By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/31/2013
TweetHey, have you ever wondered if a British writer was going to write a new series for Boom? But have you been unable to find out because everywhere you go is being obtuse? Don’t worry! Because The Beat’s own Laura Sneddon interviewed Mike Carey for The New Statesman, like, a week ago, and he revealed that [...]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/30/2013
TweetOr rather, as seen in this gorgeous Peter Gross/Mark Buckingham-drawn teaser image, the cast of Fables literally drag Tommy Taylor into their world. Vertigo have released this promo for May’s issue #50 of Mike Carey’s excellent series, kicking off an arc which will see the book head into the world of Bill WIllingham’s Fables, [...]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/29/2013
TweetTitan Comics, surging up like a dinosaur from a swarm of sleeping butterflies (that’ll make sense in a second, promise), have sent out some promotional material regarding the July launch of Stuart Jennett’s Chronos Commandos. A four-issue miniseries, the story (completely created by Jennett) sees the aforementioned Commandos fight dinosaurs, as they struggle to save [...]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/24/2013
TweetMarvel seem to be making a proper investment in their female characters in 2013, with a number of new books launching and several of their more prominent female characters getting a boost in profile. Of their many comics featuring female characters, though, one of the most anticipated is Fearless Defenders, in which an all-female team of [...]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/21/2013
TweetWell, he’s not been away really. He did a one page story with the brilliant Tula Lotay for Thought Bubble’s 2012 anthology, for one thing. But he certainly hasn’t had a major project in quite a while, that’s for sure — and now his novel The Gun Machine is completed, it looks like Warren Ellis [...]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/17/2012
Here are a few of my favourite things…. Marvel, aware that I demand delight at least once a month, have started releasing ‘X-Men 50th Anniversary’ variant covers for several of their books. The X-Men have – yes – been around for 50 years as of 2013, with Stan Lee’s original vision now old enough to start having a midlife crisis and buy a new car. X-Men fans: prepare to explode in glee!
First up is Chris Bachalo reuniting with Generation X (gleee!!) for the cover to All-New X-Men #6:
Skin! Synch! Oh, the memories. Shame Husk isn’t wearing her glasses, but WOW how much does this remind that Banshee was The Greatest? Right? Faith and begorrah, come back soon!
The second released cover is Clay Mann’s variant for X-Factor #250, which features every member of the team there has ever been. Founders Jean and Cyclops rub shoulders with Rusty, Skids and Boom Boom (gleeee!!), while newcomers like Monet and Layla Miller somehow manage to cram themselves in there too.
Who will appear next? I am literally stamping my feet with anticipation. Gleee!!
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/16/2012
When the news was announced that Cullen Bunn would be writing Fearless Defenders for Marvel next year, the world breathed a sigh of relief. It’s no secret that this is a project many have been waiting to happen ever since he first hinted at it earlier this year, during his ‘The Fearless’ miniseries starring Valkyrie. Fearless Defenders returns to the character, this time asking her to assemble a team of women in order to protect the Marvel Universe from imminent danger. Artist Will Sliney will be drawing the series, which will begin in February. Wikipedia are already very excited about the book!
As am I. I couldn’t be more onboard for this book if Pixie and Hepzibah were on it (but think about it, Cullen?), so I immediately asked if he’d be interested in talking to me about it. He kindly agreed, and we talked about how the series came to be – specifically, how the pitching process began, how it developed, and how the book went from a tease at the end of The Fearless through to a new ongoing series.
Steve: When did you first pitch Fearless Defenders? Has it been a long process?
Cullen Bunn: I remember the moment the idea for this team first dawned on me pretty clearly. I was working on the series FEAR ITSELF: THE FEARLESS and was brainstorming how to wrap the final issue. There were these eight magical, evil hammers floating around the Marvel Universe, and I wanted to get rid of them. So, I thought it might be interesting to have the Valkyrior—the Shield Maidens of Asgard—take the weapons and scatter into the universe. That left the Marvel Universe without Valkyrior, and I wanted Valkyrie to have a new sense of purpose.
So I thought it might be cool to have her tasked with gathering a new team of Shield Maidens. I also thought it might be interesting if these women had to be chosen from Midgard—from a group that might include already established characters.
I rushed to my computer and fired off an e-mail to my co-writers and the editorial team, just to see if they liked that direction. At the end of the e-mail, I wrote something along the lines of, “Be warned. I’m working up a proposal for this series right now!”
And I put together a short proposal that I sent to my editors at the same time I sent in the script to the final issue of THE FEARLESS.
It took a few months after the finale of THE FEARLESS for the series to get the go ahead. Remember, this was during the time that Marvel NOW was being planned, and I’m guessing there was a lot of discussion in regards to where this book would fit. Editorial teams changed a bit and the book went through a number of changes from my initial 1-page proposal.
Steve: The book was first hinted for readers in the final issue of Fear Itself: The Fearless, in which it was presented as an option to Valkyrie. Was this always a beat you wanted to include in the story? How early on did you first think of the premise, and how much did it inform the story in The Fearless?
Cullen: That idea for the formation of the new team of Valkyrior hit me around the time I was writing issue 6 or 7, and from that point on, I really couldn’t wait to reach that final issue and that teaser image. So… yeah, it helped shape where the second half of that series went.
Steve: When you pitch an idea like this, do you come with a firm idea of the book and where it’ll head and how it operates, or a more general premise, which can be altered? Do you try to firmly define the book, or do you leave room for editors to manoeuvre around the premise?
Cullen: My initial proposal was only one page. I knew, though, that I wanted a good part of the book to be about how Valkyrie would choose the members of the team. That was the note that I really wanted to stick to. I think that building the team relatively slowly gives every character a chance to find a place and voice in the group and in the book as a whole. Beyond that, the proposal definitely had room for editorial input. The collaborative nature of comic books is something that I enjoy, and I love seeing where new ideas can take a book. Sometimes, some of the suggestions I’ve been given have really challenged me, but I think it takes the series in some unexpected directions.
Steve: This has clearly been a book you’re passionate about creating – what was it about the series which spoke so strongly to you?
Cullen: I thought the concept was interesting and would give me a chance to showcase some characters who rarely get the spotlight and almost never get to work together. And I liked the way this could develop these characters. Also, I just thought this was an outlet for some really crazy, action-packed, surprising stories.
That’s all it took for me to be hooked.
Steve: How has your pitch developed since the original idea?
Cullen: I mentioned that the book went through more than one editorial team. Every time a change occurred, the book changed a little. It’s funny, though, because in many ways it came full circle. The premise moved away from what I originally had in mind, then circled back to something that was very close to my original pitch.
The biggest development is something that occurred because of the timing of the book. Because it took a while for the series to be approved, I decided that Valkyrie was procrastinating when it came to the task of choosing allies. She simply didn’t see anyone worthy of becoming a Shield Maiden. This, I think, paints Valkyrie in a much more interesting light, and I love the idea of exploring her definitions (right and wrong) of heroism.
Steve: What do you think is the essence of a good pitch? Do you follow the idea of boiling down the premise to a five-word ‘elevator pitch’?
Cullen: I think a good pitch needs to tell the editor what the story is about, who the characters are, how they will potentially grow, and who the audience will be… as succinctly as humanly possible.
My proposals typically have a one-sentence elevator pitch, a one paragraph expansion on that pitch, a breakdown of characters, and a three-act breakdown of the story (or first arc).
Steve: Did you write speculative issues, to show Marvel how the series would work in terms of tone? What physical work, besides a premise or synopsis, do you do to prepare for pitching a book?
Cullen: It’s different for every project, but I don’t often write a speculative issue. I’ve only been asked to do something like that once—for my first comic book series THE DAMNED (from Oni Press). Since I had no real prior experience, they asked me to write a couple of different scenes, just to make sure I could do the work.
Most of my proposals these days are less than two pages. That should be enough to interest the editor. If they’re interested enough, they’ll ask for more. That may, I guess, include a speculative script… but that’s not often the case for me.
Steve: What do you think ultimately sold the pitch to Marvel, and gave you the chance to create the series?
Cullen: I think they liked the basic premise of the series—Valkyrie building a new team of Shield Maidens from the women of Earth. It’s a clean, simple reason for a new super team to form. I think the fact that the cast is all women—an area that hasn’t been explored often and could draw some attention to the book—only helped.
Or maybe they just got tired of all my e-mails about the book.
Either way, I’m glad they took a chance on this. This is a book that is different from every other book on the shelf. And I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Many thanks to Cullen for taking the time to speak to me! I imagine I’ll be pestering him again in the future to chat about Dani Moonstar’s lovelife and if Misty Knight could beat up Iron Fist. He is also still writing The Sixth Gun for Oni Press, and just today he launched a competition open to anybody who pre-orders either of the titles. You can find out more at his website!
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/15/2012
The conference calls are back at The Beat! Last night Jeph Loeb participated in a phonecall with member of the comics press to discuss the coming launch of a new Nova series – starring a new Nova. The series will be drawn by Ed McGuinness, and here’s Marcos Martin’s cover for issue #1:
Sam Alexander, the new Nova, has appeared in a few comics over the last year, most notably his role in Marvel’s first-ever ‘Infinite Comics’ story by Mark Waid and Stuart Immonen. He precipitated the Avengers Vs X-Men crossover, and was offered Avengers membership by Thor at the end of the series. But Loeb explained that this is the end-point for Nova’s story, and the new series will rewind back to before Sam even knows what a Nova is. The aim is to pitch Nova as a hero in the vein of Peter Parker – a young, inexperienced, but upbeat figure, who tries to use his new powers for good. He doesn’t even have the helmet yet.
The first issue will be set in a small town in Arizona, where the character lives, and will ultimately throw him into space to fight giant, overpowering threats far beyond his abilities – villains who will really test the character. Loeb noted the popularity of the Sam Alexander character in Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series, saying that the journey for the comic character will ultimately lead him towards the same personality and confidence of his animated counterpart.
When I go to conventions now, the amount of young kids who talk about how they love the show. When I ask them who their favourite characters are, it always comes out as Spider-Man is their favourite, and Nova second.
I asked him about if this has made him consider the title in terms of an all-ages property:
I don’t know that it was as much in my mind as the fact we we were telling a story about a 15 to 16 year-old kid. Part of the Nova story from the beginning, is that he was a very fun character – Rich Rider loved being Nova. I don’t think we’re necessarily writing for an all-ages audience… we’re writing for the Marvel audience.
From Arizona, Nova will then be moving on to outer space, where he’ll come into contact with Brian Michael Bendis‘ Guardians of the Galaxy – Loeb says no plans for the Annihilators as yet, but they may well show up later – and this will be apparently a very important part of Marvel over the next few months. We’ve seen that Guardians of the Galaxy will interact with Iron Man, and that All-New X-Men’s story will have some kind of ramification for the team. This is all a deliberate way of meshing the Universe together, Loeb says – when attempting to establish a character like Nova, it’s important that they’re visible. We’ll likely be seeing the character show up in a variety of books over the next few months.
No plans yet for any more Infinite Comics ventures, but Loeb was very open to the idea.
Finally, in terms of established Nova concepts returning? Loeb was very careful not to give too much away, although there will be a new, rebuilt Nova corps (of a kind, anyway) coming back into the book eventually, as Sam gets used to his powers, the legacy he’s inheriting from Rich Rider, and the importance of the Nova Corps in the Universe. At all times, Loeb spoke glowingly of Rich Rider as a character, and how the shadow of the character will loom over Sam at all times, driving him to be a better Nova.
Nova #1 will be released by Marvel in February, from the creative team of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/12/2012
Lovely James Asmus has shared with us an exclusive first look at the cover for issue #3 of his upcoming Image miniseries The End Times of Bram and Ben, created by Juan Doe. It is LUSH.
The other three covers of this four-issue minseries will be drawn by a range of amazing artists, with Jim Mahfood on issue #1, J.A.W. Cooper on issue #2, and Ben Templesmith drawing the final issue’s cover. Interior art will come from European artist Rem Broo.
The story of bloke called Bram whom God accidentally Raptures during the Apocalypse, The End Times subsequently sees The Almighty realise his mistake and throw Bram out of Heaven. Bram wakes up back on Earth, return to sender.
Aware that the end of the world is imminent and now armed with the knowledge of The Infinite, Bram decides that the best thing to do with his unique perspective… is to immediately exploit it for his own benefit.
His poor old friend Ben is left to try and clean up the mess as Bram takes the world by storm — a few days before God does the same. The miniseries will be co-written by comedian Jim Festante, who describes it thus:
Why does religion paint morality as black and white? Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? If you’re doing what Satan wants, why would he torture you for eternity?
Um, we’re not sure, but End Times is a nice break from pondering deep theological thoughts.
Issue #1 of the miniseries is released January 9th, offering 32 pages for $2.99. Buy sixteen of them!
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/5/2012
Marvel have revealed what their ‘X-Termination’ teaser image is all about: a crossover storyline between X-Treme X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, and Age of Apocalypse. Spinning around the fact that there are currently a series of different Wolverines being used right now (along with a couple of Nightcrawlers) the story will be a cross-dimensional adventure between the three books. There will be an opening and closing one-shot, with each series crossing over for one issue, for a total story in five parts.
CBR have interviewed Marjorie Liu about her side of the story in Astonishing X-Men, which will be drawn by Matteo Buffagani. The essence of the story will revolve around Age of Apocalypse’s Nightcrawler – last seen on the run in the current arc of Uncanny X-Force – attempting to get back to his homeworld, now he’s killed the men who betrayed him. With the ‘regular’ Wolverine on her team, it looks like things will be getting very personal for the team-members of Astonishing X-Men. Also, Gambit will be reunited with Sage, which is secretly the most exciting thing about this part of the story.
Newsarama spoke with David Lapham about his side of the story in Age of Apocalypse, which the article suggests will be drawn by Roberto De La Torre. In this interview, we get a little more of a look into how the teams will mingle together, as well as the structure of the story. Lapham will write an ‘Alpha’ issue starting things in March – as is standard for Age of Apocalypse-based storylines – to set up the crossover, before ending with an Omega issue in April. There’s no details here about what it’ll be like when Sage meets up with Jean Grey, although early speculation suggests that it’ll be one of the most exciting things about this story.
Nobody seems to have interviewed Greg Pak yet. Poor old Greg Pak.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/31/2012
Apropos of absolutely nothing apart from it just made me laugh, cackle and cough, here are some preview pages for issue #4 of IDW’s Popeye miniseries. Released next Wednesday, the creative team for this are Roger Langridge, Tom Neely, Luke McDonnell,and Vince Musacchia.
Chickens are great.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/24/2012
___________________________________________________________________________
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/21/2012
Erin Polgreen’s iPad-based magazine of comics journalism, Symbolia, gets previewed as part of Christopher Borrelli’s look at the rise of non-fiction comics journalism. Polgreen was in town a while ago and showed us some samples of the project— not only was the lineup of creators impressive, but Polgreen has the smarts and focus to make Symbolia a must-read.
Last spring, after landing $34,000 in grants from the International Women’s Media Foundation, McCormick Foundation and J-Lab, an American University-based center that promotes fresh approaches to old-school journalism, she posted an online call for submissions for Symbolia. In less than two weeks, she received more than 80 pitches from journalists and cartoonists. She selected a handful of artists and writers to work with. She insisted her contributors submit audio clips of interviews, photos, contact numbers. And then, once stories began to come in, she hired a fact checker to sift through each one. “I want this to work within journalism structures that already exist,” she said. Pieces may resemble comic books, but everything is factual. Every quote is a real quote, and every person in the story exists (or once existed) in the real world, and every situation really happened.
You know, journalism.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/21/2012
Future comics by Jen Lee. Expect to see this everywhere by the end of the week. Amzing.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/8/2012
Cartoonist Susie Cagle and Cartoon Movement are at it again with “Down in Smoke” a report on the pot wars of Oakland.
Oakland, California. Ground zero for a medical marijuana fight between states and the federal government that has only been heating up. Graphic journalist Susie Cagle surveys the impact of recent DEA raids in ‘Down In Smoke’, her third piece for Cartoon Movement. Incorporating real audio from activists, Cagle portrays what “feels like class war” as local growers, patients and city officials fight against losing their jobs, medicine, and tax revenue.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 7/18/2012
SDCC only finishes once Heidi finds out where in Stately Beat Manor I’m currently hiding (under the rug? down the stairs? behind the curtain?), and throws me out once and for all. With that in mind, Chris Roberson and Allison Baker’s digital publishing company Monkeybrain Comics had a big panel at the event, which saw some new titles announced.
Amongst them were books by Joe Keatinge and Joshua Williamson, as well as an anthology title edited by Chris Schweitzer. Here’s the full list of titles announced, to go alongside the five books already released by the fledgling company:
WANDER, by Kevin Church and Grace Allison
A fantastical story about a woman from Earth who ends up in a magical, fantasy world.
MASKS AND MOBSTERS, by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson
A 1930s/40s crime story about the mob, unsurprisingly, as they find their business interrupted by the birth of the superhero.
INTERGALACTIC, by Joe Keatinge and Ken Garing
A ‘realist’ space story which explores what would’ve happened if humanity had kept pushing for space exploration. There are no aliens in the book – this is about a family who try to keep themselves alive in the depths of lawless outer space.
KONQUEROR, by Chris Schweitzer and Audrey Morris
This sounds like the book we all wanted Amethyst to be. Silly sci-fi, but with politics mixed into it. And also, according to Schweitzer, there is a character called Princess Thunderpunch, so she sounds lovely.
ROUNDUP, edited by Chris Schweitzer
The anthology title I touched on above. This will feature a number of creators like Kevin Church, Stan Lynde and Matt Kindt, all writing western-themed stories which last around 8-12 pages.
DREAMSEQUENCER: SPIRIT OF THE LAW, by Brandon Seifert and Michael Montena
This is also an anthology of sorts, but really just a chance for Seifert and Montena to do stories about whatever they want, with no real theme interlinking them. Just whatever takes their interest.
AWESOME ADVENTURES, by Chris Roberson and Thomas N. Perkins IV
A family of explorers go out and have weird adventures – a little like the Fantastic Four, perhaps, just by means of simple comparison.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 5/25/2012
My common complaint with the current wave of interactive/digital comics is the lack of ingenuity, risk, and execution, which fall into three camps. The first is the artist-centric camp where the person who made the comic is a competent cartoonist but has no knowledge of programming and is unconscious of interactivity, so the function feels gimmicky and not worth my time. The second is the program-centric, where the design is strong but the story is not much of a looker or read, and can feel more like a proof of concept than a whole-hearted piece. Finally, the third camp is the ones that peter out because the time and energy put into it outweighs the pay off, leading to burnout and an unfinished story.
Brandon Generator has none of these pitfalls and it’s a good step in the right direction for interactive storytelling.
This project was put together by Edgar Wright (writer and director), Tommy Lee Edwards (director, artist, and animation), Scott Benson (animation), CG work by Don Cameron, Daryl Bartley, Rodolfo DiMaggio, music by David Holmes, and narrated by Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh. This was all sponsored by Microsoft as a promo for Internet Explorer 9—good luck, they’re going to need it!
The story so far follows the titular Brandon, an author with writers block and his increasingly neurotic and surreal day. So far two of the four planned monthly episodes are up, with the run time at around 7 minutes each.
The interactive elements in the series is viewer generated content, comprised of images, doodles, text, and sound recording uploaded by the viewers. This content is then used to accent the main story through back drops and set pieces, such as the cleverly named “Caffiendo” a hat wearing spider-monster. This is a safe and yet liberating approach to getting the readers involved. The creative team still has control of the story and does not risk painting themselves into a corner or going in an unintended direction from giving the reader too much narrative power. The readers act as assistant art directors and bring a unrefined but genuine flavor to Edgar Wright’s genre savvy prose and Tommy Lee Edward’s loose and honest line which acts as a binder to the well timed CG and animated elements.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 3/2/2012
Yusuke Murata is the manga-ka behind the very popular American football manga EYESHIELD 21. In between massive ongoing series—his next project is called onepunchman—Murata started posting a webcomic via Twitter, bsed on yet another series, Hetappi Manga Research Lab R. The story involves Murata being chased over a cliff by an editor and looming deadlines—no paranoia there!—and he uses unique folded paper and lighting effects to give the story more impact.
Crunchyroll has translated the story. And here’s
the Japanese version.
Despite its title, onepunchman is a magical girl manga, and here’s a preview Murata posted on Twitter:
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 3/2/2012
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/27/2012
Well, looks like this Valiant relaunch is going to go places we’ve never gone before. The first issue of X-O Manowar will have a QR Voice Variant – “the world’s first QR code-augmented, talking comic book cover!” Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic supplies the art. On Wednesday, a preview poster will be shipped to local comic shops so you can preview the technology, which involves a QR code, a smart phone and a steady hand.
The regular issue is by Robert Venditti and Cary Nord with a cover by Esad Ribic. The Pullbox Variant cover is by Nord.
The technology involves scanning a QR code on the cover, then loading a video and holding it in front of the cover/poster for a talking head effect.
Clever.
“We want fans worldwide to know that something special is happening in their local comic shop during the build-up to May 2nd and the launch of the new Valiant Universe,” said Valiant Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “Valiant’s QR Voice Variant is not only a new innovation in comics and a true incentive for retailers, but an enhanced and immersive experience for fans as well. By merging elements of print and digital, we’ve hopefully created something that fans will just have to see in person!”
Illustrated by fan favorite artist Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic, scripted by Robert Venditti and animated by New York’s Continuity Studios, both the cover and promotional poster will direct smartphone users to a video of X-O Manowar delivering a speech directly to comic fans across the world. On sale May 2nd — from the creative team of New York Times bestselling author Robert Venditti and Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord — X-O Manowar #1 begins the journey of Valiant’s greatest hero anew, when a Visigoth warrior dons an alien-armored weapon of incalculable destruction, igniting the Valiant Universe in the process.
“From a storytelling standpoint alone, the technology we’re employing here holds enormous potential,” said Valiant Executive Editor Warren Simons. “For the first time anywhere, and exclusively on the printed page, Valiant can literally give its characters a voice.”
Valiant also supplied three pages of interior art.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/24/2012
[Editor's note: Serhend is a cartooning student at SVA with whom we've had a few conversations about experimental webcomics. This is the first of, hopefully, a series of posts pointing us all towards new ways of telling stories using "comics" and "the web"�two things that can mean almost anything. The journey is going to be a long one.]
I’ll admit I’ve not spent as much time digging through the web for digital gems as I did since Thanksgiving break, but writing this article has lit the proverbial fire in me to resume looking some for noteworthy web comics. A very brief bit on me is I’m a young and jaded cartoonist finishing his tenure at SVA.
Web comics have at least 3-4 formats, the reader (page-page), the slideshow (panel to panel), the vertical scroll and the horizontal scroll (which could be just be called the scroll and is panoptic). Personally I like the intuitive feel of the scroll over the reader; which feels more like post production 3D; and the slide show, which is just a slide show. I recently came across this comic called The First Word from Electric Sheep Comix which uses CGI models…in a way where I don’t cringe as much, but put the scroll to good use.
What kept me reading this was the timing of the kinetic elements. In some other webcomics I read which were of the reader variant, the moving element became a distraction for me. But with the scroll format it’s out of your way quickly and you leave with the intended impression. The story felt drawn out but I forgave it cause of its execution alone. It reminds me of NawlzThe Beat which is a fun and visionary web comic that does what I look for in the future of comics, using interactive elements to accentuate the story and not the other way around (story not really memorable), as most web cartoonists who use them tend to do. They build the story around the narrative function in a way where you can feel the forced structure.
Both Nawlz and The First Word really show the full potential of scroll comics, though neither are great storytelling (good enough though), but I do hope that the programmers behind those story team up with more skilled cartoonists and collaborate on that future web comic which sets a new bar for interactive story-telling.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/6/2011
Responding to last week’s Dark Horse vs the retailers controversy over the price of Dark Horse’s simultaneous digital release, writer Brian Wood has summed up the very hard rock and very rocky hard place that we all find ourselves in. While acknowledging that no one wants to see their local comics shop go under, he says for creators, it is a rough time with big question marks everywhere:
I’ve had series cancelled recently. I’ve had pitches rejected for financial reasons. I’ve seen my editors laid off. I’ve taken page rate cuts (a LOT of us have). My income from royalties have dropped. Most comic shops don’t carry my books. I have very good reasons to suspect my career in comics may be drastically reduced in the near future. Things just plain suck, but I’ve taken these hits, figuring that everyone else is having hard times too. I don’t mind bleeding a little, and one ray of hope has been digital, the potential it has to maybe, just maybe, keep some of us going through these lean times. But like I said, we can never explore that potential to even just see if its there, as long as current pricing stay locked in.
So I’ll have to bleed a little more so that others can bleed a little less. The problem with that, to really keep abusing this metaphor, is that eventually I’ll just keel over and die from it.
No sane creator, or publisher, wants to see comic shops hurt. We all have emotional connections to them, to the idea of them, and we count owners and employees as personal friends. We aren’t looking for digital to steal customers away from shops, but rather to be an additive thing, to be an additional source of income. To simply switch a current print consumer to a digital consumer does not solve any problems! It benefits no one at all. It will not save us.
The pushback from retailers was strong and immediate when it looked like DH would be releasing digital comics at a LOWER price point than the print editions. One of them put it this way: “We have been Dark Horses loving boyfriend all these years and digital is the dude in the Camaro they are now putting out for. Soon enough they will find out he can afford the cool car because he lives in his moms basement, oh, and he has genital warts and a tiny ****.”
Problem is…we do all love our retailer friends but they haven’t been able to grow the market for comics. That’s a fact. I love each and everyone of them but if things had been going well DC and Marvel wouldn’t have broken the glass on their last ditch emergency axes. Is a tiny, warty **** really the only thing we have to look forward to?
The truth is that 14% of shoppers for this record Black Friday had a tablet on their wish list. The other items included a high def TV, a smart phone or a la
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 11/16/2011
In our tableted world, it’s only a matter of time before a multi-media magazine with embedded videos and animations and music and all becomes all the rage and changes our culture forever. Just like they did when cd-roms were all the rage*…only those were just ahead of the platform curve. Eisner and Harvey Award nominated artist Mike Perkins emailed us to explain that he has a 6-page comic strip in one such magazine, Apparatjik World, which has a preview issue available for free download on the iPad. This one centers around the band Apparatjik, which consists of bassist Guy Berryman from Coldplay, guitarist/keyboardist Magne Furuholmen from A-ha, singer/guitarist Jonas Bjerre of Mew and producer Martin Terefe. Of the comics, Perkins writes:
Hailing from a different dimension vibrating in parallel synchronicity to this one acclaimed Marvel Comics artist Mike Perkins has attuned his consciousness to one of many possibilities as to the origins of the combat disco art/pop group apparatjik and translated what he has perceived into a six page comic strip. ” We have to take into consideration that this is only one of many truths concerning the apparatjik”., Perkins ellaborated. “ My brain seems to have expanded itself and it’s perceptions to channel multiple dimensional events into pencil and ink and, subsequently, onto paper. I’m open to more revelation”. The initial six page strip will be available at apparatjik’s live shows and through other channels at a later date.
* CD-ROMS never really were all the rage, but PR people wanted them to be, and man wouldn’t you like that Mad Magazine or Marvel CD rom now?
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/19/2011
Reflecting the realities of the comics market, Slave Labor, the veteran publisher of such classic comics series of Milk and Cheese and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, has decided to go digital only with their periodicals. Slave Labor has been moving towards graphic novels for some time, but they still need a way to serialize books to pave the way for books — hence a move to completely digital serialization.
SLG’s books will be available on their website, and thrugh such popular digital services as iVerse and ComiXology. nitial releases include Sanctuary by Stephan Coughlin — “The Jungle Book crossed with Lost,” and Chris Wisnia’s Monstrosis a follow-up to last years quirky humor/adventure comic Doris Danger: Giant Monster Adventures. Both are available as a free download from the SLG website and iTunes. Upcoming series to see digital first releases include Snow White:Through A Glass, Darkly by Van Jensen and Robin Holestein: Knights of the Living Dead (a zombie story set in the time of King Arthurs Round Table) By Dustin Higgins and Ron Wolfe and Peabody & D’Gorath by M.D Penman.
Two years ago, SLG’s Warlords of Io comic, by cult favorite creator James Turner, became a poster child for the dangers of Diamond’s new and more stringent listings policies when it was denied distribution due to not making a sales threshhold. Publishing and profiting from periodical format comics has become increasingly irrelevant for most indie comics publishers — that SLG even publishes them any more makes them a throwback.
However by making the movie, SLG is yet another early adapter — they were also one of the first comics publishers to make their comics digitally at all, via their Eyemelt service.
San Jose based comic book publisher SLG Publishing is embracing digital distribution of its titles and switching the company’s model for comic book series to a digital first distribution policy. “The market has been pushing us away from serialized comics and more towards books and graphic novels for some time” said SLG president and publisher Dan Vado “However it is difficult to publish a 200 page graphic novel from an unknown artist without having some sort of lower-cost entry point like a comic book series to help build an audience, so going digital first seems like a good way to introduce readers to new creators and build an audience which we can build on for potential book releases.”

SLG digital releases will5 Comments on Slave Labor is the first to go digital only with periodicals, last added: 9/19/2011Display Comments Add a Comment
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/24/2011
That Korean horror comic we linked to yesterday had everyone buzzing or else pooping their pants, but you know, future comics aren’t future comics until Scott McCloud weighs in — which he did on Google+:
This is one of those interesting cases where the insertion of motion (or the illusion of it by hijacking the scrollbar) doesn’t automatically tear at the fabric of the medium. It still feels like comics, because that static juxtaposition is maintained (a bit like comics that use looped motion, one of which I wrote about on my site last year: http://scottmccloud.com/2010/08/24/why-it-works/).
Hope others will give it a try. Adding the ingredient of reader presence to the mix could open up a lot of interesting possibilities, especially for genres like horror which thrive on keeping the reader at least partially in the dark.
There are many things I love about Boom, but the most prominent of those is the fact that every article about them HAS to end on an exclamation point!
How is this not tagged Bleeding Cool?
Please be a Felix Castor adaptation, please be a Felix Castor adaptation…
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