Friday, May 21, 2004

don't throw rocks at harvey, please: my favorite comics rockstar, courtesy of the sydney morning herald: "The oddball anti-hero of American Splendor is bringing his anxieties Down Under, reports Jacqueline Maley. Cult comic book writer Harvey Pekar has been disappointed most of his life, even after his work and life were turned into last year's hit indie film American Splendor. Thus he has low expectations about the reception he'll get when he appears as a guest speaker at the Sydney Writers' Festival. 'I hope people don't throw rocks at me,' he deadpans down the line from Tokyo, where he's promoting the film."


posted by peter!  10:44 AM EST permalink

retailer in the news: the michigan grand rapids press profiles tardy's collector's corner in honor of their 25th anniversary: "Eerie. Creepy. Fantasy. Alternate Universe. They are just a few of the titles in boxes of colorful comic books and graphic novels scattered throughout Tardy's Collector's Corner at 2009 Eastern Ave. SE. And owner Kirby Tardy wouldn't have it any other way. 'Comics are one of the few indigenous American art forms,' he said. 'Comic books have the opportunity to educate and entertain.' On June 5, the shop celebrates its 25th anniversary with a sale. Tardy carries more than 100,000 comic books."
posted by peter!  10:38 AM EST permalink

your tax dollars at work: the comic book legal defense fund (cbldf) has issued a warning over newly proposed legislation in congress: "On April 28, California Congressman Duncan Hunter (R) introduced legislation that could 'turn parents into prosecuting attorneys fighting a wave of obscenity,' the representative told Family.org. H.B. 4239, also called the 'Parents' Empowerment Act,' would allow the parent or guardian of a minor to sue in federal court anyone who knowingly disseminates any media containing 'material that is harmful to minors' if the material is distributed in a way that 'a reasonable person can expect a substantial number of minors to be exposed to the material and the minor, as a result to exposure to the material, is likely to suffer personal or emotional injury or injury to mental or moral welfare.' The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. 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."
posted by peter!  10:31 AM EST permalink

Thursday, May 20, 2004

random house books: increasing their presence in the graphic novel marketplace, random house has announced two major graphic novel releases this summer from their crown publishing and pantheon books divisions. from icv2.com:

"[Birth of a Nation] will be co-written by Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder and director Reginald (Ladies Man, Bernie Mac Show), with color art by Kyle Baker... Birth of a Nation is the story of the secession of East St. Louis from the U.S. in frustration over the disenfranchisement of its voters in a disputed election, the creation of the Republic of Blackland (with an anthem sung to the tune of the theme from Good Times), and the surrounding events."

"Pantheon will release Persepolis 2, the sequel to the hugely successful Persepolis 1 on August 31st in hardcover for $17.95. Persepolis 1 was the story of writer/artist Marjane Satrapi's childhood in Iran during the Islamic revolution and the war with Iraq. Persepolis 2 picks up where the first volume left off, with Satrapi leaving Iran for Europe for a time, then returning to her homeland."


posted by peter!  10:53 AM EST permalink

destroying boredom: comics and music team-up again, this time in a new graphic novel collection from slave labor graphics. from yahoo: "This June, SLG Publishing will collect the four issue comic book mini-series Tupelo into a 144 page graphic novel which will include a CD of rare musical tracks by The Famous Monsters. Created by Matt DeGennaro and Phil Elliott, Tupelo tells the story of Captain Tupelo and the 11 O'Clock Man, sliding between the past, when the boys played to riotous slam-dance pits at the club Zero Hour, and the present, when they cruise the streets of New York City, avenging the wrongs that the pretentious and privileged commit against the poor and unfortunate."
posted by peter!  10:48 AM EST permalink

library in the news: central library in seattle is the latest to make an investment in graphic novels as a way to bring teens back to the library. from the seattle post intelligencer: "At $10 apiece for even the cheaper Japanese manga comics, fans can spend more than $100 to read a typical 10- to 12-book series. If they come to the Young Adult section of the new Central Library, though, they'll find favorites like Marmalade Boy and Clover by Clamp, and graphic novels like Sandman and Hellboy, for free. An expanded collection of manga and other graphic novels will be one feature of the third-floor section aimed at teens."
posted by peter!  10:44 AM EST permalink

peering over the artist's shoulder: the jewish press takes an extended look at joe kubert and his recent graphic novel yossel: "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."


posted by peter!  10:39 AM EST permalink

bad signals: warren ellis has announced via his email newsletter that an 11th volume of transmetropolitan will follow the newly published "final" 10th volume that concludes the long-running series. This 11th volume, entitled transmetropolitan: tales of human waste will collect the two 48pp spider jerusalem "column" specials i hate it here and filth of the city. look for it in august.

in an earlier bad signal, warren also provided an update on the global frequency television show based on his penned wildstorm comic, revealing that it is currently being developed as a mid-season replacement for next spring if the pilot goes well.
posted by peter!  10:28 AM EST permalink

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

maus, for all my friends: bucks library in pennsylvania has launched a new graphic novel campaign. from the allentown morning call: "The graphic novel Maus, which tells the story of Polish Jews struggling to stay alive during the Holocaust, was selected Tuesday as the featured title in the inaugural One Book One Bucks County project sponsored by the Bucks County Free Library. During 2005, county residents will be encouraged to read the book, which won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize. In addition, the library is planning activities for next spring that will center on Holocaust studies and the techniques of comic art."


posted by peter!  11:11 AM EST permalink

leaf falling in forest: forgive me -- i thought this was funny. i guess web-retailer tales of wonder isn't too happy about the latest barnes & noble spider-man exclusive: "TalesOfWonder.com to Barnes & Noble: This Aggression Will Not Stand. Recently it was announced that Barnes & Noble, Inc. will release a mammoth 992-page Ultimate Spider-Man hardcover collection, previously available as three separate volumes. The bookselling giant is exclusively offering this behemoth for a mere $39.96. Truly, a dark day for comic book retailers..." i'm not sure why their outage is directed at b&n, though. at the end of the day, it's marvel's decision to promote one distribution channel over another.
posted by peter!  11:03 AM EST permalink

coming this september from fantagraphics:



The Complete Peanuts 1953-1954 by Charles Schulz
"Our second volume begins with Peanuts' third full year and a cast of eight: Charlie Brown, Shermy, Patty, Violet, Schroeder, Lucy, the recently born Linus, and Snoopy. By the end of 1954, this will have expanded to nine. Linus, Lucy and Charlie Brown all start to transition into the complex characters we're familiar with and then Pigpen comes onto the scene."



The Bush Junta edited by Gary Groth & Mack White
"An international assemblage of world-class cartoonists take on the Bush administration in this historical account of high crimes and misdemeanors - just in time for the election. This fact-based, impeccably researched work of comics journalism chronicles the Bush administration in the context of the Bush family dynasty that spawned it."



The Comics Go To Hell by Fredrik Strömberg
"The Devil is one of the most potent and longest-lived icons in the history of human civilization. It is therefore not a big surprise that images of the Prince of Darkness are so abundant in comics - a medium that by its nature builds upon the communicative powers of icons. In this book, author Fredrik Strömberg examines how cartoonists through the ages have used the myths about the Devil, in a wide variety of ways."



Usagi Yojimbo Book 1 (8th Printing) by Stan Sakai
"With over fifteen graphic novels in print, the samurai rabbit is more popular than ever! This is the seminal Usagi book collecting all the classic original Usagi stories from Albedo, Critters, Doomsday Squad, and the Usagi Yojimbo Summer Special. Set in 17th century Japan, the age of civil wars has barely ended and the Shogun has established power."

plus: shouldn't you be working #2 by johnny ryan, blood orange #3, and a gaggle of erotica including rear entry #7, pee soup #3, barbarienne #9, spunky knight extreme #3, sipping lust #1 (a new book hailing from spain), and young witches: the wrath of agatha #1.

more at fantagraphics.com.
posted by peter!  12:47 AM EST permalink

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

more manga madness: icv2.com is reporting today that over 1,000 english language manga volumes will be released in 2004. meanwhile, over at newsarama, the first of tokyopop's national television commercials is available via quicktime.
posted by peter!  9:57 AM EST permalink

big fish: the tokyopop marketing engine powers forward as mtv news is reporting that the manga publishing company is teaming up with the rock bank linkin park to produce a comic book based on their new single breaking the habit: "To accompany the video, Japanese comics company Tokyo Pop will release a manga book of the full story line of the clip, which will come out this summer. Hahn and singer Mike Shinoda are also considering releasing a DVD with the manga book, Delson said."



(thanks, kel)
posted by peter!  12:42 AM EST permalink

potlatch: the third annual small, small press potlatch anthology is on its way: "The third issue of Potlatch is available in Comic shop and select book stores on 1st of June 2004. All proceeds from this book will benefit the Small Press Association in its primary mission to support the reading and creation of comicss... The talent list includes: Noel Collin, Jennifer Contino, Marc Deering, Frank Dibari, Robert Elrod, Chai Gallahun, Michael Goodman, Sam Hart, Jeff Johns, Travis Johnson, Ron LeBrasseur, Russ McIntosh, Juan Navarro, Steven Noppenberger, Vince Sneed, Chris Staggs, Tim Tobolski, Greg Vondruska and Stan Yan." more at angrydogpress.net.


posted by peter!  12:29 AM EST permalink

busy, busy, busy: things i've been too busy to blog the past couple days: