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Friday, June 25, 2004
gone fishin':
be back in a few days.
posted by peter! 3:26 AM EST permalink
defeat:
blah.
posted by peter! 3:23 AM EST permalink
Thursday, June 24, 2004
new review: blood song by eric drooker
"Eric Drooker's comics are very beautiful in a way that nearly overwhelms all other virtues. The politically active New York cartoonist and illustrator, perhaps best known for a handsome collaboration with Allen Ginsberg and appearances in the New Yorker, works with a form of pictorial expression that enjoyed its greatest moments of currency in the social criticism woodcut novels of the 1920s and 1930s..."
(more from tom spurgeon)
posted by peter! 2:43 AM EST permalink
storm watch: the worlds of don lawrence are now online at donlawrence.co.uk. they're apparently translating all of the classic storm volumes available in dutch to new english language editions, with the first two volumes available now at their online store.
'ucking brilliant:
  
(thanks nenad)
posted by peter! 2:15 AM EST permalink
dude, i'm so excited: blogging all of those wacky religious comics stories has finally paid off. i'm now getting press releases directly from 'em. here's a bit about a shake-up at metron press.
"Mario Ruiz has announced that he no longer occupies the position of Creative Director at Metron Press. Metron Press, a division of the American Bible Society, had built a reputation as a producer of high-quality graphic novels based on biblical subjects, aimed at reaching a secular and non-traditional Christian audience...
"Ruiz cites a decision by the ABS to reorganize the Metron Press division and to editorially refocus the material to a dedicated Christian readership as the reason for the split...
"It is Ruiz' intention to continue to create Bible-based comic books and graphic novels aimed at reaching a primarily non-Christian Booksellers Association retail audience sometime soon under a different imprint, but with the same caliber of creators that readers of the Metron books have come to know, love and respect."
posted by peter! 2:08 AM EST permalink
if you can't beat them: dc comics has announced the first books in their new cmx manga line. from animenewsnetwork:
"Paul Levitz, President and Publisher of DC Comics (a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company) announced today that DC Comics will launch CMX, a new imprint of manga graphic novels, with the publication of three titles in October, 2004. The first three to be released are the initial volumes of MADARA (art by Tajima Sho-u and written by Otsuka Eiji from Kadokawa), Mekakushi no Kuni (illustrated and written by Tsukuba Sakura from Hakusensha), and EROIKA YORI AI WO KOMETE (illustrated and written by Aoike Yasuko from Akita Shoten.)
"'There's tremendous enthusiasm for manga in the States,' said Levitz. 'New readers, particularly girls and women, have rushed to embrace new talent from abroad, which we're excited to bring to American audiences as part of DC Comics' commitment to publishing diverse and exciting works from around the world.'"
posted by peter! 2:03 AM EST permalink
mocca, mocca, mocca:
-- from mocca.org: "This weekend is the biggest event in the MoCCA calendar: our Third Annual MoCCA ART FESTIVAL! Featuring the 17th annual HARVEY AWARDS, with NEIL GAIMAN as keynote speaker! This year's MoCCA Art Festival Award recipient is the New Yorker's ROZ CHAST, who will be speaking on Sunday! WHEN: Saturday, June 26 to Sunday, June 27, 2004 10am to 6pm. WHERE: Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street, NYC [Best subway route: F/V/B/D to Broadway/Lafayette]"
-- from jeff mason: "Alternative Comics cartoonists will appear en masse to join hundreds of other brilliant exhibitors at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Art Festival this weekend to display a profusion of eagerly anticipated new comic books, graphic novels, and comic art to the public. The MoCCA Art Festival 2004 will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 26-27, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Puck Building in lower Manhattan." [artbomber laurenn mccubbin will be signing from noon-2pm on saturday and 10am-noon on sunday, fyi]
-- from neil kleid: "NINETY CANDLES, funded by a grant from the Xeric Foundation, is a completely improvisational comic book by Neil Kleid - no script, no net. Each panel of NINETY CANDLES represents a consecutive year in the life of its protagonist, Kevin Hall. The "spaces" between panels morph into "spaces" between years and as such the reader experiences our intrepid cartoonist's life, the decisions that shape his existence from birth to death. The book will debut this weekend at the MoCCA Arts Festival with a formal release party set for early August in New York."
hoozah.
posted by peter! 1:32 AM EST permalink
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
it better be zombies: in time for this weekend's mocca festival in nyc is lionel's lament a new comics joint from creators dean haspiel and josh neufeld:
"Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld, the cartoonists behind the critically acclaimed anthology Keyhole, reunite with Lionel's Lament, a unique two-man narrative corpse. Their joint creation, Lionel is back in an all-new adventure. Lionel wakes up to an unpleasant surprise. From that point on, he must deal with family issues, maggots, super-heroes, imaginary friends, the perils of public transportation, the dangerous Bronx streets, and a very large stash of cash - all in the space of one ill-fated day.
"Lionel's Lament is told in a unique format. An unscripted impromptu collaboration, the story begins with an episode by Josh, episode 2's response is by Dean, episode 3's by Josh, and so on. Created over a three-year period beginning in the summer of 2001, Lionel's Lament's all-too-human, pathetically heroic story is now available to be read in its entirety."
here's the cover to look for:
posted by peter! 11:41 AM EST permalink
anywhere: neil gaiman has confirmed in a q&a session on his blog that dc comics is working on an adaptation of his television series and novel neverwhere:
question: "oh, and just a question I think I asked before but never saw a reply to: there were rumours a while back that DC was working on an comic book adaptation of Neverwhere... is there any truth to this? I'd love to see more Neverwhere, the DVD set really reiterated my love for both the series and the book."
answer: "I'm not sure that I'm meant to say anything about this until DC does its own press release, but yes. They are."
posted by peter! 11:34 AM EST permalink
last mcsweeney's post: for this week, at least. slate.com summarizes the reaction to the chris ware edition of mcsweeney's.
"The latest 'exquisite physical object'—or 'orgiastic menage-a-trois of beauty,' if you prefer—from McSweeney's is a comics anthology edited by Jimmy Corrigan author Chris Ware. Incorporating a who's who of contemporary cartoonists alongside historical selections and essays, the issue has both design and comics aficionados drooling. 'The finest comic anthology ever put together,' cheers Time; 'as carefully and brilliantly considered as Ware's own comics,' applauds the Washington Post; 'goes far beyond anything McSweeney's has ever done,' raves the Design Observer blog. Others spot a canonical agenda. The Twin Cities' City Pages says Ware is promoting the aesthetic of 'old newspaper comic strips' over that of 'superhero comic books.' And Britain's Independent thinks the entire enterprise is a misguided bid for legitimacy ('comics aren't and shouldn't be respectable'), calling the anthology an 'over-weighty, overproduced whinge.'"
posted by peter! 11:29 AM EST permalink
forget spidey 2: i hear spider-man india is where the action is.
(update: the telegraph has a new piece with pics.)
posted by peter! 11:27 AM EST permalink
"graphic novels are, uh, good for you."
posted by peter! 11:26 AM EST permalink
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
cartoons take city hall: the philadelphia daily news (requires subscription) has a piece on the city's first cartoon exhibit at city hall.
"PHILADELPHIA'S ART in City Hall program aims to showcase diverse collections of work that represent the diversity that exists in the city. So far, sculpture, paintings, mixed media, community and African art have been displayed.
"Its latest exhibit is The Comix: Cartoons as Art, the 42nd show of the Art in City Hall program, which began in 1984. The show features 72 pieces by 25 Philadelphia artists who work with cartoons and comic imagery...
more at philly.com
posted by peter! 12:00 PM EST permalink
crossgen chronicles: in yet the latest installment of the collapse of crossgen comics, the beleaguered publisher has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and revealed their top 20 creditors in court papers, including a whopping 1.5M owed to their printer quebecor, 400K to american express, 33K to creators and 16K to the westin horton plaza from last year's san diego comic con. newsarama.com has the complete story.
posted by peter! 11:48 AM EST permalink
coming of age: the times of india is reporting on an interesting new graphic novel trend hauling from india.
"Following fast on the heels of India's first graphic novel, Sarnath Banerjee's Corridor, Mumbai writer Rohit Gupta is bringing out a graphic novella-a comic that deals with the Godhra massacre and the riots that ensued in Gujarat...
"In India, however, comics are just beginning to be taken seriously. While comics for children, published by houses like Diamond, Raj and Amar Chitra Katha are widely sold and read, the graphic novel as a form is just starting out...
"[V K Karthika] points to the high sales of Corridor as an indicator that the market for graphic novels in India does exist. Now it is a question of tapping that market."
more at indiatimes.com
posted by peter! 11:40 AM EST permalink
ride 'em, cowboy: this link floated my way and was too strange to pass up. courtesy of moon and serpent, i give you the two-fisted tales of chris claremont. read through the bottom...
posted by peter! 11:32 AM EST permalink
if anyone still cares: icv2.com has posted their top 300 comics sold to the direct market (non-booktrade) for the month of may, which has the usual marvel and dc superhero comics dominating the list. the curious thing here is that the top 3 books had unusually strong numbers, propelled by variant covers that entice buyers/collectors to purchase multiple copies of the same book. as we saw ten years ago, this sales ploy can work for a small number of books, but as publishers employ it more and more, it puts tremendous pressure on retailers who are ordering books on a non-returnable basis to get caught with massive amounts of inventory that they can't sell. this contributed to a massive market collapse, so we'll have to stay tuned to see if discipline rules the day or whether history will repeat again.
not sure what this is, but i pulled it off the same icv2 page:
posted by peter! 11:16 AM EST permalink
Monday, June 21, 2004
review update: the complete geisha by andi watson
"GEISHA is the story of Jomi Sohodo, an artistic android living in a society that treats her kind as second-class citizens at best. When critics pan her paintings, Jomi gets her revenge by passing off one of her own as a Vermeer -- which is great, except that now she's involved herself in a forgery ring. She takes a legit job working for her Dad as a bodyguard; only she ends up having to protect her brother from drug dealers WHILE she's guarding this moderately insane supermodel chick. Hijinx ensue..."
(more from kelly sue deconnick)
posted by peter! 1:41 AM EST permalink
oh, what will they think of next: the nytimes takes a look at dave eggers' newest project.
"The sign for the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company reads, in no-nonsense block print: 'Ask inside! We can custom-order alter egos.' Promising capes, masks and shrinking gas, the sign adds, 'If we don't have it, a superhero doesn't need it...'
"A sibling of the 826 Valencia learning lab and pirate-goods store in San Francisco started by Dave Eggers, 826NYC borrows the formula that made its California counterpart so successful: a volunteer-driven tutoring program housed in a distinctly unexpected setting...
"The store has everything a modern, well-equipped superhero might need: leotards, boots, tights, magnets, chain ladders, nets and other tools of the villain-fighting trade. 'We don't sell comic books or figurines,' Mr. Seeley said. 'It's literally what a superhero would use.'"
posted by peter! 12:48 AM EST permalink
twins, and they both can draw: israel21c profiles indy cartoonists tomer and assaf hanuka.
"Tomer, who is based in New York, is one of the most successful illustrators on the U.S. scene, having won the Gold and Silver medals from the Society of Illustrators for his work. He regularly draws for publications like The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly and has worked on animation for MTV and Warner Brothers, and creates covers for paints lush covers for DC Comics. In April, he drew the cover, a full comics page and two additional illustrations for the New York Times Magazine for Sunday, April 27, 2003 of the on the subject of North Korean teenage refugees..."
posted by peter! 12:42 AM EST permalink
man v. women: one of these years we'll get to vertigo's y the last man. until then, here's the orlando sentinel on the popular series:
"The concept behind Y: The Last Man is simple: What would happen to the world if all the men died in a horrible plague? And what if, out of the nearly 2.9 billion gone, one lone man survived? 'The story itself is as old as time,' says Y writer Brian K. Vaughan. 'Hopefully, this is a new and different take on it.' The series has steadily proved to be one of the best examples of its art form -- the monthly comic book. Part science fiction, part action-adventure, part soap opera, Y is published under DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, a line that targets adults, not adolescents..."
posted by peter! 12:36 AM EST permalink
orgy: see andrew arnold have a self-proclaimed orgasm over the new mcsweeney's anthology edited by chris ware at time.comix:
"Added up, it makes McSweeney's #13 the finest comic anthology ever put together. Ware's talents as designer and editor have turned McSweeney's issue 13 into a work of extraordinary depth and beauty. It culminates his efforts at moving the public's idea of comic books from consumable juvenilia to museum-worthy artworks that still retain their puerile edge. (Ware's work has appeared in both the 2002 Whitney Biennial and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.) This will be the standard that future books must meet."
(yes, this is like the third time we've plugged this thing over the last week, but, i agree with arnold, it's an awfully damn fine book. i didn't have sex with my copy, but...)
posted by peter! 12:21 AM EST permalink
Sunday, June 20, 2004
sunday comics: in honor of euro 2004...
Dick: "Alright, Stella, here's the plan. You spend the night with the German football players and wear them out sexually."
Stella: "But you're talking about 11 men I'd have to do in one night, Dick!"
Stella: "Maybe I could sleep with the reserve players, too?"
Stella: "Hello! My name is Stella!"
Footballer: "Miss, what are you doing in my room? I'm, playing an important match tomorrow and must be in top condition in the morning! Please leave!!"
Footballer: "Miss, what the hell is this? You just sneaked into my bed naked!"
Footballer: "Dammit! I'm completely shot! There goes the European Championship...!"
http://www.s1ngle.nl/
oh, if these were only the croats... pray for england tomorrow.
posted by peter! 11:44 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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