§ Nice Art: As I sat in my room poring over my Hildebrandt Brothers’ Tolkien calendars as a kid, I never imagined that 40 some years later I’d be Facebook friends with the great Greg Hildebrandt who is 80 today. (His twin brother Tim passed away in 2006.) Actually, I didn’t know there would be Facebook either.
Anyway, Greg Hildebrandt has just done his first STAR TREK cover and its for Star Trek: Year Five, a new monthly coming in April from IDW. The book is being developed by a writer’s room consisting of Brandon Easton, Jody Houser, Jim McCann, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly. The latter two, along with artist Stephen Thompson will produce the first story arc. As for the story, well it’s the end of the five-year mission, and Lanzing promises they will “go boldly towards meaningful, heartfelt stories.”
As for HIldebrandt, in a statement he tell us, “I have been a fan of Star Trek right from the beginning in 1966. I admired the social, moral, and political statements that were obvious in Gene Roddenberry’s plot lines. I feel that the original was and is one of the best shows ever on TV, and clearly the inspiration for all the Space Operas that have followed. It was an honor to paint this cover art of the original cast. Having never painted Trek before, it was a kick for me at 80 years old.”
And looking at the cover, he’s still got it. Happy birthday, Greg, and thank you for all the beauty and wonder you’ve given the world.
§ Eric Powell’s the Goon has built up a powerful fan following over the years, and now it’s moved from Dark Horse, its long time home, to POwell’s own Albatross Funnybooks. And a new series is coming, the first since 2015, and Gizmodo has the first look.
[T]he new Goon ongoing sees the Goon—with Franky in tow—return to the Town with No Name after an overseas adventure (one that has yet to actually release—it’ll be told in a graphic novel).
§ With all the talk about Marie Kondo’s Netflix series, I was wondering when someone would revisit the Manga version of her tidying hints, and Wendy Browne has done just that.
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story is not just an instructional manual, though it does include instructions on the fine art of tidying up through the KonMari Method. It also reads left to right, so it might be a good starter for newer manga readers. There are diagrams on how to fold everything from socks and underwear to large shirts, and each of the ten chapters closes with a summary of the lessons presented. All of this is threaded through a light-hearted story about Chiaki, a 29-year-old business woman who loves too hard and too quickly, and struggles with an apartment full of things she owns “just because.” When she feels ashamed after the cute neighbour sees the chaotic state of her home, she searches for justification for her mess, certain there are others who live just fine without tidying up. Instead, she discovers Marie Kondo–who introduces herself as KonMari.
§ I guess Aunt May is dying again. This time it’s breast cancer, which will strike 1 in 8 women in their lifetime.
This situation has fans wondering if Marvel could be planning a One More Day scenario, with Spidey trying to make some sort of big sacrifice to save her. However, given the negative feedback that got, it’s unlikely and this chapter could instead be shaped as the beginning of the end for one of the publisher’s most beloved characters. Either way, this issue looks set to kick a highly-emotional arc into next gear, which will surely change Spider-Man’s world forever.
If you’re new here, “One More Day” was a notorious storyline in which Peter Parker made a deal with the devil to give up his marriage and the memory of his marriage to save Aunt May’s life. Tough call, and fans haaaated it, as it was all a deus ex machina to get Spidey back to his single state to tie in more with the movies. Get well quick, May! We can’t take any more controversy.
§ Just a quick note on information for comics creators. . There was a lot of chatter on Twitter yesterday about companies that don’t pay and there are many many roadblocks for emerging comics creators these days, as in all days. I’ve just updated The Beat’s How To Break Into Comics resource page which has many links to advice, tips and how tos. It really needs a lot more updates (and dead link checks) though so if you have anything to ad, put it below in the comments.
I also want to plug the Creator Resource website, run by Stephanie Cooke, which has a ton of great information on agents, mental health, page rates and more. It’s well worth bookmarking and checking often.
