Happy Birthday Image Comics
Wow, February 1 is a banner day in comics history. It is also the day that Image Comics was created—20 years ago. Via Facebook co-founder Jim Valentino shared a photo of the founders and one pal on that fateful day, from left to right Erik Larsen, Hank Kanalz, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino. They'e all still in the game, all better off than they were 20 years ago. Collectively, they've changed the industry a time or two. It was also a day when people wore denim shirts. Ah, what a time...
Continue ReadingWomen in Refrigerators — 13 years later
It was 13 years ago that an "amateur" comics journalist named Gail Simone ran a survey about the phenomenon of "Women in Refrigerators" in comics. That site—currently housed here—used the moment of Kyle Rayner came home and found his girlfriend stuffed in the refrigerator as a lens for the entire phenomenon of female comics characters getting beaten, crippled, stabbed, mutilated, assaulted, and devalued. Luckily, since then, everything has been fixed!
Continue ReadingThe Glory (Image / Extreme) Relaunch: an 80s Take on a 90s Book
In many ways, Rob Leifeld's old Extreme line was the epitome of the Direct Market in the mid-90s. Imagine my surprise when I'm reading the relaunch of one of those books at realize it's very much a mid-80s comic. As with the Prophet re-launch, the Glory re-launch is something a bit different. This time out writer Joe Keatinge and artist Ross Campbell channel Miracleman and Airboy for their new series, debuting with Glory #23. Miracleman and Airboy? Yes, I said it.
Continue ReadingThe First Valiant Series Announcement (X-O Man of War)
After announcing a book for Free Comic Book Day and a lot of teasing, the relaunched Valiant has announced it's first title. X-O Manowar is launching on May 2nd. That's actually the Wednesday BEFORE Free Comic Book Day. X-O's high concept is, roughly stated, Conan in Iron Man's suit. Essentially, a Visigoth warrior/barbarian is abducted by aliens and ends up with the aliens' most advanced weapon in the universe suit of armor. It's also been a popular concept a couple times around, particularly during the first Valiant run. Between the two previous Valiant launches, here's a quick partial list of creators who've worked on X-O: Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart, Barry Windsor-Smith, Bob Layton, Bart Sears, Jackson Guice, Mark Waid, Dwayne McDuffie and Scot Eaton. Which is to say, "no pressure."
Continue ReadingNYCC Announcements: The Lost Alan Moore Scripts Resurface
Share this link on Facebook!TweetIn the late ’90s, Alan Moore had a bit of a lull in his career. It was after his exit from DC and before he started up LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and AMERICA’S BEST COMICS with WildStorm (almost exactly when DC bought WildStorm). The person who gave Alan Moore a job [...]
Continue ReadingSDCC Literary Comics: Interview with a Vampire & Uglies Adaptations, Ms. Tree Returns
At San Diego Comic-Con it was announced that Anne Rice's classic vampire novel, Interview With a Vampire, is being adapted into graphic novel format by webcomic creator Ashley Marie Witter for Yen Press, due out in 2012.
Continue ReadingValiant Entertainment comics back…again
Via PR and an interview with CBR, the much-argued over Valiant comics characters are coming back, this time under a group led by former Marvel CEO Peter Cuneo, his brother, Gavin, CEO Jason Kothari and director Dinesh Shamdasani.
Continue ReadingThe Hero Initiative reunites original SANDMAN team
HERO COMICS 2011 is a benefit comic for the Hero Initiative, the highly worthy charity which helps down and out creators get back on their feet. Editor Scott Dunbier has a special treat planned for the issue: a reunion of the SANDMAN #1 team of Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for an all new story. However, Kieth has already started work on a 9-page "making of" story (above) that he calls "a little allegorical."
Continue ReadingRescue Rangers back at BOOM!
With BOOM!'s DARKWING DUCK comics doing well for the '90s nostalgia crowd, was it only a matter of time before they brought back RESCUE RANGERS, as well? Absolutely. Imagining chipmunk terrorists Chip and Dale as bold adventurers, with the addition of rodent heroes Monterey Jack, Gadget and Zipper the Housefly, the Rescue Rangers were another staple of the Disney Afternoon and a favorite of furry fans everywhere. Ian Brill is back as writer, with Leonel Castellani as artist.
Continue ReadingDownload this: The Imp by Daniel Raeburn
Daniel Raeburn has made the entire four-issue run of his 1997-2002 fanzine The Imp available for PDF download. Single topic issues on Dan Clowes, Jack Chick, Chris Ware and Mexican historietas generally defined the direction of all future scholarship on such topics and this is one of the finest and most influential bits of comics scholarship/criticism of the last 20 years. So go download for your iPad or whatever.
Continue ReadingDynamite acquires Chaos Comics library
It's the 90s and the "Bad Girl" era of comics all over again, as Dynamite announces they have acquired the Chaos Comics library which in cluded such titles as Evil Ernie, Chastity, Purgatory, and so on. Lady Death, the best known character from Chaos, was not included in the deal. Chaos flourished in the 90s under publisher/chief creator Brian Pulido. Various characters from their library have been controlled in recent years by Tales of Wonder, Crossgen, Devil's Due and Avatar.
Continue ReadingTurtles — true and false
Yesterday the above, somewhat disturbing photo, swept through the internets like a virus, with the breathless question : is this a leak from the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie?... Latino review, which first cirulated he photo, says that it's just a class project from one of make-up master Tom Savini's students. However we are happy to report that THIS is the real deal: PIZZA TIME!... The above is Jon Vermillyea 's drawing, and it is not disturbing at all.
Continue ReadingThe history of Image and more
Share this link on Facebook!Tweet While we were out of it, we should have just posted this single link which should have kept everyone busy for a whole day: Part Six of Jay Allen Sanford ’s lavishly illustrated history of comics in San Diego. In this episode: 1 – The Birth of Image Comics 2 – Pacific [...]
Continue ReadingKibbles 'n' Bits
Share this link on Facebook!Tweet§ 90s Nostalgia! Laura Hudson looks back at Wizard in the 90s: § It’s generally impossible for an interview with Alan Moore not to be awesome, and this one at Forbidden Planet by Pádraig Ó Méalóid is no exception: It seems, at least in the case of Lost Girls, there is [...]
Continue ReadingThis and that
Share this link on Facebook!Tweet§ Chris Butcher is on a tear this week, first with a calling-a-spade-a-spade . post So yeah, most of the 3300 graphic novels released in 2007 sucked. Godwin’s Law Sturgeon’s Law is that 95% of everything is crap, and that’s about right in this case. Of course, the fact that there’s a [...]
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