NBM just announced it’s line of graphic novels for January and beyond and it’s a stunning line-up with work by Kerascoët (artists on Miss Don’t Touch Me, Beauty and Beautiful Darkness), Annie Goetzinger (Girl in Dior), P. Craig Russell and more from the Louvre series of GNs, including one by the great Jiro Taniguchi. While […]

by Alex Dueben At a time when many comics are criticized for their approach to female characters, it’s interesting to read a comic which is about fetish models.  Moreover, it’s wonderful to discover that the comic is far less exploitive and sensational than many mainstream comics. In NBM’s new graphic novel,Magenta: Noir Fatale, Italian writer and […]

“Dogs and cats, living together!” – that’s what immediately popped into my mind yesterday when I read Tony Isabella praising DC on Facebook for how it was treating him in regard to Black Lightning.I’ve never seen the original contract between DC and Isabella in regard to Black Lightning so I have nothing to say of substance in regard to the property’s legal status, but as anyone who has followed Tony’s online writing over the years can tell you, Isabella’s statements about DC’s treatment of him and his landmark creation have not exactly been complimentary. That changed, however, yesterday, when Isabella called attention to an Amazon listing of the April 2016 release of Black Lightning, volume 1, the first of what could be a series of collections featuring DC’s first African-American superhero to star in an an eponymous book.

According to Isabella, the rapprochement is the result of outreach by Dan Didio and Geoff Johns, and Isabella is confident that DC will treat him fairly in regard to the payment of royalties. He also raised the possibility of doing more work for DC given sufficient reader demand; the prospect of Isabella working with, say, the creators of the revived Milestone line on a multi-generational crossover is particularly intriguing, given certain thematic resonances with Milestone’s nuanced reflections on creative identity.

To say that Isabella’s announcement is the most unexpected Facebook post of the year is an understatement — it’s one of the most dramatic turnarounds I’ve seen in decades of reading about comics-related disputes, and kudos to all involved for bringing about what I hope will be a truly lasting peace in our time.

Papercutz debuted the first issue of their rebranded Nickelodeon Magazine this past weekend at Book Con 2015.   First announced back in February, the magazine takes its name from the children’s publication that ceased production in 2009.  While that version of the periodical focused on celebrity interviews and other textual content,  Papercutz’s version of Nickelodeon Magazine will bring original comics based upon Nickelodeon titles to a mass market audience.  According to company publisher Terry Nantier, circulation numbers will begin at 125,000.

The publication of Nickelodeon Magazine as a monthly periodical marks the arrival of an expansive new era for Papercutz, which has focused on graphic novels in the past.  The magazine will not only be featured in local bookstores, but in big box chain stores such as Wal-Mart and Target.  The first issue debuts content based upon the popular Nickelodeon properties Sanjay and Craig and Breadwinners, with Harvey Beaks and Pig Goat Banana Cricket comics to follow in subsequent issues.

Papercutz plans to collect and release the comics featured in Nickelodeon Magazine in trade editions on a triannual basis.  The first trade edition of Sanjay and Craig will arrive in September, followed by a trade version of Breadwinners in November and Harvey Beaks in January 2016.

I’m very excited to see Papercutz putting out a magazine.  Throughout the majority of my childhood years, I had a subscription to Disney Adventures magazine.  It was filled with all sorts of content, but I would always skip to the comics section in order to read about my favorite animated characters like Buzz Lightyear and Lilo and Stitch.  It was my favorite time of each month, and the new Nickelodeon Magazine seems poised to fill the void left by Disney Adventures when it ended production in 2007.

The all-ages market often feels neglected by major comic book publishers, which is unfortunate given how important that market is to the development of the comics industry in general.  Having a monthly comic magazine that is kid friendly and readily available at prolific department stores seems like a great way to attract and create a new generation of comics readers.

Disclaimer: Alex worked as an editorial intern at Papercutz in 2014.  His words and opinions are his own.

Girl in Dior has been getting great press worldwide for its depiction of one of the most influential premiere collections in fashion history, but there are a couple of classic superhero connections as well.

Sixty-eight year old fashion spoiler alert!

As Girl in Dior aptly depicts, the designer’s debut collection split the fashion world. For some, the longer length of the skirts in Christian Dior’s first collection in 1947 was a step backward, but what ultimately won the day was a sense that Dior had tapped into deeper, more vital currents in the post-war West. Besides changing the course of fashion for a generation and, along the way, mentoring his successor in innovation, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior inspired a description that immediately became synonymous with his designs and, over time, any revolutionary break from existing style: the New Look.

Girl in Dior beautifully depicts the entry of this phrase into the fashion lexicon. After noting the presence of legendary Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow in the front row, author Annie Goetzinger lavishly recreates the moment when, following the show, Snow uttered the phrase that solidified Dior’s place in fashion history.

If you’re reading this site, though, chances are that you’re already thinking that the New Look sounds mighty familiar.

It was, of course, the name famously — and not coincidentally — given to the modernization of Batman's appearance in 1964.

But that wasn’t the first time Dior’s New Look appeared in Batman comics – there’s also a reference contemporaneous with Dior’s early work.

Dior’s New Look garnered a lot of press in the U.S., from the revolutionary collections in the late ’40s to the Dior-mania of the subsequent decade and more. For our purposes, two articles in particular stand out: a January 1948 New York Times piece headlined “New Look to Stay, Expert Asserts” and Life Magazine‘s coverage of Dior’s latest “New Look” collection in February 1948.

To see how such stories influenced comics, we can turn to the June 1948 of Batman, which re-tells Batman’s origin and includes his epic encounter with his father’s murderer, Joe Chill. However, that’s not the only story in this book, which deserves a digital restoration in full on Comixology (hint, hint).

The landmark Batman #47 actually opens with a Catwoman story called “Fashions in Crime.” The tale begins with Catwoman breaking out of jail, only to hear herself mocked by other women as she walks down the street while wearing her civilian clothes:

“Hmmph! She’s wearing a short skirt! She doesn’t have the NEW LOOK!”

As the women go on to ridicule her for not reading the latest fashion magazines, Catwoman makes the painful realization that “since [she’s] been in prison, the style has changed.” But this also gives her an entrepreneurial idea: she creates her own fashion magazine, Damsel, along with a Damsel fashion TV program.

Months later Damsel is the hottest media empire in the fashion world, and the scene shifts to an older socialite, who, wearing an elaborate hat, notes that Catwoman-turned-Damsel-publisher-Madame-Moderne’s latest designer favorite is “a gown by Millie Karnalee.” Karnalee’s name seems odd, but at the time it would have made sense as a pun on the popular American designer Hattie Carnegie, the subject of the January 1948 New York Times piece. Carnegie, besides, ahem, adapting (i.e. copying) Dior’s “New Look” at a lower price for the U.S. market, also made a point of condemning the predilection of younger women not to wear hats.

And despite a nifty later scene wear Batman cracks the case thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge of fashion illustration technique, that’s where the story begins to diverge from the world of Girl in Dior.

Apparently the writers weren’t aware of the free samples and ample cashflow that would have been accrued to the publisher of the world’s hottest fashion magazine, because Catwoman proceeds to use her newfound high-society access to steal clothes and rob women at an exclusive fashion show. Not surprisingly, the scene at Catwoman’s show is rather different from the more modest Parisian runways of the time — in true 1940s Batman fashion, it features “giant needles … scissors … thimbles … and a huge sewing machine!”

Girl in Dior might not end with a fight on oversized designer props, but it is nonetheless a most enlightening read. I could go on, but I’ll leave that to an actual reviewer – ceci n’est pas une critique de Jeune fille en Dior.

When I was a younger sprout in comics I often wondered if there had been any more women cartoonists than Marie Severin and Ramonda Fradon? What about in France where they loved cartoonistss? The ver very great Claire Bretecher was often mentioned but was that it?

Well, it turns out that all along there were other great French woman cartoonists, including Annie Goetzinger, whose amazing Girl in Dior is out now. Tonight she signs at the Kinokuniya Bookstore before apeparing MoCCA all weekend and going on tour on the below dates:

One of France’s grand dames of comic art, Annie Goetzinger, will be on hand for the premiere of Girl in Dior at MoCCA Arts Festival, one of her many appearances while visiting the United States.  Other appearances  include a panel at the French Embassy co-sponsored by Christian Dior Couture US and moderated by Dior House illustrator, Bil Donovan and a signing/art display at New York’s Kinokuniya Bookstore.

Below please find Annie Goetzinger’s appearance schedule.

April 10, 2015  6:00 PM
Kinokuniya Bookstore, 6th Ave. Between 40th and 41st Street.  New York
Signing and Exhibit of Original Art from the Book (The art will be up early April through the middle of the month)

April 11 and 12, 2015
MoCCA Fest, Center 548, W. 22nd Street.   New York
Premiere of Girl in Dior and signing at NBM Booth (401, 402) throughout the weekend.  Original art will also be on display.

Annie will appear on the panel, Biography: The Lives of Artists on Sunday at 12:30 alongside James Romberger, Marguerite Van Cook and Barbara Stok.

April 13, 2015  7:00PM
French Embassy, 972 Fifth Avenue (at the corner of 79th), New York
Dior House artist Bil Donovan will moderate a discussion with Annie, followed by a signing at the new “Albertine” bookstore.  Event co-sponsored by Dior.

April 14, 6:30PM
Cambridge Public Library
Talk and signing. Organized by Million Year Picnic, Boston

April 15, 4:00PM
Conference at Smith College
“Girl in Dior: A Conversation With Annie Goetzinger About Fashion, Art, and Her Latest Graphic Novel”.

April 16, 4:00 PM 

Dartmouth College
Annie Goetzinger Discusses Girl in Dior.

April 19, 2:00PM

University of Florida
Annie Goetzinger Discusses Girl in Dior.

April 21, 8:00PM
Books & Books, 65 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
Inauguration of the French Corner, signing.

April 22, 6:30PM
Books & Books, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour
Presentation and Signing.  Cocktail hour

It’s time for our annual look at some of the comics coming out for this weekend’s MoCCA Festival, being held this year at Center 548, is located at 548 W. 22nd Street, just off the Westside Highway, with programming at the High Line Hotel on West 20th Street and 10th Avenue.

And here’s the books we got information on. This is just a teeny tiny smattering of the new stuff available — but scroll down for signings from Fantagraphics, NBM and more. And scroll around Tumblr for more more more, especially the MoCCA Festival tumblr.

Jeremy Nguyen:

I’m debuting a 20 page collection of my webcomic “Stranger Than Bushwick”, which is currently being serialized on Bushwick Daily. This collection explores a lot of New York by way of Brooklyn, millennial lifestyles, and hot-button issues like catcalling and gentrification.

Or at least that’s what we got out of these extremely not hard to figure out teaser images:

Papercutz previously published comics based on the RABBIDS cartoon which aired on Nickelodeon. In addition they’ve had pretty massive success with their other kids titles such as Ninjago, Geronimo Stilton and so on. No reason to think this won’t work, too.

The ComicsPRO meeting is currently underway in Portland, OR, with publishers, retailers and a few miscellaneous types on hand to plot the future of comics. Although closed to press, news tends to leak out in a timely fashion. We’ll keep you posted on more development.

Anybody who has read any amount of my writing, either here and elsewhere, will probably know who my favourite comics writer is*. But I also have a favourite comics artist, whose work is a constant delight to me, and by whom I have pretty much everything I can get my hands on. It’s Rick Geary. He mostly works in black & white, has almost never done any work for The Big Two, and you could just about be forgiven for not having heard of him, but he’s been making his living as a cartoonist and comics artist for nearly forty years now, and is, for me, the comics artist whose work I cherish the most.

He worked on all sorts of things for Dark Horse Comics, and many others, over a number of years, much of which has been collected, and on a shelf right beside me, as I write. In 1987 he started work on a series called A Treasury of Victorian Murder for NBM Publishing, which now stands at eight volumes of true murder tales, which has since been joined by A Treasury of XXth Century Murder, which is up to six volumes, both of which feel like his true life’s work. I’ve always been a fan of true crime stories anyway, and to have them drawn in Geary’s gorgeous black line work is wonderful. If you want to try one – and you should – they’re all available on his Author Page at NBM. It’s not for nothing that Our Glorious Leader, Ms H. MacDonald, said ‘

As well as his ongoing work with NBM, Rick Geary has recently taken to selling books through a series of Kickstarter campaigns, with the most recent, for The True Death of Billy the Kid, still running, until Monday the 11th of August, a week from today. It’s going to be a 60-page black-and-white hardcover graphic novel, and I can pretty much guarantee it’ll turn up right on time, too, because I’ve backed his other two projects, and they did – which is more than can be said for other fundraisers I’ve ante-ed up for, but that is something I’ll wait to address here another day, in the not too distant future.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s a quick interview with Rick Geary, which I was thrilled to be given the chance to do…

Pádraig Ó Méalóid: This is your third Kickstarter campaign, at this stage. First of all, what made you decide to try out fundraising like this as a way to get your work out there?
[Link to The True Death of Billy the Kid Kickstarter.]

Rick Geary: The first time I tried fundraising on Kickstarter was about a year ago, simply out of curiosity as to how it works and to see how well I would do. I thought I should start out with the kind of true crime graphic novel I’m known for. This was The Elwell Enigma, and it succeeded beyond my wildest imagination. After that, I thought I’d try something different. A is for Anti-Christ: Obama’s Conspiracy Alphabet, a kind of satirical children’s book, was a bit of a harder and slower process, but it finally came through. At last, I thought I’d use Kickstarter to fund the kind of historical and non-fiction subjects that fascinate me but which aren’t precisely murder cases. The True Death of Billy the Kid comes out of my life here in Lincoln County, and has now exceeded my funding goal with several more weeks to go. So I have to say I’m very happy with my Kickstarter experience. I also must say that the experience has been made as smooth as possible by my friend and agent and production genius Mark Rosenbohm, who has managed all three campaigns.

PÓM: Yes, I’d noticed that all your campaigns were under Mark’s name. So, is he effectively acting as your publisher on these, or is that the wrong way to look at it?

RG: I suppose he could be technically called my publisher, although I like to think of these books as self-published. They all have come out under my little imprint, Home Town Press.

PÓM: What led you to want to try out an internet fundraiser like this in the first place, and why did you choose Kickstarter to do it on?

RG: There are certain projects in my mind that I know would never be taken on by a mainstream publisher. The Obama Alphabet was certainly one of them. I began my career publishing my own work and I’ve always believed in it. Why Kickstarter? At the time, it seemed to be the only one out there.

PÓM: Are there any drawbacks to using Kickstarter, do you find?

RG: The hardest part of a Kickstarter campaign, though I’d hate to call it a drawback, is the work that comes on the back end. I try to be very conscientious about packaging the books and other premiums and sending them out in a timely manner. Almost 200 mailings for my first project. It’s all well worth it, though.

PÓM: Are you still producing work through more conventional means, like with NBM, for instance? I know they published your Madison Square Tragedy – The Murder of Stanford White around December 2013, so is there anything more scheduled from them?

RG: Yes, I’m still producing murder stories for NBM. I’m currently in the midst of a project that’s a bit of a departure from the true-life cases. Louise Brooks: Detective is a fictional mystery featuring the actress Louise Brooks solving a murder in 1940′s Kansas. After that I plan to return to non-fiction with the story of the Black Dahlia murder.

PÓM: Am I right in thinking you’re somehow related to Louise Brooks?

RG: She was my mother’s second cousin. Though they never met, they grew up in the same area of southeastern Kansas. Brooks was my mother’s maiden name (and my middle name). My mother was born and grew up in the tiny town of Burden, Kansas, as did both of Louise’s parents. The graphic novel I’m working on, Louise Brooks: Detective, takes place during the brief time (1940-42) that she returned to Kansas after her Hollywood career collapsed. The action unfolds in Wichita and Burden.

PÓM: What is it that draws you towards these murder stories, do you think?

RG: It’s become kind of a cliché, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve been attracted to the dark side of human nature. Perhaps because I have such a light and sunny nature myself. Stories of anti-social behavior have the most drama and excitement. And the unsolved cases are the best of all, for the mystery they embody and the speculation they engender. I’m a big proponent of the essential unknowability of things.

PÓM: With the unsolved cases, do you have opinions of your own on who might have done them, or does that not matter to you? With things like Jack the Ripper, for instance, which has virtually mutated into fiction, do you have any ‘favourite’ suspects?

RG: In most cases my goal is to keep a journalistic detachment and not express opinions of my own. Some of the unsolved murders have, as you say, mutated into fiction, but I try to give equal weight to all the theories out there, no matter how ludicrous. Jack the Ripper is the perfect example. The endless speculation linking him to the royal family or other well-known people is pretty flimsy, though entertaining. My belief is that the Ripper had to be some faceless, anonymous East End resident, someone you wouldn’t even notice on the street.

PÓM: What is it about Billy the Kid, that made you want to do this particular book?

RG: Upon moving to Lincoln County, New Mexico, seven years ago, I found that the Kid is a very big deal here. The town of Lincoln, where he spent much of his brief life, is a perfectly preserved little western settlement, and the local historical society is very protective of his story. Accuracy is the top priority. I noticed that no graphic novel has been published that told his true story, and it seemed a natural for my next project on Kickstarter.

PÓM: How much research goes into doing one of these books?

RG: I do as much as I can and still fit within the deadline. I start by reading as many books with as many different points of view on the subject as I can find, and take copious notes. I fill this out with online sources, but what I find there is usually not as detailed as the information contained in books. Then I condense all the material into what I hope is a clear and compelling narrative structure. As for picture reference for period costumes, interiors etc, I usually rely on my extensive personal library. But I can also find pretty much anything I want online.

PÓM: Have you any plans to do more ‘Wild West’ based stories, or is Billy the Kid a one-off?

RG: Nothing specific on the horizon, but I wouldn’t rule anything out.

PÓM: What’s your feeling about fundraisers like Kickstarter, now that you’ve been through it three times? Is it the future of comics publishing, or just an interesting sideline, for you?

RG: I can’t speak for others, but my own experience with Kickstarter has been nothing but positive thus far. I don’t know if it’s the future of comics publishing, but it’s certainly my future. I plan to use it, perhaps once a year, for graphic novel projects that treat broader historical subjects and wouldn’t overlap with the murder stories I do for NBM.

PÓM: Will this, and your previous Kickstarter projects, be available for the general public to buy later on, or is this the only way to get hold of them?

RG: All of my Kickstarter books are, for the moment, sold personally by me at the SD Comic-Con and at APE, or else are available via the “RG Store” on my Website. I’ve also been selling them, on consignment, through a retail outlet in my tiny burg of Carrizozo. Whether they will eventually gain a wider distribution remains to be seen.

PÓM: Thanks very much for taking the time to do this interview, Rick.

RG: Entirely my pleasure, Pádraig. Thanks for everything.

Some Links:
The True Death of Billy the Kid Kickstarter page
Rick Geary’s own Website
Rick Geary’s Author Page at NBM
Rick Geary’s Facebook Page

[*It’s Alan Moore, in case there was any doubt.]

For a few years, top European cartoonists have been creating a special series of graphic novels done in conjunction with the Louvre Museum in Paris, all dealing with various aspects of this great institution. NBM has been publishing them here, and the latest is Phantoms of the Louvre by Enki Bilal. It’s a series of portraits of people affected by a work of art—22 portraits for 5000 years of creation. The results are pretty unusual, as you can see. The actual art was exhibited at the Louvre earlier last year. There’s more of a preview here.

NBM is also releasing a hardcover edition of Nicolas De Crecy’s GLACIAL PERIOD. I love this book so much — the conceit is a team of archaeologists going into the Louvre a thousand years from now and speculating on the motives behind the art — it’s a sly satire on art history and a spectacular visual narrative all by itself.

The other Louvre books are as follows — they are all excellent, check them out if you haven’t purchased them already.
An Enchantment

Rohan at the Louvre

The Sky Over the Louvre

On the Odd HoursFor a few years, top European cartoonists have been creating a special series of graphic novels done in conjunction with the Louvre Museum in Paris, all dealing with various aspects of this great institution. NBM has been publishing them here, and the latest is Phantoms of the Louvre by Enki Bilal. It’s a series of portraits of people affected by a work of art—22 portraits for 5000 years of creation. The results are pretty unusual, as you can see. The actual art was exhibited at the Louvre earlier last year. There’s more of a preview here.

___________________________________________________________________________

A few months ago, I brainstormed about how Halloween mini-comics being offered by Diamond could be used in a variety of ways to promote comics and have some fun!   (Read that again… there are event suggestions and a timeline there, which I’ve paralleled below, but did not exactly duplicate.)

During C2E2, Diamond announced that in addition to the extremely successful Free Comic Book Day, a second event, linked to Halloween, would be promoted.

With the July issue of Previews, Diamond has announced the event, titled “Halloween ComicFest“, designed to help comics shops market themselves as “Halloween Headquarters”.

Sure it’s only July, but do you know where you’re getting your Halloween costume and accessories? How about a gift for the horror fan in your life? Have you decided where the best Halloween events and parties might be?

Why it’s your local comic book shop, of course!

This year, comic shops across the world will band together for Halloween ComicFest, a celebration of your local comic shops and all the comics, tricks and treats they offer. Your local comic shop already does some great Halloween events and is a great place to visit Halloween in-store events, parties, contests, sales and more!

On the next few pages, you’ll find some new offerings from comic book publishers including some new comics that will be available during your store’s Halloween ComicFest celebrations. Make sure you mark your calendars with your local comic shop’s Halloween events!

Below are the actual mini-comics offered this year, in bundles of 20, with the text from the Diamond order form.  The “Final Order Cutoff” (FOC) deadline for stores is August 30, 2012.  (Westfield’s deadline is August 28.)

Ask your local retailer to order the following for you, using the Diamond codes (JUL12 xxxx).  You should offer to pay for them in advance, since the comics shop will most likely consider these unusual items, and be hesitant to place the order.

Of course, if they’re a cool store, they are probably participating in Halloween ComicFest, and will be happy to add your order to their store order.  Bundle orders  over 25 (of all titles combined) receive an additional discount for the store.

If you do not live near a comics shop, or need to have them shipped somewhere, Westfield Comics (and many other online retailers) will allow you to order them for you.  The links below for each title direct to Westfield, which I selected because I’ve used them in the past, their website is easy to navigate, they offer a discount on the price. and they were quick to answer my questions regarding the first three items.  (ComicsPlus offers all the titles for sale, as well.)

The