Urine, rotting honey, a plague of insects — life at SLG
Almost every time the name of SLG publisher Dan Vado is mentioned, the word "survivor" is appended to it -- surviving over 20 years in an industry that provides indie comics only scant handholds in its forbidding rockface is no mean feat. But you will never know just how much of a survivor Vado and crew are until you read Five things we survived at SLG., an account of rodent, insect and human scourges on their physical offices. The most famed, of course, is the drunk driver that plowed through their office in 2004 -- thanks to a woman who insisted on stealing the keys to someone else's car after everyone deemed her so drunk they had taken away her own car keys.
Continue ReadingComing Attractions: Fall 2011: Slave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics continues to publish the unusual, the fun, the quirky! Take a look below, visit the website, and let us know what caught your fancy! Was it the cheap, DRM-free digital comics? The Disney titles? The Drunken Monkeys sports apparel? The mondo Tiki titles?
Continue Reading24 Hours of Halloween: Knights of the Living Dead
Download the first issue of Knights of the Living Dead by Ron Wolfe and Dustin Higgins (Pinnochio Vampire Slayer) FREE from SLG. King Arthur vs the Zombies? Why not!
Continue ReadingDan Vado gives actual digital NUMBERS; announces digital JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC
Earlier today Dan Vado, publisher of Slave Labor/SLG/Eyemelt/Amaze Ink announced that SLG would be the first publisher to go all-digital with their periodical comics. While he was careful to note that the digital channel is a new business priority for them, he also noted that SLG's digital sales have been "minuscule" so far. With all the talk about what is a sales record, we thought we'd ask the always candid Vado if he would be a pioneer in another regard and actually talk numbers. Which he did -- with the caveat that, as noted above, their digital efforts have up until now been aimed at selling existing comics. "Selling downloads to people who probably already have the print versions is not really a road to success or a fair test of the platform," he said. New comics going on the platform are what will really tell the tale.
Continue ReadingSlave Labor is the first to go digital only with periodicals
Reflecting the realities of the comics market, Slave Labor, the veteran publisher of such classic comics series of Milk and Cheese and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, has decided to go digital only with their periodicals. Slave Labor has been moving towards graphic novels for some time, but they still need a way to serialize books to pave the way for books -- hence a move to completely digital serialization. SLG's books will be available on their website, and thrugh such popular digital services as iVerse and ComiXology. nitial releases include Sanctuary by Stephan Coughlin -- "The Jungle Book crossed with Lost," and Chris Wisnia's Monstrosis a follow-up to last years quirky humor/adventure comic Doris Danger: Giant Monster Adventures. Both are available as a free download from the SLG website and iTunes. Upcoming series to see digital first releases include Snow White:Through A Glass, Darkly by Van Jensen and Robin Holestein: Knights of the Living Dead (a zombie story set in the time of King Arthurs Round Table) By Dustin Higgins and Ron Wolfe and Peabody & D'Gorath by M.D Penman.
Continue ReadingSLG to demo digital comics at Comic-Con
Continuing their moves into the e-world, SLG will be doing digital demos at their Comic-Con booth. Nothing too revolutionary in the means, but another example of how everything is going:
Continue ReadingRoyal Historian of OZ finale only available in digital form
Only a few days ago, SLG announced they would be selling digital comics via iVerse, and, in a sign of the continuing difficult of selling small comics periodicals, they have announced that the final issue of ROYAL HISTORIAN OF OZ by Tommy Kovac and Andy Hirsch will only be available as a pdf download. Although low orders scuttled the final print issue, it will be available in the collected edition, which is due in September.
Continue ReadingSlave Labor joins iVerse
Meanwhile Slave Labor, the long-running quirky comics publisher which has survived against all odds for over 20 years, has just teamed with iVerse to offer digital comics. We'll vouch for MIDNIGHT SUN by Ben Towle, one of those Antarctic comics we're so fond of, and the other initial offerings are sounds, as well, including the popular REX LIBRIS.
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Coming Attractions: February 2011
February has only 28 days, but is jam-packed with lots of great graphic novels and related titles! Warning... looking at what appears so far on BarnesAndNoble.com, the rest of 2011 is going to be just as amazing! Click this link to discover more! (Sweet Kirby Crackle! Corto Maltese, in English, from Rizzoli?!) Better start shopping for bookshelves now.
Continue ReadingLittle Gloomy cartoon on the way, renamed Scary Larry
Landry Walker and Eric Jones' Little Gloomy, a staple of the goth comics world for years, is being adapted into a cartoon called Scary Larry. Unfortunately, as of now, it is only being seen in France:
Continue ReadingA month of Previews: Elmer part 2
Continuing our previews of ELMER, the graphic novel by Gerry Alanguilan, available this month from SLG.
Continue ReadingA month of Previews: Elmer #1, part 1
I'm going to cheat here a little by breaking up the first chapter of ELMER, by Gerry Alanguilan, which is collected this month by Slave Labor. Originally published in the Philippines as a mini-comic, it's many things: a bizarre SF social satire in the style of George Orwell or (as one reader suggested to me) Poul Anderson's Brain Wave -- and also Adam Hines' recent Rex the Wonder Dog, which has some of the same themes treated very differently. It's also a beautiful example of the Filipino komiks school, all lush penwork and atmosphere. it's also just a good read. Because it's the whole first chapter I'm going to break it up over two days. Tune in tomorrow for the second part.
Continue ReadingA month of Previews: Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Volume 2: The Great Puppet Theater
Continuing our preview month, here's a 16-page preview from Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Volume 2: The Great Puppet Theater, the sequel to the best-selling Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer by Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins. In this installment, our wooden vampire hunter meets other like him in a story inspired by the great Italian puppet theaters seen to this day in Sicily. The Great Puppet Theater is published by SLG and is on sale this month. There's more info on the book at pinocchiovampireslayer.com, on the Facebook page or on Twitter @p_vampireslayer.
Continue ReadingSD10: SLG #1815
SLG has posted their con schedule at their blog, which includes an epic signing list of Jhonen Vasquez, Drew Rausch, Van Jensen, Dusty Higgins, Gene Luen Yang, Greg Wiesman, Aaron Alexovitch AND MANY MORE. Full details here.
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