If you’ve stuck with us this far, you’ve got to go all the way, as the last batch of comics writers, artists, editors, marketers and chroniclers weigh in. If there’s one takeaway from reading all these responses? WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! Seriously, there is no way I could have ever imagined in 1999 that in 10 years I would witness this level of confidence and strength from member of the comics industry. We’ve come a long, long way. Together.

Great thanks to all who time out from their holidays to participate and here’s to a fantastic year ahead–I have a feeling it might just be another big one.

Stuart Moore, writer

2010 projects: CLOAK & DAGGER, with Mark Brooks: one-shot from Marvel, March 2010 SHADRACH STONE, with Jon Proctor: original graphic novel from Penny-Farthing Press, Spring 2010 DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #896, featuring U.S. Ace (formerly U.S. 1), with Shawn Crystal: Marvel, February 2010
X-MEN ORIGINS: CYCLOPS, with Jesse Delperdang: one-shot from Marvel, January 2010
THE 99, with John McCrea and others: monthly from Teshkeel
A pretty cool TRANSFORMERS story

And other Things as yet Unnameable

What was the biggest story in comics in 2009? I think it was the remarkable resilience of comics in a down economy. Sales are solid and the range of formats continues to grow. There are a lot of challenges to face, but many industries are in much worse shape.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2010? I’ll say this is the year that actual digital purchasing of traditionally paper comics comes into its own. Of course, that depends on a lot of factors like the evolution of tablet computers and/or full-color dedicated readers; it might take another year. In which case, I’ll just be happy if a new issue of MAGIC WHISTLE comes out.

When I think of comics in the 00s I think of: For me personally, the 00s were an amazing, rocky, wonderful time. I started out having just left DC Comics, after nine years; had a whirlwind stint at Marvel Knights (thank you, Joe and Nanci, in case I haven’t said it enough); and wound up writing a wider variety of material than I could ever have dreamed. Cheers to everyone who keeps the sails on this crazy industry lashed against the currents; let’s keep doing it for another ten years. At least.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the biggest year-end survey ever! We’re going to keep going until it’s all done though. People from EVERY walk of the comics industry sounds off on what they hope for in the new year, and along the way there’s lots of news, and a few previews, too. Previous installments: one, two and three.

Kurt Busiek, writer

2010 projects: Astro City (Variant cover above), Marvels: Eye of the Camera

What was the biggest story in comics in 2009? Paul Levitz stepping down as DC’s President and Publisher.  The last guy in charge to have roots going back before the rise of the Direct Market.  Paul’s always been a careful, deliberate manager of DC’s fortunes, and whoever winds up at his desk, it’ll mean big changes, one way or the other, for DC and for the comics industry.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2010? Comics and the recession.  Do they continue to skate above it, or do they stumble?

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2010? Can’t wait for the THIRTEEN (GOING ON 18) collection from Drawn & Quarterly.  John Stanley teen goodness!  And Im’ hoping for another WALT & SKEEZIX volume.  But I don’t feel guilty about either one…

When I think of comics in the 00s I think of: The rise of the ongoing company-wide storyline.  Not just a crossover, but a years-long narrative that surges through the major companies’ shared universe lines, exciting a lot of readers and chasing others away.  There’s a lot of talk of “event fatigue” these days, but it still seems to be working…for now.
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Yet again we poll folks from EVERY region of the comics industry to see what’s on their minds for the past year and what they have in the works for 2010. We’ve been doing this for a few years and never has there been such consensus on the top stories of both the past and future years. As you read on you’ll see what we mean, but you’ll also find exclusive art previews, publishing news, and some pretty sharp opinions.

David Lloyd, cartoonist

2010 projects: Cartoon Classroom .  Not a job of work but an act of charity I’m happy to perform - helping out a website designed specifically for folks in the UK and Ireland, where access to useful information on the study of cartooning and sequential art is not as readily available as in the US.  CC aims to centralise it all, so that anyone looking for info on classes, tutors to teach classes, books to study, museums to go to, has one source containing all, or pointing to all, rather than a disparate bunch to go to.  Our biggest problem - communicating it’s existence to everyone who should know about it.  But we’re getting there.
 
What was the biggest story in comics in 2009? Just don’t know.  After The Deluge should have been, I’m inclined to think.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2010?
 
Doing another of my own graphic novels.  Hopefully one that people will get to know about in contrast to my last one… No - cancel that ‘ hopefully ‘.  I’ll make absolutely sure that people know about it or die trying.

When I think of comics in the 00s I think of:

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The Alternative Press Expo kicks off this weekend at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. Details are in the link but guests can be scanned here; programming, here. Social events have their own post.

As for what to expect, here’s a quick rundown via our email:

• Buenaventura Press has a lot of new stuff including:

Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch deliver more Amazing Facts & Beyond in Fact Parader!, a new batch of the St. Louis crew’s strip starring trivia maniac Leon Beyond. It’s a mind-melting, fully indexed issue! Grand Hôtel Orbis II is a gorgeous art book published in France that features artists from around the world, such as Blex Bolex, Charles Burns, Frédéric Coché, Daisuke Ichiba, Daniel Johnston, and many more.

• Manga publisher Fanfare/Ponent Mon.

• Dean Haspiel has several appearances and panels

• Gay advocacy group Prism Comics has many events, including signings by Christine Smith, Jeff Krell, Sina Grace, and Tony Breed.

• Jamaica Dyer:
Debut: Weird FIshes GN collection.

Weird Fishes started as a webcomic in Spring 2008, a preview issue was self-published for APE that year, where it was then picked up by Slave Labor Graphics. The 120 page graphic novel will be available at APE this year, where I am one of the featured guests, will be signing books at the Slave Labor booth and I will be appearing on 3 panels!

________

• NBM:

If you’re going to the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco the weekend of October 17th, then make sure to stop by the NBM table to meet Ted Rall- he’ll be selling his last few premier copies of THE YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY (book due in stores mid-Nov.) - as well as Shane White, signing his just released THINGS UNDONE.
Both will have other books of theirs, of course, as well as a smattering of our recent titles to sell! Better yet, credit cards accepted. So there, now you gotta go.

___________

• SIREN
SIREN Comic Collection
250 pages, hardcover, $30

Basically, an anthology of short comics (from 4 to 30 pages) all in one way or another about the same topic.  A bait, and a catch.  We’ve been working on this project for about a year, and this year’s APE will be the first con that we are going to have a table at.  We really wanted to have a lot of different styles included, but really keep the overall quality of the artists really high…. all of us know each other in person and are friends, and most of us are also based in San Fran too.  More info on the site and pics/stuff too.

_______________

• Michael Aushenker
Debut: CARTOON FLOPHOUSE FEATURING GREENBLATT THE GREAT! # 2 at the Cartoon Flophouse table # 284. The issue includes his “autobio” story, “The Secret Double Life of Michael Aushenker.”

_______

• Jon Adams
I’ll be debuting my Anthology Anthology at APE. It’s a 36-page anthology of anthology contributions I’ve done and A poster/paper doll kind of thing called Little People Toys.

Read the rest of this entry »

If only someone would put comics on iPhone! How convenient it would be! Wait, they have? NBM is the latest publisher to join the gold rush:

NBM Publishing is proud to announce partnering with Panelfly, the newly launched iPhone app that’s bringing the best graphic novels direct to you… instantly! 

Panelfly allows you to read your favorite graphic novels as the creators intended; you get full-page views, automatic panel navigation and more! You can purchase your comics using your iTunes account; tap the screen twice, and you’ll immediately have one of the world’s best graphic novels right in your hands. 

NBM titles now available include the sold-out smash BROWNSVILLE by writer Neil Kleid, Jesse Lonergan’s powerful romantic drama FLOWER AND FADE, Swedish sensation Naomi Nowak’s UNHOLY KINSHIP, Rick Geary’s award-winning LINDBERGH CHILD and Shane White’s NORTH COUNTRY. All of these by authors NBM is publishing new titles from this fall. More titles will be added throughout the fall. 

Each of these NBM graphic novels is available on your iPhone for $6.95 to $9.95, less than the paperbacks. Go straight to iTunes or to www.panelfly.com. 

Stay tuned for further announcements of partnerships between NBM and leading E-Book and mobile download sites.

“It’s clear this is the future where readers increasingly have a choice as to how they want to read their comics,” said NBM publisher Terry Nantier, “and we consider ourselves purveyors of graphic novels, not pushers of print publications. Any way you want a quality, engrossing novel-length comic, we’ll make that available, whether print or electronic.” 

For further information, please contact our publicist, Marc Mason: marcmasonnbm@gmail.com.

• Jacq Cohen, formerly Publicity Coordinator at Dark Horse, will be moving to Fantagraphics to be Director of Publicity and Promotions beside Eric Ryenolds, who was recently promoted to Associate Publisher. It’s a great hire for Fanta, and a great line for Cohen to be plying her trade to promote.

• Marc Mason, best known as owner and editor-in-chief of the Comics Waiting Room, recently took over NBM’s publicity duties, a position formerly held by David Seidman, who remains busy with his many other projects.

OH YEAH! Finally found a spot in the Indigo Ballroom where I could get Wi-Fi! It’s on!

Here’s where we stand ….winners in BOLD!

Best Publication for Kids

* Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper, by Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastic Graphix)
* Cowa! by Akira Toriyama (Viz)
* Princess at Midnight, by Andi Watson (Image)
* Stinky, by Eleanor Davis (RAW Junior)
* Tiny Titans, by Art Baltazar and Franco (DC)

Best Publication for Teens/Tweens

* Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
* Crogan’s Vengeance, by Chris Schweizer (Oni)
* The Good Neighbors, Book 1: Kin, by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (Scholastic Graphix)
* Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale and Nathan Hale (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
* Skim, by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)

Best Coloring

* Steve Hamaker, Bone: Ghost Circles, Bone: Treasure Hunters (Scholastic Graphix)
* Trish Mulvihill, Joker (DC), 100 Bullets (Vertigo/DC)
* Val Staples, Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)
* Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien: The Drowning, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Body Bags (Image); Captain America: White (Marvel)
* Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #19 (Acme)

Best Lettering

* Farel Dalrymple, Omega: The Unknown (Marvel)
* Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! (Renaissance)
* Scott Morse, Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! (Red Window)
* Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)
* Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #19 (Acme)

Best Digital Comic

* Bodyworld, by Dash Shaw,
www.dashshaw.com
* Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil,
www.shadowlinecomics.com/webcomics/#/finder/
* The Lady’s Murder, by Eliza Frye,
www.theladysmurder.elizafrye.com
* Speak No Evil, by Elan Trinidad,
www.theoryofeverythingcomics.com/SNE/ | Mirror Site
* Vs. by Alexis Sottile & Joe Infurnari,
www.smithmag.net/nextdoorneighbor/2008/12/08/story-18/

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

* Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
* Mark Buckingham/Steve Leialoha, Fables (Vertigo/DC)
* Olivier Coipel/Mark Morales, Thor (Marvel)
* Guy Davis, BPRD (Dark Horse)
* Amy Reeder Hadley/Richard Friend, Madame Xanadu (Vertigo/DC)
* Jillian Tamaki, Skim (Groundwood Books)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

* Lynda Barry, What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Eddie Campbell, The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard (First Second)
* Enrico Casarosa, The Venice Chronicles (Ateliér Fio/AdHouse)
* Scott Morse, Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! (Red Window)
* Jill Thompson, Magic Trixie, Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Spirit of retailing award winner: Tate’s Comics Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.

Best Cover Artist

* Gabriel Bá, Casanova (Image); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
* Jo Chen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity (Dark Horse); Runaways (Marvel)
* Amy Reeder Hadley, Madame Xanadu (Vertigo/DC)
* James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
* Matt Wagner, Zorro (Dynamite); Grendel: Behold the Devil (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

* Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)
* The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
* The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon and Jordan Raphael (www.comicsreporter.com)
* Comics Comics, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel (www.comicscomicsmag.com) (PictureBox)

Best Comics-Related Book

* Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front, by Todd DePastino (Norton)
* Brush with Passion: The Art and Life of Dave Stevens, edited by Arnie and Cathy Fenner (Underwood)
* Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden (First Second)
* Kirby: King of Comics, by Mark Evanier (Abrams)
* The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America, by David Hajdu (Picador/Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Best Publication Design

* Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! designed by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
* Comic Book Tattoo, designed by Tom Muller, art direction by Rantz Hoseley (Image)
* Hellboy Library Editions, designed by Cary Grazzini and Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
* What It Is, designed by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Willie and Joe, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

* The Complete Little Orphan Annie, by Harold Gray (IDW)
* Explainers, by Jules Feiffer (Fantagraphics)
* Little Nemo in Slumberland, Many More Splendid Sundays, by Winsor McCay (Sunday Press Books)
* Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles, (IDW)
* Willie & Joe, by Bill Mauldin (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

* Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
* Creepy Archives, by various (Dark Horse)
* Elektra Omnibus, by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz (Marvel)
* Good-Bye, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Herbie Archives, by “Shane O’Shea” (Richard E. Hughes) and Ogden Whitney (Dark Horse)

Best Humor Publication

* Arsenic Lullaby Pulp Edition No. Zero, by Douglas Paszkiewicz (Arsenic Lullaby)
* Chumble Spuzz, by Ethan Nicolle (SLG)
* Herbie Archives, by “Shane O’Shea” (Richard E. Hughes) and Ogden Whitney (Dark Horse)
* Petey and Pussy, by John Kerschbaum (Fantagraphics)
* Wondermark: Beards of Our Forefathers, by David Malki (Dark Horse)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

* Alan’s War, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second)
* Gus and His Gang, by Chris Blain (First Second)
* The Last Musketeer, by Jason (Fantagraphics)
* The Rabbi’s Cat 2, by Joann Sfar (Pantheon)
* Tamara Drewe, by Posy Simmonds (Mariner/Houghton Mifflin)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan

* Cat Eyed Boy, by Kazuo Umezu (Viz)
* Dororo, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
* Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)
* The Quest for the Missing Girl, by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* Solanin, by Inio Asano (Viz)

RUSS MANNING AWARD WINNER:
Eleanor Davis!

Hall of Fame:

Harold Gray
Graham Ingels
Matt Baker
Reed Crandall
Russ Heath

Best Writer

* Joe Hill, Lock & Key (IDW)
* J. Michael Straczynski, Thor, The Twelve (Marvel)
* Mariko Tamaki, Skim (Groundwood Books)
* Matt Wagner, Zorro (Dynamite); Madame Xanadu (Vertigo/DC)
* Bill Willingham, Fables, House of Mystery (Vertigo/DC)

Best Writer/Artist

* Ricky Geary, A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Lindbergh Child (NBM); J. Edgar Hoover (Hill & Wang)
* Emmanuel Guibert, Alan’s War (First Second)
* Jason Lutes, Berlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Cyril Pedrosa, Three Shadows (First Second)
* Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)
* Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library (Acme)

Best New Series

* Air, by. G. Willow Wilson and M. K. Perker (Vertigo/DC)
* Echo, by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)
* Invincible Iron Man, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca (Marvel)
* Madame Xanadu, by Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder Hadley, and Richard Friend (Vertigo/DC)
* Unknown Soldier, by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli (Vertigo/DC)

Best Limited Series

* Groo: Hell on Earth, by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier (Dark Horse)
* Hellboy: The Crooked Man, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
* Locke & Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
* Omega the Unknown, by Jonathan Lethem, Karl Rusnak, and Farel Dalrymple (Marvel)
* The Twelve, by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series

* All Star Superman. by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC)
* Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, Andrew Pepoy, and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
* Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)
* Thor, by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, and various (Marvel)
* Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse)

Best Short Story

* “Actual Size” by Chris Ware, in Kramers Ergot 7 (Buenaventura Press)
* “Chechen War, Chechen Women,” by Joe Sacco, in I Live Here (Pantheon)
* “Freaks,” by Laura Park, in Superior Showcase #3 (AdHouse)
* “Glenn Ganges in ‘Pulverize,’” by Kevin Huizenga, in Ganges #2 (Fantagraphics)
* “Murder He Wrote,” by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto, and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #14 (Bongo)

Best Anthology

* An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories, vol. 2, edited by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
* Best American Comics 2008, edited by Lynda Barry (Houghton Mifflin)
* Comic Book Tattoo: Narrative Art Inspired by the Lyrics and Music of Tori Amos, edited by Rantz Hoseley (Image)
* Kramers Ergot 7, edited by Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura Press)
* MySpace Dark Horse Presents, edited by Scott Allie and Sierra Hahn (Dark Horse)

Best Reality-Based Work

* Alan’s War, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second)
* Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story, by Frederik Peeters (Houghton Mifflin)
* Fishtown, by Kevin Colden (IDW)
* A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Lindbergh Child, by Rick Geary (NBM)
* What It Is, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

* Berlin Book 2: City of Smoke, by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
* Sam & Max Surfin’ the Highway anniversary edition HC, by Steve Purcell (Telltale Games)
* Skyscrapers of the Midwest, by Joshua W. Cotter (AdHouse)
* The Umbrella Academy, vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite deluxe edition, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)

Best Graphic Album—New

* Alan’s War, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second)
* Paul Goes Fishing, by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Skim, by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)
* Swallow Me Whole, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
* Three Shadows, by Cyril Pedrosa (First Second)

That’s all she wrote…pics later!

NBM and Papercutz are fielding a strong group of creators, including Lewis Trondheim and Rick Geary. Check out the list below — signing times are in the jump.

If you’re going to the San Diego comic-con, don’t miss the signings at the NBM Publishing and Papercutz booths.  We’ve got:

Greg Farshtey (Creator of LEGO’s BIONICLE)
Rick Geary (A Treasury of XXth Century Murder) 
Neil Kleid (Brownsville, the new The Big Kahn)
Scott Lobdell (The Hardy Boys)
Sho Murase (Nancy Drew)
Lewis Trondheim  (Dungeon)
Chad Michael Ward (Black Rust)
Cornnell Clarke (Peanut Butter)
Shane White (North Country, the new Things Undone)

Publisher Terry Nantier will not only be at our booth but on the panel about Comic Strip Reprints on Friday at 1:30PM in Room 3.
And the whole Papercutz crew (Nantier, Farshtey, Lobdell, Murase and editor Jim Salicrup) will have a panel of their own on Sunday at 3:00 in Room 2.

Read the rest of this entry »

A LOT of publishing news out there we haven’t had a chance to collate due to San DIego Madness™, so let’s get going:

§ Rich Johnston reports that international licensing manager Francine Burke has left DC. Burke is a longtime publishing guru who also worked at Marvel, and some smart company is sure to snap her up.

§ Johanna Draper Carlson attends a recent virtual press conference thrown by Tokyopop and reports on what was said:

After that, there was a short statement about how this is a year of “refocusing and reorganizing” for Tokyopop. They have about half as many titles now as a year ago in order to better focus on “what we think can be successful in a slow market”. They want to regroup and regrow to be in a better position to handle what’s going on in the economy. In terms of causes for this change in strategy, returns had a big impact on them, because “the book market works on consignment”. Most of their audience shops at Barnes & Noble and Borders, and spring 2008 brought “massive waves of returns”. Now, they’re working on controlling inventory and being much more careful about what is printed.

§ Speaking of Tokyopop, Shutterbox by Tavicat, a pioneering work of Ameri-manga is now back in the hands of the creators, according to a post by Rikki Simons, and they are shopping it around; four volumes were printed; a fifth volume is completed and awaiting publication:

In answer to the numerous inquiries from some of the ShutterBox series’ many fans: YES, we are now actively seeking a way to continue the series, both to publish the new volumes, and to republish the now out of print earlier volumes. We are open to and exploring both traditional publishing or through new methods. Interested publishers can e-mail me at rikki@rikkisimons.com and I’ll forward any proposals to Ken, or can contact Ken directly at KenFLevin@gmail.com.

ShutterBox, the first American series published by Tokyopop (2003), is a high fantasy romance about a young lady named Megan Amano, who, when she dreams, is transported to an afterlife world where she attends school as the only living exchange student in a school for muses.

§ NBM is bringing Guido Crepax’s sexy adaptation of The Story of O back into print.
[Link via Adri Cowan]

§ A 128-page JONAH HEX graphic novel is in the works from regular writing team Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and artist Tony DeZuniga.

§ It turns out the Sam Kieth-drawn Lobo story will be written by Scott Ian, best known as the lead singer of Anthrax, and yet another long time comics fan.

“I have a bit of that going on with the comic book character Lobo. I find it much easier to write comic books than lyrics, actually, because it’s a natural dialogue,” Ian said. “Writing song lyrics is not natural, but over the years, I know what I need to know to get it done. I find it quite easy to capture a character and use my own personality and humor.”

So, I guess the two-issue series WON’T be about Lobo getting in touch with his feminine side after all. Rats.

As anyone reading our tweets knows, we spent the weekend going through our bookshelves and comics boxes weeding, sorting and stacking. No, we’re not quite ready for a Shelf Porn, alas…unless it’s an episode of How Clean Is Your Stately Manor. As usual when we do this (every few years) it turns out to be an archaeological dig through the many layers of comics publishing history. And we couldn’t help but take note of a few things.

First there was the ’80s bookshelf. About 50 percent of this was European comics albums from Catalan, NBM, and Fantagraphics. Lots of Mattotti (FIRES! Yes!), Bernet, Manara, Lt. Blueberry, and so on. We didn’t even know we OWNED a copy of XIII. And, it seems, there have been so many efforts by Kim Thompson, bless him, to get Euro comics albums accepted in the US. Aside from showing whose comp list we were on back in the day, it is of some interest that at that period, there simply weren’t enough US graphic novels/albums what have you, to publish. (There was a significant pile of Richard Corben in there, and most of the other squarebounds of the era has some kind of underground lineage.) However, to this day, the kind of grown-up adventure/fantasy/SF produced in Europe has never really caught fire in the US. Thompson is trying again with Tardi, and one hopes the literary comics crowd will support his fine, genre-defying work. Humanoides tried and tried, and is back yet again; maybe Hollywood turning to stuff like DYLAN DOG, XIII, and THE KILLER will turn the tide.

Mixed in was the pre DARK KNIGHT/MAUS/WATCHMEN US attempts at graphic novels. Like the very first Marvel OGN — THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVELl, which was followed by efforts like THE NEW MUTANTS, STAR SLAMMERS, and so on. Well, you had to start somewhere, right? There was also a disturbing pocket that contained no less than three different formats of collections of early TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Oh, and mustn’t forget SWORDS OF CEREBUS. First was also making some efforts with Eric Shanower’s Oz books (recently reprinted by IDW) and Howard Chaykin’s obscure but really good TIME [SQUARED]. Oh, and the “very first graphic novel,” A CONTRACT WITH GOD. (I have the Kitchen Sink edition.)

Read the rest of this entry »

An epic catch up, yo.

§ J. Caleb Mozzocco looks at Marjane Satrapi’s Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon, a children’s picture book, above.

§ The Hawthorne High School Comic Convention is this weekend, on Saturday May 9.

New Jersey’s greatest comic book convention is back this May 9th. Hawthorne High School is proud to announce it’s 2009 comic convention. Featuring New Jersey’s greatest gathering of comic book creators the Hawthorne High School Cartooning Club will hold it’s 5th great convention. With great events like comic creating lessons by comic pros, an auction of original comic art, comic books and comic collectables and one of the best line ups of comic creators at any convention in the country the Hawthorne High Comic Convention is one of the great events in the world of comic fandom.

Click link for guest list, etc etc.

• A smattering of Free Comics Book Day reports. (It seems to have been a strong day all over.)

§ FCBD daddy Joe Field reports from Flying Colors with a video interview with Glen Brunswick, Eric Jones and Landry Walker. Over 1000 people attended.

§ Piccies from Bergen Street Comics

• Interviews, profiles:

§ Yikes how did we miss this interview with our hero, Rick Geary, and a preview of XXth CENTURY MURDER: FAMOUS PLAYERS (above)?

“I’ve been a student of true crime stories and famous murder cases for more than thirty years, and during that time I’ve become familiar with those that make the best stories, have the most colorful characters or contain the elements of a good mystery,” Geary said. “So finding the subject is never a problem. I always have a long list of cases I’d like to tackle next, and the decision is the result of a consultation with my publisher, Terry Nantier at NBM.”

In preparation for his true crime books, Rick Geary researches several accounts of an historical event to get the most accurate, comprehensive picture available. “My goal is first of all to be as clear and accurate as possible in laying out what might be a very complex and convoluted story. If several sources are in conflict over a particular detail, and I try to give space to all of them and air the different arguments for and against,” Geary explained. “I like to use maps and overhead views to make the action understandable, and I try for a sense of historical verisimilitude in details such as clothing, interiors, hairstyles, etc.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Jim Milliot and Rachel Deahl have more on this year’s scaled-down BookExpo America:

The exhibit floor at this year’s BookExpo America will look different from the hall at the 2008 BEA in Los Angeles and even from 2007, when the event was last held at New York’s Javits Center. That is not necessarily a bad thing, according to the show’s general manager, Lance Fensterman. “It will be a more concentrated show,” Fensterman said. “Maybe that’s more appropriate for how it should be.”

We checked in with some publishers to clarify their attendance, following our earlier report on several big graphic novel publishers dropping out. It’s confirmed that DC won’t be at the show, nor will D&Q. However, fellow MacMillan imprint First Second will be there, with several of their authors, including the Adventures in Cartooning crew, Adam Rapp, George O’Connor and Danica Novgorodof.

Papercutz, the kid-friendly imprint of NBM which MacMillan distributes, will also exhibit.

All of this is much more a reflection of the book business and not the comics business. Like many other formerly-huge trade confabs, BEA is having to reconsider its business model — and just how much business gets done in a world where everyone gets basic information online. According to the PW piece, publishers are scaling back on galleys and printed catalogs, which is sad, but that at least means fewer backbreaking bags of books being lugged around.

Still, the chance to meet beloved authors is still exciting to the buyers, librarians, and other assorted print lovers who attend BEA. There’s no replacing face-to-face for some things.

Over at the NBM blog, Terry Nantier reminds us that a collection of BRINGING UP FATHER is on its way:

Well, we’re putting to bed the next great entry in our Forever Nuts collection of classic comic strips, Bringing Up Father, and it looks gorgeous. The strips have been meticulously restored and we end up with a colorful foreword by Bill Blackbeard, short but quite sweet, and a great intro by R.C. Harvey who gives us all we could want to know about McManus and this seminal strip in the history of comics.

And if that weren’t enough, we have quite a few annotations/footnotes at the end of the book that explain references in the strips. Allan Holtz, who worked on this with us did painstaking research. His full set of notes even beyond what we culled for the book will be posted up online when the book is out.

BRINGING UP FATHER was the creation of George McManus, and it’s probably familiar to many readers since it ran until 2000. The early strips — it began in 1913 — were stupendously drawn in a clear line style rarely equaled. The broad humor included Jiggs, a nouveau riche Irishman; Maggie, his surly wife, who was quite free with the rolling pin; and Nora, an inexplicably realistically drawn hot young flapper. We could never figure out why Nora looked normal, but we sure liked her clothes.

A year or so ago, our good pal Bryan Talbot started telling us about a new artist that he had met in France, a French-Japanese woman named Veronique Tanaka who had created a rather unusual graphic novel called METRONOME that not only worked as an animated movie but told a story through meta images and syncopated storytelling. We remember thinking that Talbot seemed awfully interested in this artist’s work, as he was acting as her agent, but, well, comics folks are an incredibly helpful bunch, and it’s not all that unusual for them to help each other out. The book was eventually published in the US by NBM, Tanaka was interviewed by several websites — including Publishers Weekly — and then, as with many flavors of the minute, she disappeared into the great scrum of comics, back to her original world of “conceptual art.”

Or did she?

It turns out, Tanaka never really existed.

As revealed today on The Forbidden Planet Blog, Tanaka and Metronome were completely the creation of…Bryan Talbot.

NBM took the book believing Bryan was acting as Véronique’s agent, it was only after it had been accepted but before publication that he revealed the truth to them, when he said - “Terry Nantier… to his credit, he didn’t try and persuade me to put it out under my real name.” The book garnered some good reviews (personally I thought it was fascinating) but the sales didn’t match the good reviews and so Bryan has decided belatedly to come clean via the Page 45 Newsletter, Stephen Holland having been in on it from before publication (and equally as impressed with the book as I was before he knew it was actually Bryan experimenting).

Well, it certainly fooled me! I’ve got to say I quite like the idea of this - famous creators working under another pen name is far from unusual in the book trade, but the majority of the most famous rather spoil the idea by having “Joe Bloggs writing as Stack Powerhouse” on the cover, which makes the idea of having a different type of work from your normal ouevre taken on its own merits rather than as a work by the famous such and such rather redundant (frankly, other than to please the marketing department I never saw any sense in that approach at all, it’s like Batman wearing a top with ‘Bruce Wayne appearing as Batman’ on it.

To which we can only say…well played, Mr. Talbot! Thank goodness no one in comics journalism ever does an actual background check.

They’re up! More commentary in a bit, although we are pleased to see the judges decided to REDUCE the number of categories this year!

The Will Comic Industry Awards 2009 slate of nominees is filled with many newcomers to the ballot, from Canadian cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki (writer and artist of the teen angst graphic novel Skim, published by Groundwood Books) to French biographer Emmanuel Guibert (Alan’s War, published by First Second) to graphic novelist Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole, published by Top Shelf).  

Both Skim (Best Publication for Teens/Tweens, Graphic Album–New, Writer, Penciller/Inker) and Alan’s War (Graphic Album-New, Reality-Based Work, U.S. Edition of International Material, Writer/Artist) garnered 4 nominations. Also on the ballot in 4 spots is Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s The Umbrella Academy (Penciller/Inker, Cover Artist, Coloring, and Graphic Album–Reprint), Vertigo/DC’s Fables (Continuing Series, Writer for Bill Willingham, Penciller/Inker team for Mark Buckingham/Steve Leialoha, and Cover Artist for James Jean), and Vertigo/DC’s Madame Xanadu (New Series, Writer for Matt Wagner, Penciller/Inker for Amy Reeder Hadley/Richard Friend, and Cover Artist for newcomer Hadley). Powell’s Swallow Me Whole has three nominations (Graphic Album–New, Writer/Artist, Lettering), as do Lynda Barry’s What It Is (published by Drawn & Quarterly, nominated for Reality-Based Work, Painter/Multimedia Artist, and Design) and Marvel’s Thor (Continuing Series, Writer for J. Michael Straczynski, and penciller/inker for Olivier Coipel/Mark Morales),  

The creators with the most nominations are Guibert, Barry (the 3 for What It Is plus 1 as editor of Anthology nominee Best American Comics: 2008, published by Houghton Mifflin), and Chris Ware (Short Story for “Actual Size” in Kramers Ergo, and Writer/Artist, Coloring, and Lettering for Acme Novelty Library #19). Creators with 3 nominations include Amy Reeder Hadley, J. Michael Straczynski, Mariko and Jill Tamaki, Nate Powell, and Mike Mignola (Limited Series for Hellboy: The Crooked Man, plus Graphic Album–Reprint and Design for Hellboy Library Editions, published by Dark Horse). 

The publisher emerging with the most nominations this year is Dark Horse, with 13 individual nods and 5 shared. In addition to Umbrella Academy and Hellboy, popular DH titles Usagi Yojimbo (Continuing Series) and Groo (Limited Series) made the ballot, while the company’s Herbie Archives is nominated for both Humor Publication and Archival Project. Past front-runner DC came in second for publisher nominations, with 10 plus 2 shared. Besides Fables and Madame Xanadu, other DC titles on the ballot include Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All Star Superman (Continuing Series), G. Willow Wilson and M. K. Perker’s Air (New Series), and Art Baltazar and Franco’s Tiny Titans (Publication for Kids). Marvel is right behind DC with 9 nominations plus 2 shared. Joining Thor on the ballot are Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple’s Omega the Unknown (Limited Series), Straczynski and Chris Weston’s The Twelve (Limited Series), Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca’s Invincible Iron Man (New Series), and Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz’s Elektra: Assassin (Archival Project). Other comics publishers with 3 or more nominations include IDW (5), Viz (5, including 3 of the 5 nominees in the U.S. Edition of International Material–Japan category), and Image (3, plus 2 shared). 

Literary and graphic novel publishing houses made a strong showing: Drawn & Quarterly has 10 nominations, First Second has 9, and Fantagraphics has 7. Other such publishers with 3 or more nominations include AdHouse (5), Pantheon (4) Houghton Mifflin (3), Scholastic Graphix (3), and Top Shelf (5). In all 38 publishers are represented on the ballot. 

In the Digital Comics category, nominees range from Dash Shaw’s long work-in-progress Bodyworld and Carla Speed McNeil’s ongoing Finder series (published on the shadowline.com website) to three complete short stories: Eliza Frye’s “The Lady’s Murder,” Elan Trinidad’s “Speak No Evil: Melancholy of a Space Mexican,” and Joe Infurnari and Alexis Sottile’s “Vs.” 

Named for acclaimed comics creator the Will Eisner, the awards are in their 21st year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges. The 2009 judging panel consists of Amanda Emmert (owner of Muse Comics & Games in Missoula, MT), Mike Pawuk (teen services public librarian for the Cuyahoga, Ohio County Public Library), John Shableski (Diamond Book Distributors sales manager), Ben Towle (graphic novelist and comics arts educator), and Andrew Wheeler (comics and manga reviewer at ComixMix.com). 

This year’s judges made a few changes to the ballot, resulting in a reduction in the number of categories from 29 to 26. They eliminated the Single Issue category, combined the Writer/Artist and Wrtier/Artist–Humor categories, and dropped the Special Recognition category. They also changed Best Publication for Teens to Best Publication for Teens/Tweens. Voting in one Eisner Awards category, Hall of Fame, is already completed. The judges chose the nominees earlier this year, and voting was conducted solely online, with voting ending on March 26. 

Ballots with this year’s nominees will be going out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable pdf of the ballot will also be available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 24 at Comic-Con International. 

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms. primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture. Jackie Estrada has been administrator of the Awards since 1990. She can be reached at jackie@comic-con.com.  

More information about the Eisner Awards can be found at http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml. 

2009 Eisner Awards Nominees 
 

Best Short Story

“Actual Size” by Chris Ware, in Kramers Ergot 7 (Buenaventura Press)

“Chechen War, Chechen Women,” by Joe Sacco, in I Live Here (Pantheon)

“Freaks,” by Laura Park, in Superior Showcase #3 (AdHouse)

“Glenn Ganges in ‘Pulverize,’” by Kevin Huizenga, in Ganges #2 (Fantagraphics)

“Murder He Wrote,” by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto, and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #14 (Bongo) 

---

Best Continuing Series

All Star Superman. by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC)

Fables,  by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, Andrew Pepoy, and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)

Thor, by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, and various (Marvel)

Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse) 

Best Limited Series

Groo: Hell on Earth, by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier (Dark Horse)

Hellboy: The Crooked Man, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)

Locke & Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)

Omega the Unknown, by Jonathan Lethem, Karl Rusnak, and Farel Dalrymple (Marvel)

The Twelve, by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston (Marvel) 

Best New Series

Air, by. G. Willow Wilson and M. K. Perker (Vertigo/DC)

Echo, by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)

Invincible Iron Man, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca (Marvel)

Madame Xanadu, by Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder Hadley, and Richard Friend (Vertigo/DC)

Unknown Soldier, by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli (Vertigo/DC) 

Best Publication for Kids

Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper, by Kazu Kabuishi (Scholastic Graphix)

Cowa! by Akira Toriyama  (Viz)

Princess at Midnight, by Andi Watson (Image)

Stinky, by Eleanor Davis (RAW Junior)

Tiny Titans, by Art Baltazar and Franco (DC) 

Best Publication for Teens/Tweens

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Crogan’s Vengeance, by Chris Schweizer (Oni)

The Good Neighbors, Book 1: Kin, by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (Scholastic Graphix)

Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale and Nathan Hale (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

Skim, by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books) 

Best Humor Publication

Arsenic Lullaby Pulp Edition No. Zero, by Douglas Paszkiewicz (Arsenic Lullaby)

Chumble Spuzz, by Ethan Nicolle (SLG)

Herbie Archives, by “Sean O’Shea” (Richard E. Hughes) and Ogden Whitney (Dark Horse)

Petey and Pussy, by John Kerschbaum (Fantagraphics)

Wondermark: Beards of Our Forefathers, by David Malki (Dark Horse) 

Best Anthology

An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories, vol. 2, edited by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)

Best American Comics 2008, edited by Lynda Barry (Houghton Mifflin)

Comic Book Tattoo: Narrative Art Inspired by the Lyrics and Music of Tori Amos, edited by Rantz Hoseley (Image)

Kramers Ergot 7, edited by Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura Press)

MySpace Dark Horse Presents, edited by Scott Allie and Sierra Hahn (Dark Horse) 

Best Digital Comic

Bodyworld, by Dash Shaw, www.dashshaw.com

Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil, www.shadowlinecomics.com/webcomics/#/finder/

The Lady’s Murder, by Eliza Frye, http://theladysmurder.elizafrye.com

Speak No Evil: Melancholy of a Space Mexican, by Elan Trinidad, www.theoryofeverythingcomics.com/SNE/

Vs., by Alexis Sottile & Joe Infurnari, www.smithmag.net/nextdoorneighbor/2008/12/08/story-18/ 

Best Reality-Based Work

Alan’s War, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second)

Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story, by Frederik Peeters (Houghton Mifflin)

Fishtown, by Kevin Colden (IDW)

A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Lindbergh Child, by Rick Geary (NBM)

What It Is, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly) 

Best Graphic Album—New

Alan’s War, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second)

Paul Goes Fishing, by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)

Skim, by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)

Swallow Me Whole, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf)

Three Shadows, by Cyril Pedrosa (First Second) 

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

Berlin Book 2: City of Smoke, by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)

Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)

Sam & Max Surfin’ the Highway anniversary edition HC, by Steve Purcell (Telltale Games)

Skyscrapers of the Midwest, by Joshua W. Cotter (AdHouse)

The Umbrella Academy, vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite deluxe edition, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse) 

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

The Complete Little Orphan Annie, by Harold Gray (IDW)

Explainers, by Jules Feiffer (Fantagraphics)

Little Nemo in Slumberland, Many More Splendid Sundays, by Winsor McCay (Sunday Press Books)

Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles (IDW)

Willie & Joe, by Bill Mauldin (Fantagraphics) 

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Creepy Archives, by various (Dark Horse)

Elektra Omnibus, by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz (Marvel)

Good-Bye, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)

Herbie Archives, by “Sean O’Shea” (Richard E. Hughes) and Ogden Whitney (Dark Horse) 

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Alan’s War, by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second)

Gus and His Gang, by Chris Blain (First Second)

The Last Musketeer, by Jason (Fantagraphics)

The Rabbi’s Cat 2, by Joann Sfar (Pantheon)

Tamara Drewe, by Posy Simmonds (Mariner/Houghton Mifflin) 

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan

Cat Eyed Boy, by Kazuo Umezu (Viz)

Dororo, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)

The Quest for the Missing Girl, by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

Solanin, by Inio Asano (Viz) 

Best Writer

Joe Hill, Lock & Key (IDW)

J. Michael Straczynski, Thor, The Twelve (Marvel)

Mariko Tamaki, Skim (Groundwood Books)

Matt Wagner, Zorro (Dynamite); Madame Xanadu (Vertigo/DC)

Bill Willingham, Fables, House of Mystery (Vertigo/DC) 

Best Writer/Artist

Ricky Geary, A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Lindbergh Child (NBM); J. Edgar Hoover (Hill & Wang)

Emmanuel Guibert, Alan’s War (First Second)

Jason Lutes, Berlin (Drawn & Quarterly)

Cyril Pedrosa, Three Shadows (First Second)

Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)

Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library (Acme) 

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)

Mark Buckingham/Steve Leialoha, Fables (Vertigo/DC)

Olivier Coipel/Mark Morales, Thor (Marvel)

Guy Davis, BPRD (Dark Horse)

Amy Reeder Hadley/Richard Friend, Madame Xanadu (Vertigo/DC)

Jillian Tamaki, Skim (Groundwood Books) 

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

Lynda Barry, What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly)

Eddie Campbell, The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard (First Second)

Enrico Casarosa, The Venice Chronicles (Ateliér Fio/AdHouse)

Scott Morse, Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! (Red Window)

Jill Thompson, Magic Trixie,  Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (HarperCollins Children’s Books) 

Best Cover Artist

Gabrial Bá, Casanova (Image); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)

Jo Chen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity (Dark Horse); Runaways (Marvel)

Amy Reeder Hadley, Madame Xanadu (Vertigo/DC)

James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)

Matt Wagner, Zorro (Dynamite); Grendel: Behold the Devil (Dark Horse) 

Best Coloring

Steve Hamaker, Bone: Ghost Circles, Bone: Treasure Hunters (Scholastic Graphix)

Trish Mulvihill, Joker (DC), 100 Bullets (Vertigo/DC)

Val Staples, Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)

Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien: The Drowning, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, The Unbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Body Bags (Image); Captain America: White (Marvel)

Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #19 (Acme) 

Best Lettering

Faryl Dalrymple, Omega: The Unknown (Marvel)

Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! (Renaissance)

Scott Morse, Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! (Red Window)

Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)

Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #19 (Acme) 

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)

The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)

The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon and Jordan Raphael (www.comicsreporter.com)

Comics Comics, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel (www.comicscomicsmag.com) (PictureBox) 

Best Comics-Related Book

Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front, by Todd DePastino (Norton)

Brush with Passion: The Art and Life of Dave Stevens, edited by Arnie and Cathy Fenner (Underwood)

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden (First Second)

Kirby: King of Comics, by Mark Evanier (Abrams)

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America, by David Hajdu (Picador/Farrar, Straus & Giroux) 

Best Publication Design

Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! designed by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Comic Book Tattoo, designed by Tom Muller, art direction by Rantz Hoseley (Image)

Hellboy Library Editions, designed by Cary Grazzini and Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)

What It Is, designed by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)

Willie and Joe, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)

¶ First we would like to direct everyone’s attention to The Daily Cross Hatch and their feature, New York Comic Con 2009: An Indie Survival Guide. As Brian Heater points out, it’s not exactly Winter MoCCA Fest:

It’s unfortunate, to be sure, but let’s face it—having attending the show for the past few years, we can sympathize. The focus of shows like NYCC and its larger west coast counterpart is squarely focused on the big name players in the industry. They are, after all, the ones who largely tend to bring bodies through the door. While the showing from smaller publishers is smaller (Fantagraphics, for one, let us know that it won’t be in attendence, as it’s since decided that there’s little to be gained from a show like NYCC), they’re there if you know where to look.

We put the message out to indie artists and publishers, asking where we might find them at this year’s show. The responses largely came back in one of two forms:

1. Those who swore on their life that they’d never again risk setting foot in the convention, and wished us luck on our seemingly self-destructive pursuit.
2. Those who were, in fact, planning on attending the show, and were therefore more than happy help their indie brethren direct traffic.

There are some indie cartoonists and publishers attending, and for sure they spent a lot of money to be there, so make sure you go and check them out.

¶ Abby Denson:

So here’s my appearance schedule for this weekend’s NY Comic Con! It includes my first ever Marvel signing and the lovely and talented Colleen Coover will be there with me (along with loads of other superstar Spider-Man cohorts)! So if you want to get that copy of Amazing Spider-Man Family #3 (featuring the debut of Amazing Spider-Ma’am!)?signed by Colleen and I, this is THE TIME to do it! 6PM Saturday at Marvel Booth #1141. Be there!
Read on for my full schedule:

Feb. 7th and 8th
NY Comic Con!
Jacob K. Javits - 655 West 34th Street, NYC
Panel schedule so far:
Saturday?- 12:15PM-1:15PM “Friends of Lulu Panel: The Representation of Women in Comics” with Jillian Tamaki, Calista Brill, Robin Furth , Chris Butzer - Room 1A18
Saturday?- 4:15PM-5:15PM “Men are from Krypton, Women are from Paradise Island” with Jimmy Palmiotti, Colleen Doran, and Jamal Igle - Room 1A17
Saturday-?6:00PM to 7:00PM - Signing @ The Marvel Booth (#1141) with Mike McKone, Phil Jimenez, Joe Kelly, Dan Slott, and Colleen Coover
Sunday?- 11AM-12PM - “Kids Comics Workshop” with?Matt Loux?and?Dave Roman?- room: Kids Zone 1

¶ Neil Kleid:

Just a heads up as to where I’ll be signing at this year’s New York Comic Con. I’m promoting THE BIG KAHN, my upcoming graphic novel from NBM Publishing, and signing copies of BROWNSVILLE, COMIC BOOK TATTOO, NINETY CANDLES and more! I also have one or two things to announce. If you have a chance during the convention, please swing by to say hello.

Here’s where you’ll find me:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH:

11AM-1PM: NBM Publishing (Booth 1713)
2-3PM: Image Comics (Booth 1403)
3-5PM: NBM Publishing (Booth 1713)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH:

Meetings and general walking around, saying hello to pals.

SUNDAY:

10-11AM: NBM Publishing (Booth 1713)
11AM-12PM: Image Comics (Booth 1403)
3-5PM: NBM Publishing (Booth 1713)

Links to more stuff:
¶Ben Templesmith
¶Dean Haspiel
¶Elizabeth Genco

Via PR:

Writers Greg Farshtey (creator of the LEGO® BIONICLE® toy universe) and Neil Kleid (Brownsville) will join NBM and Papercutz publisher Terry Nantier and Papercutz and Marvel Comics editor Jim Salicrup to talk with fans and show off new work.

NBM will have copies of its newest graphic novels and comics collections:

• Nocturnal Conspiracies: Nineteen Dreams by David B. (Epileptic)
• Little Nothings, Volume 2: The Prisoner Syndrome by Lewis Trondheim (Dungeon)
• Miss Don’t Touch Me by Hubert & Kerascoet
• Happy Hooligan by Frederick Burr Opper (part of the deluxe series of classic comic-strip reprints, Forever Nuts)

Papercutz will present the latest volumes in its comic-book and graphic-novel series Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Tales from the Crypt and Classics Illustrated.

§ As we were getting ready to go out last night we happened to catch a brief item on CNN featuring the MAD cover of “Obama’s First 100 Seconds” that we linked to yesterday, proof that despite getting cut to quarterly status, MAD has already reached adjectival status. In fact, David Sarasohn in The Oregonian takes a look at MAD’s history and lasting legacy:

Change happens to everything. For one thing, Mad is already owned by DC Comics, meaning that Alfred E. Neuman has the same employer as Superman, and it’s hard to imagine what they talk about at company picnics. But a quarterly should be something like the Great Plains Journal of Classical Philology, not a magazine whose masthead has always listed the editorial staff as “the usual gang of idiots.”

So it’s worth a farewell — or at least, since it’s going from monthly to quarterly, two-thirds of a farewell — to Mad, a truly influential and subversive publication, which assured generations that the powerful and famous existed to be mocked. Today, that sentiment can be found all over the Internet, not to mention cable television — including, of course, “Mad TV.” But there was a time, not too long ago, when it seemed an intoxicating, forbidden concept.

§ It’s hard to find just one paragraph to quote from this seminal Onion story: Obama Disappointed Cabinet Failed To Understand His Reference To ‘Savage Sword Of Conan’ #24:

“If my inner circle of advisers can’t even communicate about the most basic issues, how are we going to tackle the massive problems our nation faces?” Obama said during a press conference. “When I tell my cabinet that getting bipartisan support is exactly like the time Conan got Taurus to help him steal Yara’s jewel, they need to understand what I mean.”

After receiving no reaction from the assembled reporters, Obama added, “Because a giant spider is protecting this chamber full of precious jewels, just like Congress is protecting its…. God, how are you people not seeing this?”

§ Columnist Jeff Yang at SFGate looks at Avatar-gate:

When is an Asian cartoon not an Asian cartoon? The answer to this Zen dilemma is at the heart of the latest high-octane kerfluffle currently clogging the Net — one that’s pulled into its vortex two of the most celebrated Asian American creators in comics: Gene Yang, National Book Award finalist for his graphic novel “American Born Chinese,” and Derek Kirk Kim, whose work has won comics’ most prestigious laurels — the Xeric, Ignatz, Eisner and Harvey awards.

§ Tom Mason interviews Marc Bernardin at Comix 411 in a wide ranging talk, including how the book MONSTER ATTACK NETWORK is faring on the road to the movies:

TOM: Do you think it would have been successful if you’d just written the screenplay or pitched it around the old-fashioned way, or did having the graphic novel give you an added boost?

MARC: The graphic novel definitely makes a property more attractive to Hollywood but, ironically, it limits your involvement. Unless you’re already an established name—or are willing to say no to any deal that doesn’t include you writing or producing — a giant movie studio isn’t going to let a nobody take first crack at scripting. Especially if, as we did, you wrote the equivalent of a $200 million dollar FX-heavy tentpole action movie. So, in that regard, if we wrote this as a spec, at the very least we’d get to arbitrate for screenplay credit…but getting it on the right desks would’ve been a lot harder.

§ Matt Tauber interviews comic strip reprint king Dean Mullaney, who has returned from “What ever happened to…” to being the man behind some of the most entertaining comics being published:

The 6th and final volume of ‘Terry & the Pirates’ is being released this week from the Library of American Comics. I figured it was time to get the inside scoop from series editor Dean Mullaney while the series was still fresh in our minds and hearts. I thought we should go back to the beginning and find out where the idea of reprinting ‘Terry’ began. “I originally planned to reprint ‘Terry’ in the ‘80s not long after I started Eclipse Comics,” Mullaney explains. “So the format we’re using now, which is the color Sundays followed by three dailies, three dailies and the color Sunday again, that was a format I came up with more than 25 years ago. I was going to do it then, but then NBM came out with the black and white books. We were all grateful at the time that NBM did them because that was the first time the entire Caniff series had been reprinted. Luckily I’ve lived long enough that I’ve got the chance to do it the way I’ve always wanted it to be. ‘Terry’ has always been my favorite strip, so for me to do it now is just a thrill.”

§ Misleading headline of the day? Looking at the success of Obama in comics, Fox asks: Is It Time for a Black Comic Book Superhero?, which would imply there aren’t any.

Marvel Comics, home of Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man and the X-Men, is keeping up with the times. The company recently announced the untold story of the first Marvel superhero of color in the “Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel” project. The Black Panther, another Marvel mainstay, will undergo a life-altering new storyline and will be featured in an animated series.

Whether any of these developments will mean more big screen time for black superheroes will be up to Marvel readers. “While we’re always looking to represent characters from all walks of life, at the end of the day the most important thing is crafting good stories — that’s what people are going to respond to,” said executive editor Tom Brevoort.

A sidebar asks various scholars and comics types, including Jerry Craft, Spike, Erik Larsen, and Zuri Stanback for their takes on the question, and it ends up being a thought-provoking piece:

Spike, creator of the “Templar, Arizona” series: “I think it’s a mistake to market any character, new or old, as ‘the black superhero.’ If you want to draw parallels, consider Obama. He never ran as ‘the black candidate,’ and he hasn’t got any interest in being ’the black president.’ His skin color is incidental to his identity and motivations, not the core of them.”

Zuri Stanback, creator and artist of the “Epiphany Park” series: “In general, having a black president will help continue the destruction of negative black stereotypes. There will be an increased desire to have more accurate depictions of the diversity, values and intellect that exist within our community. We are not just a collection of singers, dancers, athletes and thugs, and that will be better reflected in mainstream pop culture in the near future.”

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(AP Photo by Thibault Camus)

As previously reported, Paris’s famed Louvre museum is now housing an exhibition featuring comic books by some of the world’s best cartoonists, another signpost on comics’ Road to Global Domination.

The Louvre rarely showcases modern art. That fact alone makes this exhibition worth noting, and since this exhibition is as modern as it gets — the artwork on display is from original books commissioned by the museum. The artists were given essentially free rein, as long as their work included the exhibition’s Theme Ingredient: the Louvre itself.

BoDoi has a look at some pages by the European contributors.

Both Nicolas De Crécy and Marc-Antoine Mathieu have had their contribution to the project published on this side of the Atlantic by NBM Press. De Crécy’s GLACIAL PERIOD was nominated for a 2007 Eisner Award, and Mathieu’s MUSEUM VAULTS achieved similar fame upon its release last January.

The next Louvre book to be published should be Éric Liberge’s ODD HOURS, followed by ROHAN AT THE LOUVRE by Japan’s Hirohiko Araki, and a book by Belgium’s Bernard Yslaire which was created digitally — it seems that the Louvre showed his work on video monitors rather than in frames.

GLACIAL PERIOD was originally published in France in 2005, which testifies to how long this project has been in process, and we’re still years off from seeing all the books published stateside, since Araki and Yslaire have yet to finish their contributions. The exhibition is on display through April 13. Anyone been there yet?

Posted by Aaron Humphrey.

That’s it for this year. For once, in my five years of doing this, there was consensus on both last year’s big story and next year’s: economy and digital.

For the last time, thanks to everyone who took a few moments out of the busiest time of the year to participate and share their thoughts with Beat readers, especially those who sent artwork and the very cool headshots we’ve shrunk down. It’s a lot of work putting this together each year but it’s also a lot of fun and we hope the readers enjoy it as well.

Mark Siegel, publisher
2009 Projects: many new projects starting up here, including a crop of supremely talented comics women—Vera Brosgol, Lark Pien, Jen Wang, Faith Erin Hicks, Maris Hicks, Sungyoon Choi—who have joined First Second, plus phenomenal new work from Sara Varon, Jessica Abel, Danica Novgorodoff and LeUyen Pham . . . Just looking at the feminine side of our list, it’s getting seriously stellar.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2008? Hm, not First Second related…? Maybe SKIM by the Tamaki cousins. And Thompson’s CUL DE SAC. And Sammy Harkham’s CRICKETS. And…

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2009? The first comics author on Oprah, on the Daily Show and a new NPR program about the graphic novel. And some kind of James Lipton type guy to host it.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2009? Nursing a crush on the first lady.

Beau Smith, writer
2009 Projects: Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars (IDW Publishing)
Lost And Found. (IDW Publishing)
Green Lantern Corps Annual (DC Comics)
Parts Unknown: Final Extinction. (Unleashed Press)

What was the biggest story in comics in 2008? The success of comic books turned to film such as The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. These films were proof that when done correctly, comic book/comic book based characters can be massive, long-term profit films. On the flip side it also goes to show that the direct market still doesn’t know how to translate these film viewers into a new, steady source of revenue for direct market retail and distributorship.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2009? Will the comic book direct market and Hollywood be able to maintain and build upon the profitable success of The Dark Knight and Iron Man for not only 2009, but the foreseeable future? With time passing and the generation of video game raised consumers becoming a new majority in adult pop culture buying, will the older generation of comic books be able to keep up with the approaching rise of 30 year old and younger consumers that hold video games in their sentiment and current purchasing importance?

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2009? To keep working in comics, getting paid, not getting caught and tossed out.

When the world turns into a Mad Max movie, my role will be: “Dog”. Mad Max’s dog in the movie. (Above.)
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Welcome to the New Year, and welcome to a whole new cycle of big stories, little stories, Internet kerfluffles, and wonderful surprises. As we go forward, as is our tradition, we take a look back and ask industry professionals, pundits, and random oddballs to take a spin as prognosticators to see what 2009 will bring. We’ve also added a bonus question to see how our panel will deal with the inevitable decline of civilization into an exciting CGI action movie. Let’s get right to it. An aside to everyone who has been dawdling on getting their answers back: Yes, I will still run them if I get them. Part II appears tomorrow.

Bryan Lee O’Malley, cartoonist

2009 Projects: I am just finishing up SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE UNIVERSE which is scheduled to hit stores on February 4, 2009.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2008? The sad mishandling and dismantling of DC’s Minx imprint after just eighteen months.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2009? We’ll learn that comics are 100% recession-proof. Ha ha, I’m trying to be positive.

When the world turns into a Mad Max movie, my role will be: Instantly killed with a headshot while awkwardly loping towards a bottle of water.

Jim Starlin, cartoonist
2009 Projects:Strange Adventures that begins in March.  Working with artists Manuel Garcia and Rafael Albuquerque.  The eight-issue miniseries will have Adam Strange and Comet in the lead feature and Bizarro in the backup slot.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2008?  Dan Didio surviving everyone predicting he was toast at DC.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2009?  Probably Dan Didio getting fired from DC.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2009? At this moment, savoring warm weather again somewhere wet and sunny.

When the world turns into a Mad Max movie, my role will be:  I’ll be the timekeeper.

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NBM, which has successfully been in the business of publishing full-length graphic novels for longer than most of the people now reading them, has finally launched the NBM Blog, and it’s pretty nice because it has Ted Rall, Naomi Nowak, Jesse Lonergan, Neil Kleid, and Dirk Schwieger all posting pages from their new projects, which is swell. But it also has Rick Geary talking about HIS new projects and posting PENCILS. RICK GEARY PENCILS. That is on beyond the cool.

I am currently finishing the inked pages for my eleventh graphic novel for NBM, the second in the new series “A Treasury of XXth Century Murder.” It’s the story of the still-unsolved 1922 murder of the Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor, a convoluted case that involved many of the motion picture celebrities of the day. I am posting below those of the penciled pages that depict the discovery of Taylor’s body in the living room of his apartment on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles.

My next volume in the series, now in the research stage, will be the bloody tale of the Axe-Man of New Orleans, who terrorized the city, killing a half-dozen people, in the years 1918 and 1919.

It is a law of physics: Rick Geary + murder = great comics.

School LIbrary Journal has released a list of adult books recommended for younger readers:

It was a banner literary year and so SLJ’s Adult Books for High School Students Committee decided on 30 titles, published between September 2007 and November 2008 (with reviews published in 2008), to recognize as the best for high school readers. The list includes realistic and historical novels as well as some genre-blending titles. Biography, history, and books about the environment are well represented. Outstanding graphic novels and nonfiction also appear. The committee members are from public and school libraries across the United States and Canada, working with teens in urban, rural, and suburban settings. We are convinced that these titles will appeal to high school readers and provide a bridge into the vast world of adult publishing.

The graphic novels listed include:

Bourban Island 1730
Lewis Trondheim & Olivier Appollodorus. illus. by Lewis Trondheim. First Second. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-59643-258-1.

What It Is
Lynda Barry. Drawn & Quarterly. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-897299-35-7.

Ronald Reagan, A Graphic Biography.
Andrew Helfer, Steve Buscellato and Joe Staton. Hill and Wang. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8090-9507-0.

Me and the Devil Blues, 1: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson
Akira Hiramoto. Del Rey. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-0-345-49926-4.

Incognegro.
Mat Johnson & Warren Pleese. Vertigo. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4012-1097-7.

The Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert.
Marc-Antoine Mathieu. NBM ComicsLit and the Louvre Museum. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-56163-514-6.

Cairo.
G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker. Vertigo. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-4012-1140-0.

A People’s History of American Empire.
Howard Zinn & Paul Buhle. Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt. Tr $30. ISBN 978-0-8050-7779-7.

More in the link. A note: the list has left off a number of artists names, which we’ve added in. We’ll have a word with those SLJ people next time we’re in the office.

(l-r, front row Igort, Isabel Kreitz, Max, Nicolas de Crécy; standing, Jaromir 99 and Jaroslav Rudiš)

Euro comics week in NYC continued with an evening of slideshows and presentations by David B., Nicolas de Crécy, Igort, Jaromír 99, Isabel Kreitz, Max, and Jaroslav Rudiš, some of the finest cartoonists in the world, so it was quite the time. B. showed slides from THE EPILEPTIC and described his thinking process behind his powerful imagery. Igort showed off an evocative selection of slides of images and comics that have influenced his own dreamlike stories. Kreitz — perhaps the only German cartoonist we have ever met — described the lack of opportunities for cartoonists in Germany (it’s another Disney-centric country, and there is almost no local comics scene, aside from some self-publishing). She also showed a trailer for her DIE SACHE MIT SORGE, a breathtakingly illustrated retelling of the true-life tale of Russian spy Richard Sorge. (You can watch the trailer below.) The Czech duo of Jaromir and Jaroslav, the least well known of the touring ‘toonists, spoke in broad terms about their influences and work. Max delved into some of the surrealist influences on his character Bardin, the Superrealist, such as Fuseli’s Nightmare paintings. De Crécy rounded out the evening with a slideshow of his pages — the combined effect of seeing so much of his fantastic, gorgeous work was sort of overwhelming, and it’s hard to imagine that there’s a better artist working in comics today. His only large-scale work published here in America is GLACIAL PERIOD, available from NBM, but one hopes that will change.

There was an SRO crowd at MoCCA for the event, and last night’s David Mazzucchelli-led talk at SVA was also packed. Seeing a healthy audience for European artists of this caliber in New York, at least, comes as a nice vindication of the job American and Canadian publishers are doing to get their work over here.

In our humble opinion, Rick Geary is one of cartooning’s unsung treasures. We’re unabashed fans of his series of TREASURY OF VICTORIAN MURDER books, which retells famed murders with all the detail of SNAPPED but all the artistry of a great artist. You can check out the series at Geary’s NBM homepage. Geary has just stepped into the 20th Century with THE LINDBERGH CHILD, a retelling of the kidnapping of the infant son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, a crime which turned into one of the greatest media circuses of the day.

Like all of Geary’s books, this one is highly recommended, and if you click on the above link, you can even see a preview. Topnotch stuff.