Archive for April, 2009
Amazon Sales Rank is a feature that shows how items in their catalog are selling. The lower the number, the higher the sales for that particular item. It’s updated hourly.
At one point a few days ago, my Terminator Salvation movie prequel TPB was ranked #10,828. Not enough to get it into the top 100 graphic novels, but in the slightly more niche category of “Graphic Novels, Science Fiction” it made it to #26. Which means it was outselling these books:
Frank Miller’s Ronin
Brian Wood’s DMZ vol 1
Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan vol 1
Grant Morrison’s Invisibles vol 1
Jeff Smith’s RASL vol. 1
My point?
I’m bigger that Miller and Morrison, baby.*
*Dara Naraghi realizes he is not, indeed, “bigger” than Miller and Morrison. His book is selling well due to the strength of the Terminator franchise, in anticipation of the new movie release, while the specific books he singled out have been perennial best-sellers. This is all just a twisting of the statistics for the purposes of entertainment, as well as boosting his ego. But don’t let that stop you from buying a copy.
Sorry folks, with all the last minute stuff we were trying to finish up before S.P.A.C.E., we had a couple of by weeks. So here are the entries from the last couple of Character Wednesdays. Hopefully we’ll be back on track next week.
Tony Goins
Molly Durst (MODOK/Red Sonja mashup)
Brent Bowman
The Incredible Hulk:
Molly Durst
Brent Bowman
Great demos by Rick Berry I happened to come by while browsing the Tor site. This is one of three that he did at Comicon last year. Makes me want to try out some oil bars. Last time I painted with oils, using a rag left some interesting blends.
The gallery is worth checking out too. Stuff up by Brom, Eric Fortune, Jon Foster, and Farel Darymple,.
Back in 2003, the PANEL group was set up at a local comic book convention. Back in those days, the artists used to start a jam piece, with each contributing a panel to the page. In this particular case, Steve Black kicked off the page by drawing a likeness of me, and all the other artists followed suit. Believe me, this was an unsolicited commission.
Alas, the page went unfinished, with 3 empty panels left at the bottom. Even more unfortunate, the page was lost under the many piles of paperwork, posters, artwork, and assorted other junk in my messy, messy computer room.
Well, this past weekend, while digging for something to take to S.P.A.C.E., I unearthed that fabled jam piece. Naturally I took it to the show, and my fellow PANEListas were kind enough to lend their talents to finish the page. Here is the finished piece, 6 years in the making:
Artwork by:
Top row, L to R – Steve Black, Andy Bennett, Tim McClurg
Middle row, L to R – Tom Williams, Tim Fischer, Tony Goins
Bottom row, L to R – Matt Kish, Craig Bogart, Brent Bowman
From the bottom of my heart, my thanks go to the past and present members of PANEL for this amazingly cool, ego-inflating, funky piece of artwork. I’m going to frame this page and display it proudly above my computer desk.
You guys are the best.
Columbus Underground just posted a mini-feature on collectives in the C-Bus, and PANEL gets a mention.
“PANEL is a writers and artists collective that started in 2002. Member Dara Naraghi tells us a bit about their purpose: “Our goal was to get like-minded comic book creators together as a sort of writers/artists group, offering support, critiques, and motivation to each other.”
This is as good a time as any to travel down memory lane to 6 years ago, when we started this blog, and the very first entry posted by the inimitable Tony Goins, wherein he codified the PANELfesto:
“What is Panel?Panel is about realizing it doesn’t matter if you have a fully realized universe all plotted out in your head. Nothing matters until you put ink to paper.
Panel rolls into the show 12 deep, knocks over other creators’ tables, and lights its cigar off old copies of Youngblood #0 it picked up in the 10-cent bin.
Panel is a self-governing collective of aspiring comix creators in Central Ohio. Panel has no bylaws and no dues. It meets every second Tuesday.
Panel is about sucking it up when your fellow members say your shiny new script reads like the lost episode of the A-Team. Panel knows pain makes you better.
Panel began as a flier at the Laughing Ogre comic shop, and now has about a dozen members. Some members are professional creators, some aren’t. That’s OK.
Panel loves you and wants what’s best for you. Join Panel.”
No guessing if you have this particular comic, ok?
(click image to enlarge)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007, 3/12/2007, 3/19/2007, 3/26/2007, 4/2/2007, 4/5/2007, 4/9/2007, 4/16/2007, 4/23/2007, 4/30/2007, 5/7/2007, 5/14/2007, 5/21/2007, 5/28/2007, 6/4/2007, 6/11/2007, 6/18/2007, 6/25/2007, 7/2/2007, 7/9/2007, 7/16/2007, 7/23/2007, 7/30/2007, 8/6/2007, 8/13/2007, 8/20/2007, 8/27/2007, 9/3/2007, 9/10/2007, 9/17/2007, 9/24/2007, 10/1/2007, 10/8/2007, 10/15/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/29/2007, 11/5/2007, 11/12/2007, 11/19/2007, 11/26/2007, 12/3/2007, 12/10/2007, 12/17/2007, 12/24/2007, 12/31/2007, 1/7/2008, 1/14/2008, 1/21/2008, 1/28/2008, 2/4/2008, 2/11/2008, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008, 3/3/2008, 3/10/2008, 3/17/2008, 3/24/2008, 3/31/2008, 4/7/2008, 4/14/2008, 4/21/2008, 4/28/2008, 5/8/2008, 5/12/2008, 5/19/2008, 5/27/2008, 6/2/2008, 6/9/2008, 6/16/2008, 6/23/2008, 6/30/2008, 7/7/2008, 7/14/2008, 7/22/2008, 8/4/2008, 8/11/2008, 8/18/2008, 8/25/2008, 9/8/2008, 9/22/2008, 9/29/2008, 10/6/2008, 10/13/2008, 10/20/2008, 10/27/2008, 11/3/2008, 11/10/2008, 11/17/2008, 11/24/2008, 12/1/2008, 12/8/2008, 12/15/2008, 12/22/2008, 12/29/2008, 1/5/2009, 1/12/2009, 1/19/2009, 1/26/2009, 2/2/2009, 2/9/2009, 2/16/2009, 2/23/2009, 3/2/2009, 3/9/2009, 3/16/2009, 3/23/2009, 3/30/2009, 4/6/2009, 4/13/2009)
This digital camera business rules. Uploaded my pics to my flickr account last night. It’s like you were at S.P.A.C.E…. sort of. I don’t want to give the impression that the show was a complete ghost town. The pics were shot during downtime at the table.
I didn’t buy much, except a mini from Nate Powell, a gorgeous 2 color/silkscreen book from Paping and Pat Lewis’ The Claws Come Out.
Well, the details are out about DC’s cool new weekly limited series, Wednesday Comics:
WEDNESDAY COMICS is unique in modern comics history: Reinventing the classic weekly newspaper comics section, it is a 16-page weekly that unfolds to a sprawling 28” x 20” tabloid-sized reading experience bursting with mind-blowing color, action and excitement, with each feature on its own 14” x 20” page.
Spearheaded by DCU Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello, whose past editing credits include BATMAN BLACK & WHITE, DC: THE NEW FRONTIER and SOLO, each page of WEDNESDAY COMICS spotlights the continuing adventures of DC heroes, including:
• BATMAN, WEDNESDAY COMICS’ weekly cover feature, by the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso
• ADAM STRANGE, by writer/artist Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR 100)
• METAMORPHO, written by New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman with art by Eisner Award-winner Michael Allred (Madman)
• THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN, written by Walter Simonson (Thor, MANHUNTER) with art by famed DC cover artist Brian Stelfreeze
• DEADMAN, written by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck, art by Dave Bullock
• KAMANDI, written by Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS) with art by Ryan Sook (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL)
• SUPERMAN, written by John Arcudi (The Mask) with art by Lee Bermejo (JOKER)
• WONDER WOMAN, written and illustrated by Ben Caldwell (Dare Detectives)
• GREEN LANTERN, written by Kurt Busiek (TRINITY, ASTRO CITY) with art by Joe Quiñones (TEEN TITANS GO!)
• TEEN TITANS, written by Eddie Berganza with art by Sean Galloway
• SUPERGIRL, written by Jimmy Palmiotti (JONAH HEX) with art by Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL)
• HAWKMAN, written and illustrated by Kyle Baker (PLASTIC MAN, Special Forces)
• SGT. ROCK, written by Adam Kubert (SUPERMAN: LAST SON), ilustrated by legendary comics artist Joe Kubert
• THE FLASH, written by Karl Kerschl (TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE, THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE) and Brenden Fletcher, illustrated by Karl Kerschl
• METAL MEN, written by Dan DiDio with art by Ian Churchill (SUPERGIRL)
It all sounds awesome, except for the price: $4 a pop. Still, that’s quite a lineup, and a funky format. I’ll definitely be picking it up.
PS. I have to mention the big WTF moment, though: Neil Gaiman on Metamorpho? I’d love to hear the story of why he chose that character…
Tried describing this to everyone while shoting the breeze at SPACE, but words failed me.
This weekend’s crossover comic book: Vampirella vs. Hemorrhage.
Also considered as the title for the book, but ultimately dismissed: Boobs McGee vs. Widow’s Peak Man.
Alas, sales of this crossover were not good enough to warrant publication of these other planned Vampirella crossovers:
Vampirella vs. Hematoma
Vampirella vs. Laceration
Vampirella vs. Contusion
Vampirella vs. Aneurysm
Vampirella vs. Arteriovenous Malformation
Also considered, but ultimately rejected, was Vampirella vs. Haemophilia. Editorial consensus (and rightly so) was that it would be a pretty one-sided fight.
Caught this off the CU site, Melissa Vogley Wood does a blog called Studio Snapshot. Where she snaps pics and spotlights different creative types around town, friends and what not. Sometimes it’s good to embrace the local scene. You could spend forever profiling output from CCAD, OSU and the music scene.
Here’s the first (?) webisode from the Gem City show. Maybe there’s another one?? I don’t know. I had to dig for it on their website. Mercifully they haven’t gotten around to showing my interview which was… ummmm brief. I think I was waking up by then. In this clip they talk to Dara and Craig.
They’ll be tabling at S.P.A.C.E. this year. It suddenly clicked that they were from my hometown of Kenton, Ohio. I’ll quiz them if they’ve ever been to Jumbo.
Ever wanted to know what the Batmobile would look like, if it was designed by Kevin O’Neill? Wonder no more:
Or how about the whole DC Universe, as seen through the psychadelic eyes of Bat-Mite? Again, Kev delivers:
I thought we needed a dose of comic book goodness. You’re welcome.
(from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #38, Oct. ’92)