Elizabeth Genco, founding member of The Chemistry Set, sends us word of her first graphic novel, BLUE, which will be illustrated by Finnish artist Sami Makkonen and published by Desperado. It’s the tale of a young woman locked in the apartment of a long-lost boyfriend with the ghost of a young girl. “It’s a new take on Bluebeard, a fairy tale about a serial killer first written in 17th century France,” says Genco. “There are some crucial differences, of course. In the most popular version of tale, the young woman is saved at the last minute by her brothers, who ride in on thundering horses armed with big swords. Let’s just say that doesn’t happen here!”

BLUE will be published by Desperado Publishing and is featured in the May issue of PREVIEWS for a July release (order code: MAY083778). 80 pages, 6×9, full color, 9.99. News, reviews, sample pages and special extras can be found at the frequently updated BLUE blog, http://bluecomics.blogspot.com.

And here are some preview pages (click for larger versions.)

Technorati Tags: Desperado

John Layman posts his Cerebus sketchbook at Millarworld, with art from John Cassaday, Travis Charest, Gene Ha, Eric Canete and more. Above, Lee Bermejo.

Link found here.

The MoCCA Fest benefitting Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art has announced its programming, and it definitely leans towards the adventurous edge of comics, with CF, Frank Santoro, Chip Kidd, Bill Plympton and more, including Norwegian cartoons.

All of it sounds great, and we’ll be there.

Sounds like Stumptown was totally teh awesome, and we wish we could have been there. Tom Spurgeon:

Portland is also the home to dozens of cartoonists, a good sign for a city as comics folk can live practically anywhere and are drawn like flies when a comfortable and cosmopolitan city reaches that tipping point where it’s discussed on chatboards and in the blogs of early adopters. What’s interesting about Portland’s assumption of the Comics Town USA title is that it does so without offering a gigantic number of hometown opportunities the way New York, LA or even Kansas City might. There is a small set of newspaper illustration gigs and a few proud local comic book companies where one might assume proximity could be helpful in gaining their attention, but for the most part the comics outfits here in town think nationally/internationally and just live here like everyone else. Comics thrives in the Rose City because Portland fits comics people, and because the large number of working artists has given them a voice and provided their city with another identity in a time when those kinds of things are still important.

§ Rachel Edidin:

Phew–that was a lot of con. Today was more intense at the table, and I hardly had any time to wander. Now, I am entirely braindead, so again, just a handful of notes before I crash. Proper write-up and forum thread tomorrow.

§ Erik Henriksen of The Portland Mercury:

It’s been great watching the fest grow over the years, and I feel like this year, Stumptown has really hit its stride—just from the brief time I spent there today, the vibe was friendly, attendance was good, booths were plentiful, the comics were promising, and the two panels I jumped back and forth between—trying to listen to both at the same time, with, eh, mostly successful results—were a lot of fun.

§ Elijah J. Brubaker:

I got to Trade some books with folks and a little money changed hands. I got some of the new Papercutters from Greg and all the Ivy books that Sarah O has out so far but the really cool part of these kinds of shows is getting books from all the newer people. I mean, I’m still pretty new at this I suppose but I got a bunch of stuff from folks that have just put out books for the first time and that is so great it hurts. With books like Ivy or Papercutter I get to read great stuff from people with real chops but there’s something really enticing to me about seeing raw energy poured out onto the page by someone who doesn’t quite know what they’re doing yet. I’m not saying I enjoy reading a lot of stuff like that but there is a real palpable charm to people that are so excited about the possibilities of the form and the way they just let loose onto a page. I don’t know if I’m making any sense here but rest assured when I get a little sleep I’ll be writing reviews of some of this stuff.

Doubtless more reports will filter in over the next few days. In the meantime here are some Flickr sets. The above photo taken from greyaenigma.

If we could muster up the energy we’d be at Stumptown for sure. The guest list is stellar from Nicholas Gurewitch to Brian Bendis (who lest we forget was once an indie cartoonist for Image), and stops inbetween for Derek Kirk Kim, Gene Yang, Larry Marder, Craig Thompson, Tara McPherson, and the peerless Jason Shiga.

And now Portland, OR is now officially COMICS TOWN. The Mercury reports:

There
has been a distinct cultural shift in the last decade, as graphic
novels have gained a wide readership, superhero comics have been mined
for both academic and “literary” material (see: Douglas Wolk, Jonathan
Lethem, Michael Chabon), and girls weaned on Japanese entertainments
like Pokémon have gravitated en masse to manga. Put another way: Even
my mom has read Persepolis. Anyone who still has hang-ups about buying
comics need only set foot in the casually welcoming Cosmic Monkey
Comics or North Portland’s sleek Bridge City Comics to dispel all
lingering stereotypes about the Comic Book Guy. So by now everyone in
Portland knows that, to quote one of the most clichéd newspaper
headlines ever, “comics aren’t just for kids anymore.” (Kapow!) You may
not know, however, that local publishers Top Shelf, Oni Press, and Dark
Horse have all had a hand in this shift. With April’s designation as
Comics Month, as Oni Publisher Joe Nozemack puts it, “Finally, the city
is paying attention.”

PLUS: Dylan Meconis and Bill Mudron (with help from Erika Moen) show why Stumptown is cool in COMICS:

Since we have to stay at home and recuperate, send us any and all links, okay?

Were indies and lit comics squeezed out of New York Comic-Con? Josh Neufeld says yes. Discuss.

I hate to be a hater, BUT I THOUGHT THE NEW YORK COMIC-CON SUCKED! I’ve written approvingly of the con in the past, but it’s been steadily going downhill, and this past weekend was its nadir. When they started the show in 2006, they made a concerted effort to attract alternative and “literary” publishers and cartoonists, which they balanced with an understandably mostly mainstream vibe, and I appreciated the influx of potential new readers.

But then last year, the show began seriously tilting toward the same superhero/manga/gaming/merchandising thrust of the other mega-cons like San Diego and Chicago; and this year, it was full-bore. In 2007, although it was a bit of a pain squeezing through the crowds, I was still able to see friends and compatriots like Chris Staros of Top Shelf, Sheila Keenan at Scholastic, Mark Siegel at First Second, and the like; this year, I couldn’t find any of them. (I know, I know, Sheila is no longer with Scholastic, but you get the point.) Granted, I showed up with Phoebe at about 1 pm on Saturday, which was probably the craziest time, but it was a madhouse, a zoo, a freak show, a … you get the drift. I can’t say enough how unpleasant it is to be jostled, squeezed, and b.o.-bombarded by hordes of Star Wars stormtroopers, flabby people in superhero suits, and wannabe Suicide Girls!

I saw a small Fantagraphics table, but absolutely no other representatives of — or cartoonists from — the alternative industry. Even the Vertigo booth (they were kind enough to provide me a free pass due to my work on American Splendor) was so packed and chaotic, that I didn’t dare venture in there to say hi to editors Jonathan Vankin and Mark Doyle. (I did spot dangoldman, signing copies of Shooting War, and briefly spoke to man_size before he did a panel, but that was really it in terms of folks I knew.) I guess after last year, there was a general consensus by folks with non-mainstream agendas to skip this show. I wish I had gotten the memo!

If you’re looking for indie cartoonists at NYCC, the Indie Spinner Rack booth is as good as any to find ‘em!

We are premiering the first official ISR t-shirt and will have copies of the Awesome anthology available! We will be recording interviews throughout the weekend and will be raffling off a huge original sketch jam piece!

Creators signing and sketching at the ISR booth:
Friday:
3:30-5:30 - Dan Piraro (Bizarro)
3-7 - Mike Dawson (Freddie & Me)
3-7 - MK Reed (Papercutter, The Girls’ Guide to Guys’ Stuff)
Saturday:
10-1 - George Lavigne (Awesome anthology)
10-2 - Monica Gallagher (Gods & Undergrads, Boobage)
1-4 Liz Baillie (My Brain Hurts)
1-4 - Jamie Tanner (The Aviary)
4-7 - Julia Wertz (The Fart Party)
4-7 - Sarah Glidden (How to Understand Israel in Sixty Days or Less)
Sunday:
10-1- Fred Chao (Johnny Hiro)
10-1 - Nick Bertozzi (The Salon)
1-4 - Alec Longstreth (Phase 7, Papercutter)
1-4 - Salgood Sam (Therefore Repent)
4-7 - Jamie Tanner (The Aviary)
Be sure to stop by our booth for additional creator appearances
and for the scoop on the huge annoucement we’re making at the con!

We may not be able to spell Milo Ventimiglia’s name, but that doesn’t mean we can’t post this press release:

Devil’s Due Publishing is proud to announce that Milo Ventimiglia (Star of TV’s Heroes and the upcoming film Pathology) and Russ Cundiff (Producer of It’s a Mall World) will be making a special appearance at this weekend’s New York Comic Con to promote a top-secret new comic book project!

Ventimiglia and Cundiff will be signing autographs for fans from 2:00pm until 3:30pm on Saturday at the DDP booth (#1156), and at 4:00pm in Room 1E07 they will be joined by DDP staff for a panel making the official announcement of their new project.

Tickets are still available!:

Toast the arrival of Jeff Smith’s new comic book epic RASL! Come meet Jeff Smith in person at his only New York City appearance of the season, enjoy an open bar, and get a takeaway bag of tons of exclusive RASL goodies. Only 100 general admission tickets and 26 VIP tickets are available so get your ticket now! Tickets are available now!

Details:
Wednesday, April 16
Coolture Spain
409 W 39th St (between 9th and 10th)
New York City
8:00 PM to 11:00 PM

$25 — General Admission: Includes 8PM admission to the party; an exclusive RASL print signed by Jeff Smith, CBLDF gift bag, and Open Bar.

$50 — Preferred General Admission: Includes 8PM admission to the party; a Bone hooded sweatshirt, an exclusive RASL print signed by Jeff Smith, CBLDF gift bag, and Open Bar.

$100 — VIP Admission: Includes admission to pre-party VIP reception & party; an exclusive RASL print signed & remarqed by Jeff Smith, a Bone hooded sweatshirt; CBLDF gift bag, and Open Bar. (only 21 pieces available).

$500 — Deluxe VIP Admission: Includes admission to pre-party VIP reception & party; an original RASL drawing by Jeff Smith, a signed variant copy of RASL #1, an exclusive RASL print signed & remarqed by Jeff Smith, a Bone hooded sweatshirt; CBLDF gift bag, and Open Bar. (only 5 pieces available).

Chris Brandt’s documentary about indie comics, THE INDEPENDENTS, years in the making,has a screening at NYCC and you can buy the finished DVD at the Top Shelf booth. More here.

PR:

ASP announces its plan for this year’s New York Comic Con (Apr 18-20). We’ll not only have creator appearances galore at our booth #1713, but also be participating in a few panels as well.

Panels
**A. David Lewis, hot on the heels of his Graven Images conference (http://www.bu.edu/luce/calendar/religionincomics.html), will be moderating a panel on Saturday, Apr 19 at 5 p.m. in room 1E02. It’s a discussion of Chris Knowles’s book Our Gods Wear Spandex. G. Willow Wilson will be on the panel with Dave, along with Douglas Rushkoff (Testament) and Denny O’Neil.

**David Petersen (Mouse Guard) and Mark Smylie (Artesia) will be on the panel Let the Magic Begin — Fantasy in Comics: Creating Alternate Worlds on Sunday, Apr 20 at 1 p.m. in room 1E03, along with Kazu Kibuishi (Flight, Amulet) and librarian and graphic novel expert Robin Brenner. Moderated by Liz Gorinsky.

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Boom! rolls in with signings from:

Rafael Albuquerque, cover artist on 2 GUNS, artist on SAVAGE BROTHERS
Paul Azaceta, artist on POTTER’S FIELD
Kevin Church, co-writer of COVER GIRL
J.M. DeMatteis, writer and co-creator of STARDUST KID and HEROES SQUARED
Michael Fiffe, artist on FALL OF CTHULHU
Tim Hamilton, artist on DOMINION and FALL OF CTHULHU
Mike Leib, writer of TAG: CURSED
Chip Mosher, writer/creator LEFT ON MISSION
Michael Alan Nelson, writer of FALL OF CTHULHU / DOMINION / X ISLE / SECOND WAVE
Cris Peter, colorist on SAVAGE BROTHERS
Tom Sniegoski, writer and co-creator of TALENT
Wilfredo Torres, artist on SALEM: QUEEN OF THORNS
Mark Waid, writer of POTTER’S FIELD - SATURDAY ONLY!

Schedule in the jump
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Drew Weing’s Fluke ‘08 photos on Flickr. (Above) Cable & TWeed has more.

Paste pot Pete also reports:

I attended the Fluke convention in Athens, Georgia this past weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with Fluke…it’s a small convention held upstairs in Tasty World in downtown Athens. Consisiting of nothing but independant and self-published comic creators, Fluke was definately a thrill. About 25-35 comic creators set up their tables with their art and comics (comix). Among the guests were Top Shelf’s Andy Runtun (of Owly fame) and J Chris Campbell (of, well, the bizarre). Most were local or from surrounding states. The great thing about this convention was it was small and intimate. There were no comic dealers selling their back-issues of superhero comics. Their were no costumes. No dealers selling action figures. And especially, and thankfully, no manga or anime (except for one creator).

A new Devil’s Panties collection and new art from Christian Gossett highlight the offerings from Archaia Studios Press this summer. Best known these days for publisher MOUSE GUARD, ASP has been positioning itself as a graphic novel publisher, mostly in deluxe, full color packages, specializing in fantasy and SF. You can see the whole list here but here’s a summary:
THE GRAVE DOUG FRESHLEY
Writer: Josh Hechinger, Illustrator: mpMann, $3.95, 32 pages, APRIL

GUNNERKRIGG COURT: ORIENTATION
April, by Tom Siddell $26.95, ISBN: 978-1-932386-34-9, 296-page hardcover APRIL

THE DEVIL’S PANTIES Vol 2
Jennie Breeden ISBN: 1-932386-36-X, $19.95, 296-page hardcover, black-and-white graphic novel APRIL

RUNNERS: THE BIG SNOW JOB
Sean Wang, MAY

TRIAL BY FIRE: GENESIS
Juda Tverski, JULY

TITANIUM RAIN
Josh Finney and Kat Rocha, JULY

THE BOND OF SAINT MARCEL
Jennifer Quintenz and Christian Gossett, JULY

THE GOD MACHINE
Chandra Free, SUMMER 08

OBEY
FLUKE Mini•Comic and Zine Explosion.

TCj message board thread preview hinjkery.

Boom! Studios has added Wendy Wallace as General Manager, the lastest in a string of hires that really seem to be beefing the place up.

Bringing an unprecedented level of entertainment industry experience, Ms. Wallace will oversee the day-to-day operations of the studio, providing steady leadership to the expanding BOOM! team as the company continues its explosive growth.

“Wendy is perfect to keep BOOM! running like clockwork. I’m truly excited to have her aboard in such a critical capacity as our GM. When it comes to organization and efficiency, Wendy doesn’t mess around. What’s more, she brings out a professionalism in those around her while still inspiring a highly creative atmosphere,” said Mark Waid, BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief. “Also, she has a mean left hook.”

Technorati Tags: Boom Studios

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• Continuing the intriguing trend of Euro comics getting developed for the US, NBC announced a mini series based on XIII, which Kevin Melrose tells us, is an 80s Euro-comic by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance:

XIII, originally serialized in 1984 in the Belgian comics magazine Spirou, begins with a man who washes up on the shore of the East Coast with no memory of who he is, and the only clue to his past is “XIII” tatooed on his neck. His search for his identity leads him to confront a plot to overthrow the U.S. government.

The comic has been reprinted in the US by Catalan and most recently the Dabel Bros. Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer will star in the mini-series.

• Ving Rhames, Radha Mitchell, and Rosamund Pike have joined Bruce Willis in the cast of The
Surrogates movie, which is based on the Top Shelf series by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele.

• Boom strikes again, as the controversial North Wind has been optioned by producer John Davis . Creator/screenwriter David DiGilio will adapt the tale.

Boom co-founders Cosby and Richie have been experiencing a boom in Hollywood lately. The pair is producing adaptations of their “Tag” and “Talent” comics at Universal with Marc Platt and “The Foundation” at Paramount. Ice Cube’s CubeVision is adapting the Boom graphic novel “10″ for Dimension.

The film will be one of many sci-fi spectacles for Davis Entertainment, which helped bring “I, Robot,” “Alien vs. Predator” and “Eragon” to the screen.

Creator Shannon Wheeler blogs about the opening night of the expanded Too Much coffee Man opera:

Opening night was a hoot. We had a fuse blow so we didn’t get to use the cool light effects for the second act. Stacey (too much coffee man) is feeling much better. He’s still sick but he’s not throwing up every half hour.

Showbiz!

Brooklyn’s indie cartooner Robin Enrico is profiled in the Ny Daily News:

With thoughtful and believable dialogue, eye-popping visual elements, simple character designs, and influences ranging from graffiti art to candy packaging, his comics are some of the most stunning artwork available in the mini-comics industry. Although his work is not really autobiographical, Enrico draws from real-life experiences in his comics, which range from his video game addiction in “Controller,” to relationship drama in “Stupid and Unkind” and “Jam in the Band.”

Enrico writes “it’s part of an interview series they have been doing with indie cartoonist. Last week focused on Monica Gallagher and next week should be an interview with MK Reed.”
Please note, this is not a dream, nor a hoax, not an imaginary story. We have reached the point in the cultural assimilation of comics that you don’t have to be Frank Miller or Jim Lee to get interviewed in one of the most famous daily newspapers in the world. You can be a hard working, talented indie creator whose biggest public exposure previously was probably sitting behind a table at MoCCA.

Congrats to Robin on the great coverage. We’re living in a world even The Beat could never have imagined.

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Boom! Studios is looking for an editor:

COMIC BOOK EDITOR WANTED! BOOM! Studios is looking for the right candidate to join our dynamic team of editors and cover some of our licensed properties. If you’re smart, organized, have a good sense of story and design, and excellent phone skills, live in Los Angeles and play well with others, we’d like to hear from you. Must be able to politely and professionally navigate the tricky waters of materials approvals. Love comic books, gaming, films and TV? Let us know! Send cover letter, resume, and references to resumes@boom-studios.com, subject line: Editorial Position. Please note, emails for anything other than this position will be immediately deleted unread.

Go to it, kids.

We’ve been too busy to get as excited about this as we should, bit it looks like Dynamic Forces’ long long delayed (it was first announced in 2004) AMERICAN FLAGG collection will finally be out this July. Howard Chaykin’s run ‘n’ gun, media saturated vision of the US ’s future was great fun when it came out over 20 years ago, and we suspect it will still be fun now: Why all the delays? Chaykin explains in an interview.

Howard Chaykin: It was a jumping of the gun in the first place, which held the assumption that the material was more ready than it was. The situation really boiled down to the fact that the reproduction of stuff at that time is very different than it is today. The assumption was that it would be a mistake to publish, cold, that is, without doing a lot of clean-up work on it, to create a more beautiful facsimile, if you will. The assumption was that it would be easier to do that than it turned out to be.

Another one of those annual local small press comics fests approacheth, this time Athens, GA’s FLUKE! Details below.

This year’s FLUKE Mini-Comics Festival , sponsored by Bizarro Wuxtry, Flagpole Magazine, Inch-High Button Guy, Top Shelf Productions and Wide Awake Press, will take place on Saturday, April 12 at Tasty World on 312 E. Broad Street, Athens GA from 11:00 AM until 6 PM. Admission is $5.00 for all attendees.

EVENT SPECS
Tables and spaces will be provided for mini comic artists and distributors on a first-come, first-serve basis. All attendees are welcome to bring enough work to fill a small (4′ x 5′) table space. In the interest of providing display space for as many artists as possible, attendees may not use more than one table. Large displays and booths are not permitted at FLUKE, so please do not bring them. You will be asked to keep them in your vehicle.

FLUKE’s STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/ MISSION
FLUKE is a mini-comic festival that has been organized by Athens-area comic artists, underground publishers and their enthusiasts since 2002. Conceived as a venue for the discussion and exchange of timely ideas related to mini-comics, zines, and other independent publications, FLUKE is not a large comic convention or merchandising-saturated extravaganza. This isn’t to say we don’t like our share of stuff–’cause we do. However, we have kept the organization of the event as simple as possible to ensure that it remains focused on work and ideas rather than merchandising.

AdHouse announces Superior Showcase #3, an anthology of three damned fine cartoonists, and THE RETURN OF STREET ANGEL!!!

This issue explodes with the uber-talents of team STREET ANGEL aka Bodacious Brian Maruca & Jazzy Jim Rugg.
(This is the first STREET ANGEL story in years!)

Debuting the work of Dandy Dustin Harbin.

And last but not least, the Lovely Lady with Luscious Lines… Laura Park!

All wrapped in a fantastic cover by talented Rip-Roaring Roger Langridge!

Smack! Bam! Pow!

The cover is above but we’ll also reveal a pages from Park who has been been on the hot list for a couple of years now.

Technorati Tags: Jim Rugg, Laura Park, puppy

Following in the footsteps of Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly, Picturebox, the Brooklyn-based art comix publisher, is opening a store in Gowanus, Brooklyn!

First, we are opening a retail store in Brooklyn’s sunny and breezy Gowanus, Brooklyn. The PictureBox Departmental Store will carry the full range of PictureBox publications as well as an international array of visual books, prints, editions, comics, clothing and stationary. It is a shopping experience you will never forget. Please join us on Saturday, March 22nd for the grand opening. Refreshments will be served.

Saturday, March 22nd
6 - 9 pm
PictureBox Departmental Store
121 Third St.
Brooklyn NY 11231

Second, we are now accepting pre-orders for GARY PANTER online at pictureboxinc.com. A handful of copies (as well as some Gary rarities) will be available at the store opening. For all Gary Panter book news, please check http://garypanterbook.com/

As if writing and helping produce ONE opera wasn’t enough, crazy Shannon Wheeler has gone to the Black & Decker auto-drip one more time for a SEQUEL to his well-received Too Much Coffe Man Opera. PR in the jump, production info below:

Too Much Coffee Man Opera the Refill

What: Too Much Coffee Man Opera: The Refill
The world premiere of the sequel to the highly acclaimed opera
Who: Music composed by Daniel Craft
Libretto and original comics by Shannon Wheeler
Additional lyrics by Damian Willcox and Carolyn Main
Directed by Randy Rollison
When: April 4 - April 20
Where: Brunish Hall, Portland Center for the Performing Arts
1111 SW Broadway, Portland OR
Admission: $20 - $25, through ticketmaster.com
Show: The show is two hours with a 15 minute intermission
More info: www.tmcm.com/opera

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