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Friday, May 14, 2004
no comics for you: must be a slow day for politics in japan. from yahoo: "Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi scolded rookie lawmakers Thursday for reading comic books and talking on their cell phones during legislative sessions, according to a newspaper report. The national Asahi newspaper said Koizumi scolded 30 first-term lawmakers from his Liberal Democratic Party during a luncheon. 'Don't send e-mail on your cell phones or read comic books in Parliament while in session,' Koizumi was quoted as saying..."
posted by peter! 11:38 AM EST permalink
peanuts crack nyt bestsellers list: from fantagraphics: "Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce that The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 will hit The New York Times Hardcover Bestsellers list next week, debuting at #19 on the May 23, 2004 list. It marks the first New York Times Bestseller in the company's 28 year history. The bestseller list news comes on the heels of a slew of publicity surrounding the series over the last few weeks." congrats, gang.
posted by peter! 11:34 AM EST permalink
by popular demand: i've been getting this link five times a day for the past week, so i'll do anything to make it stop. time.com on the relevancy of 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... Now look at the big blue Boy Scout, with his cleft chin and his spit curl. He's just not cool."
posted by peter! 11:29 AM EST permalink
new review: sensual phase by mayu shinjo
"The story of Aine is really every adolescent's wishes fulfilled. So awkward and strange are we, most of our love at that time goes unrequited, and generally, the towns we are trapped in are too small for the things we know we can do. Imagine, then, that the obscure object of desire that adorns the poster on your wall plays a concert, spots you in the audience, and sees everything about you that no one else can see..."
(more from jamie s. rich)
posted by peter! 10:55 AM EST permalink
Thursday, May 13, 2004
coming this september from top shelf:
"Top Shelf has just signed mini-comics maestro, Andy Runton, and his all-ages series, Owly. This beautifully rendered and touching story will be the first actual graphic novel series from Top Shelf. Owly is a kind, yet lonely, little owl who's always on the lookout for new friends and adventure. The first graphic novel in the series contains two enchanting novellas, 'The Way Home' & 'The Bittersweet Summer,' wherein Owly discovers the meaning of friendship, and that saying goodbye doesn't always mean forever. Relying on a mixture of symbols, icons, and expressions to tell his silent stories, Runton's clean, animated, and heartwarming style makes it a perfect read for anyone who's a fan of Jeff Smith's Bone or Mike Kunkel's Herobear and the Kid."
"Actus independent Comics presents an exciting and beautiful collection of graphic short stories by some of today's most outstanding international Cartoonists. This fabulous oversized album includes Art Spiegelman's 'In the Shadow of no Towers'; a modern fairytale by the French cartoonist Blanquet; an interview with the Japanese alternative Manga artist, Suehiro Maruo; a new domestic drama by Rutu Modan, short stories by Etgar Keret, a silent story by Ulf K., as well as new stories by all the Actus artists. Dead Herring Comics also contains five detachable mini-posters by the Actus artists."
(click the cover images for more info.)
posted by peter! 11:17 AM EST permalink
writing in the margins: today, salon.com takes a look at some of the recent offerings from vertigo comics: "But if you still believe at this late date that comics are strictly for kids, take a look at DC's adult readers' line, Vertigo. Hitchcock would be proud of that title, as the protagonists of Vertigo's newly released or upcoming Lovecraft, Y: The Last Man and It's a Bird are harried males at the mercy of oppressive -- sometimes feminizing -- forces arrayed against them..." (requires subscription, unless you can suffer through the adverts.)
posted by peter! 11:07 AM EST permalink
retailer in the news: matt's cavalcade of comics is profiled in the gladstone sun news of missouri: "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. [Matt] 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."
posted by peter! 10:59 AM EST permalink
archie and the gang: the larchmont gazette on this year's upcoming mamaroneck village historic harbor street fair in new york: "One of the new attractions this year spills a well-kept secret. It's a little known fact that Mamaroneck Village is home to Archie Comic Publications that publishes the popular and longstanding teenage humor comic books that feature Archie along with his friends Jughead, Betty and Veronica. 'Artists will be drawing the Archie character and giving them to the people that come by,' said chairman Michael Silberkleit... Managing editor Victor Gorelick will put on a presentation showing the process involved in creating a comic book. There also will be free comic books, including one that was created in partnership with Westchester County Executive Andy Spano dealing with teen issues such as under-age drinking, peer pressure, bullying, stress and communicating with parents."
posted by peter! 10:48 AM EST permalink
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
shusset and the shark: it's been years in the making, but the return of A1, the popular british anthology series, is making it's debut this july, featuring work from alan moore, steve parkhouse, dave gibbons, ted mckeever, and steve dillon. the first "zero" issue also features the debut of an adventure serial called sharkman from screenwriter ron shusset (alien, total recall) and artist steve pugh. here's the cover and some preview pages:
  
click on the pics for larger versions. visit atomekapress.com for more details.
posted by peter! 11:21 AM EST permalink
the apparat singles group: warren ellis has announced a new quartet of "imaginary" adventure comics. from his mailing list: "Four first issues from a line of comics that don't exist, from an imaginary label called Apparat. Apparat will work in partnership with the Avatar Press of Illinois, USA, who are generously funding this stunt. The Avatar Press mark will appear on the backs of the books only. Otherwise, to all intents and purposes, these will appear to be works of the Apparat Singles Group... The titles of the four Apparat books, along with the names of their illustrators, follow: SIMON SPECTOR: illustrated by Jacen Burrows, QUIT CITY: illustrated by Laurenn McCubbin, FRANK IRONWINE: illustrated by Carla Speed McNeil, ANGEL STOMP FUTURE: illustrated by Juan Jose Ryp."
posted by peter! 11:18 AM EST permalink
ten from tokyopop: this october and november sees ten new manga series launches from tokyopop. icv2.com has the story: "Six of the new series are strong shoujo titles, which should attract female readers. Crazy Love Story is a realistic high school tale of love, while Flower of the Deep Sleep, originally published in the shoujo anthology Asuka Comics, is about a girl who can dream the future. Cross is a gothic romance about a young tortured priest and a mysterious girl, who just might be his salvation, or his damnation. Tamayo Akiyama, a former member of Clamp, provides Hyper Rune, a futuristic shoujo adventure about a girl living with her mad scientist grandfather... Not all of the new Tokyopop offerings target manga's growing female readership. The Guys Guide to Girls is the perfect accessory for the hapless otaku, who can't get a date."
posted by peter! 11:06 AM EST permalink
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
fistful of yen: from anime news network: "The Manga Artist Society announced the winners of awards for their 33rd annual award ceremony. Tsukuda Kimihiko won the grand prize of 500 000 yen for his manga Honobono-kun, which is serialized in Tokyo Newspaper. Sharing the grand prize is Sato Shuuhou's Black Jack ni Yoroshiku, which is serialized in Kodansha's Morning Magazine. A special honor will also be awarded posthumously to Mitsuteru Yokoyama for the entirety of his life's work. Yokoyama, the creator of Gigantor, died in a fire on April 15th. The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo on June 11th."
(thanks, kel)
posted by peter! 11:05 AM EST permalink
pretty pictures: fine artist raymond pettibon was awarded the 2004 bucksbaum award. from artdaily: "Whitney Trustee Melva Bucksbaum and Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney's Alice Pratt Brown Director, today presented Raymond Pettibon the 2004 Bucksbaum Award, the largest prize in the world designated for an individual in the visual arts. The $100,000 award is given every two years to support an artist, chosen from the Whitney Biennial, whose work demonstrates a singular combination of talent and imagination and who has already made or promises to make significant contributions to the visual arts in the United States... His literary references include everything from William Blake, Henry James, and John Ruskin to the Bible, Mickey Spillane, baseball lore, and comic books."
posted by peter! 10:49 AM EST permalink
Monday, May 10, 2004
artbomb preview: the drowned by laini taylor & jim di bartolo
"Set in France in 1800, The Drowned follows the path of Theophile Finistere, who has been locked in an insane asylum for five years when he is compelled by unseen forces to escape. He makes his way home to the haunted Breton coast of western France, where he follows the tatters of his memory back to the ungodly event he witnessed as a child, an event that destroyed his family and cast an unholy pall on his entire town. A pawn in the grip of a loved one he has long believed dead, Theophile becomes entangled in not one story of supernatural vengeance, but two. This dark story of madness, horror, and witchcraft unfolds, secret upon secret, twist upon twist, to its surprising conclusion."
(click here for a 5 page preview)
(i got to see an advance look at this book and was pleasantly impressed, to say the least. very moody, victorian horror with surprisingly mature and sophisticated storytelling that suggests this is the work of a seasoned creative team and not a pair of newcomers. the best looking debut book i've seen in a long time.)
posted by peter! 11:02 AM EST permalink
sacked: over at lying in the gutters, rich johnston is running the popular rumor that scandal-ridden comic writer micah wright has been shitcanned by dc comics: "Micah Wright is no longer the writer of the new Vigilante title. Though DC deny any official or even unofficial line on Wright, I have heard from DC freelancers that their editors told them they'd been told not to hire Micah Wright for any project, effectively blacklisting him from the entire company."
posted by peter! 10:53 AM EST permalink
slain: with hellboy and the punisher fading away at the box office, van helsing officially opened the summer movie season this past weekend with a staggering 54M domestic and 53M international opening, despite being universally panned by critics. now, i'm not going to defend the film because -- for the most part -- the critics are right; this is a terrible movie by all film-making standards. however, the group i saw it with (which was very diverse) had a good time laughing at all the bad lines, bad accents and campy acting that i can't completely dog the film. if you check your brain in at the door, you might find yourself having a good time as well.
posted by peter! 10:42 AM EST permalink
public service announcement: "Georgetown University will feature alumnus, writer, and lecturer A. David Lewis on Saturday, May 15th for the debut of his collected comic book trade paperback MORTAL COILS: BODYLINES. The signing and question session will run from 12:30pm to 2:00 in Georgetown’s Main Campus Bookstore." more at redeyepress.
posted by peter! 10:36 AM EST permalink
porn and comics: the only two things that come in brown paper bags. from press world: "Carnal Comics is opening its vaults for a behind-the-scenes illustrated book that reveals ALL about working with the sexiest women on the planet to create the top-selling adults-only comic series, Carnal Comics: True Stories Of Adult Film Stars. Carnal has sold over a million comic books, with bio and fantasy stories created by famous porn stars such as Jenna Jameson, Jasmin St. Claire, Savannah, Ginger Lynn, Marilyn Chambers, Jill Kelly, Annabel Chong and nearly 100 others since its 1994 inception."
posted by peter! 10:32 AM EST permalink
Sunday, May 09, 2004
grow up, comics: just got word from jeff mason at alternative comics that rich tomasso's new comic book perverso! got kicked from the standard previews ordering guide to the adult previews guide due to its provocative content. this is basically the kiss of death for a book like this since very few retailers stock anything from the adult guide, and the ones that do are looking for hardcore porn, which this is not. because, y'know, comics are only for kids. anyway, here's the solicit:
"A taut, unsettling exploration of sexual perversion, Rich Tommaso's PERVERSO! drives you straight into the mind and life of a 'bad girl' photographer obsessed with his work. The pornographer, known only as Roy, is desperately seeking a more fulfilling sexual lifestyle than the one he has with his dull, uninterested, lush of a wife. But when his wife up and leaves him one day, he begins to feel more lost than free. Even his fantasies behind the camera begin to revile him--especially when a certain new 'model' arrives at his studio. This is the second in a trilogy Tommaso has planned about 'camera shy' men trying to create a more desirable world within their art form. So, keep watching, if you so desire!"
For adults only, deluxe oversized 8-1/4” x 10-5/8", 24pg, $4.95
Alternative Comics, ISBN 1-891867-53-9, DCD: MAY042212. July 2004.
click the cover below for more info:
posted by peter! 12:06 PM EST permalink
call me slacker: i haven't looked at the enginepress website since last year, but chris hunter's review of KD over at brokenfrontier.com inspired me to update the site. the most common question i've been getting lately is when are we going to do the sequel, which is something we've talked about and outlined, but haven't been able to put on any real schedule. brent's been busy with patient zero over at image comics, and i've been working on some new concepts for both myself and others. it'll happen, though, either through engine or another publisher. we had too much fun working with these characters not to.
posted by peter! 12:05 PM EST permalink
del rey looking good: according to crain's, the new del rey line of manga books have hit the ground running: "Random House's foray into Japanese comic books is off to a good start. Tsubasa and Negima, from the Del Ray imprint;s just-launched manga line, respectively are the No. 1 and No. 2 best-sellers on Nielsen Bookscan’s graphic novel chart. The two other Del Ray titles in the launch, xxxHOLiC and Gundam SEED, are No. 6 and No. 12, respectively. The books are published as part of a partnership with Japanese publisher Kodansha."
posted by peter! 12:00 PM EST permalink
when comic books attack: in a heated mayoral election in the philippines, comic books are being used as political propaganda. from abs cbn news: "Supporters of Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. predicted a landslide victory for the incumbent mayor's in Monday's local polls after the influential religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) chose him over former Mayor Ismael Mathay... Mathay has allegedly been resorting to black propaganda in a bid to destroy Belmonte and his ticket. Comic books accusing him of being antipoor has been circulating along with other materials that contain damaging allegations. But Belmonte laughed at the move believing that the city’s voters are intelligent voters 'who will not be fooled by such lies.'"
posted by peter! 11:55 AM 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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