's experiences as a comics reader in the 80's, and the article takes a lot of time explaining the importance, relevance, and forward-thinking of Chaykin's career arc (sharing a studio with Frank Miller and Walter Simonson), and his seminal AMERICAN FLAGG! book. They discuss the lettering and effects, the coloring and even the use of zipatone or, in Chaykin's case, zip and Grafix paper.
Which is great, if you know who the hell Chaykin is, or what the hell AMERICAN FLAGG! was all about. Which then raises the point that who, aside from those reading comics in the early 80's that still read them today, actually know or care about Howard Chaykin? Talk all you want about how brilliant and innovative the book was-- and, man, it was-- but christ, it's like being the smartest guy working at Burger King.
There a giant sack of cash just sitting around out there in the form of reprinting AMERICAN FLAGG!-- to say nothing of the historical and artistic importance to the medium that the book holds, and the value having a remastered edition of the first twelve issues. But, hey, I'm sure that BITE CLUB is gonna be great, too.
posted by Matt 1:02 PM EST permalink
Two interesting things from that Portland article:
"Graphic novels earned $100 million in 2002, a 33 percent increase from the year before, when they accounted for 1 percent of American book sales, according to industry magazine Publishers Weekly."
and
"The task puts Rucka, 33, in a vulnerable position, given the decreasing appetite for serial, pamphlet-style comic books."
posted by Matt 12:06 PM EST permalink
link: while i was sunning my sexy belly on the shores of south beach, the associated press ran this expose on portland's expanding cartoonist community, which can be read in two different versions right here and right here.
(graphic novelist craig thompson)
posted by peter! 10:57 AM EST permalink
news: looks like marketing whip mike doran was released by marvel comics, according to this brief note at newsarama, the website he co-founded and used to report for before taking the job. back when bill jemas was running things at marvel, he had made a number of hires from the comics "journalism" community, which drew suspicion in some circles and outright accusations of buying off the press in others. two of these hires included newsarama personnel (doran, as well as mike sangiacomo, who was hired as a freelance writer). in the post-jemas era, both have been released in some capacity. matt brady, who currently runs newsarama, was offered the opportunity to pitch for marvel, but wisely declined.
posted by peter! 10:41 AM EST permalink
news: in the recent fantagraphics newsletter, it was announced that the sold out first issue of jessica abel's la perdida is now available online in its entirely. check it out, if you haven't already -- it's one of the few serialized comics that i actually still read.
posted by peter! 12:21 AM EST permalink
news: this spring, cartoonist matt madden is teaching a class in "experimental comics" at the school of visual arts (sva) in nyc. the course meets once a week on wednesdays from january 28th to april 21st and has a $375 tuition. matt's a good guy who has a lot to offer, so i'd strongly recommend the class if you're around and have the time. more info right here.
posted by peter! 12:14 AM EST permalink
Monday, January 05, 2004
matt was right. doesn't look like i missed much in comics while i was away. still have a crapload of email to fish through, so i'll try to dig something up tonight. back to the salt mines for me.
posted by peter! 10:45 AM EST permalink
event: danny hellman is holding a party for the release of legal action comics volume 2, a 292-page anthology featuring over seventy artists, on wednesday night at cb's 313 gallery in nyc. details below and on his website at dannyhellman.com:
posted by peter! 10:39 AM EST permalink
event: starting on january 8th and running through march 11th, the new york city comic book museum is sponsoring a free exhibit on "jews and comic books" at the laurie tisch sussman gallery in the community lobby of the jewish community center in manhattan. guests include joe kubert, danny fingeroth, jordan gorfinkel, among others, as well as a special exhibit on rube goldberg and a screening of the critically acclaimed adaptation of harvey pekar's american splendor. click here for more info.
posted by peter! 10:33 AM EST permalink
Sunday, January 04, 2004
a big thank you to everyone who sent over holiday cheer in one form or another to us kind and gentle scaliwags. before i left, i was running some of the e-cards we had received in the ol' artblog, but i'm afraid we're too hopelessly behind right now to catch up without being irredeemably sappy. however, two that really stood out were tom hart's interactive new year's card, which you can play with right here, and this pic from steve rolston (and sabina!):
posted by peter! 9:35 PM EST permalink
i live, barely: three planes, four trains and one long drive later and i have returned to the freezing confines of san francisco. pulled an allniter in miami's south beach last night, so I'm moving very, very slowly right now and have a couple hundred emails to wade through. thanks, matt, for holding down the fort solo -- i'm glad to see that warren took that denny's deal after all...
posted by peter! 5:29 PM EST permalink
archives:
11/30/2003 - 12/06/2003
12/07/2003 - 12/13/2003
12/14/2003 - 12/20/2003
12/21/2003 - 12/27/2003
12/28/2003 - 01/03/2004
01/04/2004 - 01/10/2004
01/11/2004 - 01/17/2004
01/18/2004 - 01/24/2004
01/25/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/07/2004
02/08/2004 - 02/14/2004
02/15/2004 - 02/21/2004
02/22/2004 - 02/28/2004
02/29/2004 - 03/06/2004
03/07/2004 - 03/13/2004
03/14/2004 - 03/20/2004
03/21/2004 - 03/27/2004
03/28/2004 - 04/03/2004
04/04/2004 - 04/10/2004
04/11/2004 - 04/17/2004
04/18/2004 - 04/24/2004
04/25/2004 - 05/01/2004
05/02/2004 - 05/08/2004
05/09/2004 - 05/15/2004
05/16/2004 - 05/22/2004
05/23/2004 - 05/29/2004
05/30/2004 - 06/05/2004
06/06/2004 - 06/12/2004
06/13/2004 - 06/19/2004
06/20/2004 - 06/26/2004
06/27/2004 - 07/03/2004
07/04/2004 - 07/10/2004
07/11/2004 - 07/17/2004
07/18/2004 - 07/24/2004
07/25/2004 - 07/31/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/07/2004
08/08/2004 - 08/14/2004
08/15/2004 - 08/21/2004
08/22/2004 - 08/28/2004
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