Friday, December 30, 2005
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Posted by
Tom
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12/30/2005 04:51:00 PM
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 Coffin vs. Sleeper
So I read the Coffin and Deep Sleeper back to back. Unintentionally, it just happened that way. In doing so I found huge similarities in the plot line. With slight variences, they're the same story. Both protagonists (in Coffin & Sleeper) families are threatened in some way, both fall into some secret world where they have to save the day. Both protagonists are fathers that are too sucked into their own world to see they're ignoring their families. Both stories carry a mild religious overtone. The art in both is killer. The techno-babble in the Coffin is grading while the dialogue in Deep Sleeper didn't start hitting the mark till almost two issues in. After reading both I'd say Deep Sleeper was the stronger work. Possibly a subconscious second-go at the first work. Heh, I said subconscious. Here's hoping the next time these two collaborate it's not so formulatic. There were some really strong moments and Huddleson's line get's better as the years go on.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/30/2005 02:05:00 PM
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Posted by
Dara
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12/30/2005 11:13:00 AM
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Posted by
Dara
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12/30/2005 09:33:00 AM
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A tale of a new POD venture
So when Comixpress burst on the scene, offering indy comics publishers a cheap Print On Demand option, their business skyrocketed so much they had to go on hiatus and stop accepting new jobs until they could print all the ones they had.
Well, there will soon be a new player in the comic book POD filed: Ka-Blam. And if you've ever wanted to know the trials and tribulations of setting up a new business venture, drop by the above link and read their diary of one disaster after another.
By the way, Ka-Blam is brought to you by the fine folks who run 01comics.com, another purveyor of free, professional caliber webcomics. Home to former print titles such as Dreamwalker, and new stuff by the likes of artist Mitch Byrd. Most are action/adventure type strips, but there are other genres as well. Worth a look.
--Dara (permalink)
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Wednesday, December 28, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/28/2005 03:17:00 PM
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Least Essential Albums of 2005
It's that time of year again. Time for everyone and their brother to present "best of" and "worst of" lists of 2005. And why should The Onion buck the trend? So here it is, folks, The Onion's A.V. Club presents The Least Essential Albums of 2005. My favorites include the category "Least Essential 2Pacsploitation: The Rose Vol. 2: Music Inspired By Tupac's Poetry" and this little gem:"Least Essential Best-of Album: Hilary Duff, Most Wanted
The CD booklet to this greatest-hits-style collection features a page dedicated to the "Hilary Duff Catalog," which lines up five albums. That's enough for a hits collection, surely. But take a closer look: Those five include Duff's two proper albums (Metamorphosis and Hilary Duff) next to A Cinderella Story's soundtrack (represented on Most Wanted by two tracks), Santa Claus Lane (not represented) and something called Hilary Duff: Artist Karaoke Series (also not represented). (Insert your own joke about that last one being Duff's best effort.) Most Wanted does contain some new tracks, as well as a handful of 2005 remixes. Because those tracks from 2004 badly needed to be brought up to date."
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tony
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12/28/2005 12:03:00 PM
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Shorts
Dara’s post on an iTunes Body Bags podcast jogged my memory: Amazon is now offering pamphlets for download.
According to this article in Slate.com, Amazon.com is offering short pamphlets for 49 cents a pop. They’re available in HTML, pdf or plain-text e-mail. See the list of best-sellers here.
So between iTunes and Amazon, I’m gradually losing my skepticism of electronic comics. Call me a tool of the man, but I feel better about a product when it’s being offered by a big company. The ability to reach larger amounts of people -- with readily accessible formats and trusted payment mechanisms -- is valuable to me.
I’m still not sure about electronic comics as a replacement for printed comics, though. So far, most electronic comics are either reprints or artists working on spec. In other words, the business model for electronic comics relies on not paying the talent.
Secondly, electronic comics also cut out the comic book shop, or at least lessen its importance. I value the comic book shop as a gatekeeper and guide, helping me find good reads. A lot of the fun of belonging to the club is going to the clubhouse.
Thirdly, I’m still a sucker for the tactile feel. Even if you do print out your online comics, I doubt you can reach the production values of a printed comic. That’s doubly bad for an outfit like Panel -- unless we also include a pdf of the band that goes around the comic.
But as I say, I’m less skeptical now. We should look into electronic comics in the new year.
--Tony (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/28/2005 11:20:00 AM
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Happy B-day, Stan
Stan Lee is 83 today. Here's wishing you a happy birthday, and a good retirement. (Seriously, Stan, no more "creations" like Stripparella and stuff. Just let it go, man.)
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/28/2005 09:46:00 AM
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Odds and Ends
Over at Newsarama, Andy Marchant does a retrospective on Marvel's Strikeforce: Morituri series, published back in '86. One of my favorite series at the time (heck, even now) with a high concept way ahead of its time (for Marvel, anyway) and a great writer - Peter B. Gillis - who disappeared from the world of comics soon thereafter.
Also over at Newsarama, saw the article on 12 Gauge Comic's foray into the world of digital comics, with a twist. They've made Jason Pearson’s Body Bags: Father’s Day #1 available for free via a podcast of sorts, which they're calling a "Comicast". It's basically a Flash animated reworking of the comic, complete with (marginal) voice acting that you can download and watch through iTunes. I'm not a fan of Person's work, but hey, free is free and going through iTunes means wide exposure to a whole new audience, so more power to them. If you have iTunes and want to go directly to the download, click here.
And finally, if you're running low on holiday cheer and cute things to ooh and aah at, try Cute Overload. You've been warned.
--Dara (permalink)
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Monday, December 26, 2005
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Posted by
Tom
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12/26/2005 02:43:00 PM
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Posted by
Dara
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12/26/2005 01:02:00 PM
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Monday Morning "Guess the Artist"
Another pin-up this time. Good luck.
(click images to phase through walls)
(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)Labels: guess the artist
--Dara (permalink)
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Sunday, December 25, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/25/2005 09:55:00 PM
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Saturday, December 24, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/24/2005 12:28:00 PM
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Happy Holidays!
The crew at Ferret Central is taking it easy during the holidays, so there probably won't be much blogging.
In the meantime, amuse yourselves with this cool optical illusion:
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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12/24/2005 07:00:00 AM
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Scrapbooking was so 2005...
Screw that scrapbooking kit for a holiday gift, get yer wife that Comic Creator for Christmas. Yessss, a software company has now made making comics a snap. Choose from a variety of layouts. Make your bubbles. Oh joy, now my dull lifeless marriage is washed away in Comic Creator and a bottle of scotch. Get out of that monotone life and let that creative spirit soar. Hooray!!
--Tom (permalink)
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Thursday, December 22, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/22/2005 12:08:00 PM
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Wednesday, December 21, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/21/2005 12:40:00 PM
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Bill Willingham's work ethic
I'm always fascinated to find out how slow/fast different creators work. In seems that recently, finding an artist who can draw a book on a monthly schedule is almost the exception, rather than the rule. With that in mind, I read this portion of a Bill Willingham interview with interest:"BW: My ongoing commitments are writing "Fables," co-writing the new "Jack of Fables," in collaboration with the remarkable Matt Sturges, and both writing and drawing "Shadowpact." In addition to that will be the odd extra miniseries of something, or special project. For example, right now I'm still in the middle of writing the new "Space Ghost" miniseries and still putting a few finishing touches on next year's "Fables" hardback Original Graphic Novel.
CBR: What is your daily schedule like? Do you feel this is the maximum you can take on? Or are you just hitting your stride?
BW: After years of inactivity on the art front, I'm still getting back in the swing of things art-wise. However, with that as a caveat, this is more or less how my schedule goes: Every day - Monday through Friday - I get up and immediately hit the drawing table to produce one page of "Shadowpact" art. Then I take a break and then spend the rest of the afternoon working on whatever script is next in line on the deadline schedule DC provides to me every month. On weekends, I'm free to goof off or catch up on something that didn't get done, or work on a novel I've foolishly agreed to do for a book publisher (not DC)." So not only is he saying he'll be writing two monthly books, but he's also drawing a monthly book, and doing all that in just a Monday-Friday work week? No offense to Mr. Willingham, but I find it hard to believe that he could possibly keep up that schedule. Granted, he's not inking the new book, but still. A page a day of art, plus two monthly books to script, plus special issues, plus a novel? Hmmm. More power to him if he can actually do it.
--Dara (permalink)
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Tuesday, December 20, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/20/2005 04:38:00 PM
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2005 Year-end Google zeitgeist
Here are Google's lists of top ten most popular searches for the entirety of 2005.
So what does it say about the human race as a whole that under the News section, there were more searches on Janet Jackson than there were for Hurricane Katrina?
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/20/2005 12:08:00 PM
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Dave Sim writes Showgirls
No, not the movie adaptation. Still, it's a pretty weird news story that I missed earlier. Apparently, woman hatin' Dave Sim is writing a limited series for Howard Shum's Gun Fu comic. Titled Gun Fu: Showgirls Are Forever, the book is described thusly:"Gun Fu: Showgirls Are Forever #1 will be released in March 2006 and is published by Image Comics. The story is set in 1941. France has succeeded in setting the world record for the quickest surrender to Nazi Germany without putting up a fight. Nazi-collaborating French showgirls are on a secret mission to attack a neutral United States. Cheng Bo Sen is a Hong Kong cop and British secret agent. He also speaks hip-hop which no one seems to notice." Um, yeah.
Honestly, I don't know what to make of this. I'm not a big Sim fan, but it still seems like an odd choice.
--Dara (permalink)
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Monday, December 19, 2005
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Posted by
Tom
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12/19/2005 06:10:00 PM
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2006 Day Prize Nominees announced..
This year Bob decided to break down nominees into subcatagories- Digest, Best Short Story, Mini-Comics, Comics, Square Comics(?) & Trade Paperbacks. But only one will win the top prize. Among the noms- Sorrel which I hope wins. Probably the pick of the litter and is a great snapshot of a creator coming into his own. Word on the street is Top Shelf might be interested in Justin's stuff. Icecreamlandia was also great but lacks that bitter diatribe against women. (this is Sim after all) Panel:Myth didn't get nominated but did get put in a submissions listing at the bottom. Completely missed it the first time(Sorry Chad) but Point Pleasant's up for the award as well (fellow Panel contributors Steve Black & Dan Barlow). I don't know if Pussy Galore should be on there but it's nice to have been nominated.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/19/2005 04:37:00 PM
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Richard Case whereabouts
So back when I started reading Grant Morisson's Doom Patrol, I quickly fell in love with the artwork of Richard Case. Over the years, I acquired an original page of his art (from a Shade: The Changing Man issue) and a sketch of Robotman in my con sketchbook. But then it seemed that he disappeared from the comics field altogether. I'd often wondered what happened to him, and assumed that he had moved on to greener pastures (movies, video games, or commercial art.) Well, perusing Mike Wieringo's blog today, I found the answer:"When I first moved to North Carolina to join what became ARTAMUS STUDIOS, along with such talented folks as Richard Case, Jeff Parker, Chuck Wojtkiewicz, John Lowe and several others...Eventually everyone moved on from the studio. Several of our number went out west. Some left the comics industry altogether...Until, at the end, when it was just Rich Case and myself... and Rich decided that moving to the video game industry was more stable for him and his family than freelancing in comics (and who can blame him.... he's right)." Sadly, another great comics artist lost to a different industry. But more power to Richard. I've said it many times before, I really don't understand why any artist would want to try and make a living in the comics field.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/19/2005 01:26:00 PM
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Monday Morning "Guess the Artist"
Yeah, I know, it's not exactly morning. Call it a special edition Monday Afternoon edition of Guess the Artist, if it helps you sleep better at night.
We're featuring a pin-up again, and hopefully an easy one. Guess away.
(click images to scale like a spider)
(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)Labels: guess the artist
--Dara (permalink)
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Sunday, December 18, 2005
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Posted by
Tom
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12/18/2005 12:22:00 PM
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A couple of fast ones for y'all..
I love year-end lists. Love them as sometimes the good stuff passes me by. Here's a good one to expand your collection. I've found I own half the Rock listing already. Pitchfork has some good list(s) where they go around and ask different pros,critics, and musicians their's. Best and Worst of 2005. My fav is the writer's assessment of 'My Humps'.
Another ballsy year for the Bush in two fold. I was shocked he actually came out and basically stated (paraphrasing here)'Yah, so I knew we based the invasion on bad intel. They were still asking for it anyway.' Also to come out is that he authorized many a wire tap. So when is this ass-hat getting impeached?? Geesh. Between all the f'ed up policy and losing an entire American City (so long Mardi Gra) coupled the scary environment news, I've gotta take a break from commondreams. It's just too depressing.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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12/18/2005 10:43:00 AM
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It's News to Jumbo: part II
Going home for 'Will'-mas I was handed a copy of the Kenton Times (sorry, they're archives are spotty). An article was folded so's I could read about Monty's balls. Monty will paint your balls for money. Oh yes, gently blowing on them with an airbrush then oiling them up with a brush. Prepping them till finally the piece is released... to the new owner. If you're nice he might show you his balls, they're incased behind glass y'know...
Seriously though I grew up near Monty. He was that one art student that threw my art teacher a bone. A ray of hope in a sea of banal impetuous redneck brats. He was my first exposure to illustration/comics industry as he was a production/editor for Dark Horse (for ten years 1988-98). He would do some fill in's and ghosting badly drawn panels here and there. He once brought some Matt Wagner Grendel pages to my class. He quit Dark Horse in 1998 to come back to Jumbo. He launched his (unfortunately titled) ArtBall buisness to an unsuspecting Collecter's market in '98. I laughed at the premise for a good hour but seriously he's got to be living like a king out there. The Artball's go from $500 to $2500 a pop. He does them steady- 4 to 5 pieces a week. With a eye for intricate detail that rivals Chris Ware.
--Tom (permalink)
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Saturday, December 17, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/17/2005 03:28:00 PM
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AA Weekend Covers
It's simple. Every weekend, I treat you to two covers, one that's simply Awesome, and one that purely sucks Ass.
AWESOME
 (click to enlarge)
Books of Magic #54 (November 1998) by William Michael Kaluta.
Kaluta is an amazing illustrator, and has produced hundreds of comic and novel covers. I had a hard time picking out a sample cover from the run he did on Books of Magic, but I think what made this one stick out is that it's a fairly unusual composition for him. His covers tend to be wall-to-wall illustrations, featuring dozens of story elements and images arranged in a symmetric pattern. However, I love the starkness of the background on this one, focusing all your attention on the 3 figures and their unusual movement. Love it.
ASS
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Ultimate Spider-man #29 (February 2003) by Mark Bagley.
You know, it's not that I dislike Bagley's art. I think he's a very solid storyteller, and I'm very impressed with his speed and work ethic. I happen to think his style is rather, well, plain, but that's a matter of taste on my part. However, the covers he does for the Ultimate Spider-man book are just...what's the word...booooooooooooring and ugly. Seriously, I could have picked from a dozen other covers with almost the same exact generic Spider-man pose. No action, no story, no backgrounds, no sense of design. And despite the good anatomy he displays in his interior work, the covers are just bizarre and ugly. And the coup de grace, that hideous computer coloring that looks like a bad 80s airbrush t-shirt you'd get at the fair. No thanks.
(previous weeks: 12/3/2005, 12/11/2005)
--Dara (permalink)
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Friday, December 16, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/16/2005 10:38:00 AM
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2006 Eisner Awards Judges
Next year's Eisner Awards judges have been named.
"Christopher Allen, managing editor for ComicBookGalaxy.com. He has written for The Comics Journal, MoviePoopShoot.com, NinthArt.com, and other websites...
John Gallagher, cartoonist, self-publisher, and award-winning designer. Under the Sky-Dog Press banner, John has written and illustrated his online and printed graphic novel series Buzzboy since 1998...
Nisha Gopalan, comics editor at Entertainment Weekly...
Robert Randle, purchasing brand manager for Diamond Comic Distributors...
Robert Scott, owner/operator of Comickaze Comics Books and More in San Diego." Looks like another good cross section of comics book pros and insiders.
--Dara (permalink)
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Thursday, December 15, 2005
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Posted by
Tony
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12/15/2005 06:04:00 PM
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Kiss from a rose
Here's another lonely heart from the Other Paper classifieds. I'm not sure if she's looking for one of us or not:
POISON IVY-ESQUE SF, 26 looking for Batman, SM 25-35 to paint Gotham green. D/D and Dork free a must!
She references Batman, but she doesn't want a dork? Is she looking instead for a geek or a nerd? Is Dork a typo? Does she literally want Batman? And does "D/D" stand for "drug/disease" as it usually does, or is she talking about Dungeons and Dragons?
--Tony (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/15/2005 04:20:00 PM
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Wholly Craft: consignment store shout out
This one's mainly for my Columbus peeps. There's a new "urban crafts" consignment store in Clintonville that deserves your patronage, especially if you're looking for last minute unique gifts. Wholly Craft is located on 3171 N. High St. and accepts new items for consigment from local artists/craftsmen. In addition to weird and funky hand-made cards, books, clothing, etc., they also carry the full line of Ferret Press and PANEL comics and zines! In fact, they're already sold a few issues, including one of my BigCityBlues CDs.
There's also an article in the SNP this week about the store and owner Olivera Bratich (although they misspelled her name.) Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and check out her store. Remember folks, supporting fellow artists and creators can only lead to good karma.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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12/15/2005 11:47:00 AM
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Truth in comics, part 4
(btw, if you hadn't noticed alrteady, all images in this series were found at one time or another on SomethingAwful.com, I certainly don't mean to imply any sort of ownership on my part)
--Dara (permalink)
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Wednesday, December 14, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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12/14/2005 11:48:00 AM
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More on webcomics
(Wow, the webcomics quotient of this blog has shot up significantly in the last couple of months...)
So speaking of digital comics, a couple quick links:
On the self-serving side, I wanted to remind you that the new storyline in my Lifelike comic has reached its mid-point this week. It's called "Art/Life" and explores a topic familiar to most of you. (And thanks again to Matt and Ione for the great save when it came to naming one of the lead characters.) Oh, and while you're there, feel free to click on a couple of the ads on the site. That's how poppa gets paid.
Also, looks like marvel is once again making several of their recent issues available for free on the web, in their entirety. You can read Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1, Captain America #1, She-Hulk #1 (volume 1), and an episode for Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius on Marvel's "Digital Comics" site.
The Marvel stuff, unfortunately, could still use a lot of work in the file preparation and quality. The images are very pixelated, which just means someone was too lazy or inept to format the files properly. Hopefully they'll work the kinks out of their process soon.
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