Friday, March 31, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/31/2006 02:42:00 PM
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Dayton Daily News on Ferret Press and this weekend's con
Don Thrasher of the Dayton Daily News has written a small write-up of this weekend's Gem City Comic Con (use jimmys@jimmy.com/jimmy to access the article.)"It's always great to meet people at shows like the Gem City Comic Con, because they have a more relaxed, intimate vibe," said Ferret Press publisher Dara Naraghi, a founding member of the PANEL creator collective. "We can chat with fans and hopefully introduce new readers to our books. For a small publisher like Ferret Press, word of mouth and face-to-face interaction at shows are the best forms of advertising." Man, that Dara. He's so insightful!
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/31/2006 01:53:00 PM
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Posted by
Dara
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3/31/2006 01:34:00 PM
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Kubert School on CBS Evening news tonight
"CBS Evening News will broadcast a short segment on the world famous Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art, Inc., on Friday, March 31, at 6:30-7:00 PM ET. This will be part of a nation-wide broadcast. This is part of the "Assignment America/Steve Hartman Reports" together with two other story ideas. Viewers will have the chance to vote for one of the three story ideas on www.cbsnews.com. Their decision will then be developed into a full segment for broadcast on Friday, April 7."
More details in the press release.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
T.McClurg
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3/31/2006 09:32:00 AM
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A little color for Gem City
I recently added a little color for the second printing of Sean McGurr's Jury Rigged minis. These beauties will be available at Gem City this weekend.
Enjoy...
JRC #1
JRC #2
--T.McClurg (permalink)
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Thursday, March 30, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/30/2006 11:25:00 AM
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Must read: Matt Kish's website
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of fellow PANEL member and all around cool guy Matt Kish. I love his art. I can never get enough of it. In fact, if he'd let me, I'd publish a "Ferret Press Little Art Book" of his works.
But enough with my gushy love fest. The real reason I'm posting this message is to direct your eyes to Matt's website, specifically the news section. Read his Wednesday, March 29 entry about life changes, endings, and new beginnings. It's heartfelt and bittersweet and joyous. I wish you the best of luck with all your new ventures, Matt.
(And by the way, great use of the killer Walt Simonson image in your essay, man.)
--Dara (permalink)
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
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Posted by
Tony
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3/29/2006 04:19:00 PM
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Beyond the rim of the starlight ...
There may not be someone for everyone, but there is certainly an online dating site for everyone. Set your phasers on "stunning" and head over to trekpassions.com, a dating site for Trekkies.
Extra geek points to whoever can identify the reference in the headline. Google is cheating.
Animated Kirk is afraid to look.
--Tony (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/29/2006 12:00:00 PM
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Ferret Press at Gem City Comic Con this Sunday, April 2
 For those of you in and around Ohio, you may want to check out the first annual Gem City Comic Con in Dayton. Show is this Sunday, April 2nd, at the Student Union of Wright State University, from 10-5. Guests include:
- Paul Gulacy - Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, Six from Sirius, Batman, Catwoman, and many more.
- Frank Brunner - Doctor Strange, Man-Thing, Howard the Duck, Conan the Barbarian, The Seven Samuroid, and others.
- Jerry DeCaire – artist on Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Vampire: the Masquerade, and The Cisco Kid for Moonstone, plus Green Hornet and lots of stuff for Marvel.
- Dan Davis – inker on Justice League Adventures, BatGirl, Green Arrow, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, Space Ghost, Superman Adventures, etc.
And of course your favorite PANEL and Ferret Press creators:
- Andy Bennett - Vampire: the Masquerade, Kolchak: The Nightstalker.
- Tom Williams - No Dead Time, Misa, Crash Comics.
- Dara Naraghi – BigCityBlues, Lifelike, AKA.
- Sean McGurr – Jury Rigged Comics.
- Matt Kish - Spudd 64.
- Dan Barlow - BigCityBlues.
- Tony Goins - Guns of the Nightchild.
Admission is only $3. Check out the website for more details.
--Dara (permalink)
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
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Posted by
Tony
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3/28/2006 10:24:00 PM
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Hard Life
Do you remember Jasmine Gray? The one model who was catty-corner across from Craig and me at Mid-Ohio? The one that heavyset gentleman was trying to push up on?
She died.
It got a brief mention in the latest Goon comic book, and her official Web site has the details. Apparently she died in a car crash Dec. 12, shortly after Mid-Ohio.
A lot of things about this story are sad. The life of a con model's got to be sad anyway. I feel weird about the people who bought her DVD and don't know she's dead. I feel bad for making fun of that one guy.
And on her Web site ... you can buy a naked picture of her to help pay for her headstone.
--Tony (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/28/2006 12:10:00 PM
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Broken Frontier reviews Panel: Music
Over at BrokenFrontier.com, Sam Moyerman reviews our latest anthology, Panel: Music."The stories range from humorous tales of a Homeland Security agent to a real life report of a music festival, each one to varying levels of effectiveness, but overflowing with honesty and enthusiasm." Andy, Sean, and Tim made a great impression on him. I didn't fare as well ;-)
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/28/2006 11:35:00 AM
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Hey kids! Wanna be in comics?
Viper Comics wants to publish your story:"Viper Comics will be accepting submissions for a 5-page short story in the noir, crime, or horror genre until April 28, 2006. The winning selection will be run as a back up feature in the first issue of A DUMMY'S GUIDE TO DANGER, a four-issue crime noir that is scheduled to hit shelves this July. All entries must be fully written, inked, and colored/shaded for consideration. Submissions received after the April 28th deadline will not be eligible for consideration." More details in the press release.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Craig
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3/28/2006 09:48:00 AM
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Desert Island Comics, part 8
The night after exchanging phone numbers with a woman I ran into at a concert, I had the idea to take her to Stache’s without actually checking any listings to see who might be playing that evening. The club could usually be counted on to have someone of interest booked to entertain the masses on any given night, and walking into the place blind had actually paid off handsomely on a couple of occasions; my brother stumbled onto a very young Robert Cray when he dropped in one evening, and we discovered the Fleshtones in a similar fashion. Even when the band playing wasn’t a revelation, the atmosphere was great and it was usually cool to see anyone onstage there. This time, however, we walked into open stage night. Some guy was banging a single chord on an acoustic guitar, screeching “Goth! Goth! Goth! Goth!” over and over and over. My date sat across from me wondering what kind of serial killer would enjoy going out to see something like this, while I grinned nervously and wondered how the hell I could possibly save the evening.
It’s a wonder that woman married me.
Even back in my days as an art major at OSU, I felt a certain loathing for the artsy pretentious types. I was showing up in my Duke Robillard tour shirt and jeans wanting to draw cartoons, and I found myself surrounded by black-clad, beret wearing fools yearning to pour their inner anguish into a wire sculpture of a crushed aluminum can. When I left school after repeatedly being told cartooning wasn’t art, I told everyone it was because I felt I could learn more about creating comics by actually creating comics, but I think they knew I simply didn’t feel enough pain to create art. And so it’s a very personal connection that places the following issue so high on my countdown of comics I would take with me were I stranded on a desert isle…
#3: Preacher Special: Cassidy: Blood & Whiskey
Let me first make clear: My child is named after the Grateful Dead song, not this character.
My countdown is lacking in newer comics primarily because the made-for-tpb format adopted within the last ten years has made it nearly impossible for single issues to stand out; most read as one sixth of a story, with every sixth issue being a climax which could have been related in a handful of pages. Fortunately my favorite recent series, Preacher, came with a series of one-shot specials focusing on individual characters, the standout of these being the tale of a drunken Irish vampire named Cassidy partying in antediluvian New Orleans.
Given that the roots of vampire myths cast the monsters in the form of aristocracy, I’m of the opinion that a modern translation of the creatures should more resemble Donald Trump or Dick Cheney than the goth wankery of Anne Rice. Writer Garth Ennis seems to find the modern portrayal equally preposterous, as his decidedly blue-collar undead antagonist encounters a less experienced fellow vampire named Eccarius who has embraced the more pretentious pasty-faced, black clad, cape wearing lifestyle.
The result is the funniest comic I’ve ever read; Cassidy alternately heaps scorn and ridicule on his new comrade, and tries to teach him to live unlife to the fullest with his new abilities in hopes of finding a companion for his walk through eternity. The other vampire fights his teacher every step of the way, desperately clinging to the clichés he thinks he must live by in his role. He takes Cassidy to meet a group of hangers-on who worship their vampire leader and praise him with awful poetry; Cassidy gets him drunk and takes him back to moon them later (“Why are we running away?” “Because it’s funny!”). When he is repulsed by his host’s collection of bottled AB negative, Cassidy must instead reacquaint him with beer and teach him about the many uses of Haagen-Dazs. Throughout, Eccarius cannot understand why Cassidy rejects all the conventions of vampirism he has gleaned from watching numerous movies on the subject (“I’m NOT sleeping in a f***in’ COFFIN!”).
Garth Ennis’ wonderful humor is complemented perfectly by the master of deadpan expressions, Steve Dillon. Whenever something horrible happens to someone in any issue of Preacher, the uncomprehending look Dillon puts in the character’s eyes as they begin to assimilate their twisted misfortune always has me falling out of my seat laughing. Often the action in a given scene occurs between panels, and only the artists’ sly portrayal of people’s reactions relates the events which have occurred, which adds to the comic effect. There are a hundred little moments in this book I could relate, but that would simply spoil it for anyone wishing to read or revisit the issue. So I’ll leave with just this one:
As Cassidy is trying to pick up a babe in a bar, Count Poser enters saying something like “the night has come, and it is time for us to find the dark places, and go down, and commit our unspeakable acts." Cassidy can only bury his head in his hands and tell the woman “It’s not what you think…” as she turns away smirking. Goth! Goth! Goth! Goth!
--Craig (permalink)
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Monday, March 27, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/27/2006 07:51:00 PM
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Kewl
So these guys just linked to the Panel Jam comic we've been doing. Can anyone translate? :-)
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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3/27/2006 05:59:00 PM
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GRUBS.
Damn it, I'm a GRUB. (Couldn't they come up with a better nickname) I refuse to torture my child (If I spawn) with Sufjan Stevens. That child's listening to the Sigur-Ro's damn it!!
"In part, because how can their parents hate Interpol when they sound exactly like Joy Division? And in part, because how can their parents hate Bloc Party when their parents just downloaded Bloc Party and think it’s awesome and totally better than the Bravery!"
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Tony
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3/27/2006 04:17:00 PM
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Subplots
There are many things to like about the original Star Trek, but one of my favorites is the use of subplots.
Subplots on the original Star Trek are a bit different from what you see today. Generally, today’s subplots involve minor characters having a personal problem. The problem usually doesn’t have much bearing on the main story, but rather serves to flesh out the character.
On the original Star Trek, however, the subplots are all about plot. They add a twist to the main plot, heightening the tension and adding to the overall experience. For example:
Not only has the transporter beam split Captain Kirk into good and evil sides, there’s also a contingent of crewmen on the surface of the planet, freezing to death.
Not only is Captain Kirk aging at an accelerated rate, but also the Enterprise is under command of a commodore with no field experience.
Not only does Kirk have to ensure the death of a beautiful woman to save the timeline, but also Dr. McCoy has taken a psychotropic drug that will kill him.
Is it good character development? Maybe not. But the original Star Trek was more about finding insights into our world, rather than insights into specific characters.
--Tony (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/27/2006 02:33:00 PM
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Monday Morning "Guess the Artist"
Another guest contribution from F!nch. Thanks dude. Guess away.
(click image to magnify)
(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)Labels: guess the artist
--Dara (permalink)
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Saturday, March 25, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/25/2006 02:03:00 PM
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Posted by
Tom
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3/25/2006 10:39:00 AM
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Panel Assemble! part 9
I tag.. Tony Goins
--Tom (permalink)
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Friday, March 24, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/24/2006 09:06:00 AM
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Keron Grant on Zoom Suit
Columbus' own Keron Grant will be the regular artist on the Zoom Suit limited series, picking up on issue #2 from the previous artist. Newsarama has the details.
 
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/24/2006 07:54:00 AM
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Panel Assemble! - Part 8
I'm posting this on behalf of Dan Barlow:
Dan tags the kid who started it all, "Peeping" Tom Williams.
--Dara (permalink)
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Thursday, March 23, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/23/2006 04:08:00 PM
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Wiki for a comic book
Warren Ellis' writing is hit or miss for me (which was a topic we discussed here on the blog several weeks ago.) And his "big ideas" and manifestos are the same. Some are truly forward-thinking, others just seem to be regurgitations of the cool new thing the kids on the Internets are talking about.
But here's one that I really dig, from his most recent Ministry column on The Pulse:"If you generated a wiki -- essentially, a networked, highly-hyperlinked directory of information -- in advance of a comics series' release, and stamped the book with the URL of the wiki... and, conceivably, even somehow marked pages and panels with URLs that take you inside the wiki structure, in any of a variety of ways from subtle to as blatant and clunky as that old editorial-note caption box that littered Marvel comics of old... you invite a peculiarly modern involvement in the work." Ok, the idea of websites for a comic are nothing new. Even wikis have probably already been done for a few. What intrigues me is the part where he suggests deep-linking from pages and even panels into the wiki. That's a pretty damn cool idea.
Granted, if poorly executed, you just end up with a cluttered, unreadable mess of a comic, where the numerous URLs embedded on each page and panel completely distract from the artwork and the story. But if used sparingly, and incorporated cleverly into the very structure of the story and art, it's a creative new way to provide your readers a "value added" service, as they say in the business world.
Imagine if you will, in your dystopian future comic titled Shadow State, a couple of cops are talking about the new designer drug "Headrush." In the background of one of the panels is a vid screen, showing live coverage of a Headrush lab bust. On the ticker under the image is a URL to your wiki: http://shadowstate.wiki.com/headrush, where your readers can get more information on this fictional element of your story.
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I see the possibilities with this approach. Good on ya, Mr. Ellis.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tony
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3/23/2006 10:17:00 AM
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/22/2006 01:10:00 PM
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Neil Gaiman tribute album
According to Billboard: "An album inspired by the work of prolific author Neil Gaiman will be released this summer by Philadelphia-based independent label Dancing Ferret Discs...The most high-profile contributor to the compilation is Tori Amos, a longtime friend of Gaiman's who occasionally name-checks the writer in her lyrics. In fact, the album's working title is a line taken from her song "Space Dog." Did you catch that? Dancing Ferret Discs. In Philly. Hmmm, could signal either a partnership opportunity, or a long, drawn-out legal battle with Ferret Press :-)
(via The Pulse)
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tony
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3/22/2006 08:40:00 AM
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Looking for Ms. Right
Sean Hannity, conservative talk show host on Fox News, has his own online dating site. It’s called Hannidate
I disagree with Hannity’s politics, but I don’t think that’s really why it disturbs me:
1. Who the heck names a dating site after himself? I can understand if you’re a relationship expert, like Dr. Phil or Oprah or something.
2. Why not link up with an existing dating site? There are bunches of political dating sites out there. Does the one with your name on it really bring something new to the table?
3. What kind of partisan whackjobs are on this thing? I hope never to be so partisan that it's my primary selection criteria for a mate.
Actually, question No. 3 is easy to answer. You can search profiles without signing up. But be aware that the people in the ad copy are probably not on the site. And don’t look at more than three profiles; after that it just becomes depressing.
--Tony (permalink)
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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3/21/2006 10:23:00 PM
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Panel Assemble! - part 7
(disclaimer: I am not an artist, so I apologize for making Captain Shirtcock look like the creepiest peeping Tom you've ever seen. I feel like I need a shower...)
I tag the Big Bald Kid himself, Mr. Dan Barlow.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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3/21/2006 07:21:00 PM
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'I don't see myself as indie because I'm interested in making money [laughing].'- Paul Pope.
Courtesy of Mr. Haspiel: Here's a new interview with Paul Pope from Publisher's Weekly. Probably the only significant thing in the article is Paul briefly discusses future projects. Including a future art collection (Pulphope) from Adhouse. Earliest I heard was in the summer.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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3/21/2006 06:06:00 PM
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Couple of new signing announcements going on at the Comix Revolution in Evanston, IL...
Ivan Brunetti. Saturday, March 25th. 1pm to 3pm
'We're pleased to have the critically acclaimed Ivan Brunetti coming
into our Evanston store to sign his newest edition of Schizo #4. He'll be
signing and chatting comics from 1pm thru 3pm. Copies of Schizo, Haw,
Hee and more will be available for purchase during the signing.' Jessica Abel. Saturday, April 8th. 1pm-?
'Jessica Abel's newest graphic novel, La Perdida HC recently shipped from Pantheon Press to rave reviews. This former Evanston resident will be coming home to sign copies and greet fans.'
Comix Revolution is located at:
606 Davis Street
Evanston, Illinois 60201
phone: 847-866-8659
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Craig
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3/21/2006 03:57:00 PM
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Desert Island Comics, pt. 7
This has been the most difficult review thus far; we have run out of Mister Bubble. But I will forge ahead...
While visiting the Ogre a few months ago, I flipped through Infinite Crisis #1 and saw the final couple pages of that comic: the golden age Superman looks out over the last fifteen years’ worth of comic stories and declares that they suck, and he’s coming to bust some heads. I’ve never felt happier upon seeing a cliffhanger, and ran home to devour the issue. At last, whoever decided to apply the Watchmen template to the likes of Superman and Captain America has come to their senses!
A few issues later, however, this venerable character is given his standard-issue feet of clay, wails “Superman always saves Lois Lane!” as Lois dies in his arms, and we’re treated to a panel of Kal-L joining my future online gallery of crying superheroes. And so Infinite Crisis gets filed with the crap in my collection and I am compelled to present for your consideration...
#4: Flash #54
This comic represents, in my view, the last true super-hero story ever published. After this final issue of the age which was kicked off by Siegel & Schuster, it’s all about impenetrably self-referential storylines, made-for-trades writing, horny fanboy-specific target marketing, and heroes who aren’t very heroic in soap opera settings; and while Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns had their considerable merits, the paradigm they embodied has unfortunately spread across an entire genre which has been stripped of a sense of idealism. The dark days truly began after this issue was bagged and boarded.
The synopsis is short but sweet: Wally West is employed by the feds to help escort a terrorist in custody on a commercial airplane flight. After a few panels of flirting with the stewardess, he heads for the restroom only to run into a trio of the prisoner's armed accomplices who seek to hijack the plane and free their comrade. He quickly dispatches the villains, but one of them blows a hole in the ceiling of the plane. The pilot rights the plane and all seems well, but Wally realizes the stewardess is missing; she has been blown out of the plane by the explosive decompression.
He thinks there’s no way he could reach her outside the plane. Even if he could, there’s no way he could save her from a fall from a gazillion feet in the air. His superpower is to run really fast and there’s no ground out there. There’s literally no way he could possibly rescue her, and trying would surely get himself killed. But he knows what the superhero union rules dictate, so he throws himself out of the plane.
Holy s***, that’s more like it! Impossible odds, daring feats, last-minute rescues, this is what these stories are supposed to be about! I defy anyone to show me a cooler moment in a comic than when Wally steps into the void. This is the kind of stuff that keeps the inner child alive and turns adults into idealistic fools. I’ll take my anguish, inner torment, deep dark secrets, or adult material in the pages of any number of other comic books (love those too!), but let’s see super-heroes in super-hero stories.
Showing up at the comic store the week after reading this issue and looking over the newest books was like waiting at the train station for Ilsa Lund, the rain making the ink of the latest comics run down the pages I stared at with a growing sense of betrayal. Ah, but we’ll always have Flash #54…
--Craig (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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3/21/2006 01:08:00 PM
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