And it’s not Alan Moore! It seems Simon Pegg is upset that McG is planning an American remake of their classic Britcom SPACED — without any input from the creators. Pegg lets loose on his website:

The fact is, when we signed our contracts ten years ago, we had neither the experience or the kudos to demand any clauses securing any control over future reversioning. We signed away our rights to any input in the show’s international future, because we just wanted to get the show made and these dark days of legal piracy seemed a far away concern. As a result, we have no rights. The show does not belong to us and, those that do own it have no obligation to include us in any future plans. You would perhaps hope though, out of basic professional respect and courtesy, we might have been consulted. It is this flagrant snub and effective vote of no confidence in the very people that created the show, that has caused such affront at our end. If they don’t care about the integrity of the original, why call it Spaced? Why attempt to find some validation by including mine and Edgar’s names in the press release as if we were involved? Why not just lift the premise? Two strangers, pretend to be a couple in order to secure residence of a flat/apartment. It’s hardly Ibsen. Jess and I specifically jumped off from a very mainstream sitcom premise in order to unravel it so completely. Take it, have it, call it Perfect Strangers and hope Balkie doesn’t sue. Just don’t call it Spaced.

See, it happens in TV, too. Pegg updates the site to reflect that he and Jessica Hynes will receive some compensation, but let’s face it, who really wants McG raising their baby?

More at Vulture.

We’re reasonably sure that the highly erudite folks who read The Beat get this joke, but just to give a little background, Bass was the immensely influential and highly imitated graphic designer whose logos, movie posters and, most importantly, animated film credit sequences created a whole strain of drastically pared down modernism, minimal yet elegant. Influenced by the Bauhaus movement and Russian Constructivism, his titles for THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM were considered shocking at the time, focusing on the jagged image of an arm to impart the pain of drug addiction. (The movie featured Frank Sinatra as a heroin-addicted ex-con and musician.) Bass would go on to do more groundbreaking work with Alfred Hitchock, Stanley Kubrick and Billy Wilder, among others.

Okay, hilarious right?

The whole bookscan/genre debate marches on, and Chris Mautner somehow reintroduces the canon debate into the mix. The link is a round-up of other links, but it includes this statement from a genuine academic, Prof. David Ball

The question you ask is an incredibly vexed one for literary studies, and created (and continues to create) a ferment of critical debate and discussion (the so-called “canon wars” of the 1990s). On one hand, canons are necessary devices: they cull essential texts out of an archive that would otherwise be illimitable. Alas, we are only given so much time to read in our lives. Yet at the same time, they often impose arbitrary biases upon the richness and heterogeneity of the texts being produced at any given moment. If you look at literary anthologies from earlier periods, for example, you will find a paucity of women writers or writers of color. Given this bind, I think the best articulations of canon formation are as aware as possible of the standards by which they select some texts and ignore others. I also would hope that a comics canon would encourage us to read more, not less, and would represent the diversity of work being done in the field. A canon should invite debate, not seek to stifle it.

There’s also this link to a longish analysis of READING COMICS and its relation to the canon.

Diagonally related, Purity Brown takes on the what is art/mainstream/etc. question at length:

What is an “art comic”? Dick Hyacinth wants to say that “art/literary comics” are “comics for which creative expression outweighs market considerations”. Possibly that’s what the term “art comics” should mean, on a simple, intuitive reading of the words; but in practice, that definition would be completely useless, because how would you tell? I mean, sure, sometimes it’s obvious. (I sincerely doubt that Dylan Meconis decided to create a webcomic about a fictional 18th-century German theologian because that’s how you make the big bucks.) But what about, say, The Umbrella Academy?

What say we? We say buy this book

and have done with it. We suspect this book (from the same publisher) will also be of aid.

School Library Journal is a magazine aimed at…school librarians. It just had a big cover ppackage on graphic novels which you can read online, started with Michelle Gorman’s overview

What a difference a decade makes. After years of fighting for shelf space in libraries and classrooms, graphic novels have finally become an acceptable alternative to their prose-packed counterparts—and kids can’t seem to get enough of them. For that matter, neither can grown-ups. In 2006, U.S. consumers dropped an estimated $330 million on graphic novels and comics, with librarians accounting for about 10 percent, or $33 million, of those purchases.

She also lists 25 core graphic novels for school-age readers. Ther package also include a giant review section, with grade-appropriate ratings and a report on the Graphic Novels Core Collection, a databse which will cost you $205-225, depending on the size of one’s library.

The Big Picture Graphic Novels Core Collection features over 2,000 recommended titles with descriptions, annotations, and cover art for some of the most popular graphic novels published. Through the WilsonWeb interface, subscribers can search the database by author, title, subject, genre, and grade level.

Annotations provide users with a brief description of the content, review excerpts, and any awards that the title has won. Ratings by age appropriateness within the entry are strictly applied, which allows librarians to quickly determine placement within the collection. Additionally, cover art displayed within each search entry can also provide insight regarding suitability.

The Emerald City ComiCon is not, strictly speaking, an indie comics show, but it takes place in Seattle, so it sorta is by default. Anyway, they have a new “Indy creator ad” by Jeffrey Brown, above.

Aieee, those indy comics…they are everywhere! Wesley Craig Green writes to tell us of a new website called Indy Comic News which he hopes will fill “a much-needed void for independent comics & graphic novels and their publishers and creators.” Which is an oxymoron, but, ANYWAY. Green reports that publishers can upload their own PR, previews and announcements to the site, and a few other things:

* Have their titles added to the monthly Pre-Ordering Comics section of the site where they can provide Diamond ordering codes, links to previews, and more. The emphasis here is to give them an extra opportunity to sell their titles to those who do take the time to pre-order and also for retailers. Towards the end of each month, a PDF file of the titles will be created and made available for download from the ICN site and the CBIA forum with the intention that it will be used for pre-ordering.

* They can also add their title to the monthly Out This Month section when it is released. This will give them, yet, another opportunity to market their released title to consumers by providing them information on where it is available, links to previews, and such.

* A Publisher’s Directory which is simply a directory of publishers and self-publishers that people can use to find a certain publisher or self-publisher’s web site or contact information.

It will be hard to stand out in an already crowded field, but such a site would be a valuable resource, so check it out.

This YouTube video has a weighty theme:

The American civil rights movement opened possibilities of empowerment to a new generation. Feminism simply extended that to include equity for the 51% majority of the human race, namely women. 1970’s pop culture reflected society’s struggle to grasp a new, modern, full-range woman. Comic books were in a renaissance through young counterculture creators with more sophisticated stories, art, and outlooks. What better place for higher concepts of new female power than the turbo-amped fantasyscape of superheroes?

But we suspect you will just enjoy its nostalgic, kick-assness. Commentary by blogger Kali here. Via When Fangirls Attack.

Speaking of Indie comics show, CAPE!, the Dallas, TX version, will be held May 3 at a new location:

The WORLD’S BIGGEST Free Comic Book Day Event has gotten so big, we had to move to a new location. CAPE! 4, Comic and Pop-Culture Expo, is back. On Saturday May 3, CAPE! 4 is hosted by Zeus Comics and Toys, PvPOnline.com, and Popsyndicate.com. This elite team of comic experts joins forces once again to bring North Texas a bigger and better Comic and Pop-Culture Expo (CAPE!), than last year – it’s the biggest Free Comic Book Day event in the world.

This year’s list of NEW guest comic book artists and writers includes industry giants Mark Waid, Chynna Clugston, Robert Kirkman, Greg Pak, Jason Pearson, Greg Pak, Matt Sturges and Paul Benjamin. They are joined by returning headliners Gail Simone, David Mack, Mike Huddleston, Tony Bedard, Jim Mahfood, Scott Kurtz, Jamie S. Rich, James O’Barr, Marc Andreyko, Kody Chamberlain, Dave Crosland, Lea Hernandez, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Mercedes Lackey, Ben Dunn, Kristian Donaldson, Kris Straub, Larry Dixon and many more, CAPE! just keeps getting bigger and bigger! For a complete list of guests go to www.capeday.com.

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A smattering of pictures and reports from this weekend’s duo of indie comics shows, SPACE in Columbus, OH and STAPLE in Austin, TX.

David Hopkins has a Flickr set of STAPLE, of which one is at left. Wayne Cheong also went to Staple, and began a collection of artist self portraits called How Do You See Yourself? ADDED: Scott Kurtz on Staple. [HT: Blog@]

Frank Santoro at Comics Comics has a SPACE report:

Went to SPACE in Columbus, Ohio. It was okay. Just no traffic really. The only people walking around checking things out were exhibitors. It felt like that until about 2 or 3 o’clock. I passed out some Cold Heat zines while Jim Rugg signed comics for his legions of fans (3 different people brought all their Street Angel comics, from home, to be signed. I’m not kidding! That shit never happens to me!) A little frustrated early on, I looked up to the end of my aisle — and there was Dave Sim. It’s not 1987 or 1995, it’s 2008, and there’s one of the most recognized figures in comics, still on tour, still hawking his vision.

Max Ink also has a brief SPACE report and mentions that traffic seemed to be down from last year.

§ Tom Spurgeon looks back at 25 big stories of 2007

§ David Paggi and Kiel Phegley how have a blog called Indie Jones at the Wizard Website.

§ Brian Hibbs wanders around his store for 31 days and along the way hopes to list “31 classic graphic novels.” First up: Alan Moore’s SWAMP THING.

§ Another Zuda profile! This one spotlights Jeremy Love of Bayou fame:

“I was just trying to come up with a story that compelled me, that I always wanted to read,” Love says. “I’ve always found something haunting about the South. Every time I’d go back and visit, it just seemed like there was something underneath the surface that was intangible. I really wanted to explore that and give the South and American culture a fantasy epic similar to ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ I wanted to give us something that tapped into our folklore.”

§ We all know WIMPY KID is one of the biggest things in children’s publishing nowadays, but few actually think of it as a straight comics — it’s an illustrated novel. However, as this profile of creator Jeff Kinney explains, he did start out as a cartoonist:

The Wimpy Kid series culminates Kinney’s years of fascination for the comic strip artform, beginning as a youngster, when he marveled at how cartoonists such as Gary Larson (The Far Side) and Matt Groening ( The Simpsons, Life in Hell) could make newsprint come to life with animated characters and humorous word balloons. When he was in college, Kinney published a cartoon featuring a wisecracking college freshman named Igdoof. It became a must-read on campus and made many of Kinney’s colleagues believe that he was destined for a future in comic strips.

§ Jog wonders about SKYDOLL and the lack of manga on Dirk’s meta-list.

§ Manga museums now a popular destination for foreign tourists in Japan:

Foreign visitors have always flocked to old tourist spots in Japan, such as Kyoto, the Sapporo Snow Festival, hot-springs baths and Mount Fuji. But these days, they’re also checking out new offbeat ways to experience Japan, such as ninja classes, a geeky pop culture in Tokyo’s Akihabara gadget district and animation museums displaying manga, or Japanese-style cartoons. And they’re coming in record numbers — many of them from elsewhere in Asia. Last year, an all-time high 8.34 million foreign tourists visited Japan, up 14 percent from the previous year.

§ George Gene Gustines reveiws INCOGNEGRO in the NY Times

§ Is Djimon Hounsou going to play the Black Panther? At a junket he says he signed for a dream comics character but doesn’t say who. Publicity ploy or…

§ Is Cleveland Brown set to be the star of a FAMILY GUY spin-off?

§ Mr. Skin interviews Joe Matt

Do you have any groupies that want to have sex with you just to see how you’ll draw them in a comic?

Whenever I deal with fans some other part of me turns off. I just go into this mode where I’m trying to be gregarious and friendly. I’m very uncomfortable with the whole interaction between men and women. I really feel that if there’s anyone out there for me it’s going to be really hard to find her. I have my eyes open, but I don’t have any hope. The last girl I pursued was an autobiographical cartoonist. I thought she’d be perfect. She does exactly what I do. I thought it’d work out because we both have a shared occupation. It was disastrous. I made assumptions she’d be just like me and she wasn’t. I’ll probably write about that in my next book.

Matt has his own thoughts on the interview here.

Technorati Tags: Jeremy Love, Joe Matt, Jeremy Love, Wimpy Kid

At Edelstein boarding school, the schoolboys wear lip-gloss, the headmistress has a weakness for homoerotic comic books, and there is only one subject: how to serve female visitors.

Yes it is another story on those maid cafes for women in Tokyo. Pullquotes galore.

“Most of our customers are office ladies in their twenties and thirties, women who are fashionable but normal,” said Emiko Sakamaki, Edelstein’s 27-year-old manager, herself dressed in a loose mini-dress over skinny jeans and knee-high boots.

Jonathan Levine writes to say that a drawing by artist Lori Earley was stolen from her show at his gallery last week. Details a description of the suspected thief are below the cut. On a happier note, here’s a picture of artist Tara McPherson working on her “Lost Constellations” installation.

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This is definitely not comics, but cartoonist Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons (SHUTTERBOX) has a harrowing account of what happened after her mother wandered out of a retirement home. Her mother, who suffers from aphasia, was missing for a few days and turned up at a LA hospital as a Jane Doe, and that’s where the real trouble began.

Once in a while we get one of those wonky press releases about people announcing their very important comic book which they hope to turn into a very important movie, but this one is really pretty funny. Basically it’s a PR Wire story about a marketing company called “Team Hollywood” getting an artist for a comic book. So far so good. Here’s the concept for the comic as found on a job post board:
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Because The Beat is weak, a new still from MY NAME IS BRUCE. Another one here.

Technorati Tags: Bruce Campbell

Mike Dawson’s FREDDIE & ME, a graphic novel about growing up a Queen fan that artfully mixes autobiography and imaged biography, is coming out soon from Bloomsbury. To celebrate Alex Robinson gave the above as a present to Dawson. Can you spot Andrew Ridgeley?

The A.V. Club recently spotlighted some painters who take pop culture characters and paint ‘em up in the style of Ingres or Rembrandt. Yeah, it’s cheap. But it’s fun.

Check out Brandon Bird as he reimagines both Noam Chomsky and Michael Landon. (The complete image is in the link.)

Plus, his Law and Order: Special Batman Unit.

Also, Isabel Samares.

And Monet’s Haystack/Sleestak series by Monte “Monet” Cook.

Ack! Software glitches caused some stored drafts to get accidentally posted last night. Many apologies and those responsible are being sacked.