Archive for June, 2004
You Kids Like Boobies?
WorldWatch, self-published by Chuck Austen, featuring art by Tom Derenick. Good to know we’re distancing ourselves from the stereotype that superhero comics are T&A/Bondage fantasies for adolescent boys.
More about the 7-issue limited series at Newsarama.
JMS Pitches New Star Trek Series
Via my pal Tony Maric: SciFi.com is reporting that “Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski told fans on a B5 Usenet group that he and Dark Skies creator Bryce Zabel have put together an idea for a new Star Trek series, which he said would revive the ailing franchise. “I got together [with Zabel] and wrote a treatment earlier this year that specified how to save [Star Trek] and develop a series that would restore the series in a big way,” Straczynski wrote. “I actually think it could be a hell of a show. Whether that ever goes anywhere with Paramount, who knows?”
Christian comics publisher just as unscrupulous as regular comics publishers
Yeah, I know, big surprise there. Business is business in when it comes to capitalism, so it would seem.
Anywho, interesting article at Newsarama about Christian comic book imprint Metron Press going under, and taking a whole slew of projects with it. Seems its parent company, the American Bible Society (ABS) decided they weren’t making enough money fast enough. Former Creative Director Mario Ruiz says:
“ABS got nervous with the content and how it was being told,” Ruiz explained. “It’s very easy for religious organizations and churches alike to criticize and complain about how society is running amok and is out of control. But when it comes time to put your money where your gripes are, indifference and non-commitment are the end result. ABS worried how they would be perceived in the religious community and what affect it would have on their donor base. When they saw what it would take to reach this market, and how it would ruffle the feathers of some in the religious community, it was better to play it safe and not serve the secular market and save face in their own community.”
and:
“I kick myself in the butt for not getting a lawyer sooner when I first started developing these products for them. They told me that they would honor a contract and would give me a proprietary stake in the books through verbal and email agreements. I believed them and why not? It’s the American Bible Society we are talking about.
So what kinds of books were they working on? Check out a partial list, featuring some top industry names:
Unforgiven by Brian Augustyn, Dick Giordano and Terry Austin. A 36-page novella that deals with an incarcerated man’s struggle for forgiveness in the midst of living a life of crime. “A period piece, think Shawshank Redemption.”
Mary Magdalene by Barbara Kessel and Jason Alexander. A graphic novel that was a modern day take of the story of the New Testament character, Mary Magdalene.
Son of Man by Jerry Novick, MarioRuiz, and Bill Sienkiewicz. A graphic novel set in an “elseworld” environment. A what if the story of Jesus Christ and the Roman Empire happened now?
Damascus Road by Christopher Priest, Sanford Greene and Dexter Vines. A graphic novel set in the world of Hip-Hop. Paul the Apostle meets Tupac Shakur. “Powerful, funky stuff.”
The Revelation of John Clay by Dan Jolley, Kyle Hotz and Ray Snyder. A graphic novel that continues where The Son of Man leaves off. “A series of gruesome murders leads a homicide detective down a road of deception, horror and redemption. It’s the movie 7even meets the book of Revelation.”
Finding Hope by John Ostrander and Bret Blevins. A short story that deals with HIV and AIDS.
’Till Death by Jim Krueger and Scott Hampton. A case bound book on an original allegory by Jim Krueger and beautifully painted by Scott Hampton. “A must for fans of C.S. Lewis.
A Much More Positive Review of McSweeney’s
From the Time.comix column.
Comics Worth Reading reviews BigCityBlues
Johanna Draper Carlson reviews BCB in her “Cognitive Dissonance” blog on her Comics Worth Reading website.
As seen in Business First …
Columbus can be assured one of its largest conventions is here to stay – well, at least for the rest of the decade.
The Game Manufacturers Association, a trade group for the hobby games industry, has moved its small headquarters to the city from Denver.
The association has held the Origins International Game Expo, its main revenue generator, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center since 1996. To be closer to the show and vendors, association administrators moved last month to 1,800 square feet of leased offices at 280 N. High St.
Months before the move, officials signed a contract to hold the Origins exposition in Columbus through 2010.
Pavitr Prabhakar: The Spectacular Spider-man?
According to NewIndPress, Marvel and the India-based studio Gotham Entertainment Group are creating a completly “localized” version of Spider-man for the Indian market. His name will be Pavitr Prabhakar, a “frail-looking Indian boy.” He will wear a dhoti, fight the “evil Rakshas” (instead of the Green Goblin), and instead of a radioactive spider’s bite, he “gets his magical powers from a yogi.”
From the article:
“Incidentally, a soothsayer to the Spiderman phenomenon was director Shekhar Kapur, who at the recent Bollywood awards in Singapore, said that as countries like India and China rival the Western economic superpowers, there will be a reverse cultural colonisation.‘‘We will still have Spiderman, but when Spiderman takes off his mask, he will probably be Chinese or Indian,’’ Kapur predicted. Now we know he was right.”
(link courtesy of neilalien)
Publishers and Conventions
For those of you interested in the business side of comics, especially that of smaller publishers, Newsarama has a very informative interview with Chris Staros of Top Shelf about their convention appearances. They do about 18 cons a year, which is more than just about any other publisher out there. And it’s not just to meet-and-greet, it’s a vital part of their cashflow equation. here are some interesting snippets:
“Conventions are an absolutely vital part of our cash flow, probably more so than other publishers, as I think we do more conventions than any other publisher out there,” Staros said. “This year we’re publishing 36 books, mostly graphic novels, to the tune of about $400,000 in printing costs alone – ouch! Do you have any idea how many books you have to sell in the small press to generate that kind of money in a year? It’s staggering.”
“On the side of logistics…getting the books to the shows begins to resemble a military maneuver – one that has to be extremely cost conscious…“With Blankets packing ten copies to a box; From Hell, eight; and Box Office Poison, ten, you can start to get the picture of how many boxes it takes to represent even a modest cross section of our titles at a show. So, the most economical way to get the books and people to the shows is to drive to them. So that’s how we get to all of them, in a cargo van or large SUV. We even drove to San Diego the last two years from Atlanta, just to save on all the airplane tickets and shipping costs. Egads, that’s a long haul.”
What if I’m More of a Dummy
Comic Book Resources has a story (Comic Book Resources – CBR News – The Comic Wire) about the release of The Complete Idiot’s Guide: Creating a Graphic Novel. It is written by Nat Gertler and Steve Lieber with illustrations by Lieber.
“[The book] covers the entire process of creating a graphic novel — and by that, we mean longer-form comics stories, whether serialized in a pamphlet or released directly in a single book — and getting it to market,” Gertler told CBR News. “So we cover coming up with a concept, fleshing out and designing your characters, finding collaborators, writing the script, penciling, inking, lettering by hand, lettering by computer, coloring, finding a publisher, publishing it yourself, getting distribution, and promoting the work.”
Toby Craig’s got a feature on him up at Pulse on comicon.com. Last year I contributed to his anthology Engine. The anthology’s theme was monsters. Other contributers include Jim Rugg (who’s mini Street Angel got signed @ Slave Labor) who I first met back at s.p.a.c.e. a couple of years ago. More on Toby’s anthology can be found at his site at www.ithinkican.com. Currently he’s got a strip running on Modern Tales.
So You Wanna Submit to Vertigo?
Vertigo Submission Guideline. I’m sure it’s an old page that some webmaster forgot to remove, since DC/Vertigo no longer accept open submissions. But then again, maybe they only want resourceful people to find it…
Oh, and after a bit of playing around with the URL, I found the no-longer-officially-existing DC Submission Guidelines. Enjoy
Cool Robot Sculptures
Check out these very cool “combat robot”, “atomic weapons”, and “scientific apparatus” metal sculptures by Greg Brotherton, a California-based artist, sculptor, designer and machinist.
My favorite is the Mercury-5000, which the artist describes thusly:
“A massive piece of articulated steel. Mercury stands 9 feet tall and weighs around 400 pounds. The hand polished and intricately welded steel skin is coated inside with a rust blocking agent that is used on oil tankers and outside with a tough clear marine varnish. The base is a torch cut steel plate bolted to inch thick plywood with casters.”
Also, check out the cool “ad” for the Electrolux DeathRay, featuring great lines like “this monster is the finger of god…”
(link courtesy of the awesome BoingBoing site)
A New Comics Fan
Brandy and Tim McClurg are happy to announce the birth of their son,
Owen, born yesterday at 4:32 PM. Owen weighed in at 7 lbs, 8 ounces,
and measured 20 inches long.
Owen’s first action was to reach for a copy of Panel (available from Ferret Press).