Matthew Loux’s well-received kids comic, SALT WATER TAFFY, is back this week with a second volume:

Following closely on the success of the first volume of his new graphic adventure series, Matthew Loux brings us the second installment with SALT WATER TAFFY VOL. 2: A CLIMB UP MT. BARNABAS. In stores this week and with a third volume already in the works, critics are convinced that the American Library Association & YALSA award winning Matthew Loux is here to stay.

While the gold rush of comics to mainstream book publishers seems to have slowed a bit (there were very few announcements or rumors at SPX, aside from Raina Telgemeier’s SMILE deal with Scholastic) it isn’t all over: Jimmy Gownley’s AMELIA RULES is getting the book treatment. PR:

Ginee Seo Books, an imprint of Atheneum/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, today announced it has acquired the world rights to Jimmy Gownley’s popular comic and graphic novel series AMELIA RULES!. The deal was brokered through an auction by Judith Hansen of the Hansen Literary Agency. Originally published by Renaissance Press, the AMELIA RULES! graphic novels and comics have become a favorite with both critics and fans alike.

Centered around the happenings of ten-year-old spitfire Amelia Louise McBride, the AMELIA RULES! series captures the true essence of being an adolescent girl in America today, as Amelia adjusts to life in “small town America” after her parent’s divorce as she is forced to leave NYC. “Jimmy is a true creative genius, and AMELIA RULES! has that rare combination of mass appeal and literary substance that every publisher dreams about. We are thrilled for Jimmy to be joining the S&S list, as we work to expand our list with some of the top comic and graphic novel talent publishing today, and we look forward to making his name and his characters known to even wider audience beyond his already substantial following,” said Ginee Seo, VP, Editorial Director of Ginee Seo Books.

Jimmy Gownley added, “It was important for me to find the perfect home for AMELIA RULES! and I strongly believe Simon & Schuster and Ginee Seo books are a great match. I am more excited than ever about Amelia and kids graphic novels in general”

The plan is for Simon & Schuster to put out reprints of the first four already published AMELIA RULES! books over the next two years, with the first reprint AMELIA RULES!: The Whole World’s Crazy to be published in Spring 2009 and the last reprint AMELIA RULES!: When the Past is a Present scheduled to be published in Spring 2010. AMELIA RULES! #5: The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular will be the first original publication with the hardcover and paperback scheduled to come out simultaneously in Fall 2010.

Shadowline, the Jim Valentino-driven arm of Image Comics, is launching a new line of comics aimed at the younger set, dubbed Silverline. The line debuts in October; creators include Joshua Williamson Vicente Navarrete, Kristen Simon, Justin Shady, Eric A. Anderson, Manny Trembley, and Valentino himself. PR below:

“Silverline Books is dedicated to publishing quality all-ages books that bridge the gap between traditional storybooks and comics,” said Publisher Jim Valentino. “We believe that there’s a strong need to reach out to younger readers and introduce them to comics with uplifting, non-violent stories in a format they’re familiar with.”

Silverline Books officially begins October 29th with its first all-new release, DEAR DRACULA by Joshua Williamson and Vicente Navarrete; a Halloween-themed story about a boy who gets visited by his hero, the king of all vampires. It continues in November with BRUCE, THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE by Shadowline editor Kristen Simon and Image co-founder Jim Valentino, in which the titular tree wants nothing more than a family to take him in on Christmas.

The year ends with two more Silverline titles, including December’s MISSING THE BOAT by Justin Shady (aka Wayne Chinsang) and Dwellephant, about two lazy animals who are too late for Noah’s Ark, and the softcover follow-up to last years double Eisner award nominee PX! BOOK TWO: IN THE SERVICE OF THE QUEEN by Eric A. Anderson and Manny Trembley.

More info and previews in the link.

It seems that Little Lulu wasn’t the only tot in a red dress that legendary John Stanley wrote about. Pappy’s Golden Age has reproduced some of John Stanley’s NANCY comics, and if Nancy and Sluggo come off a bit like Lulu and Tubby, there’s no doubt that Aunt Fritzi is wayyyyy hotter than Lulu’s mom.
[Via Journalista]

Lots of events coming up for Eleanor Davis and Dean Haspiel, including TONIGHT:

TOON Books is pleased to announce a series of September events to launch the first two titles in the publisher’s fall line of comics for early readers.

Talented newcomer Eleanor Davis will debut Stinky, a hilarious and heartwarming story that proves even monsters can make new friends…warts and all. Davis, just 25 years old, was recently hailed by Publishers Weekly as one of four emerging comic artists to watch, and currently lives in Athens, GA.

Powerhouse artist Dean Haspiel will present Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever, written by legendary cartoonist Jay Lynch, a delightfully tongue-in-cheek superhero story about two twins who love the same superhero – but can’t stand each other! Lynch has helped create many popular humor products, including Wacky Packages and the Garbage Pail Kids. Haspiel has illustrated Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon’s The Escapist and drawn superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics.

TOON Books are a collection of hardcover, full-color comics for early readers published by New Yorker Art Editor Françoise Mouly with Series Advisor Art Spiegelman. The imprint launched in Spring 2008 and has received near-universal praise. More information on www.TOON-BOOKS.com

Following is a schedule of events planned to mark the debuts of Stinky and Mo and Jo:

Friday, September 5, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Desert Island, 540 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
Eleanor Davis & Dean Haspiel—reading, signing with milk and cookies!

Saturday, September 6, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• STORYHOUR at McNally Jackson NYC, 52 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012
Eleanor Davis & Dean Haspiel, introduced by Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman.

Monday, September 8, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• Jim Hanley’s Universe, 4 West 33rd Street, New York, NY 10001
Eleanor Davis & Dean Haspiel—reading and signing

All events will be kid-friendly and a great way to introduce children 4 and up to the pleasures of books and comics. PLEASE JOIN US!

You know, it isn’t just the movie people who are snapping up the comics! Cartoonists are still getting book deals at traditional publishers left and right. This week’s PW Comics Week had a few items of note. Dash Shaw, the new lit comics It Kid, has signed up for his next book at Pantheon, a print version of his online Body World:

The deal was negotiated by agent Bob Mecoy. The book was acquired by Pantheon editorial director Dan Frank along with editor/designer Chip Kidd, who will both edit the book. Mecoy also said there was “unprecedented” interest in both Bottomless Belly Button and Body World from Hollywood film studios, although no deal has been reached.

The same issue also notes that agent Judy Hansen has negotiated a two-book deal at Scholastic for Flight’s Jake Parker for his character Missile Mouse.

Missile Mouse was introduced earlier this year in Flight Explorer, an anthology based on Flight with comics created for young readers, published by Villard. Missile Mouse: The Star Crusher, the first of the two graphic novels, will be published in 2010.

Hansen also writes to us to say that she’s negotiated another two-book deal for Benjamin Hatke, another Flight and Flight Explorer author. Mark Siegel at First Second has acquired two graphic novels starring Zita the Spacegirl (left). The first book is titled Zita the Spacegirl: The Longest Day.

Mucho good reading ahead.

With so much good stuff being done again, it’s about time:

Nickelodeon Magazine, the leading entertainment and humor magazine for kids, has announced its first-ever “Best Kids’ Graphic Novel” Awards, taking place in spring 2009. The Awards will honor the best comic books and animated novels for kids published across the U.S. The submission process is open through Sept. 30, 2008, and voting will take place in December.

“Comics have always been an integral part of who we are, and these Awards will allow us to honor the great work for kids being produced in graphic novels today,” said Laura Galen, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director. “Our readers consistently rave about ‘The Comic Book’ section as one of their favorites, so awards are a natural direction for the magazine.”

All graphic novel submissions must be submitted before Sept. 30, 2008. A list of books for kids to vote on, pre-selected by the Nickelodeon Magazine editorial staff, will be available in the December issue and online at http://www.nickmag.com. The results will be announced in print and online in spring 2009 in conjunction with the release of Nickelodeon Magazine’s popular annual cartoon-themed issue. Nickelodeon Magazine welcomes all submissions appropriate for kids between the ages of seven and 13.

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Among book publishing people, it has long been agreed that the final hurdle, the ultimate Holy Grail in mainstream acceptance of graphic novels as “real” books and the highest realm of sales success would be a selection by Oprah’s Book Club, the television-fueled reading club that can result in MILLIONS of additional sales for any book she chooses to anoint. Indeed, it’s been a popular parlor game for the GN crowd to try and figure out which book could break the barrier…LOVE AND ROCKETS? PERSEPOLIS? WATCHMEN? FUN HOME? KRAMERS ERGOT #7?

While the Book Club has yet to make a selection to pass the final frontier, at least one plateau has been reached: Sara Varon’s ROBOT DREAMS has been selected for Oprah’s Kids Reading List.

In this nearly wordless book, comic book-style illustrations tell the story of Dog and his best friend, Robot. When the two become separated, readers follow their separate—and very different—experiences, which are amusing, wistful and truly thought provoking.

Congrats to Sara — the selection is quite a kudos for her wonderful art and storytelling.

This could be a short-lived gimmick, or it could be the Dionne quintuplets for our day. In The Kid’s Comic Book Reviews a man lets his seven-year-old son read comics and then transcribes his thoughts.

Robin is a cool superhero because he gets to hang out with Batman and beat up bad guys but he also isn’t a grown up. I like that.

What I didn’t like is that Robin really didn’t get into any fights with anyone. He did meet with the Penguin and paid him to find Batman, which was neat, but I thought it would have been better if he got into a fight with him. The only people that Robin got to fight were a bunch of regular crooks that weren’t anything special. I’d like to see Robin get to fight some cooler bad guys like Batman does.

It was a little hard to read when the story took place in the cave and when Nightwing and Robin were out of costume talking to the bad guys and trying to make deals. It was tough to follow at some places and it was a bit boring except for the parts where Robin was in the city trying to find Batman.

If you’re looking for Bionicle, this must be the place.

Booth #2046 will be hopping during Comic-Con International: San Diego from July 23 through 27! Kids-comics publisher Papercutz (www.papercutz.com) will present new comics from its bestselling BIONICLE graphic-novel line; signings by The Hardy Boys writer Scott Lobdell and Nancy Drew artist Sho Murase; and fresh editions of Tales from the Crypt and other titles. What’s more, the convention has devoted a panel discussion to Papercutz’ Classics Illustrated!
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Nick Magazine editor Chris Duffy writes to tell us that Nick Mag has an archive of many of its comics online now. Most are based on Nick shows, but there are also original creations by many top indie cartooners. Dave Roman has some more info, but Chris helpfully points to some of the highlights:

Sam Henderson comics
Deitch Bros. comics
Jef Czekaj
Mark Martin

PLUS: comics written and/or drawn by Mark Crilley, Brian Ralph, Kazu Kibuishi, Stephen DeStefano, Bobby London, Craig Bartlett, Jhonen Vasquez, Kyle Baker and more.

Adult befuddlement note: If small children can actually navigate this flash-based maze of design, we really have no fear for America’s future — we are raising a generation of super-soldiers.

Jill Thompson has been posting some awesome pages from her upcoming GN series MAGIC TRIXIE at her blog

If you aren’t at the con, there is still plenty of comics related frolic to be had, including this event at the McNally Robinson bookstre: Comics for Kids with TOON Books:

Geoffrey Hayes, author of Benny and Penny in Just Pretend
Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch, creators of Otto’s Orange Day
Introduction by TOON Books editor Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly
In this very special McNally Robinson Saturday Storytime, kids will hear stories and make crafts with the creators of two new graphic novels just for kids! Geoffrey Hayes will show pictures on the big screen to tell the story of Benny the mouse and his little sister Penny in Just Pretend. Jay Lynch and Frank Cammuso will share their story and pictures about Otto, a cat who wishes for a genie to make everything orange! The artists will also wow the crowd with original drawings, and afterward kids will create their own graphic novels. The authors will be introduced by the creators of TOON Books — series advisor Art Spiegelman (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus) and editorial director Francoise Mouly (art director for The New Yorker and co-editor of RAW magazine) — who will talk to kids and parents about what comics for kids are all about. Join us for a special comics edition of Saturday Storytime! Please note: Mr. Spiegelman will not sign books at this event.

Word Balloons is a new blog which aims to be the daily morning read for kids comics. Tt’s edited by Brigid Alverson, so that’s a good start. She’s aided by Katherine Dacey, Lori Henderson, Esther Keller, Eva Volin and Snow Wildsmith, a merry band of writers and librarians whom we intend to read avidly. The blog kicks off with an interview with Jerzy Drozd of Sugary Serials.

“In Saturday morning cartoons, as well as in the ’60s comics, you had very limited space to tell the full story,” he says. “How are you going to communicate characters in an economical fashion while avoiding simplifying? You want them to feel like rich characters, but you don’t have much time. So you turn up the volume on the characters to 11.” That means making every word count. “You can’t write whimsical dialogue,” he says. “You have to ask yourself ‘How is it servicing the story and the character?’”

Book mark now!

We get a lot of PR from Archie but hardly ever look at it. Today we did and we found out that the Riverside gang is kind of turning into Scooby-Doo

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #121
“California Dreaming Part One”: When news of Archie and his friends’ worldwide, mystery-solving adventures (see ARCHIE & FRIENDS #117 through #120 for details) spreads, it isn’t long before Hollywood comes knocking. MGG Studios exec Perri DeLane is sure the gang will be a hit, and takes them to the Catalina Comic Con to unveil her latest franchise.
Later, the “Minute Men of Menace,” a gang of thieves who pull off their crimes in lightning-fast fashion, crash a swank invitation-only party that the gang are attending… and promptly kidnap all the celebrity guests! Can Archie and his friends solve yet another mystery so hot on the heels of their European tour? Is the plot of their movie being written before their eyes? These questions and more will be answered (maybe) when you read this intriguing tale!
SCRIPT: Alex Simmons. ART: Fernando Ruiz.

Also, the realistic style Jughead soldiers on:

Technorati Tags: Archie Comics

The Nick Mag blog informs us that The April issue of Nickelodeon Magazine is another Cartoon themed issue. The cover above by Darwyn Cooke & Jacob Chabot isn’t the magazine cover but should be.

Francoise Mouly has been on a mission to bring comics to the littlest readers with her beautiful Toon Books line. Looks like she’s not alone, as the three debut books have already had to go back to press. PR below:

In response to overwhelming advance orders, TOON Books was taken by surprise and has had to go back to press for all three of its spring debut titles. Benny and Penny by Geoffrey Hayes is already out of stock with its distributor, Diamond Book Distributors, before its April 7 pub-date, and the same fate is imminent for Agnès Rosenstiehl’s Silly Lilly and Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch’s Otto’s Orange Day.

“We were in the middle of preparing for our launch,” says Editorial Director Françoise Mouly, also the Art Editor of The New Yorker, “but I couldn’t imagine a more welcome distraction.” Self-published by Mouly under her RAW Junior, LLC imprint, and edited by Mouly with Series Advisor Art Spiegelman (Maus, In the Shadow of No Towers), the TOON Books are the first collection of high-quality hardcover comics for early readers. Heavily vetted by educators, the books “fill such a need in children’s publishing,” says Laura Lutz, Children’s Materials Specialist at the Queens Library.

The TOON Books have already received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, review attention in Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, and School Library Journal, and feature attention in The New York Times, School Library Journal, Shelf Awareness, Time Out New York Kids, The Brian Lehrer Show, The Miami Herald and PrINT magazine, among many other venues.The three books’ simultaneous publication date is April 7, 2008.

A full schedule of author events in NYC is planned to mark the debut of the line:
Friday, 11 april, 6 – 7.30pm

• BORDERS BOOkS AND MuSIC, Columbus Circle @ 59th Street
Geoffrey Hayes, Agnès Rosenstiehl, Frank Cammuso & Jay Lynch, introduced by Françoise
Mouly and Art Spiegelman

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The second annual Kids Comic Con is taking place this weekend at the Bronx Community College:

KIDS’ COMIC CON 2008 will feature:

1) professional artists and publishers from the field of kids comics!

2) a huge variety of kids’ comics’ exhibitions, workshops, panels, and signings, aimed at kids, parents, and educators.

All in one day, March 29, 2008, from 10 AM to 6 PM!

Artists on hand include Kyle Baker, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Kevin Pyle and many more. Check it out!

Fresh off the news that his AMULET gn is getting the movie treatment, Kazu Kibuishi’s long running COPPER webcomic has been sold to Scholastic, ICv2 reports.

The Copper collection, planned for Spring 2010, will include both existing and new material. It will be released in both trade paperback and library hardcover editions. Judith Hansen of Hansen Literary Agency represented Kibuishi.

We would guess that the huge success of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID has webcomics on many book editors’ radar these days (yes yes it is not really a webcomic, but creator Jeff Kinney usually refers to it as such), and the idea of putting out a book based on something that people have been reading free for years is not really so daunting at all. Ya hear that?

Technorati Tags: Scholastic

ITEM! In case you haven’t heard, Kazu Kibuishi’s kids GN AMULET came out a few months ago, but it is already optioned and on the fast track, with Will Smith’s kids Willow and Jaden set to star as siblings who must traverse a strange world in search aided by a sinister amulet after their mother is kidnapped. Kibuishi comments on his blog:

I never imagined we would be moving so quickly on the film side of things. I better get the next few books done a little faster! Anyway, I’m really looking forward to meeting the Smiths. I’ve been a huge fan ever since the early Fresh Prince days, and seeing the kind of work they’ve been doing lately, I can see that we’ll be on the same wavelength on this project. This is going to be cool.

A total of five AMULET volumes are planned.

ITEM! According to a terse trade report, that Virgin Comics/Sci Fi Channel deal is paying off. The Sci Fi Channel is developing a TV series project around The Stranded, (left) one of Virgin’s Sci Fi branded comics. It’s written by Mike Carey and involves regular folks who discover they are really aliens,
ITEM! Speaking of the Sci Fi Channel, they are also developing a pilot for TRUE BELIEVER, a series created by Rosario Dawson and David Atchinson (OCCULT CRIMES TASK FORCE) about a comic book enthusiast who hires a former superhero to teach him about crime-fighting.

ITEM! Director James Mangold ( 3:10 to Yuma, Girl Interrupted, Walk the Line) has signed on the graphic novel express with French gn CYCLOPES by Alexis Nolent :

Variety reports that Warner Bros. has secured the rights to Alexis Nolent’s French graphic novel Cyclopes, set in a dystopian future where soldiers wear cameras in their helmets and broadcast what they see in real time. One soldier realizes that what he’s fighting for isn’t justice, but commerce.

Nolent is now a two-fer, as another one of his books, KILLER is being developed for David Fincher.
ITEM! More obstacles for the JUSTICE LEAGUE movie. It appears that the Australian government is refusing the film a 40% tax rebate which is offered to Australian productions of Australian films. Despite Aussie helmer George Miller and a few native actresses in the cast, the movie is under great suspicion:

Since Warner Bros suspended filming plans in January, citing uncertainty over the new incentive, opponents have argued that the offset should not be available for big-budget movies not developed by Australian filmmakers from inception.

The director of the equity section of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Simon Whipp, has lobbied against Justice League Mortal’s eligibility, describing it as an American story that will be performed in American accents.

Has this guy no desire to see Green Lantern up on the big screen? With a $200 million budget, the tax rebate was an important financial element of the film, which could be forced to shoot somewhere else. Miller was non-plussed with the decision : “A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Australian film industry is being frittered away because of very lazy thinking,” Miller said.

Cinematical has more analysis.

The problem seems to be that it is an American film, with American accents, and it will not do the Australian film industry any favors. But native director George Miller points out that the country needs movie franchises, even if they aren’t “recognizably” Australian, to boost production and bring in jobs. I can’t really say which side is right — it seems Australia is a bit miffed Warner Bros shut down production in January over uncertainty about the incentive, and they punished them for their doubts. (I’m really curious if X-Men Origins: Wolverine is getting that tax break. Everyone knows Hugh Jackman is Australian, but come on, that’s not going to be seen as a Down Under movie either.)

The film is also apparently called JUSTICE LEAGUE MORTAL.

Oni has announced the first volume in an all ages series by Matt Loux called Salt Water Taffy. In short it about two lads named Jack and Benny visit Maine and have adventures in the “unusual hamlet called Chowder Bay–a small town full of big mysteries, giant adventures, and gargantuan lobsters.” The first book is called “The Legend of Old Salty.” Sold!

Often disregarded as part of any continuity, Li’l Bruce Wayne was a long-running series of light-hearted comic books aimed at children, detailing the life of a young, fantastically wealthy Bruce Wayne (known in the series as “The Happiest Kid On Earth”) in the years before the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne and his subsequent transformation into Batman

The series was originally created by Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson to fill a gap in DC’s publishing schedule after the cancellation of More Fun Comics in 1946, and ran through the majority of the Silver Age despite being regarded by editors and fans alike as being “extremely depressing” [citation needed] and is usually left out of any discussion of the character. It is notable, however, as being the first published comic book work of writer/artist Frank Miller.

Fond at Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog, via. More in link. Can it be that the true purpose of Photoshop has finally been achieved?

Fox 2000 has optioned the phenomenally successful WIMPY KID books. Nina Jacobson will produce. According to the article, five books are eventually planned, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw to be published later this year.

The Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards are a televised award show with stars and hosts and all that. this year they also have comics. Or books, anyway. The nominees in the Favorite Book category include to comics:

Favorite Book
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume One: The Long Way Home
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Harry Potter series
How to Eat Fried Worms

Kids will be able to cast their vote online at http://www.nick.com/kca beginning Monday, March 3 in a total of 18 categories. Surprise awards also will be announced during the show. Kids also will be able to vote via the Nick mobile website (wap.nick.com).

What can we say, kids love comics!

[Thank to Jeremy for the item.]

We hear that DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, the second volume of Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series, will debut at #1 on this Sunday’s NY Times Bestseller list. Wimpy Kid book 1 holds steady at the number two spot. With Hugo Cabret at #3, picture books definitely rule.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid phenomenon is one that hasn’t been overanalyzed by the comics blogosphere — the books are very text heavy and are more truly called comics/text hybrids than straight out comics. However, the series has long been labeled a webcomic, and its sales success does prove you can give something away on the internet for free for a long time and still sell loads and loads of books — as long as someone wants to read it in the first place!