Kibbles ‘n’ Bits: 8/22/14: Can’t we talk about something more pleasant

§ Jules Feiffer’s astounding graphic novel Kill My Mother is coming out soon, and the press tour is rolling out — here’s an interview in the LA Times

“Never having known how to work in this style, suddenly in my 80s, I discover I can,” he says by phone from his home on Long Island, N.Y. “I was both shocked and appalled that I had assigned myself this 2½-year job of drudgery. It turned out to be fun, but at the time I thought, ‘This is impossible, what am I doing?’

Feiffer is also interview by Terry Gross for Fresh Air! SCORE!

There’s a preview of the book here and you’ll see what I mean about astonishing.

§ Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba is a sometimes underrated graphic novel that exploresthe uncertainty of life via ending the story at various points. And the University of Tennessee has chosen it part of its freshman reading which helps new student get acclimated to campus life:

For freshman accounting major Cameron DeJean, reading “Daytripper” was a positive way to start off the school year.

“Each chapter was like a section of his life,” DeJean said, comparing his freshman year to a new section of his own life.

Additionally, DeJean found the graphic novel medium “easier to read” than traditional literature, as the illustrations helped form “mental images” which helped to understand the plot.

§ Author Diana Gabaldon is riding high due to the success of the saucy man-in-a-kilt love story Outlander. She’s appearing in Scotland soon but first she talks about her comics writing days with the BBC:

Another of the characters Gabaldon took on was the Scots accented Uncle Scrooge McDuck. She stopped writing comic book scripts when Disney decided to re-run older stories. Gabaldon said: “Marvel Comics had heard about me and asked if I would write for them. “While I absolutely believed in Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck, I didn’t believe in Spider-Man, so I didn’t write for Marvel Comics.”

§ Lauren Davis reviews Michael DeForge for io9 but keeps reminding everyone that the story is not truebecause….DeForge’s work is so realistic? I dunno. Ayway it’s a good overview otherwise.

Canadian Royalty: Their Lifestyles and Fashions is a bit like Spotting Deer in that it describes something that is only slightly too weird to exist. DeForge describes the apparent cruelties that Canadian royals are subjected to from childhood and the dubious—sometimes horrifying—honors adults may receive upon their ascendancy. And there are brief dips into the history of individual royals and former royals that offer hints of an even larger picture.

§ Remember Crunchyroll, the digital manga portal that started a last year? Started to combat piracy, Sean Gaffney looks at where its at now:

Kodansha still has the largest presence on the site, and are still adding new titles that may interest the North American reader, such as the new Onizuka spinoff/continuation. It’s still predominately Shonen Magazine and its subsidiaries, but there has been an effort to add some seinen as well, notably the Morning title Investor Z. (By the way, not all of the licensing is through Kodansha – a large number of the titles on the site seem to be licensed via ‘Cork’, including the Anno ones. Investor Z is one of those.) Most of their titles are ongoing concerns – updated weekly or monthly as their Japanese fellows are. I do note A Town Where You Live has finished, but Vols. 1-11 still seem to be absent from the site – going backwards is not Kodansha’s priority.

PS: everytime I read anything about this site I get the taste of umami and shrimp in my mouth.

§ With all the conventions popping up everywhere, and no rule book to guide rookies, this overview by David O’Connell on what shows need from an exhibitor’s perspective should be MUST READING:

If I want to sit in a room filled with tables and chairs and no customers I will spend my day in Furniture World in Plymouth. Publicity is the most important thing after LOCATION, DATE, TIME and is often forgotten. I’ve heard one organiser actually say publicity is the responsibility of the exhibitors. It is not.

At Ideal Con marketing and publicity will always be at the top of the Ideal Con organiser’s (ICO) to-do list. At the TOP. With its own budget. Its own team. Enough money at least for a BIG sign outside the venue, and maybe a couple of sandwich boards (LOCATION, DATE, TIME) around town.

MUCH MORE IN THE LINK. [h/t Comics Reporter]

§ Sean T. Collins interviews Meghan Turbitt for The Comics Journal.

Everything I make, every particle of my being, is based on how I grew up. Everything I make will of course be influenced by that. But to be honest, the reason I made #foodporn is because I had a crush on an ugly guy who made pizza at my local pizza joint. He is not attractive. When he was making the pizza I was attracted to him, though? I didn’t understand it and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I thought the concept of him getting hotter and hotter as he made the pizza was just hilarious. Hence the premise of the book.

§Sometimes The Outhouse just makes me cry

In a poorly timed press conference this morning, DC Comics revealed that the variant cover gimmick theme for the month of December will be “Dick Pics.” DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan Didio stood proudly behind a podium in front of DC’s Burbank offices to announce the theme. “I know that everyone has been really excited by our monthly variant cover themes, such as Bombshells, Selfies, and 3DNado,” Didio boasted. “Well, prepare to have your minds blown in December as DC Comics brings you Dick Pic Variants!” Didio paused as the crowd grew quiet. Unphased, he continued. “For some reason, a lot of people have been talking about Dick pics online. We love Dick pics and want to pay our creators to send them to us.”

Heidi MacDonald

Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle.