The Maryland Gazette reveals “Some hot Baltimore tourist attractions are deep in red ink” including Geppi’s Entertainment Museum which just opened in September.

Several Baltimore tourist attractions are on such shaky fiscal footing that they could collapse if conditions do not improve.

Promotional efforts are not drawing enough visitors to the Maryland Zoo, Sports Legends at Camden Yards and Geppi’s Entertainment Museum to meet expenses, state officials and a private museum operator told the Board of Public Works last week.

[snip]‘‘Other than a game day, we’re in a landlocked position,� said Steve Geppi, a comic book tycoon who owns Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, which features pop culture exhibits and is on the second floor of Camden Station, above Sports Legends.

Seventy-five thousand people visited the museum in its inaugural year, one-third the projected number.

Declining attendance for Orioles games at the stadium next door are also blamed.

Seriously, if you are in the area and don’t go to the Geppi museum, you are missing out on one of the most amazing places for comics fans, history buffs and pop culture junkies in general. We went in September and were flabbergasted.

Jay Babcock writes to remind us that this month’s ARTHUR magazine has a long essay by Alan Moore in its pages:

“Bog Venus vs. Nazi Cock-Ring: Some Thoughts Concerning Pornography” is a survey and consideration of the last TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF PORNOGRAPHY in the Western world — a hairy-palmed story of the sexual imagination that ranges from the Venus of Willendorf to “Anal Virgins IV,” with appearances by Greek sculptors, Roman muralists, Dark Age Christians, Chaucer, Shakespeare, the Marquis de Sade, William Blake, Victorian pornographic playlets and periodicals, J.K. Huysmans, Annie Besant, Ernest Dowson, Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, early 20th-century German devices to keep pubescent boys from having wet dreams, “Tijuana Bibles,” Maurice Girodias’s Olympia Press, D.H. Lawrence, W.S. Burroughs, Harvey Kurtzman, City Light Books, Allen Ginsberg, Ed Sanders, Lenore Kandel, David Meltzer, Charles Bukowski, Barney Rossett’s Grove Press, Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Sharon Rudahl (aka Mary Sativa), Spain, Traci Lords, “Deep Throat,” “Off Our Backs,” Britney Spears, Simone de Beauvoir, Andrea Dworkin, Russ Meyer and Kitten Natividad, Kathy Acker, Angela Carter and Felicien Rops. Amongst others.

Says Jay, “We think this is a landmark piece, and are grateful to be able to publish it in this time of relentless lame sexvertising and galloping militarism.”

Arthur, which has become something of a rallying point for what one might call forward thinking pop culture futurists (Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column) is available at over 800 locations across North America. The cover price is FREE. The mag can also be downloaded as a 2-part PDF. Copies are available at a nominal price from the publisher.

You even read an exclusive excerpt at CBR.

E&P reports that the exhibit of the Art Wood Collection at the Library of Congress has been extended…yay, maybe we can get to see it.

The closing date of a Library of Congress cartoon exhibit has moved from Jan. 27 to Feb. 24, according to ComicsDC.blogspot.com blogger Mike Rhode.

“Cartoon America: Highlights from the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature” opened Nov. 2. The Washington, D.C.-based exhibit features original art by past and present creators — including editorial cartoonists Rube Goldberg, Bill Mauldin, Thomas Nast, and Pat Oliphant; and comic cartoonists Milton Caniff (”Terry and the Pirates”), George Herriman (”Krazy Kat”), Lynn Johnston (”For Better or For Worse”), Winsor McCay (”Little Nemo in Slumberland”), Charles Schulz (”Peanuts”), and Chic Young (”Blondie”).

PS: Peter Sanderson had a nice write up of the show and the accompanying book in PWCW this week. We certainly are going to try to check it out with the expanded time frame.

Mark Evanier has a nice post noting that while Mart Nodell’s passing marks the end of one Golden Age comics creator, we are lucky enough to have a few still walking amongst us:

Paul Norris, who co-created Aquaman, is still with us at the age of 92. George Tuska, who was drawing for Will Eisner’s shop in 1939 would certainly fit anyone’s definition of a Golden Age artist. He’s still around at the age of 90. Nick Cardy, who started with Eisner at the same time, is a much younger man of 85.

Creig Flessel, who was drawing the covers of Detective Comics before Batman was in the book is alive at age 94. Jim Mooney, who drew his first comic book in 1941, is a mere 87 years of age. Joe Simon, who has a pretty impressive list of co-creations to his credit including Captain America, is 93. He started in comics in 1938. Joe Kubert, who’s 80 years old, did his first comic book work in 1942.

Irwin Hasen is 88 and he started drawing comics in 1940. His occasional partner Bob Oksner is two years older and he started doing comics about the same time. So did Bob Fujitani, who’s 86. Bob Lubbers (age 84) was illustrating for funnybooks in 1942. Carmine Infantino is 81 and he was drawing comics before 1941.

Hasen, Infantino, Kubert and Cardy at least are still around on the con circuit. Make it a point to at least say hello some time. It’s a good feeling.

Think that comics-loving directors started with Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez? Wrong! Federico Fellini, famed Italian surrealist, was a cartoonist early in his career, and two books of his doodles are set to debut at next year’s Rome Film Festival

Italy’s ANSA news agency said the two books of the film icon’s daily sketches will make their premiere at the annual film festival, which is tentatively scheduled to run Oct. 18-26. The famed film director and former cartoonist, who died in 1993, had long maintained that the film industry has a direct correlation to the dream world. “Talking about dreams is like talking about movies, since the cinema uses the language of dreams; years can pass in a second and you can hop from one place to another,” he said in 1984. “It’s a language made of images. And in the real cinema, every object and every light means something, as in a dream.” ANSA said the books, which contain approximately 400 drawings by Fellini, were acquired for the festival by one of its directors, Mario Sesti.

Meanwhile, a big exhibit of Tintin and Herge art is set to open at the Pompidou Center in Paris , running from Dec. 20 to Feb. 19. The website is in French so we’ll let more literate people tell us about it. Bookslut where we ganked this from, links to a mention of the show in the UK Guardian.

§Aaron Renier has a spiffy new website, with much charming art like the attached. [Link via Brett Warnock.]

§Comi-Press alerts us to Prospero’s Manga, a new website that reviews manga volumes from a knowledgeable but level-headed perspective.

§Borders is opening some new stores in Malaysia and giving the people what they want:

“Its aim is to make books a lifestyle product among Malaysians by creating a relaxed and cozy atmosphere that will encourage Malaysians to indulge in reading,” said Yong.

Meanwhile, Yong said the Borders customer loyalty programme that was launched in the US early this year may be introduced in Malaysia soon.

“While we study this option, we will continue with our on-going promotions and zoom in on particular trends such as the ‘Manga’ and ‘Graphic World’ titles which are very popular,” she added.

§ ANN tells us about a Maid Cafe taht has been opened in…CANADA!:

A japanese style maid-cafe has opened in Scarborough Ontario. iMaid Café was launched by Aaron Wang, a 24-year-old student of Economics at York University.

Like any maid cafe, iMaid Café features waitresses cosplaying as maid, and treating their clientèle “as if they were in their own home.” However iMaid Café caters to a majority Chinese clientèle, so rather than using the tradional “Master” by which waitresses generally address their patrons at Japanese mad cafe’s, the waitresses at iMaid Café address their clientèle with “Shang-di,” a traditional Chinese appellation. Litterally, “Shang-di” means “god” however it doesn’t infer that the clientèle are gods, but rather that they are receiving service fit for a god.

§Dear Colleen links to this exciting story that suggests that night owls are more creative.

“Being in a situation which diverges from conventional habit — nocturnal types often experience this situation — may encourage the development of a non-conventional spirit and of the ability to find alternative and original solutions,” lead author Marina Giampietro and colleague G.M. Cavallera wrote in a study to be published in the February 2007 issue of Personality and Individual Differences.

This comes as a great comfort, since we normally type this in an hour with but a single digit, and a trip to the radiator just confirmed that the heat has been off for quite some time. Very creative indeed.

American manga-ka are being crown in Fremont, CA:

Chris Cogdill took coloring very seriously.

But by age 3, he lost interest in cute coloring books and crayons.

Instead, he created and drew his own comic book character.

Now at 14, the Fremont teen has plotted out about 500 Manga characters which fill eight portfolios. Manga is a Japanese-style comic book. It is read right to left and is done without color — just tone, explained Cogdill.

Equipped with a pencil and a series of pens (including micron pens), Cogdill works each day for at least an hour on his hobby.

“Before I do anything, I write out all the steps. I plot out my stories. I know the characters and the setting. Then I start writing the story,� Cogdill said.

According to the rest of the article, Cogdill is a night owl who worries about carpal tunnel syndrome and uses Manga Studio to produce his comics. How long til Tokyopop signs him up?

Yesterday, we were asking for a larger image of this classic Village Voice cover by Alex Ross. While our favorite Ross cover for the voice remains this, the Pride Weekend cover is equally iconic in its way. A check of the Ross website reveals that it is on sale for a mere $10,000. Seriously, that’s cheap for a piece of history like this. Someone should snap that baby up!

I just can’t get enough of that clip. Of course, Boyle will always live on as The Creature, but according to the AP obit, he was also One of Us:

Boyle grew up as the youngest of three children of a homemaker mother, Alice, and an artist and television personality father, Francis X. “Pete” Boyle. His father starred in the early 1950s on WPTZ kiddie shows “Lunch With Uncle Pete” and “Chuckwagon Pete.” He drew cartoons on the air and introduced a generation of Philadelphians to the Little Rascals on “Fun House.” Boyle described his childhood in Philadelphia in a 2004 Inquirer article as “very mellow, lots of trees, lots of backyard. I would walk to school at St. Francis de Sales.” At West Catholic High School, Boyle “played football, acted in school plays, and cracked us up by drawing caricatures of the teachers and then passing them around the class,” said his friend Molyneaux. “He was very bright and creative and could imitate anyone.”

According to a press release sent out by John Colby, Boylston & Company has acquired the assets of the late Byron Preiss, including iBooks and BPVP. As previously reported, Colby/Bricktower had been the “Stalking Horse” to acquire the assets in a bankruptcy auction, with a bid of $125,000 on the table. Such an amount seems low given the number of contracts Preiss had — numbering in the thousands — but their duration and exclusivity may not have been extensive. While Colby’s initial offer was $125K, it is unknown if they participated in an auction or not — the auction had been delayed once already due to objections from creditors.

J. Boylston & Company, Publishers, announces the acquisition of the companies owned by the late Byron Preiss. Ibooks, the trade publishing house known for its extensive backlist titles in science fiction, fantasy, history, popular culture, and military nonfiction will continue its publishing program of bringing new and solid titles to the marketplace. Readers of notable authors as Isaac Asimov, Roger Zelazny, Stan Lee, John Betancourt, and Chris Beakey will enjoy new and familiar favorites as the company develops its rich backlist while presenting a new generation of writers to booksellers.

Milk & Cookies Press represents the children’s imprint and features writers such as the late Fritz Leiber and Cadecott Award winner David Wiesner for their title “Gonna Roll the Bones.â€?

Byron Preiss Visual Publications, Inc. is a book packager known for high-profile authors such as Carl Reiner, Philip Caputo, Jay Leno, Jane Goodall, and Mia Hamm.

These companies had been forced into bankruptcy early this year following the tragic death of Byron Preiss in 2005. Publishers Group West (PGW) will continue to serve as distributor for these titles as well as adding our sister company, Brick Tower Press, to its domestic and international sales channels. On behalf of the writers, designers, contributors, artists, and booksellers we can work together to continue Byron’s publishing vision.

We’re not exactly sure what this is, but it’s part of an art exhibit called THE BUMSTEADS by John Wesley, which is on view at Fredericks & Freiser (504 W 22nd St, 212.633.6555) from Fri 12.15 - Sat 2.3.06 (Tue-Fri: 11am-6pm). Image via Flavorpill.

Thanks to the blogosphere, it’s getting so you can’t get away with ANYTHING. In a recent interview at Wizard, Alex Ross had some comments about the gay character Obsidian, that some construed as anti-gay, anti Marc Andreyko or both:

ROSS: I have no idea. I don’t know that that would be the case. Obsidian being put into the JSA is a lot like—and I’m speaking for Geoff here, which he may not agree with—but it’s him grabbing a character that’s just going to get molested further in other writer’s hands. So he’s grabbing him and putting him in the group so he at least can be shepherding this character that belongs in this association. Maybe he’ll make sure that no other writers get any “fun, creative� ideas with him.

Kevin at Blog@ rounds up the web reaction. Now, very openly gay Andy Mangels has sent out a letter with comments from Ross clarifying his comments. It’s rather long so we’ll put most of it in the jump, but before we do we’ll note that we wish we could get a larger version of Ross’s Bush/Cheney kissing cover for the Village Voice.

From Alex Ross:
Regarding the latest interview with me in Wizard online: To anyone offended by my remarks about Obsidian’s being “molested� by writers and his sexual identity being a “fun, creative� idea that I obviously disagreed with, I do apologize. These were purely boneheaded comments I voiced poorly and flippantly. I clearly did not understand how the remark would be interpreted. The use of “molested� was purely meant to be a passionate phrasing of “meddling,� which I probably use far too often. I wouldn’t wish anyone to think I saw a problem with gay characters in comics, and I do recognize that my words could be taken that way.

My friend Andy Mangels informed me about the widespread negative response to these comments and encouraged me to speak out on the issue to clarify what I meant. First off, I want it known that I do care what people perceive of my point of view, and that I do not harbor a prejudice against any human being’s sexual orientation.

The axe I had to grind regarding Obsidian was related to the modern approach of redefining a character’s nature and history in fashions that impose a great deal on them. This is something I mainly object to if these new details of “who they are” take far less from the groundwork the original creators put down. We can’t know for sure most of the time what those first designers would have liked or objected to. My personal rule of thumb is to try and follow my instincts of what that specific character’s inspirations are to me and be true to their earliest definitions. I would claim that this is what you will chiefly find in my work, but I know this ideal I speak of is something I have strayed from plenty. I’d say I’m just a little bit of a hypocrite.

(more…)

Titan Books is looking for a few good men — or women — to write licensed comics for the youngsters. Come on, people, put your money where your mouth is:

Titan Magazines, the UK-based publisher of the originated Wallace & Gromit Comic and such best-selling licences as The Simpsons, Futurama, SpongeBob SquarePants and Star Wars, will be expanding its range of originated comics based on high-profile TV and movie properties in 2007.

As such, we’re looking for versatile comics artists and writers to produce originated, licensed material for an exciting new range of UK children’s comics, aimed at 8-14 year olds. Titan is launching a number of new monthly titles, all of which will require a large amount of original material.

Artists and writers can learn how they can submit portfolios, plots and samples by going to http://www.titanmagazines.com/comicsubmission
or, alternatively: http://www.titanmagazines.com/titan/comicsubmission.html

Interested creators can also get in touch direct by emailing:

Writers: comicwriters@titanemail.com
Artists: comicartists@titanemail.com

Please bear in mind that any artists or writers will need to be approved by external licensors as well as our in-house editorial team.

Please note that these comics will not feature superheroes, and all submissions in that vein will be rejected. We are also not looking for original comics ideas at this point – these comics will all feature new stories featuring existing, licensed characters. We will not be accepting submissions for Simpsons and Futurama Comics, SpongeBob SquarePants Comic or Star Wars Comic.

Please pass this news around to any creators you think would be interested – we guarantee to look at everything submitted to us!

From E&P news that a right-leaning cartooner was arrested for a family unfriendly activity:

Edward Bruce Tinsley, 48, creator of the comic strip Mallard Fillmore — known for its conservative edge — was arrested in Columbus, Indiana, on Dec. 4 and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence, the Indianapolis Star reports today. He posted a $755 bond.

It was his second alcohol-related arrest in less that four months, according to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department. His previous arrest was Aug. 26.

Tinsley’s blood alcohol levels was 0.14, twice the legal limit.
Blogger/thespian James Urbaniakmakes the story even more ironic with a recent MALLARD FILLMORE strip that referenced the property of alcohol to make eggnog tolerable.

§ Yen Press, the eagerly awaited new line headed by Kurt Hassler and Rich Johnson, is hiring, according to Manga Blog, but you must be able to translate Japanese:

Kurt Hassler just dropped me a line to say he’s settling in at Yen Press, Hachette’s new manga imprint, and he’s looking for an editorial assistant. So if you’re looking for a way to break into the industry, this might be your opportunity. Full job posting after the cut.

Editorial Assistant -Japanese Translation Required

§ Caleb Monroe interview’s MBQ’s Felipe Smith at Scryptic Studios with much talk of hos much time Smith spends marketing his OEL book”

What’s the best part about having a book of your own in stores? I’m not yet quite sure what the best part of having a book in stores is. My book is rarely ever in stores. Haha. The best part about being published is being able to reach out to an audience through your work. I don’t have a very long reach, yet. But I’m working on it.

§At his MySpace blog, Ed Brubaker explains why CRIMINAL is skipping a month

A few readers have written to express concern because Criminal wasn’t solicited for March release, so I thought I better address the subject, before rumors start swirling of our demise or something. Criminal is doing very well right now, and as long as sales continue to allow, we’ll keep putting it out. But as we said in all our early press about the book, the plan has always been to take a month or two off between arcs, to allow Sean to draw more Zombies at Marvel, and so we can breath between storylines a bit. But we will be back in the catalogs for issue 6 soon, so do not worry. But as always, we can never have enough readers, so if you haven’t checked out Criminal, which James Gunn just recommended last week on his blog, by the way, then please give it a try, and if you don’t see it at your retailer, please ask them to carry it.

§ Walt Disney’s birthplace is for sale on eBay.

§We received the attached PR in regards to Lela Lee’s webcomic ANGRY LITTLE GIRLS, announcing a new licensing deal for apparel and two books from Running Press:

The Sharpe Company is pleased to announce two new licenses for Angry Little Girls, the comic strip about girls who are disenchanted, crazy, fresh, gloomy and all around angry.

Wish Licensing has picked up the rights to produce t-shirts and sweatshirts in tween, junior, adult women’s sizes, as well as tanks and fashion tops; loungewear tops and bottoms sold separately and/or as sets. Hot Topic, Aahs and Happy Six are among the retailers currently selling Angry Little Girls shirts.

Running Press will publish two mini books featuring new art by Lela Lee, creator of Angry Little Girls, Inc. The books will be published in 2007.

Legendary avant-garde-filmmaker-turned cartooner Alexandro Jodorowsy is profiled in the NY Sun as new prints of EL TOPO highlight the NY Film Festival:

Visiting this fall for the New York Film Festival’s revival screenings of the films, Mr. Jodorowsky was nonetheless an iconoclast, if a good deal stealthier in his soft-spoken expression. The three decades that have passed since his mystic gonzo epics became countercultural touchstones have made the filmmaker a legend, even as the movies seemed to vanish — traded by collectors as poorly dubbed bootleg videos, washy and incomplete. Legal issues between Mr. Jodorowsky and his former producer, the late Allen Klein, cast the films into limbo for all those years, but were resolved in 2004.Thus, a remastered, highdefinition video version of “El Topo” opens today at the IFC Center. Incorporating influences from tarot to the Bible to surrealism into a stupefying Western, Mr. Jodorowsky cast himself as the leather-clad gunman, El Topo (”the mole”), who ambles through a desert strewn with mystical symbols on an unnamed quest, leaving carnage and destruction in his wake.

Since his film heyday, Jodorowsky has collaborated with such folks as MOEBIUS on THE INCAL. The US arm of Humanoids released several of his books during their brief affair with DC Comics — the fact that it’s unlikely these GNs will be reprinted anywhere any time soon ensures that every time we make a book purge here at SBM, they stay on the shelf.

If we were as mean as they say, we might say that if Borat wrote a comics press release, it would read something like this, but we would never insult the fine, fine people of Bulgaria by saying any such thing. It does seem that SPAWN is poised to become a sensation in Bulgaria:

A luxurious collector’s edition comic book will be issued for the first time in Bulgaria. It will be called Spawn Collection Volume 1.

The comic book will be offered for sale on the annual Christmas Book Fair at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia after December 14 2006, avtora.com said.

During the fair, comic book lovers will get a 10 per cent discount. The regular price of the book is 20 leva.

Spawn, the book’s character, was a marine and a CIA agent. He was killed on a mission and ended up in hell. Spawn made an agreement with one of the head devils and returned to life only to find that his wife had married to his best friend.

Volume 1 would unveil Spawn’s goals, friends and enemies, avtora.com said.

The Spawn series were launched in 1992 and were sold in 1.7 million copies, the biggest number registered by an independent publisher, avtora.com said.

At the drawn and quarterly blog, Peggy Burns takes time out to remember the Picadilly, where all the indie cartoonists like to hang out in San Diego, making for some merry nights, indeed

For the past few years, indy comics’ home away from home at the annual San Diego Comic-con has been the Piccadilly Lounge, tucked inside the Pickwick Arms Hotel, a safe mile distance from such establishments as Dick’s Last Resort and overpriced hotel bars. Just our speed, the Piccadilly was a small, humble bar with very cheap beer, I believe a pint of the Piccadilly Ale cost $2. It was a block away from the Greyhound Station, near the San Diego Jail and lots of 24-hour bail bond centers. … In fact in 2006, there was no beach party, and almost every cartoonist was in attendance at the Piccadilly including Hernandez, Clowes, Tomine, Millionaire, Crane, Weissman, Huizenga, Nilsen, Davis, Zettwoch, and more. Here are a few pictures from this summer, keep in mind, Tom still needs to figure out the nighttime setting on our camera. If anyone knows of a good quiet dive bar in San Diego, let us know. It seems as if the Piccadilly and the Pickwick have morphed into a “boutique” hotel.

We are especially sad to hear this since we never even made it out to the now only legendary Picadilly. Trips over the train tracks are only cautiously made in San Diego, and a trip to the WRONG side of the tracks just never materialized. Oh well, it will surely live on in story and song.

Regular readers know we have always been manatee-friendly here at The Beat. These peaceful, lovable behemoths of the seas may lack cutes, but they make up for it in sheer can-do spirit as earth’s most unlikely sea mammals. Although thought of as an ocean-going beast, manatees actually favor drifting tranquilly through the brackish estuaries along the Florida coast, often resulting in that merriest of cries, “Honey, there’s a manatee in the sewage outlet!”

It comes as no surprise, then, that Conan O’Brien has leapt on the manatee bandwagon, with a recurring gag now turning into a web phenomenon:

On the Dec. 4 show, the manatee appeared in a skit about college mascots as the “FSU Webcam Manatee.” As it ended, O’Brien ad libbed a reference to “HornyManatee.com” - and thus a website was born.

The next evening, O’Brien informed his audience that after the previous night’s show, he was contacted by NBC Standards and told the network would have to buy the rights to the then-fictional site. NBC purchased rights to the domain for $159 for 10 years.

The quickly formed site includes “Manatee on Manatee” action, as well as pictures of a “Manateen” and a “Voyeur Manatee.” It’s all a harmless spoof of Internet pornography, and O’Brien claims it has received over three million hits.

He’s encouraged fans to submit their Horny Manatee creations to conanhornymanatee.com - and has been flooded with responses of graphic novels, paintings and photos of people in manatee costumes.

We would dearly love to see these sex manatee graphic novels, but in the meantime, here is the website, doubtless already a haven for furries who like water sports.

For those of you who require actual cuteness in your animal totems, here are baby pandas. Take that, Warren Ellis.

[Panda link via MK Reed]

Ben Templesmith returns from hanging out at the 30 DAYS OF NIGHT set, and he is excited:

I was awesomely, stunningly wrong in my assumptions. Being on set and meeting David Slade ( and his delightful girlfriend Erica of course ) made me realize he’s got plans for this thing. He’s got a vision, while all his own, is going to riff on the visuals of the book, the part that really made it work I think… I can understand now why David got the job. I hadn’t realized before, but before he saw the comic and wanted to take the visuals into account on the movie, I’d already been influenced by him and his earlier work, to get the mood for the book. His use of colours and ideas…it’s a small world, and I need to get out more basically. ( Ok, some of the things he’s done are a bit obscure for me to find, but now he’s told me, I’m shocked at how much of his previous work I’ve seen. ). He’s also a talented artist in his own right. ( no, drawing/art wise I mean, not just the directorial stuff. )

So basically, I spent a few lucky days in November and now December where I got to stand around on set and watch some scenes going on. I’m told I didn’t really see any exciting stuff, but hell, blinking is exciting to me if the camera is rolling. I have a new appreciation for all the work going into the movie process now. I still can’t beleive how many of the little things that were “me” will perhaps make it in. I definitely feel way more invested in this thing now, thanks to the work Weta and everyone has done to turn my grizzled little drawings vageuly into reality. It was kind of surreal at times. Of course, I can’t show anything or give specifics…suffice to say as a comic creator who drew a comic now being turned into a major motion picture, well, I couldn’t be happier. I am humbled and honored with what those guys are doing, including the real concept art guys who have to make sense of it to turn it into reality.If there’s ever going to be an official statement from me about the filming of the thing and how it turned out, it’s basically going to be that.

More in link.

Although the general reaction to BrumCon was positive (Rich Johnston has a good summation in this week’s crackerjack edition of Lying in the Gutters, more of which later) there was one untoward incident: it seems an expedition to a Goth club proved dangerous for a bunch of comics types, as Tony Lee was the victim of a spiked drink, as recounted at the Engine.

Then we went to the pub and then the Radisson - I knew of a goth night happening about 200 yrds down the road so I dragged a troupe of comic pros including one comic publisher to it. It was actually a lot of fun, but around midnight something tasted wrong in my whiskey and after one sip I got rid of it - I thought it was just the ice melting, but I then blacked out an hour and a half or so and was apparently giving symptoms of someone on either ecstasy or ketamine, depending on who had an opinion. Apparently I went from happily drunk to suddenly chatty, manic dancing and commenting that people had sparkly halos around them. And then I came back to my senses with a jolt and threw my guts up in the toilets.

I was forced to drink orange juice by Dan after having a serious turn for the worse, we weathered it out and I was taken home by Dan and Mike, who were both crashing. luckily I didn’t finish the glass, it seems. But, if it was ketamine, apparently that’s just someone buggering around rather than just wanting to date rape me.

While one is tempted to quickly run down a list of internet stalker types wondering WHO would be so hot to get jiggy with Tony Lee, or someone who really, really doesn’t like STARSHIP TROOPERS, in a later post PHONOGRAM’s Kieron Gillen explains that this is sadly par for the course, and it was just a random drink spiking.

I remember circa 2000 hanging out with the Ads women of Future Publishing of the period, and one of them telling they had a quick straw poll in the office and found that something like 20% of them had been spiked that year.

(There was at least someone actively going around doing it in a malicious fashion at the time. It was a major talking point in Bath.)

Clearly, the numbers there altered my perspective ever since.

Note to self: NO DRINKING IN BIRMINGHAM!

Adrian Brown, organizer of the Just1Page charity, sent us a report on the recently concluded Birmingham International Comics Show, complete with a link to an action-packed Flickr set. Sounds like for a debut it was an excellent entry into the always problematic Brit comics scene — and may actually have more of a success than the one-off in Brighton last year.

This was a debut show, originally suggested in the absence of a Brighton Expo this year, and hosted by James Hodgkins and Shane Chebsey, who’d be known to the Brit comics community (such that it is) plus Andy & Paul from the Custard Factory.

The venue is a redeveloped victorian factory which provides a base for various arts projects (Pop Will Eat Itself’s management company used to be based there) and the dance room and exhibition hall provided a smallish venue for a mix of UK small press and professional comics artists - John McCrea, Phil Winslade, Charlie Adlard, Sean Phillips and Duncan Fegredo having their own tables and artists alleys with the likes of Andi Watson, Woodrow Phoenix, Mike Collins, Dave Gibbons, Alan Davis and (i have to say) many more. There was a gallery dedicated to Hunt Emerson and you could find him and Gilbert Shelton there, welcoming and chatting to all comers.

The small press people had some successes, Dave Hitchcock nigh on sold all the self-financed hard cover copies of his excellent Spring Heeled Jack. (Check the Black Boar Press website for updates on how to pick up a copy.) Al Davison & his partner Maggie reported some great sales from their Astral Gypsy stall. Selina Lock and Jay Eales had a steady trade of their Girly Comic and Violent! new issues … women are from which planet ? Talking of which, Jamie McKelvie and Kieron Gillen’s Phonogram did a roaring trade. As did the respective works of wee press faves David Baillie, Douglas Noble and Daniel Merlin Goodbrey. Plus Chad Solomon and Julie Pickering from Canada (& Birmingham) who
provided part of the International set - with their lovely kid’s tale of
Canadian natives: Rabbit & Bear Paws

Some have said that the attendees were the usual comics people, but surely to start an event like this the exhibitors have to see some immediate returns and new folks are hard to get to buy stuff. Having said that, my Just 1 Page sales reached an all-time low, and even free raffle tickets could not entice sales. Anyone wanting 150 copies of J1P please check in at your local asylum. But it was the first shopping day of Xmas. And it rained.

But that’s not to say I had a bad time. I enjoyed this one more than any for quite a while.

Having persuaded Lee Barnett (aka Budgie) of Hypotheticals fame to do a comics quiz with fun rounds along the lines of (British news quiz) “Have I Got News For You?” I may have regretted it when I entered the stage dressed as Robin The Boy Wonder. But that was my own idea, and the quiz went very well.

The writers: Dave Gibbons, Tony Lee and Kieron Gillen (dubbed “the new Grant Morrison” after comedy bald scotsman mix-up) narrowly lost to the artists: Mike Collins, John McCrea and Jamie McKelvie. But not until we’d had McCrea and McKelvie as Lois and Clark, followed by Gillen and Lee as Dennis The Menace and Walter the Softy (UK readers and anyone familiar with the Beano may be surprised to learn that Kieron played Dennis !)

And like many of the events in the 80 seater theatre, hilarity was delivered.
Oh, it’s worth saying that the same theatre also saw the chaotic cardboard destruction derby of the Kochalka Puppet Theatre’s “Monkey vs Robot” enactment. Only these photos can explain that one.

There was also a huge multi-artist jam tribute to Lee Falk’s Phantom, which reaches a 70th anniversary this year.

I foolishly agreed to hold another Just 1 Page 24 Minute Comic (find 25 artists, give them a script and get them to draw for 24 minute) which will appear online at some point but will be sold at the Bristol Expo in May for the charity Childline. I say foolishly but my brilliant idea to base the story on Slade’s All Time British Hit Record “Merry Xmas Everybody” worked like a dream, and many of the above artists participated, plus Sean Azzopardi and Lew Stringer.

Among the other events: Alex Toth’s son delivered a career retrospective of his father; and no doubt Paul Gravett covered the history of British comics in his excellent expansive manner.

The usual hotel exploits were dispersed by the hotel being fifteen minutes walk from the venue, but the bar of choice was Birmingham’s oldest pub, The Crown (c.1368 !) and when that got crammed with Brummie ravers, local man, John McCrea found us The Rainbow - with a reggae DJ - a genuine Brum Cultural event !

Despite the encroaching holidays, there are still a few cool and groovy comical events taking place in the next few days — check one out in YOUR neighborhood!

Tuesday, December 12th
San Francisco, CA from 7-9PM “Draw Me a Possum, 63 Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Years of Pogo” at the Cartoon Art Museum
Mark Burstein, Scott Daley and Steve Leialoha discuss Walt Kelly’s Pogo. Rarely seen book and original artwork will be shown during the presentation.

Wednesday, December 13th
Chandler, AZ from 5-8PM Seth Green and Hugh Sterbakov at Atomic Comics Chandler Fashion Center
Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken) and Hugh Sterbakov (Freshmen, Robot Chicken) will be promoting their new release Freshmen II. Copies of Freshmen Vol 1 TP, Freshmen II #1, and Freshmen II #2 will be available for purchase at the Atomic Comics Chandler Fashion Center (3155 West Chandler Blvd).

Friday, December 15th
New York, NY at 7PM Abby Denson and Shannon O’Leary at Bluestockings
Come get your books signed by Abby Denson (Tough Love: High School Confidential) and Shannon O’Leary (editor of Pet Noir: A Comic Book Anthology of Strange but True Pet Crimes) at Bluestockings (172 Allen Street.)

New York, NY from 6-8PM Molly Crabapple at Jim Hanley’s Universe
The book promo continues into this week! Molly Crabapple will be signing copies of Dr. Sketchy’s Official Rainy Day Coloring Book and will also be giving an illustration demo with model Lady J. The event is free and there will be cupcakes (also free!). Jim Hanley’s is located at 4 W 33rd St.

Saturday, December 16th
Seattle, WA at 6:00PM Peter Bagge and Ellen Forney at Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery

Artists Peter Bagge and Ellen Forney will be signing books and presenting a multimedia slide show at the Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery (1201 S. Vale Street, at Airport Way). The slide show will include animation by Peter Bagge and Forney will be doing her “acclaimed multimedia performance of I LOVE LED ZEPPELIN” Both artists currently have art up the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery Exhibition “30 Years of Misfit Lit.”. The event is free.

North Syracuse, NY at 2PM Tamora Pierce and Timothy Liebe at Comix Zone
Writers Tamora Pierce and Timothy Liebe will be signing copies of Marvel’s White Tiger and Terrier at Comix Zone. (628 South Main Street) Call (315) 452-1037 for more information.

Washington, DC at 3:30PM Abby Denson and Shannon O’Leary at Big Planet Comics Georgetown
Abby Denson and Shannon O’Leary continue their book promo and signing tour at Big Planet Comics Georgetown (3145 Dumbarton St. NW ).

Sunday, December 17th

Philadelphia, PA at 3PM Abby Denson and Shannon O’Leary at Robin’s Bookstore
Abby Denson and Shannon O’Leary wrap up their book promo tour in Philly. Robin’s Bookstore is located at 108 S. 13th St.

[Listings compiled by Cindy Arias]

The blogosphere has a new talking point as the news that Chuck Dixon is writing a comic starring Midnighter, the gay character from THE AUTHORITY hits. Dixon is well known to be on the conservative side, but Crocodile Caucus picks up some past rhetoric from him on the topic of homosexuality in comics:

The guy who wrote “I don’t want to expect to be able to shield my kids from the subject of homosexuality as the media seems intent on bringing into my home and nothing short of cutting the electricity and boarding the windows will stop it. But I DON’T want my kids reading about it in comics.� will be writing a character that’s been the motivation of many GLAAD media award nominations? (IIRC, The Authority never won.)

Lovely. I’m feeling a little more motivated about writing about dropping out of floppies.

Johanna has her own reaction. Loren at One Diverse Comic Book Nation sums up both sides:

So, how do I feel about Chuck Dixon writing the character Midnighter? Surprisingly, it’s mixed. I’m extremely worried that a part of who Midnighter is will be erased from this mini-series. Some people argue that this kind of book would not warrant him talking about his sexual orientation. Yes, it would be highly unlikely for him to wander around coming out to everybody, BUT, I defy you to find me an issue of Batman or Superman or any other comic where their own sexual orientations aren’t brought up. By virtue of Superman being married to Lois Lane, we know he’s straight. When Batman is millionaire Bruce Wayne, surrounded by women, we know he’s straight. Midnighter’s sexual orientation has played a big part in The Authority. His relationship with Apollo has made him a poster child for gay unions in comic books. It just worries me.

Can we expect a public statement from Dixon soon?

Publishers Weekly has word of a personnel shift at VIZ:

Dudley Jahnke has left Viz Media and Viz CEO Hidemi Fukuhara has taken over his duties overseeing sales and marketing at the manga publishing house. Gonzalo Ferreyra will take over direct responsibility for book and DVD sales and will report to Fukuhara.