VIA PR:

DC Comics, the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world, and home to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman announced today that legendary Batman comic book artist Jerry Robinson, a key contributor during the early years of the Batman comic book series, will be a creative consultant for the company.

“It’s an honor to have Jerry complete his journey from DC’s bullpen to advising us on characters he was intimately involved with, and the international world of comics he knows so well,” said Paul Levitz, DC Comics President and Publisher.

“I am delighted to be affiliated with DC Comics, my alma mater, as Creative Consultant,” said Jerry Robinson. “I look forward to working with Paul Levitz, whom I greatly admire, and the enormously talented DC editors, artists and writers.”

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Our thoughts are with our many friends in Southern California today, where winds up to 100 mph have aggravated fire season, igniting uncontrolled blazes in Malibu, Orange County and the San Diego area. A quarter of a million people have been evacuated from outside San Diego, according to the AP.

Thousands of houses have already burned, and many comics folks are being affected. Scott Dunbier blogs about the hard decisions he has to make as he and his family face evacuation

So far we’ve been lucky. 4000 homes in San Marcos, our town, have been evacuated, including a couple occupied by friends. I don’t believe any have burned. As of right now the fire is not coming closer to us; we’ve gotten no reverse 911 call that instructs residents to get out fast. The smoke is getting closer but the news says the fire in our area has “calmed down.” We’ve packed up important papers, photo albums, artwork, external hard-drive, trying to figure out what are the most important to us. It’s a very slow Sophie’s Choice, picking out what we love and need the most. One I hope we don’t have to make.

Needless to say, this is a choice we hope no one ever has to make. Our continued good thoughts for all involved in this tragedy.

Voting for the Friends of Lulu Board are open but for MEMBERS only:

Voting for the Board of Directors is one of the privileges of being a member of Friends of Lulu.

Members, now is the time to step forward and make your voice heard- vote for our 2008 Board of Directors! This simple action decides the course of the next year for Friends of Lulu. We have some great applicants willing to volunteer for our board next year, and as always, we do take write-ins as well.

Use our online form at:
www.friends-lulu.org/boardnomform.php

Or email your ballot to: board @ friends-lulu.org

Thank you, and good luck to all our nominees!

With Valerie D’Orazio and Marvel’s Nicole Boose on the ballot…well, this might just be an interesting year .

The Comics Reporter reports that Mexican scholar Ernesto Priego has been denied a visa for his appearance later this month at ICAF, the international comics scholar gathering> The ICAF site has a statement:

Ernesto Priego is unable to present his paper at ICAF because he has been denied entry into the United States of America. The U.S. government has not renewed his visa, nor have they given him any explanation why he will not be allowed into the country. ICAF protests this refusal of entry, part of a recent and disturbing trend of excluding foreign scholars, as an infringement on academic freedom.

Tom adds:

A native of Mexico and a published poet, Priego is currently a doctoral candidate at University College in London. He was scheduled to present a paper called “The Tell-Tale Smell of Burning Paper: ‘Logic of Form’ and the Origin of Comics.” This was scheduled for the theory and practice of comics studies track headed by Charles Hatfield.

UPDATE: Ernesto Priego himself stopped in at Marc Singer’s blog to make a VERY important disctiction: he was not denied, his visa was simply not renewed, a very big differencce.

I appreciate the post, but I would like to say that I wasn’t “denied entry”; my visa was not renewed, most probably because I did not apply for it in person and did not submit enough documents proving what I’d be doing in the States. So they didn’t know I was going to a conference. I had just applied for a normal renewal. I don’t want to make any further public comments on this matter, but I wanted to publicly clarify the distinction between being denied entry as a scholar and not having gotten the paper renewed. Information travels very fast on the Internet, and sometimes it gets distorted as it flies over the seas of bits and pixels.

Speaking of Crumb, Jon B Cooke of COMIC BOOK ARTIST writes:

People!

The next issue of COMIC BOOK ARTIST will be featuring a huge WEIRDO magazine
retrospect, complete with Crumb, Bagge and Aline interviews. I’m also looking
for the recollections and WEIRDO-related artifacts of those cartoonist
contributors to the legendary mag. Thing is, I can’t seem to locate a good
number of ‘em, so I’m wondering if folks can help.

Listed below are those WEIRDO contributors I can’t find contact info for. If you
have any, could you please e-mail Jon B. Cooke at:

JonBCooke@aol.com

Also, if you’re a WEIRDO contributor who is not on the list but haven’t yet
heard from me, could you shoot me an e-mail?

I am also looking for any folks who have memories of Dori Seda, Terry Boyce and
Michael Dougan they would like to share, or anecdotes about WEIRDO editors R.
Crumb, Peter Bagge and Aline Kominsky-Crumb. And, of course, if you have any
particular insight about WEIRDO’s impact, feel free to drop me a line. (Oh, and
post this anywhere you think it might help!)

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We don’t know what a “sketchcast” is, but Brady Dale sent us this, and we guess it’s Etch-a-sketch you can share with your friends!

Are you a publisher who would like to acquire an acclaimed book by two of the contemporary comics scene’s brightest stars? Well then, Brain Wood and Becky Cloonan have got an idea for you:

Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan announce the immediate and full reversion of publishing and other media rights for their critically-acclaimed comics series Demo.

First published in 2003 by AIT/Planet Lar, Demo challenged the format of the typical superhero book for a grounded and more realistic look at the personal lives of young people with unusual powers. The unconventional series was nominated for two Eisner Awards and has seen print in multiple languages. Wizard Magazine named it the “Indie Book of the Year”, Comic Book Resources said it’s “what the X-Men would be if they were created today”, and Variety proclaimed it “more human than mainstream comics dare to be.”

“Demo is one of the most important things I’ve done,” series writer Brian Wood said. “And it’s been my continuing mission for it to reach as many people as possible. We’re currently exploring options and offers from other publishers with that goal in mind.”

“Working on Demo was a real turning point for my career in comics and as also an artist;” artist Becky Cloonan said. “Now this opportunity marks a turning point for Demo itself.”

“We will update readers and retailers when future plans for Demo are finalized,” Wood said. “Should be soon, so stand by.”

Brian Wood is currently writing DMZ and Northlanders for DC/Vertigo, The New York Four for DC/Minx and Local for Oni Press. Becky Cloonan is currently illustrating American Virgin for DC/Vertigo and writing and illustrating East Coast Rising for Tokyopop.

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In places where inc great loan services educational lakes noise would be disturbing.

E&P has a brief report on the editorial cartoonist wedding of the decade :

Two cartoonists were married in a ceremony presided over by a third cartoonist, announced EditorialCartoonists.com today.

The newlyweds are Mikhaela Reid, who has done cartoons for the Boston Phoenix, the Los Angeles Times, and various other publications; and Masheka Wood, whose work includes the “Not Just Knee Deep” comic.

Conducting the ceremony was Universal Press Syndicate editorial cartoonist Ted Rall.

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Atlanta’s Gaijin Studios adds a new member:

GAIJIN STUDIOS, a home for some of the biggest and most talented names in the comics world for more than a decade-and-a-half, proudly announces the newest addition to its ranks: Tony Shasteen, artist of 12 Gauge/Image’s O.C.T: Occult Crimes Taskforce.

“Tony’s somebody with unlimited potential as a Gaijinner,” said Cully Hamner, speaking via satellite from an editorially-mandated deep submersible somewhere in the Atlantic, where he’s working on his next project. “He’s talented, professional, and just a really good guy. We intend to change all that.”

Brian Stelfreeze, reached by text-message on his iPhone from his private cell at Gitmo, had this to say: “Tony brings much to the table– skill, talent, and a brackishness that allows him to swim in both the comics and commercial art streams. And he’s quite handsome in a sexually non-threatening sort of way.”

“Who?” Karl Story added, before capturing the IBM computer Big Blue’s queen in a chess tournament death-match in Prague, while simultaneously inking three books. “I’m really happy to be here at the famed Gaijin Studios in Atlanta,” commented Shasteen. “I’m hopeful that, at some point, the other guys will show up.”

Shasteen made his first mark as the artist of the 12 Gauge Comics limited series O.C.T: Occult Crimes Taskforce, featuring actress Rosario Dawson, and written by David Atchison and Dawson. A feature film version starring Dawson is currently in the works with Dimension Films.

Atlanta’s GAIJIN STUDIOS is a longtime staple of the comic book industry, having been in continuous operation since 1991. It’s currently the creative home of Brian Stelfreeze, Karl Story, Cully Hamner, and Tony Shasteen, but it has a long list of impressive past alumni: Adam Hughes, Dave Johnson, Jason Pearson, Tony Harris, Georges Jeanty, Jason Martin, Joe Phillips, Rick Mays, Kelsey Shannon, and Stine Walsh. It continues to be a popular creative force in the comic book industry, working for most of the major comic book publishers, with occasional forays into other media.

You know how births come in threes. Nick and Kim Bertozzi welcome 9lbs 13oz Ramona Bertozzi. Congrats to all!

A new comics anthology has an intriguing subject…and is seeking submissions:

What if we told you a tale about a quiet, unassuming guy with black hair and thick glasses? He’s an immigrant, who’s done his best to fit in to a world that isn’t his—one very different from the land of his birth. He’s got a hidden side to himself that he can’t quite bring himself to show, not even to the popular girl he’s got a huge crush on. If only she knew who he really was—what he could really do—she’d be amazed, he thinks. If only she knew. If only everyone knew…

(more…)

K. Thor Jensen and wife welcome Henry Jared Llewoh Jensen. (Above.) Congrats! (And also the second cartooner-born Henry of the week (below). Coincidence or groundswell?)

Laurenn McCubbin reports

Little man was born tonight at 10pm - 7lb, 11oz, and a FOURTEEN INCH HEAD! Mama and baby are doing great, and are very tired after 17 hours of labor. Dude, It was CRAZY. Kelly Sue is BAD ASS. Seriously. She is my hero.

Congrats to Matt and Kelly Sue, and welcome, Henry Leo.

LADIES! Here’s your chance to change the face of comics! Friends of Lulu is opening up nominations for board members. Nominate a friend! Nominate an enemy!

2007-2008 Friends of Lulu Board Nominations

It’s time to nominate the best and brightest for the Lulu Board of Directors!

Nominating and voting individuals to the board is one of the privileges enjoyed by members of Friends of Lulu. Both comics professionals and comics fans are welcome to run for the board; self-nominations are accepted! We are looking for a few dedicated souls to volunteer their time and energy for a year as we go about bringing women and comics together. Being part of the national board can be very rewarding and enjoyable, and you can make a huge difference in the FoL organization.

We currently need to fill the following positions:

President:
The President leads Friends of Lulu in its calling to unite women and comics. This includes planning, programming and executing the events and projects Friends of Lulu has over the course of the year such as the Lulu Awards, all with the help of the rest of the Board of Directors.

Recording Secretary:
The Recording Secretary sits in on monthly online meetings, records minutes and presents them, maintains an archive of previous minutes, and prepares documents
as necessary.

Membership Secretary:
The Membership Secretary keeps an updated record of current and lapsed members, and maintains e-mail and snail-mail correspondence with them. Mails out welcome letters and membership cards to FoL members, new and returning. Regularly sends membership updates to the
Newsletter Editor.

Make a nomination online by using our form at: http://www.friends-lulu.org/boardnomform.php Please enter the name and e-mail address of the person you wish to nominate.

Please keep in mind we are always looking for volunteers to help us out at conventions, on our Website, and in our newsletter! If you wish to donate your time and energy to Friends of Lulu but do not
wish to be on the Board of Directors, please contact us by e-mail: board@friends-lulu.org

Nominations will CLOSE on Tuesday, September 18th and we begin voting shortly thereafter!

PR:

In memory of Mike Wieringo, who passed away Aug. 12, Project: Rooftop has announced an open call for redesigns of Bart Allen (Impulse/Kid Flash/The Flash), the character created in 1994 by Wieringo and Mark Waid.

Submissions will be accepted through Sunday, with the best entries showcased during a special “Wieringo Week,” which also will feature some of the best costume work from Wieringo’s career.

“Mike had a timeless appreciation for these awesome characters and enjoyed the heck out of online costuming/drawing events, so I think he’d really dig this kind of fun being held in his honor,” writes Project: Rooftop founder Dean Trippe. “Whether you consider yourself a friend, fan, or both, come join us in remembering Mike Wieringo, whose incredible artwork and unfailing kindness continue to serve as a source of unending inspiration and joy.”

For full details, visit the Project: Rooftop website at www.projectrooftop.com.

Via FLOG, a warehouse find:

We recently did an audit of our Comics Journal back issue inventory to compare what’s listed in the online store vs. what we have in our warehouse, and discovered that there were a bunch of issues that were in stock but not listed. So, after a long absence, the following issues are available for purchase once again. Quantities are limited, so order online (tip: search the online store by stock code: #48 is cj048, #133 is cj133, etc.) or call 1-800-657-1100 today!

A listing of the old issues is in the link. cellphone ringtone mata amberingtones arabic from lebmaniafree ringtone armymall cingular t ringtones atfree ringtone verizon audiovoxringtone maria avethomas ringtones j bringtone boys bad cope Map

The “Life Without Fair Courts ” cartoon contest was launched this spring together with Prism Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors, along with The Advocate as exclusive media sponsor. There were over 25 entries from all over the country, including two international entries from Poland. The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges including artist Mikhaela Reid who was commissioned by Lambda Legal to draw the “Life Without Fair Courts” cartoon series, DC Comics Editor Joan Hilty, freelance illustrator and comic book artist Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis), and Sean Kennedy, News Editor at The Advocate. Nearly 2,000 people voted to select the winners.

“The goal of our Courting Justice project, which designed and carried out the ‘Life Without Fair Courts’ cartoon contest, is to help the community better understand what our lives and the lives of all Americans would be like without a fair and impartial judicial system,” said Hector Vargas, Deputy Director of Education and Public Affairs at Lambda Legal. “The artists turned complex ideas into compelling graphic art in ways that make it easy to understand the impact of the court system on our everyday lives.”

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Tim Leong writes to tell us that Comic Foundry, the controversial magazine about comics will be out this week, earlier than planned.

I wanted to let you know that Comic Foundry, the new magazine about comics, will be in stores THIS WEEK!

Though we originally expected a Sept. 5th release date, we just found out the mag is debuting early — which is great because the wait is finally over. It’s been a long and arduous journey so I’m excited to get it on stands.

Comic Foundry is different because it is as diverse as the people who read comics. Although Wizard and The Comics Journal address the two very opposite ends of fandom, no one is speaking to the wide and growing number of fans who find themselves somewhere in between. Comic Foundry was created to do exactly that, defying traditional stereotypes about comic book fans with a smart, stylish package designed to draw readers of every strip into the fold. Comic Foundry will begin publishing quarterly in 2008, with our next issue in the Spring.

I hope you and your readers enjoy the first issue!

Bodog, an online gambling/MMA/music/TV etc type website apears to hear that these graphic novels are HOT, as they have pacted with some excellent comics peep for the adventures of poker-playing, crime solving secret agents. PR to follow:

Multimedia powerhouse Bodog Entertainment is continuing its expansion into the digital entertainment industry, branching out into uncharted realms of amusement by announcing a deal to release a graphic novel created by top comic talents Adam Slutsky, Shawn Martinbrough and Joseph Phillip Illidge.

The graphic novel will make its debut at a major comic event in 2008. The book will detail the story of the Ayre Force, a group of secret agents from the realms of poker, mixed martial arts and music in the Bodog Universe. The team will be lead by globe-trotting mastermind Calvin Ayre.

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From the ashes of The Engine cometh Panel and Pixel, a new comics-creator themed forum run by Rantz Hoseley, with a few of the same back-up group. Go forth and post.

CBR is once again searching for a cartoonist and the NYCC will fly him or her to New York. When is someone going to make a reality show out of this?

Comic Book Resources (http://www.comicbookresources.com), the leading comic book news and resource Web site, is proud to announce the return of its wildly popular art contest, COMIC BOOK IDOL, hosted by comics writer J. Torres (“Wonder Girl,” “Alison Dare”).

COMIC BOOK IDOL seeks to find the next great artistic talent in comics. After a one-month submissions process, ten finalists will be selected to compete in a five-week contest. Each week, the contestants are given an assignment, which will be critiqued by some of comics’ top creative talents. Additionally, the submissions are judged by the public, who vote to determine which contestants will move on to the next round. Once the votes are in, two contestants will be voted off COMIC BOOK IDOL, and the process begins again until after five weeks, when there will be just two finalists remaining.

In the two previous COMIC BOOK IDOL contests, contestants and winners have gone on to work for major publishers including Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Top Cow Productions, Aspen Comics, Oni Press and others.

“This has been a long time coming and I can’t wait for the launch of COMIC BOOK IDOL 3,” said CBR Executive Producer Jonah Weiland. “The previous contests have seen a wide array of talent, with many of them finding paying, steady work within the industry. Comics isn’t an easy industry to break into, but with COMIC BOOK IDOL, we’re able to bring ten new artistic talents to the attention of major comics publishers, and what can be better than that?”

New York Comic Con is the main sponsor of COMIC BOOK IDOL 3 and will provide the winner with an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for the 2008 show to meet and network with editors from major publishers. Greg Topalian, Event Director for NYCC, notes, “This is a terrific opportunity to encourage talent and a trip to New York City is a perfect way for the winner to make contacts in the industry.”

Further details on the contest will be made available in the coming weeks, including additional prizes and whom our celebrity panel of judges will include.

Submissions for COMIC BOOK IDOL 3 begin on September 4, with Round One of the contest beginning October 3.

COMIC BOOK IDOL 3 is a presentation of Comic Book Resources and is sponsored by the New York Comic Con.

Well there goes our #1 linkage farm! Warren Ellis has announced via Bad Signal that the Engine, his message board for professionals and aspiring professionals, will be closing on August 31. He hints a new message board venture of some kind.

THE ENGINE will close a little before midnight UK time on August 31 2007.

The first year was about getting creators together and facilitating conversations that didn’t have anywhere else to go. The second year was about just providing people with an interesting place to talk. Two years is enough. Time to move on.

So you’ve got three weeks to mine out the place for the data you need, exchange contact details and all that.

I’ve informed Andrew, the host, of my intent — it’s up to him whether or not the Engine remains as a static archive, though I’ve told him it’s not necessary. The search function has always been a bit weird, so I’ll be opening a thread for you to help each other find what you need.

http://engine.ning.com will remain open — in fact, I’ll add a forum function to it for those of you who want to stay together and stay talking.

At this time, I have to extend my thanks both to Andrew, and to my team of moderators, who took a lot of crap for no reward at all: Jessica, Maddie, Rachel, Ariana, Victoria, Melinda and Lauren made it a better place for me, and for all of you. Also, I have to thank Charity, who did the initial design and installation, Brian for providing the Engine marks and logos, and Billy Gray for early mechanics and troubleshooting.

As for me: well, as ever, there’s a plan. I won’t be out of the online community game for long. News on that will follow later in the month.

What ever happened to comics writer Elliot S! Maggin? Turns out he’s running for Congress for the second time:

The 24th district in California takes up most of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, just north and west of Los Angeles. Currently — and for the past twenty-odd years — a man named Elton Gallegly represents the district in Congress. Elton has generally been a reliable, if lackluster, operative of the conservative agenda. He supports tax cuts for people earning over 200-thousand dollars a year, and has voted to make those tax cuts, including the elimination of the estate tax, permanent. He voted to declare the war in Iraq part of an ongoing war on terror without an end date, and against earmarking funds to provide troops in the field either with armor or bomb-safe personnel transports. His votes are consistently anti-labor, with a 7 percent AFL-CIO rating, including completely de-funding OSHA’s ability to enforce workplace safety regulations. He supports making the so-called Patriot Act permanent, and as far back as 1996 he voted to deny the right of habeus corpus in appeals of convictions. His rating from NARAL is actually 0%: he opposes funding for health care providers who give counsel on abortion, and opposes all stem cell research. He buys the whole package.

I’m running to oppose this guy, and I plan to win. This time, I’m going to make very clear who I am and who I’ve been. “Truth, justice and the American way” is my personal torah and I’ll say so everywhere I go. I’m asking the community of people who have, over the years, shared my thoughts and many of my values, to get this thing started.

Vote today!