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Wednesday, November 10, 2004
so long, and thanks for all the fish...
three years.
not a bad run.
when we started the site, the comics internet was a much different place. here we were, with all these fascinating movements upon us -- from a resurgence in self and independent comics publishing to an explosion in manga and european comics, through the emergence of the booktrade and the mainstream acceptance of the "graphic novel" format -- yet very few people were actually talking about them.
and fewer were talking about the books themselves.
most of the real conversation was happening in forums and newsgroups and the such, off the beaten track from the mainstream comics websites of the time. but there was an awfully lot of good books being created that seemed to be going by the wayside.
so we decided to write about them.
and here we are, five hundred reviews later.
if i had my way, i'd keep artbomb running forever. unfortunately, unrelated personal circumstances have made that difficult for now. perhaps we'll come back to it in one form or another some day. i'd hate to say never again, so i won't. in the meantime, we'll be leaving the site up as an archive in its present form.
but i have faith that the mission will continue. there's so many quality websites and blogs being created everyday that are furthering the cause for good and innovative comics that i'm confidant that the conversation has shifted in the right direction.
and i look forward to reading as many of them as i can.
many, many thanks to warren, matt and kelly sue for making it all possible -- they have been dear friends through it all. thanks to brian for designing the damn thing. thanks to adi, tom, jamie, chris, gail, charlie, sam, dan, ian and janet for breathing new life into it. thanks to jessica, colleen, laurenn, andi, matt, and susannah for creating some brilliant web comics. thanks to neil for assisting us in the site launch. thanks to grace for putting up with the late nights. thanks to all the creators, publishers and educators who helped us along the way.
and special thanks to all of the readers who have visited and supported us over the years.
it was a lot of fun.
peter.
posted by peter! 1:54 AM EST permalink
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
artbomb: the final countdown continues...
...with one last "pimp the comics" post for good times sake.
graham annable's "grickle" was one of my favorite humor books from the past few years, and i'm definitely looking forward to "stickleback", which should be hitting stores anyday now (i hope). from the publisher:
"This funny, quirky sketch of friendship, confrontation, and the desire to be left alone, comes from the award-winning creator of the Grickle graphic novels, Graham Annable. An eccentric George Stickleback spends life in his apartment with his cat Patty surrounded by meticulously arranged men of toilet paper. A mission from the outside world to console a friend imposes an unwelcome break in Mr. Stickleback's routine."
"Resurrected from the dead! He is the Messiah of Science who has returned to save our world from the monsters currently running it!"
the wachowski brothers have started a comics company named burlyman and are launching a bi-monthly series called "doc frankenstein" with art by steve skroce. they were generous enough to send me an advance look and it's exactly what you'd expect: high octane, good old-fashioned shit-kicking fun. check it out for yourself at their website.
welcome back to comics, guys.
josh neufeld sent me a sneak peak of his new book a few weeks ago as well and it's a strong work that no doubt would have ended up on the site. from the publisher:
"In A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories from Southeast Asia and Central Europe), autobiographical cartoonist Josh Neufeld takes us on a dramatic tour of places as exotic and different as Thailand, Singapore, and the former Yugoslavia. Highlights include Neufeld and traveling companion Sari Wilson's stint as extras in a Chinese-language Singaporean soap opera, a train trip through war-torn Serbia, and a near-disastrous cave adventure in Thailand.
"With gentle humor and a keen eye for the revelatory detail, Neufeld explores religion and spirituality, politics and personalities, and the mysteries of everyday life. His stories reflect the backpacker's conflicted feelings: a yearning for adventure mixed with homesickness and a sense of disconnection, trapped in a reality constantly in flux."
last but not least, my pal paul harmon who i blogged about a few weeks back, was recently featured on cbr.com:
"Visually I wanted a Fellini and Maurice Noble thing going on if that makes any sense. I wanted very dense and ornate imagery. I also was looking at a lot of stylish Japanese films of the sixties like 'Tokyo Drifter.' And the witches themselves are heavily influenced by Haute Couture fashion. I've always looked at fashion and that eccentric look and attitude of Haute Couture was exactly the spirit and look for my witches."
check it out when it appears next february from image comics if you get the chance.
posted by peter! 1:33 AM EST permalink
Monday, November 08, 2004
artbomb: the final countdown begins...
but, first, a new review:
shrimpy and paul and friends
by marc bell
"It's not very cool to like artists that favor style over content. Cartoonists like Vaughn Bode and Henriette Valium assault the senses in a way that goes beyond serving a narrative, but their works are invariably criticized as empty or trivial. Marc Bell will probably get the same arrows shot his way, and he won't deserve a one. His SHRIMPY AND PAUL has all the wonderful qualities of a work in which one loses itself -- unique figure design, well-paced movement, and a subconscious reference to the over-ripe animations of the 1920s and 1930s. It has the added benefit of being a fascinating read.
"Shrimpy is small and mean; Paul is larger and gentle. They make their home in a world that percolates with life in the freaked out manner of an old Warner Brothers cartoon. Little men zip by in cars on the sidewalk, tiny aliens do battle near a picnic site, and the method of getting into a house involves interfacing with an organic watchdog..."
(more from tom spurgeon)
posted by peter! 1:50 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
08/29/2004 - 09/04/2004
09/05/2004 - 09/11/2004
09/12/2004 - 09/18/2004
09/19/2004 - 09/25/2004
09/26/2004 - 10/02/2004
10/03/2004 - 10/09/2004
10/10/2004 - 10/16/2004
10/17/2004 - 10/23/2004
10/24/2004 - 10/30/2004
10/31/2004 - 11/06/2004
11/07/2004 - 11/13/2004
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