(pretend for the time being there are shirtless pictures of Gerard Butler and Clive [used to be cool before finding out he was a Liverpool fan] Owen here)
We’re sure that FMB will give the Beat a wonderful birthday, let’s hope that AMC also delivers a present of a good adaptation of The Prisoner tonight.
The Hero Initiative wants your Ed Hannigan art! Hannigan is a prolific artist from the late ’70s on, with work on such titles as THE DEFENDERS, GREEN ARROW, and SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. He’s just returned to comics with some covers for CAPTAIN ACTION.
The Hero Initiative is putting together an Ed Hannigan art exhibit to be shown at a museum in early 2010! As Ed has kept only a few of his own originals…we need your help!
If you have any Ed Hannigan art you can loan us for the exhibit, please contact Jim McLauchlin at: jmclauch@aol.com . We’d need to get the art in-hand by December 15, and can return it to you by April 30.
§ Congrats to Ron Perazza, VP of Creative Services at DC, and Linda Lee, Director, Book Publishing at Nickelodeon, on the birth of Hudson Lee Perazza.
§ All-around good guy Kiel Phegley has been named News Editor of Comic Book Resources.
As for what that means, well…I’m still trying to figure that out. I’ve been “on the job” since October, and so far what’s changed is that I’ve shifted from doing your standard “Here’s some product coming down the pipeline” interviews to more stuff like this, this, this, this and this. Long term, I’ll be taking over a lot of the day-to-day planning of CBR’s editorial content and helping to grow the site in a few specific places over the next year.
§ It was widely noted last week that former VAMPIRELLA editor Bon Alimagno has joined Marvel as Talent Manager, a position which requires much interfacing with creators.
§ Less widely noted, Harris’s Merchandise Manager, Chris Caniano, has taken over managing the Vampirella comics. You may have been wondering if comics featuring the sexy vampire are still being publishing, and indeed this very week saw the release of VAMPIRELLA: SECOND COMING #3 which was written by Phil Hester with art by Al Rio, colors by Romulo Fajardo, and covers by Arthur Suydam, Joe Jusko, Ryan Stegman, and Franchesco.
Babies everywhere!
§ Adrian Tomine and Sarah Brennan welcomedNora Emiko Tomine on Halloween.
¶ And Juni, born to Kazu Kibuishi and Amy Kim Ganter, arrived just yesterday.
Our warmest congratulations to all.
Looks like four-day passes for NEXT YEAR’s San Diego Comic-Con are selling out pretty quickly.
Honestly, this is just…INSANE. At this rate, the show is going to be sold out six months ahead of time. It really is like a concert or sporting event now.
Newsarama, the long-running comics news site, has been purchased by TopTenReviews, a content aggregation site out of Ogden. UT, it was announced today. The site, along with Space.com, and LiveScience, were sold by Imaginova, a science news web publisher which purchased Newsarama in 2007.
Although Imaginova purchased Newsarama with an eye to beefing up their consumer offerings, it was not always a great fit, editorially, with reader complaints about formats and technological issues along the way.
More information, via PR, in the jump.
There are some good parties being thrown down East of the Mississippi today …
Acme Comics in Greensboro, NC is hosting an all-day signing party featuring a cavalcade of kids-friendly comics creators, including Chris Giarrusso (G-MAN, MINI-MARVELS), writer Gregg Schigel and artist Jacob Chabot (X-BABIES), Art Baltazar (PATRICK THE WOLF BOY, TINY TITANS), and Brian Smith (STUFF OF LEGEND, THE BASICS). Giarrusso has created an exclusive cover of his comic G-MAN CAPE CRISIS #2 just for this event (excerpted above).
Over in Chicago, Challengers Comics is hosting a Halloween party with Jill Thompson (MAGIC TRIXIE, BEASTS OF BURDEN)! There will be treats, costumes and full-color sketches from Thompson to benefit PAWS Chicago.
And in Philadelphia, writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn will be at Brave New World Comics to promote their new hardcover horror book AWAKENING from Archaia. Customers who purchase the book will receive an exclusive print and a preview of the second volume.
Posted by Aaron Humphrey
Wonder Woman Day will be held this weekend in Portland, OR and Flemington, NJ. It’s part of a benefit for women’s shelters and a celebration of the character. Lots more details here.
In recognition of Wonder Woman’s legacy and the life-saving work done by these local non-profits, Excalibur Comics in SE Portland will host Wonder Woman Day on Sunday, October 25th from noon to 6pm. The free all-ages event will include local and national artists signing comics and special edition prints, as well as a silent auction of original art contributed by more than 150 of the world’s top artists. There will be costumed super-heroes on-site, raffles and prizes, rare memorabilia, and more.
Additionally, a second Wonder Woman Day benefit will take place on Sunday, October 25th, in Flemington, NJ, at Comic Fusion, as part of their “Super-Hero Weekend.” This East Coast event will benefit Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey.
Via PR:
The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, located at 37 Myrtle Avenue in Dover, New Jersey, will be hosting an open house this Saturday, October 24 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
For the first time in its 33 year history, The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Inc. is having an Open House. This unusual and unique school, the only one of its kind anywhere, has been the incubator for some of the leading artists and cartoonists for comic books and a variety of ancillary commercial art areas. The graduates of the Joe Kubert School are employed by the leading comic book publishers, advertising agencies, animation studios and video game producers.
. The Joe Kubert School’s first Annual Open House is on Saturday, October 24,
2009 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
.There will be guided Tours through the newly-renovated school building facility for
potential students and their families.
.You will meet Joe, and his sons Adam and Andy.
.There will be an Art Show, featuring the work of Instructors and Alumni.
.The work of attending students will be on display.
.Light Refreshments will be served.
In addition, there will be a raffle with selected prizes including signed copies by Joe, Adam and Andy.
A visit to The Joe Kubert School Open House will supply the answers to the questions many aspiring artists may have. Learn what it takes to become a successful, employable cartoonist or commercial artist.
For more information on the upcoming open house or school, please contact Mike Chen or Carol Thomas or email openhouse@kubertsworld.com.
Via Milton Griepp:
But it’s a sign of the times when a nurse approaches a group of strangers with bootleg comics on his iPhone.
Last week, Viz made a low key announcement that they were now accepting submissions for original comics. The OG program has long been in place, but slowed down when the editor who was spearheading the effort, Marc Weidenbaum, left the company. Now Senior Editor Eric Searleman is leading the charge, and Deb Aoki interviews him about it:
Q: How will VIZ publish these comics? Are you thinking that these comics would be published as stand-alone graphic novels? Monthly “floppies?” Short stories for an anthology? Online publishing?
Eric Searleman: “We’re considering everything. The format will suit the material. For example, there’s no law that says our original comics need to mirror our manga trim size. Let’s mix it up.”
“We want to do something fun and fresh. Why bother otherwise? We want our books to be an alternative to what’s already out there. It’ll be hard work, but we are confident we can get it done. The bottom line is this: the quality of the comic takes precedent over everything else.”
Searleman says submissions aren’t open to just manga — art styles from Tite Kubo to Darwyn Cooke will be considered.
It’s been a while since this kind of open casting call for GNs was made by a major publisher. With such a wide open mandate, the results should be…interesting!
The submission release forms are available at the first link.
While everyone marveled at PLANETARY 27 finally being published, a much less important book will also debut this week.
The often-delayed issue four of ODESSA STEPS MAGAZINE makes its first appearance at the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend (see earlier post for more details).
In this issue, you can find such diverse things as an interview with Jamie S. Rich talking comics and Criterion DVDs, sportswriter Dan LeBatard, an academic article about STARMAN and lots of wrestling wackiness both north and south of the border.
And only three bucks. Surely a bargain.
You can find it at the Odessa Steps Magazine booth (#138) in Artist’s Alley. There’s also a good chance you can find THE BEAT HERSELF at the booth, likely haranguing the helper monkey on why it took so long for this to be published.
This is THE BEAT breaking in here and congratulating Mark on getting out another issue of ODESSA STEPS! The last time it came out people read fanzines. Perhaps after seeing this, they will again. Please stop by and say hi and get a copy, and once again, THANK YOU MARK COALE.
Courtesy of Jody LeHeup and Arune Singh at Marvel, here’s an EXCLUSIVE preview of some pages from STRANGE TALES #2, the second issue of Marvel’s anthology of Marvel’s greatest heroes as drawn by indie comics’ greatest stars.
This time out we’ve got Max Cannon’s “Unfortunate Three” and Jim Rugg’s marvel-loa-s “Brother Voodoo”!
STRANGE TALES #2 goes on sale tomorrow. Contributors include Peter Bagge, Jacob Chabot, R. Kikuo Johnson, Jim Rugg, Jonathan Hickman, Max Cannon, Matt Kindt, Michael Kupperman and Tony Millionaire.
• Congratulations to Agent M, aka Ryan Penagos, who was wed to Elizabeth Keenan this weekend. And yes, they tweeted about it.
• Congrats to Dan Curtis Johnson on the birth of daughter Alexandra last week.
D&Q is having an impressive sale.
How often does this happen? We’re cleaning our warehouses and we have put virtually all of our titles on sale, serious sale, like 30-50% off on sale.
This is an online sale only. Online prices are not good at the D+Q Librairie in Montreal (though D+Q titles are on sale there for 25% off) or any conventions (though we have specials at all of our conventions).
Wow, the mind boggles at what to buy. Chester Brown? Julie Doucet? Jason Lutes? Seth? The main question: How big are your shelves!
Marvel and AniBoom, the online social network for animation, is launching a motion comics contest with a first prize of $10,000.
Marvel is teaming up with Aniboom to give you the chance to transform some of their greatest stories into Motion Comics and propel the comic book experience into uncharted territory! Take the pages of fan-favorites Hulk vs. Wolverine and Nova and bring them to life, combining the images, audio, and scripts provided by Marvel plus your own imagination and artistic expertise. For the past 70 years, Marvel has been the hallmark for innovation and risk-taking in the comic book industry, providing some of the most famous characters in the history of comic book publishing. Now it’s time for you to join Marvel and Aniboom in changing the way we experience comics by bringing them to life!
Johanna Draper Calrson has a more cynical view:
There are also one or two wildcard finalists, picked by the judges, “who independently complete their original submission.” So even if you don’t win any money, you can still work for Marvel for free! Isn’t that great? In that way, it’s typical of these contests — the company gets a lot for not very much money (in their eyes), one or a handful of lucky fans get a token payment in exchange for losing all rights, and most of the entrants just gave away their work for nothing. But so long as you know what you’re getting into… I’m told digital sharecropping is the way things work online now. And really, what are most people going to do with a partially completed Marvel motion comic anyway?
Comics Comics reports that Ramona Salley Hodler has just entered the world. Best wishes to the whole family.
The Ohio State University’s archives of comics-related material is one of the greatest collections of comics history and art on the planet. And now it’s getting a name and a renovated home, thanks to a grant from a relative of early 20th century cartoonist Billy Ireland. Read on:
The Ohio State University Board of Trustees today approved the naming of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum in recognition of a $7 million gift from the Elizabeth Ireland Graves Foundation to support the renovation of Sullivant Hall, an historic building located at a main gateway to the university’s campus.
The project is estimated to cost $20.6 million and will be completed in 2013, at which time Sullivant Hall will house both the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum and The Ohio State University Department of Dance. “The Graves Foundation has made a critical investment to enhance the learning environment for students, faculty, and visitors from around the world,” said President E. Gordon Gee. “The revitalized Sullivant Hall will be a fitting home to two university treasures – the top-ranked Department of Dance and the world-renowned Cartoon Library and Museum. Naming the latter in Billy Ireland’s honor is a fitting tribute to a remarkable Ohioan.”
§ Dirk Wood has been appointed to the position of Director of Communications for Dark Horse.
In his new role, Wood will continue to coordinate all trade-show efforts for Dark Horse, as well as key presentations that the company makes externally. He will continue to serve as the primary contact for all direct-market retailers, as well as helping to oversee programs through Diamond, including, but not limited to, Final Order Cutoff and Free Comic Book Day. While maintaining these previous responsibilities, as well as taking on new challenges, Wood will continue to play a key role in establishing and maintaining the company’s image and message.
“In a market that keeps changing, it remains a source of pride that I work for and represent one of the constants, Dark Horse Comics,” says Wood. “I look forward to these new challenges, and to continue working to further cement and grow our status as the largest independent comic-book publisher in the world.”
§ Danny Fingeroth will head up a new educational department for MoCCA, with the title Senior Vice-President of Education. Fingeroth was the longtime group editor of Marvel’s Spider-Man line and the writer of comics including DARKHAWK and DEADLY FOES OF SPIDER-MAN. He has taught comics writing at NYU, The New School, and Media Bistro. Danny created and edited Write Now magazine, the only how-to publication dedicated to comics writing and writers. He is the author of The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels and co-author (with artist Mike Manley) of How to Create Comics from Script to Print. Danny serves on MoCCA’s board of advisors and on the board of directors of the Institute for Comics Studies.
Mocca has also announced several new adult education courses, with Fingeroth and Klaus Janson, and you can read all about them in the jump:
Do you want to go to Hogwarts, stroll around a bit, buy a new wand, and shoot off a few messages by owl? Well, soon you will be able to as Universal has unveiled plans and art for their Harry Potter theme park, complete with video tour.
From the front archway of Hogsmeade to the immensity of Hogwarts castle, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will feature the locations listed below:
– At the entrance of Hogsmeade, billowing steam and an iconic whistle signal the arrival of the Hogwarts Express into Hogsmeade station
– Across the way is Zonko’s, a joke shop with a collection of tricks and jokes, including Extendable Ears, Boxing Telescopes and Sneakoscopes
– Honeydukes is next door and full of treats like Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans
– The Three Broomsticks and adjacent Hog’s Head pub will feature traditional British fare and drinks including Butterbeer and pumpkin juice
– Across from the Three Broomsticks is The Owlery, where owls roost and await their next delivery
– The Owl Post sends letters with a certified Hogsmeade postmark and sells official stamps from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
– Ollivanders wand shop is an incredible interactive experience where the wand chooses the wizard
– Completing Hogsmeade is Dervish and Banges, the magical instruments and equipment shop featuring Quidditch equipment, Triwizard apparel, Spectrespecs and Remembralls
– The first attraction, Dragon Challenge, features a twin high-speed roller coaster with many iconic elements from the Triwizard Tournament
– Next is Flight of the Hippogriff, a family coaster simulating a Hippogriff training flight over the grounds of Hogwarts castle
– Located in Hogwarts castle, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a thrilling new state-of-the-art attraction that uses entirely new technology to bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in ways never before experienced
– Before exiting back into Hogsmeade, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods is full of Ministry of Magic and magical creatures merchandise, Omnioculars, and even remote control Golden Snitches “This Universal Creative and Warner Bros. team shares an incredible passion and commitment to making this destination an exceptionally immersive environment that will touch the lives of our guests,” said Mark Woodbury, President, Universal Creative.
io9 has a complete rundown and some concept art. Muggles, prepare to part from your money!
To mark the opening of THE SURROGATES movie in a few weeks and the debut of the comics on iTunes, Top Shelf is having a big $3 sale. You can read deets below, but for now, just go here and start shopping. Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, Lilli Carré, Jeffrey Brown, Jeff Lemire…if you’ve been waiting to jump in, here’s a reasonable way to do it.
Here are a few sample sale items:
– $3 Books: The Barefoot Serpent, The Country Nurse, Sulk, After the Snooter, That Salty Air, and more! — $3 Books: Please Release, Tales of Woodsman Pete, Less Than Heroes, Fox Bunny Funny, The King, and more! — $3 Books: Regards from Serbia, Comic Book Artist, Hutch Owen, Delayed Replays, Micrographica, and more!
– Slashed Prices: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lost Girls, From Hell, Blankets, Carnet De Voyage, and more! — Slashed Prices: The Surrogates, Essex County, Swallow Me Whole, Clumsy, Veeps, and more! — Slashed Prices: Far Arden, Super Spy, Owly, Korgi, Johnny Boo, and more!
– Freebies with every order: The 2009 Top Shelf Sampler and the 2009 Owly & Friends!
Please note that Top Shelf now accept PayPal (as well as Visa, MasterCard, Amex, and Discover — all secure), and that this sale is good for retailers as well (and comic book shops will get their wholesale discount on top of these sale prices).
We got a big email from Dan Nadel at Picturebox with announcement of a sale — including some fun sets — and immanent new books, like POWR MASTRS 3, above. If you’re looking for adventure, this is the right place .
Fantagraphics is having a sale at Fantagraphics Books their brick and mortar:
What, me study? Not this Saturday, when Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts a storewide sale! Get 20% to 50% off cover price on cool comix, graphic novels, and awesome art books. Lots of gorgeous new books by Fantagraphics favorites as well as some pleasant new surprises. And you’ll get a chance to see the critically acclaimed exhibition “Comics Savants: A Survey of Seattle Alternative Cartoonists” featuring local legends like Jim Woodring, Peter Bagge, Ellen Forney, Charles Burns, Jim Blanchard and others.
We’ll be updating this post as more announcements are made on this historic day.
• Dan DiDio has announced that Paul Levitz will be taking over as the writer of ADVENTURE COMICS.
• Vertigo’s Karen Berger has made a statement:
Paul has been my friend and mentor ever since he hired me straight out of Brooklyn College 30 years ago. Not being a comics fan, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into, but I was immediately taken by the medium, and I had an excellent teacher. With his razor-sharp intelligence, innate business and creative talent and stellar integrity, Paul’s influence on me, both personally and professionally has been huge. His life-long passion for comics and his great respect for the writers and artists who produce them has been infectious and unfailing, and his support for new creative visions and the unlimited storytelling potential of the form has helped transform this medium.
• And now, Diane Nelson’s statement:
Dear DC Colleagues and Friends,
As hopefully each of you now know, this morning Warner Bros. announced the formation of DC Entertainment, and I’ve been entrusted with the honor of heading up this exciting new venture, reporting to Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
DC Entertainment’s mission is to deeply integrate the DC brand and characters into all of Warner Bros.’ creative production and distribution businesses, while maintaining the integrity of the properties and DC’s longstanding commitment to and respect for writers, creators and artists. The founding of DC Entertainment is about Warner Bros. taking DC to the next level and giving DC an even greater degree of focus and prioritization in all the businesses in which we operate—films, television, home entertainment, digital, consumer products and videogames.
You are all an integral part of the success DC has achieved to date and your expertise and support will be essential moving forward – as we raise this brand and collection of characters to even greater heights. Together we can make the next 75 years even more successful and productive than DC’s illustrious 75-year history.
Jeff and I will be in the DC offices next week and will say hello personally at that time. Until then, thank you in advance for your support and continued contributions to DC Comics and the new DC Entertainment.
• My own statement: Paul is one of the smartest, kindest people I’ve ever worked with. He changed comics for the better in such vast ways that it’s hard to imagine where the industry would be without his stewardship. I wish him all the best.
Post at the various DC Blogs, a statement from Paul Levitz.
Thank you for your efforts, your support, and your contributions to DC Comics over the long years that I’ve had the honor of serving as part of DC’s leadership team. Together, our staff, creative contributors, readers, retailers and business partners have helped bring us to the beginning of what looks to be a new golden age for comics in the United States, and one that will bring more respect for the talent and the medium.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who’s heard me answer a comic convention request, “When are you going to do more Legion stories?” that I’m going to step away from my executive desk in coming months to resume my writing career, in comics and hopefully other forms as well. One of the lessons I learned from my many great teachers, from Frank McCourt through Joe Orlando and Jenette Kahn, is that creative work is more enduring than executive acts, and I look forward to adding to the stories I’ve told. Expect to see my byline at DC, as it has appeared for almost 37 years, adding what I can to a mythology and company that has my enduring affection, and expect to see me around the world of comics, which I hope never to leave. I already hear Karen and Dan sharpening their blue pencils with glee, waiting for my first pages.
DC will remain in the hands of the people who have had ultimate responsibility for its success throughout the past two decades, the management team of Warner Bros., headed by Barry Meyer and Alan Horn. They have encouraged our growth as a creative enterprise, and I have confidence that the people they will select to join the DC team, beginning with Diane Nelson, will do their best to make DC a success. While that transition process is taking place, I’ll continue to run DC until the baton can be carefully passed, and afterwards will have a role in which I can provide my advice and help.
On a personal note, I deeply appreciate the warmth and friendship I have found in these halls since my first visit, as a 13 year old comics fan. The relationships I have made here, including one that began in a DC circulation meeting and developed into the first DC marriage in four decades (thereby rebooting a grand tradition?), have been and will remain central to my life.
And now, if you forgive me, the future is calling.
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