Quantcast
Channel: ComicsAlliance.com
Viewing all 194 articles
Browse latest View live

Parting Shot: 'Star Wars Uncut' Director's Cut Is The Best Sweded Movie Ever

January 26, 2012, 10:00 am
$
0
0


Star Wars Uncut, the ambitious crowdsourcing project that asked fans from around the world to recreate the original Star Wars film in 15 second segments, has finally been edited together into a full-length "Director's Cut" version of Episode IV: A New Hope. A crazy-quilt valentine from legions of Star Wars fans worldwide to the object of their affection, it is, quite simply, required viewing -- if not for love of the franchise, then for the sheer variety of the segments, which transform the iconic characters into computer animations, puppets, beer bottles, cats and Legos, reimagine scenes in the format of children's books, text adventures, infomercials, and news reports and even include a Kill Bill/Mos Eisley Cantina dismemberment homage. Check it out below, and say goodbye to the next two hours of your life.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
Search
↧

When You Can Finally Buy the New 52 Collected Editions (Hint: A Long Time from Now)

January 28, 2012, 3:00 am
$
0
0


Nearly 5 months have passed since the DC Comics "New 52" relaunched their entire superhero line, and while the ambitious initiative and its mixed bag of results were the biggest news of 2012, some of you are still waiting for the collected editions. Well, I have great news for the trade-waiters and spoiler-avoiders: The publication dates for all the New 52 collected editions have been announced on DC's Source blog.

The less-great news is they won't be hitting shelves until at May at the earliest and November at the latest, meaning that on the later end they'll be coming out more than a year after the books debuted. For some perspective, if you or a female partner were to get pregnant today, the baby would arrive long before the Flash collection, or less tragically, Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1: REDemption.
On the plus side, the first batch of collections includes the critically-acclaimed Animal Man and Scott Snyder's Batman, not to mention the totally sweet art of Cliff Chiang on Wonder Woman. While a staggered release makes a fair amount of sense, it is nonetheless puzzling that DC is continuing its tradition of making readers wait forever and a day to get collected editions in the all-new, all-shiny New 52 era. It's particularly odd when you consider that the New 52 was ostensibly designed to reach beyond the existing hardcore superhero comics audience, a demographic that is far more likely to buy something with a spine than a floppy 20-some page pamphlet from a specialty store.

But what do we know? We're just simple country folk who don't understand their big city comics rebootin' ways.


Coming in May 2012:

JUSTICE LEAGUE VOLUME 1: ORIGIN HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6
$24.99 US, 176 pg

ANIMAL MAN VOLUME 1: THE HUNT TP
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Travel Foreman, Jeff Huet and John Paul Leon
Collects: ANIMAL MAN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

BATMAN VOLUME 1: THE COURT OF OWLS HC
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Collects: BATMAN #1-7
$24.99 US, 176 pg

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL VOLUME 1: THE SIGNAL MASTERS TP
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan and Marco Castiello
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

GREEN LANTERN VOL. 1: SINESTRO HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Collects: GREEN LANTERN #1-6
$24.99 US, 160 pg

CATWOMAN VOLUME 1: THE GAME TP
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Guillem March
Collects: CATWOMAN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

STORMWATCH VOLUME 1: THE DARK SIDE TP
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Miguel Sepulveda and Al Barrionuevo
Collects: STORMWATCH #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

GREEN ARROW VOLUME 1: THE MIDAS TOUCH TP
Writers: J.T. Krul, Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens
Artists: Dan Jurgens, George Pérez, Ignacio Calero and Ray McCarthy
Collects: GREEN ARROW #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

WONDER WOMAN VOLUME 1: BLOOD HC
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins
Collects: WONDER WOMAN #1-6
$24.99 US, 160 pg


Coming in June 2012:

BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 1: FACES OF DEATH HC
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Ryan Winn and Sandu Florea
Collects: DETECTIVE COMICS #1-7
$24.99 US, 176 pg

RED LANTERNS VOLUME 1: BLOOD AND RAGE TP
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Ed Benes, Rob Hunter and Diego Bernard
Collects: RED LANTERNS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BATWOMAN VOL. 1: HYDROLOGY HC
Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artist: J.H. Williams III and Amy Reeder
Collects: BATWOMAN #0-5
$22.99 US, 144 pg

MISTER TERRIFIC VOL. 1: MIND GAMES TP
Writer: Eric Wallace
Artists: Giancarlo Gugliotta, Wayne Faucher, Scott Clark, Dave Beaty and Oliver Nome
Collects: MISTER TERRIFIC #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE VOLUME 1: WAR OF THE MONSTERS TP
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Alberto Ponticelli
Collects: FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

STATIC SHOCK VOL. 1: SUPERCHARGED TP
Writer: Scott McDaniel and John Rozum
Artists: Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens
Collects: STATIC SHOCK #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES VOLUME 1: HOSTILE WORLD TP
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Francis Portela, Walter Simonson and Dan Green
Collects: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg


Coming in July 2012:

BATMAN AND ROBIN VOLUME 1: BORN TO KILL HC
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray
Collects: BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-8
$22.99 US, 192 pg

SUICIDE SQUAD VOLUME 1: KICKED IN THE TEETH TP
Writer: Adam Glass
Artists: Federico Dallocchio, Tom Raney and Clayton Henry
Collects: SUICIDE SQUAD #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BATGIRL VOLUME 1: THE DARKEST REFLECTION HC
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Ardian Syaf and Vicente Sifuentes
Collects: BATGIRL #1-6
$22.99 US, 144 pg

DEMON KNIGHTS VOLUME 1: SEVEN AGAINST THE DARK TP
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Diogenes Neves, Oclair Albert and Mike Choi
Collects: DEMON KNIGHTS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BATWING VOLUME 1: THE LOST KINGDOM TP
Writer: Judd Winick
Artists: Ben Oliver and ChrisCross
Collects: BATWING #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

MEN OF WAR VOL. 1: UNEASY COMPANY TP
Writers: Ivan Brandon, Jonathan Vankin, B. Clay Moore, Matt Kindt and John Arcudi
Artists: Tom Derenick, Phil Winslade, Paul McCaffrey, Patrick Scherbeger, Dan Green and Richard Corben
Collects: MEN OF WAR #1-8
$19.99 US, 256 pg

GRIFTER VOLUME 1: MOST WANTED TP
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artists: Cafu, Jason Gorder, Scott Clark and Dave Beaty
Collects: GRIFTER #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg


Coming in August 2012:

SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS VOLUME 1: SUPERMAN AND THE MEN OF STEEL HC
Writers: Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch
Artists: Rags Morales, Rick Bryant, Brent Anderson, Gene Ha, Andy Kubert and Jesse Delperdang
Collects: ACTION COMICS #1-8
$24.99 US, 200 pg

SUPERBOY VOLUME 1: INCUBATION TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artists: R.B. Silva and Rob Lean
Collects: SUPERBOY #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

DEATHSTROKE VOLUME 1: LEGACY TP
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artists: Joe Bennett and Art Thibert
Collects: DEATHSTROKE #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

O.M.A.C. VOL. 1: OMACTIVATE! TP
Writers: Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen
Artists: Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish
Collects: O.M.A.C. #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

HAWK AND DOVE VOL. 1: FIRST STRIKES TP
Writers: Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld
Artist: Rob Liefeld
Collects: HAWK AND DOVE #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

SWAMP THING VOLUME 1: RAISE THEM BONES TP
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Yanick Paquette, Victor Ibanez and Marco Rudy
Collects: SWAMP THING #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

RESURRECTION MAN VOLUME 1: DEAD AGAIN TP
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists: Fernando Dagnino and Fernando Blanco
Collects: RESURRECTION MAN #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg


Coming in September 2012:

AQUAMAN VOLUME 1: THE TRENCH HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Collects: AQUAMAN #1-6
$22.99 US, 144 pg

TEEN TITANS VOLUME 1: IT'S OUR RIGHT TO FIGHT TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artists: Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
Collects: TEEN TITANS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BIRDS OF PREY VOLUME 1: TROUBLE IN MIND TP
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artists: Jesus Saiz and Javier Pina
Collects: BIRDS OF PREY #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN VOLUME 1: GOD PARTICLE TP
Writers: Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver
Artist: Yildiray Cinar and Norm Rapmund
Collects: THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOLUME 1: FEARSOME HC
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Fernando Pasarin, Scott Hanna and Geraldo Borges
Collects: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1-7
$22.99 US, 160 pg

LEGION LOST VOLUME 1: RUN FROM TOMORROW TP
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Pete Woods
Collects: LEGION LOST #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

VOODOO VOLUME 1: WHAT LIES BENEATH TP
Writers: Ron Marz and Josh Williamson
Artists: Sami Basri and Hendry Prasetya
Collects: VOODOO #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg


Coming in October 2012:

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 1: KNIGHT TERRORS HC
Writer: Paul Jenkins and David Finch
Artists: David Finch and Richard Friend
Collects: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1-9
$24.99 US, 208 pg

I, VAMPIRE VOLUME 1: TAINTED LOVE TP
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Collects: I, VAMPIRE #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK VOL. 1: IN THE DARK TP
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Mikel Janin
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

NIGHTWING VOLUME 1: TRAPS AND TRAPEZES TP
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artists: Eddy Barrows, J.P. Mayer, Paulo Siqueria and Trevor McCarthy
Collects: NIGHTWING #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS VOLUME 1: THE RING BEARER HC
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Tyler Kirkham, Harvey Talibao and Batt
Collects: GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1-7
$22.99 US, 160 pg

SUPERGIRL VOL. 1: THE LAST DAUGHTER OF KRYPTON TP
Writer: Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Collects: SUPERGIRL #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN VOLUME 1: DARKNESS RISING TP
Writer: Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny
Artist: Philip Tan
Collects: THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1-8
$14.99 US, 192 pg

ALL-STAR WESTERN VOLUME 1: GUNS AND GOTHAM TP
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Moritat, Jordi Bernet and Phil Winslade
Collects: ALL-STAR WESTERN #1-6
$16.99 US, 192 pg


Coming in November 2012:

THE FLASH VOLUME 1: MOVE FORWARD HC
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Artist: Francis Manapul
Collects: THE FLASH #1-8
$22.99 US, 192 pg

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS VOLUME 1: REDemption TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Collects: RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

SUPERMAN VOLUME 1: WHAT PRICE TOMORROW? HC
Writer: George Perez
Artists: George Perez, Jesus Merino, Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott
Collects: SUPERMAN #1-6
$22.99 US, 144 pg

BLUE BEETLE VOLUME 1: METAMORPHOSIS TP
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Ig Guara and J.P. Mayer
Collects: BLUE BEETLE #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

BLACKHAWKS VOLUME 1: THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD TP
Writer: Mike Costa
Artists: Ken Lashley, Graham Nolan, Norm Rapmund, Cafu and Bit
Collects: BLACKHAWKS #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

CAPTAIN ATOM VOLUME 1: EVOLUTION TP
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artist: Freddie Williams II
Collects: CAPTAIN ATOM #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS VOLUME 1 featuring DEADMAN & CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN TP
Writers: Paul Jenkins, Dan DiDio and Jerry Ordway
Artists: Bernard Chang and Jerry Ordway
Collects: DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Parting Shot: Warren Ellis Weighs in on Newt Gingrich's Moon Base

January 30, 2012, 9:00 am
$
0
0

Filed under:



Comics writer Warren Ellis has long been a proponent of the space program, even going so far as to compare off-world travel as a critical Noah's ark for humanity: "The single simplest reason why human space flight is necessary is this, stated as plainly as possible: keeping all your breeding pairs in one place is a retarded way to run a species," which is a rather progressive thought marred slightly by a decidedly unprogressive slur.

Now, Ellis has reacted with skepticism to the Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's promise to build a moon base despite its seemingly pro-space travel message, and suggested that Gingrich's ideas are impractical, and most shocking of all, politically motivated. Read more about Ellis's thoughts on moon sovereignty, space tourism, and orbital death rays at Vice magazine.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Parting Shot: 'Alien' Comic by 11-Year-Old Who Wasn't Allowed to See 'Alien'

January 31, 2012, 10:45 am
$
0
0


Long ago in 1979, an 11-year-old boy named John White was cruelly forbidden to see the totally awesome R-Rated sci-fi film Alien. While most kids might let "never actually seeing the movie" get in the way of enjoying it, White did not, and thus made his own Alien comic book adaptation of what he imagined it was like.

Now a professional designer, White is posting pages from the comic at the Alien Age 11 (which also links to his youthful Star Wars comic). As someone who once made an unbelievably embarrassing Rescue Rangers/New Kids on the Block comic at 9 years old and posted it to the internet two decades later, I can attest to simultaneous joy/shame of discovering this sort of relic, sharing it with the world, and never, ever being able to take it back. [via io9, Metafilter]

Check out at Alien Age 11 for much more, including regular updates of new (decades-old) pages!

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Twitter Reacts to the Giant Psychic Space Octopus That Is the 'Watchmen' Prequel News

February 1, 2012, 5:15 am
$
0
0

The Watchmen prequel announcement is official, and reaction to the news has been fast and snarky. Now that a few hours have passed and the the initial waves of backlash, counter-backlash, and counter-counter-backlash have rolled through social networks, we've collected some of our favorite Twitter responses from artists, writers, editors, critics and other comic book pros who have added their two cents on the subject. Weigh in with your thoughts in our poll at the very end, and tell us the best reaction you've heard to the news so far.





















































What do you think about the Watchmen prequel?

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

Parting Shot: Image Comics Publisher Calls Watchmen Prequels 'A Dirty Deal'

February 2, 2012, 10:00 am
↧

Pizza Island Ends, Kate Beaton Steps Back from Regular Updates for 'Long Term Projects'

February 3, 2012, 9:00 am
$
0
0

Filed under:


The Brooklyn comics studio Pizza Island recently disbanded, with its creators -- Kate Beaton, Domitille Collardey, Sarah Glidden, Meredith Gran, Lisa Hanawalt, Deana Sobel and Julia Wertz -- parting amicably and scattering as far as Canada and France. One of Pizza Island's most prominent members, Kate Beaton of Hark! A Vagrant, also announced that she will be slowing the pace of her webcomic updates in order to focus on unspecified long-term projects, and mentioned opportunities ranging "from children's books to television work."

ComicsAlliance spoke to each creator in the former all-female comics super-group about where they're headed next, what made the studio different from the often solitary work experience of comics art, and what they'll miss most about Pizza Island.Kate Beaton talked to ComicsAlliance about her upcoming move back to Canada:


Well, I love New York, and I think it will be hard to leave it in a couple months. I don't think it's going to hit me till it's done. But my move here was never supposed to be permanent, and Canada really is my home so I always knew I was going back. I came to NYC because I figured it was what was best for me, and that worked out tremendously, these past 12 months in particular have been amazing. My studio, my roommates, my friends, agent, publisher, book, everything. I guess New York isn't permanent for a lot of people though, myself included.

Going back to working on my own will be different, but not too different. Pizza Island rarely had everyone in at the same time, often you might be there by yourself, and when there were people there, we respected each other's work and kept it fairly quiet. But I am going to miss having other people around to break the work silence with a joke or two, and have a real conversation with, so you're not in your own head all the time. And to have the people around you be as smart, funny and talented as those girls, in the same industry as you? Irreplaceable.

...The artists from Pizza Island are some of the best around; we were good peers career-wise, and friends too. I respected them. I felt neither above or beneath them, and I think we complemented each other really well. People like to think that some kind of magic happens in studios, but the truth is when you go there to work, you sit at your desk and work and there's no real group input on anything. People are doing their own thing the same as they would at home. But the environment was inspiring, the work everyone was doing was inspiring, the studio was a great place. When I move to Toronto I'm going to work from home for a bit, but who knows what will happen after a while.

It's funny how people always think there's a bigger story happening at Pizza Island, [but] in the end though it's just people going to a place to do their job. But you couldn't ask for better people.


Meredith Gran:

The experience at PI was a great one at its height. There was a lot of energy in the room and it was one of the more productive times I've had as a cartoonist. At some point people started shifting away to other things, mentally and geographically, and it seemed inevitable that the studio would dissolve. Then the lease was up so the decision kind of made itself. It's hard to recreate that energy among a group once it's gone.

I'm sort of transitional at the moment. Octopus Pie is my primary project but I'm taking freelance. I work mostly at coffee shops and the library. I'd like to work in a studio setting in my own home, when the money/space is available. It seems like this is a year when more cartoonists in major cities are consolidating their workspaces and trying to save money. At this point I'm seeing collective studios as a luxury -- but maybe a few months of lone madness will prove me wrong on that.


Deana Sobel:

Here's why I had fun at Pizza Island: All girls, all the same age, doing amazing things in comics, but everyone filled a different niche. I think that was my favorite part -- how different everyone's work was -- it was exciting to talk about stuff and then see everyone's ideas come to life. It was like having six wacky sisters who are really good at stuff.

Being part of the studio was great while it lasted but it's time to move on. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone does next! At the moment I'll be working at home, which I don't really mind because my apartment gets great light and for some reason feels kind of magical. I think I do my best work when I feel like I'm actually living in the cartoon world I'm creating. I'm working on an animation project, a picture book, and gag cartoons. You'll always be able to find my work at www.deanasobel.com and http://philipthesealion.wordpress.com/.

Lastly, I was excited to be part of Pizza Island because it was a vast improvement over previous all-female collectives, such as the one in the attached photo:


Domitille Collardey:

I'm going to work from home for a bit, and I'll be traveling back to France for a while this spring. It's possible that by the summer I will feel crazy and will look for another working space. I recently finished a book for my French publisher Delcourt, I'm not sure when it is coming out. Otherwise I'm keeping busy working on the next issue of What Had Happened Was, on a long form story, and on various illustration commissions.

I loved everything about Pizza Island. It's definitely the best working space I have shared so far. What made it special is that we were all cartoonists, very good friends, and very admiring of each other's work. I learned a lot from watching everyone else work. We could turn around to ask very specific advice about something we were working on, and some solution would come up. We were great bouncing boards for each other. Not that we were always having conversations about comics and ideas, though. Most of the time, we were just sitting at our desks with headphones on, our backs turned to each other. Or we made fun of some silly article from the Style section of the New York Times. The other day they ran an article about "man buns"...

I loved being around the others, but I also liked being alone at the studio at night, or on weekends, so I'm not afraid of working by myself so much as working in my house. We'll see how that goes.


Julia Wertz:

My current project is a collection of longish short stories (as in 30-50 pages each) that will be collected in a single book out from Koyama Press this fall. Probably at SPX. After that I'm going to work on a follow up to Drinking at the Movies. And I'll just do it from home as we don't have any immediate plans to start another studio.

The main difference in working at a studio versus working at home is probably sanity-based. When working from home, it's very easy to fall down the rabbit hole of your own mind and to suddenly realize you haven't gone out into the world or talked to anyone with your mouth (only email) in days to weeks. It's probably not that difficult for people who live with others who can snap them out of that mode, but I live alone so I have to be more careful to get out and socialize once in awhile or I'll go insane. I'm going to be working long hours at home for the rest of this year or more, amd I'll probably emerge from my mole house in 2014 having aged 20 years. I'll miss going to the Island and sitting around procrastinating by eating snacks and making jokes and generally not getting a whole lot done.




Lisa Hanawalt:

My plan right now is to work from home (even while we had the studio, I worked at home over half the time. So it's not a huge change)! I wouldn't be opposed to joining another studio in the future, but for now it's nice to save a little money. As far as current and future work...I have a children's book coming out in a few months ("Benny's Brigade," published by McSweeneys) and I've been contributing to The Hairpin blog and posting random comics and things that I make on my Tumblr.

Pizza Island was the first studio I shared since taking painting classes in college, and it was great mainly because we all got along so well. Like, even moving our furniture out and cleaning up the place was pretty fun because we all made stupid jokes the whole time. I happen to really like working at home alone, but it was nice to have that camaraderie... It helped to keep things feeling balanced and healthy. I'll have to make an effort to work at cafés or at friends' houses once in awhile, otherwise I'll really miss that group feeling.


Sarah Glidden:

[The end of Pizza Island] is kind of sad, but also it's kind of ok for us all at the same time. We feel good about the fact that we went out on a really good note and didn't let Pizza Island ever get to the point where people were sick of each other. It was one of the best artistic experiences of my life for sure, and probably one that helped me grow a ton as a cartoonist. But then, even if Pizza Island had continued on, I wouldn't have been involved because I'm here in Angouleme.

This has so far been great, living here in Angouleme. Of course, I've only been here for about 10 days, and five of those days were taken up with the festival and 24 Hour Comics Day, so its not exactly indicative of what the rest of my stay here will be like. But so far so good. The studio building, the Maison des Auteurs, is really beautiful with great facilities. They have both private studios as well as shared ones, and I chose a shared studio because I had liked the Pizza Island experience so much. All the artists here (there are about 15 of us at any given time) are all really talented. Here's the listing of who's here right now.

Angoulême is actually home to a really large artistic community outside of the Maison. There's an art school here with comics and animation degrees , so a lot of people stay on after they graduate (the city is pretty cheap to live in). Also, there are a number of animation and game design companies here and a few comics publishers. This means you meet a ton of artists immediately and everyone is pretty friendly and serious about their work. But on the flip side, theres not much to DO in Angoulême besides work on your comics or hang out with these folks, so its exactly the kind of environment I was looking for when I thought of leaving New York.

My reasons for coming here were to save money (the Maison provides me with an apartment and a studio) and to be able to concentrate on the next book. I'm working on a book which will be sort of comics meta-journalism. I accompanied several journalists on a reporting trip to Northern Iraq, Lebanon and Syria last year with the goal of making a comic about how journalists do their work and what goes into the relationships between them and their subjects (in this case, Iraqi refugees in Syria, a deportee from the US who was sent back to Iraq, and an American ex-marine who fought in the war). I'd like to be able to finish this book while I'm here...or at least come close to it.
After Angoulême I'm not really sure. I usually have a plan for my next move and then change my mind about 10 times before actually committing to a place, but right now I'm thinking of relocating to Seattle. I have a lot of friends out there who are doing some exciting stuff with journalism; it's cheaper than New York, and it's got a lot of easily accessible nature, something that New York lacks. But if you ask me again in 6 months I might have some other plan, like staying here forever. Wherever I do end up, I'd really like to continue sharing a studio with other artists. It's funny that the studio sharing thing we were doing with Pizza Island got attention at all; here in France it's really really common and I know of a lot of shared studios in the States as well. Maybe it's just because we were all women. I'm not sure.

Best wishes to all the members of Pizza Island in their future endeavors, and a fond farewell to the most deceptively delicious-sounding comics studio of all time.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Parting Shot: The Giants Versus the Patriots... Superhero Version

February 6, 2012, 10:30 am
↧
Search

SPOILERS: Buffy Makes a Very Big and Very Personal Decision in 'Buffy' #6

February 8, 2012, 7:50 am
$
0
0

Filed under: ,



In Buffy the Vampire Slayer #6, on stands today, there are huge developments and huge decisions in store for the Buffy Summers, the heroine of the cult-favorite television show that has continued as a Dark Horse Comic book since its small screen finale. Consequently, huge spoilers follow.Buffy Summers is pregnant. In the early pages of the issue, the Slayer confides the news to her younger sister, Dawn, who asks the obvious follow-up question: Who's the father? "I don't know," replies Buffy. She suspects that conception took place at her recent housewarming party, where she blacked out while drinking, and has no way of knowing who might be responsible.

The next question isn't posed directly by any of the characters, but it hangs over nearly every page in the comic: What will Buffy decide to do about the pregnancy? She is not only a single woman facing the prospect of having a child without the support of a partner, but also a Slayer who faces tremendous danger on a daily basis, and having a baby would not be a simple decision or a safe one. Buffy spends much of the issue working through the issue in conversations with her friends, and in the final pages of the comic, she reveals her decision: She is going to have an abortion.



It's a plot point that nonetheless seems tailor-made for controversy, and somewhat intentionally so. As Buffy series creator Joss Whedon told USA Today, he hopes the issue promote will honest discussion about a topic that is sometimes seen as too hot to touch. "It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone," said Whedon. "...It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."

While abortion is one of the most politicized issues in our culture, and one of the most divisive, on a human level it is also one of the most personal. Buffy's situation is one that millions of women across the country face every year; while the rate of teenage pregnancy is now at its lowest level since 1972, a recent study indicated that nearly half of the 6.7 million U.S. pregnancies in 2006 were unplanned, and of those, more than four in ten ended in abortion.

Although Buffy has her own unique set of circumstances -- she slays vampires! -- many of the concerns that inform her decision are precisely the factors that so many women face: financial difficulties, the absence of a supportive partner, lack of stability and uncertainty about the future.

"Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season --- facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job -- it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy," added series writer Andrew Chambliss.



Both the pregnancy and the decision to end it are huge developments for the character, but ones that seem natural in the context of the larger series. The core metaphor of Buffy, at least initially, was that high school is hell, and that surviving it is a battle. The personal struggles of the characters were always at the heart of the action, and the literal demons that Buffy were never as important as the metaphorical ones.

That was always part of the appeal of Buffy; we got to see this incredible girl -- and later woman -- punch vampires through walls with super-strength, but we also got see her burst into tears when a boy she liked blew her off the morning after they slept together. She was always allowed to be both strong and vulnerable, to make mistakes or struggle, and to still be a hero. In short, she was far more human than she was superhuman, and that's what made the character and the series resonate with so many people.

Over the years we've watched her lose her virginity under tragic circumstances, get her heart broken, find her mother's body after her death from a brain aneursym, take legal guardianship of her younger sister, start a dark, quasi-abusive sexual relationship with someone she hates, and drop out of school in dire financial circumstances to work soul-crushing night shifts at a fast food restaurant.

It hasn't always been easy, neat, or pretty, and Buffy's decision to have an abortion -- and to really deal with it in adult terms as a complex, difficult decision -- makes the comic book feel more congruent with the original television series than it has in years, and takes an honest look at a difficult situation that has no simple answers.

Preview of Buffy #6:


 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

Gender-Swapped Valentines: Archie, Betty and Veronica

February 9, 2012, 8:00 am
$
0
0

Filed under:



Gender-swapping has always played an interesting role in comic books, primarily in terms of derivative female characters with significantly smaller costumes, but also as a way to get perspective on how differently comics (and our culture) treats the different sexes and/or create fan art that slightly disturbs people. With the help of Jess Fink, creator of the wonderfully NSFW Chester 5000, we're flipping the script on some of the most famous romances in comics by changing the sexes of the couples (and triads!) in a series of role reversal valentines, beginning with the famous love triangle of Archie, Betty, and Veronica. February 14th is just around the corner, so feel free to download them and send them to the people you're sleeping with, or wish you were sleeping with. Because nothing says "we should definitely have sex tonight" quite like a picture of Archie with boobs.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Parting Shot: Jean-Ralphio of 'Parks and Rec' as the Amazing Spider-Man

February 9, 2012, 11:00 am
↧

DC Comics Survey Reports 'New 52' Readership 93% Male, Only 5% New Readers [Updated]

February 10, 2012, 5:45 am
$
0
0

Filed under:

The results of The Nielsen Company's market research for DC Comics that surveyed "New 52" readers were released at ComicsPro's Dallas meeting yesterday and well... there's not much that's brave or bold about them. ICv2 reports that 70 percent of the survey's 5,336 respondents were already fans, with only 5 percent completely new to buying comics, and 93% were male. What's more, only an estimated 2 percent were younger than 18 years old. The results are troubling, and raise serious questions about DC's ability to expand their audience base, and the accessibility of their content to both women and younger readers.The numbers seem particularly stark in the context of the stated goal of the new 52 to create a "more modern, diverse DC Universe" that would both reach beyond its existing fanbase. As Dan DiDio told USA Today when the initiative was announced, "If we can convince the people here we're doing something brand-new and fresh, we have a good chance to really get the people outside on board." If these results are any indication, the New 52 may have resonated with the existing audience -- or at least produced higher sales -- but had more trouble convincing the "people outside" of their new vision.

Notably, while the New 52 offered more titles with lead female characters than Marvel Comics' superhero line, there was a dramatic lack of female creators involved in actually creating the comics of the new 52, aside from long-time DC writer Gail Simone on Firestorm and Batgirl. Simone has since stepped down from Firestorm, while artist Nicola Scott was hired for a three-issue run on Superman, Amy Reeder began her long-awaiting illustrating duties on Batwoman, and writer Ann Nocenti will soon be taking as writer over Green Arrow. Nonetheless, the gender gap for creators in the New 52 is still massive, a ratio that is echoed by the reported readership: 93% male to 7% female.

It's easy to play chicken and egg when it comes to the sad demographics of superhero readership; are the numbers of female readers low because publishers aren't making content that appeals to them, or are publishers not making content that appeals to them because they don't read? It's easy to go around and around the ouroboros of blame, but you know what would have been a really great opportunity to find out? A massive line-wide relaunch aimed at expanding readership with a big mainstream media push behind it. If DC Comics had devoted as much energy to cultivating content more likely to appeal to female readers -- and the female creators more likely to make it -- instead of giving us more of the same written and drawn by more of the same, maybe we would have found out.

As Jill Pantozzi writes at The Mary Sue:

The bottom line? It's not that women aren't reading comics, it's that a lot of women aren't reading DC comics and there are legitimate, concrete reasons for that. Why do women make so much noise about what's going on at DC? They WANT to read your comics. They LOVE your characters. They're just turned off by how they're represented. It's an incredibly easy fix if you'd just try.


The shortest version of the results is that DC did well where they already did well: among men, and specifically among older men, and even more specifically among older men who already read their comics. As an initiative to boost sales and get mainstream attention the new 52 certainly succeeded, but as outreach attempt for new readership, these results point to failure. If nothing else, the dismally low numbers for younger readers -- 2% under the age of 18 -- should worry anyone who cares about the future of superhero comics, and its ability to sustain an audience into the future.



DC's Source blog reports that what they call "avid fans" bought "up to 20 titles out of the 52 titles," although they did not specify what percentage of readers this represented, or how how many of those readers purchased in the higher end of the "up to 20 range."

The survey was conducted online, via e-mail, and in comic shops (where a pushy survey employee had a high-profile incident with Patton Oswalt), and it also found that there was a 50/50 split between readers who made more or less than $60,000 a year, which makes sense considering the median household income for most Americans is around $50,000 a year. According to DC Comics, this statistic validated their decision to hold the price point at $2.99.

The same-day digital sale of the comics was also a big part of the New 52 announcement, and something unnerved some retailers concerned that it would cut into print sales. John Rood, DC's Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, told ICv2 that "New 52" digital sales are additive, and not harming print sales for brick and mortal stores:

What makes us say digital is 'additive' is what we have seen in sales results since the months during which the survey was taken. The digital sales as a percentage of "New 52" titles have not varied from the first month. The percentage going to digital comics has remained the same, which indicates that digital is not gaining a larger share at the expense of print.


There was crossover between those who primarily read digital and those who primarily read print, although digital readers were far more likely to buy print than the other way around; while 57% of digital readers also bought print issues, only 16% of print comics readers reporting buying digital. The reasons behind their preferences are pretty standard: digital fans want immediate access, convenience and portability, while print fans enjoy the act of collecting and aren't super into reading comics on a screen. Rood also said that significant numbers of fans who opt for DC's print/digital combo packs aren't redeeming their digital codes, calling the numbers for redeemed digital issues "astonishingly low."

It is also worth noting that the survey in question was conducted within the first several months of the launch, and paints a portrait of the initial audience response to the relaunch, not a comprehensive portrait of the reader demographics to date. Rood told ICv2 that DC plans to conduct further research in order to evaluate the impact of the "New 52" relaunch.

[Via The Source, ICv2]

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Parting Shot: IDW's 'Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who' Crossover

February 10, 2012, 9:30 am
$
0
0

Filed under: , ,



Great news for sci-fi fans of Star Trek and Doctor Who, two of the longest-running sci-fi franchises in television: The Doctor will be soon making his way to the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-D in an upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who crossover comic by IDW Publishing. No word yet on the creative team involved, or what foes the Doctor, Amy and Rory will face along with Captain Picard and his intrepid crew (although clearly it should be Daleks). More details to follow, as soon as we have them. (Via Topless Robot, Bleeding Cool)

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

Fundraising Efforts Begin for Ghost Rider Creator Ordered to Pay Marvel Comics $17,000

February 11, 2012, 2:00 am
$
0
0

Filed under:

The latest ruling in the legal struggle between Marvel Comics and Ghost Rider creator took an even uglier turn this week, with Marvel stipulating that they will only drop their countersuit again Friedrich if he pays the publisher $17,000 for selling Ghost Rider merchandise at conventions. While $17,000 may not be a significant amount of money on a corporate scale, it does represent significant hardship for the 68-year-old Friedrich, who is reportedly suffering from both financial difficulties and health problems.

Response to the legal maneuver has been strong (and negative) within the comics community particularly from creator Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), who has launched a fundraising campaign to raise money for Friedrich through both Paypal donations and art auctions. Niles spoke out strongly in Friedrich's defense on Twitter, noting that Friedrich and his wife may face the loss of their home as a result of the ruling:

"I am just raising funds to help Gary pay his rent and eat," Niles told ComicsAlliance. "Because of the judgment he is unable to do conventions anymore so essentially his livelihood has been crushed. I am collecting money for a creator to eat... I'm staying out of the legal arguments. This is just about being there for someone who gave me something to read as a child."

Friedrich responded to his supporters in a note on his Facebook page, where he declared his intention to appeal the judgment:

Since the various news agencies and websites have reported the ruling against me on my claims against Marvel in the Ghost Rider lawsuit, and the assessment of a $17,000 judgment against me and my company instead, I have read an amazing amount of comments in my support on the internet, and have received many messages of support directly. Although the reports of my employment situation and financial difficulties as well as problems with my health are unfortunately true, I want to let everyone in the comic book world, especially my supporters and fans of the Ghost Rider character which I invented, created, and wrote, that I am going to appeal the Court's ruling and continue to fight this as long as I am able and that your support of me means more than you will ever know. I have heard your voices. I thank you with alll my heart, and I appreciate your thoughts and best wishes as I soldier on.


The decision could have implications for many other creators in the industry as well, and the common practice of artists selling prints or sketches related to their work-for-hire content at conventions, as noted by Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter:

The disturbing element, which has certainly not been lost on dozens of initial commentators and tweeters, is that this could represent a broader move from companies like Marvel in terms of pursuing creators making material related to characters they do not own. This could conceivably include the convention sketches through which many artists supplement their incomes and which drives a huge segment of the convention-going economy.


The news also comes at the end of two weeks of bombshell announcements and controversies over creators rights, including DC's announcement of Before Watchmen, James Sturm's public boycott of The Avengers film the resolution of the long-running rights dispute between Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman over several Spawn characters, and artist Tony Moore's Walking Dead lawsuit against Robert Kirkman.


Other creators, including Eric Powell, Jill Thompson, Ron Marz, and Joe Keatinge, added their voices in support of the fundraising efforts, as did Daredevil writer Mark Waid, although he indicated that the case might not be quite as simple behind the scenes as it seemed on the surface:


What is legal and what is fair or ethical can be two very different things, and it's worth noting that while Marvel may be entirely within their legal rights to penalize the creator of one of their most prominent superhero characters in disproportionately damaging ways for selling posters and t-shirts at conventions, that doesn't mean that it isn't an incredibly dick move. Whether or not you think Friedrich's suit had merit, it's terrible to see an creator facing dire circumstances in his later years. On a human level, and particularly in terms of his immediate financial need, this a situation where compassion and generosity seem significantly more important than the finer points of copyright law.

In series of tweets that echoed the recent sentiments of James Sturm, creator Evan Dorkin touched on the contrast between the superhero ethics promoted in the pages of comic books and the corporate realities of superhero publishers:



Marvel Comics declined to comment on the issue.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Gender-Swapped Valentines: Batman and Catwoman

February 11, 2012, 4:00 am
$
0
0


Gender-swapping has always played an interesting role in comic books, primarily in terms of derivative female characters with significantly smaller costumes, but also as a way to get perspective on how differently comics art looks at the different sexes. With the help of Jess Fink, creator of the wonderfully NSFW Chester 5000, we're flipping the script on some of the most famous romances in comics by changing the sexes of the couples (and triads!) in a series of role reversal valentines. Next up: Batman and Catwoman!

For more gender-swapped Valentines, view the full series here.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
Search

Gender-Swapped Valentines: Buffy, Spike and Angel

February 12, 2012, 4:00 am
$
0
0

Filed under:



Gender-swapping has always played an interesting role in comic books, primarily in terms of derivative female characters with significantly smaller costumes, but also as a way to get perspective on how differently comics art looks at the different sexes. With the help of Jess Fink, creator of the wonderfully NSFW Chester 5000, we're flipping the script on some of the most famous romances in comics by changing the sexes of the couples (and triads!) in a series of role reversal valentines. Next up: Buffy, Spike, and Angel!

For more gender-swapped Valentines, view the full series here

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Gender-Swapped Valentines: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Emma Frost and Wolverine

February 13, 2012, 6:30 am
$
0
0

Filed under:



Gender-swapping has always played an interesting role in comic books, primarily in terms of derivative female characters with significantly smaller costumes, but also as a way to get perspective on how differently comics art looks at the different sexes. With the help of Jess Fink, creator of the wonderfully NSFW Chester 5000, we're flipping the script on some of the most famous romances in comics by changing the sexes of the couples (and triads!) in a series of role reversal valentines. Next up: Cyclops and Jean Grey, followed by the other two sides of their long-running love rectangle, Wolverine and the White Queen, after the jump!

For more gender-swapped Valentines, view the full series here.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧
↧

Parting Shot: Ty Templeton's Counterpoint to the Ghost Rider Creator Controversy

February 13, 2012, 10:00 am
↧

Dirty, Puntastic Superhero Valentines by Carolyn Main [Original Art]

February 14, 2012, 6:00 am
$
0
0

Filed under:


Valentine's Day rolls on, and with the help of cartoonist Carolyn Main, we've created some slightly dirty superhero valentines that offer a more off-color take on the spirit of the holiday. If you're not familiar with Main's work on her NSFW webcomic Sex Wizards, let it be known she has an absolutely filthy sense of humor, which is why we thought she'd be perfect for the job. Jokes about web fluid and bestiality follow!






 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

↧

Gender-Swapped Valentines: Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy, Sailor Moon andTuxedo Mask, Lum and Ataru

February 14, 2012, 10:00 am
↧
Viewing all 194 articles
Browse latest View live
More Pages to Explore .....
Search

Latest Images

Nonprofit donates custom home in this East Bay city for Marine injured in...

Nonprofit donates custom home in this East Bay city for Marine injured in...

April 23, 2024, 7:00 am
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo...

New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo...

April 22, 2024, 6:00 am
Ukraine bans military from online gambling amid addiction concerns

Ukraine bans military from online gambling amid addiction concerns

April 22, 2024, 5:17 am
ಮಂಡ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸುಮಲತಾ ದೂರ; ಹೆಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ ಪರ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಿಳಿಯದ ಸಂಸದೆ –ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ನೋಡೋಣ ಎಂದ...

ಮಂಡ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸುಮಲತಾ ದೂರ; ಹೆಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ ಪರ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಿಳಿಯದ ಸಂಸದೆ –ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ನೋಡೋಣ ಎಂದ...

April 20, 2024, 8:08 pm
OCBC Bank Singapore Offers Up to 2.8% p.a. Fixed Deposit Promotion from 21...

OCBC Bank Singapore Offers Up to 2.8% p.a. Fixed Deposit Promotion from 21...

April 20, 2024, 12:38 pm
National Poetry Month 2024: Maxine Starr

National Poetry Month 2024: Maxine Starr

April 19, 2024, 9:56 am
Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

April 19, 2024, 9:18 am
Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement

Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement

April 19, 2024, 7:03 am
New $4.5 million East Bay trail path will connect bicyclists, pedestrians to...

New $4.5 million East Bay trail path will connect bicyclists, pedestrians to...

April 18, 2024, 11:05 am
Photographer Gifts for Clients / Print Packaging / 4x6 Photo Box by...

Photographer Gifts for Clients / Print Packaging / 4x6 Photo Box by...

April 17, 2024, 6:48 pm