Comics

It's Mary Blair's birthday and if Google can celebrate her, so can we. And so should we all. As an animator and designer, Blair is among the most influential artistic figures of the mid-century era, an icon and the creator of some of the loveliest art you'll ever see.

You had us at dinosaur, Dustin Harbin. And with "colored by Sam Bosma and Kali Ciesemier" you chained us up and threw away the key.

As the glow of the Amazon Kindle Fire begins to appear on the horizon, many questions over just how comics are going to work on it are still unanswered. But it looks like publishers will be able to adapt their own works using Amazon's tech specs. Amazon has announced some new author tools for the Kindle Fire on their website:

Yesterday was a gloomy day for the comics industry, as 15 Marvel staffers -- including several popular editors and a couple of legendary Bullpenners -- were laid off. This followed the recent layoff of COO Jim "Ski" Sokolowski. We all know the economy sucks, and that comics sales are down this year. But was that the reason for the cost cutting? Or was it Disney? The Mouse purchased Marvel for $5 billion two years, two months ago and they are well known for being very budget conscious. Did some Disney suit look at revenue, say it wasn't enough and order some budget cuts? While both these scenarios sound plausible, according to Marvel insiders contacted by The Beat, neither seems to be the case. The budget slashing is the work of Marvel's CEO, Isaac Perlmutter, an executive of legendary stinginess whose fanatical devotion to saving money —an increased interest in being hands on at Marvel — has led to the layoffs and other draconian measures inside the company.

Next Media Animation has gone gonzo with a new version of the AVENGERS movie that features several guest stars. What does this mean? Unsure.

Let me translate that headline: POOD #4, the latest issue of the indie comics anthology is on sale this week, with a cover by Jim Rugg. Also inside: work by Eisner-winner Nick Abadzis, 2011 “Best American Comics” pick Kevin Mutch, “Dick Tracy” icon Joe Staton, and many more.

Long before OWS there was World War 3, the long running counterculture comics anthology put together by a rotating cast of politically aware cartoonists who lived on the LES back when it was Alphabet City and not a trustfund preserve. The next issue is out next month and takes on the spirit of protest being seen around the world, from Tahrir Square to Madison, WI.

More names of the layoffs at Marvel are drifting out, including Taylor Esposito and Damien Lucchese and Special Projects' Production Coordinator Jerry Kalinoski. A total of 12 people were let go from editorial and production. Also among those laid off: Scott "Pondscum" Elmer, also known as Scummy. Elmer had been with Marvel since the days of Romita's Raiders, a survivor of bankruptcies and Marvelcutions of the past and a figure of some legend to Marvelites past and present. He's shown above in a photo with fellow ex-Marvelites John Czop and Steve Bunche. Our very best to all those let go today.

Rumors of more layoffs at Marvel were the hot topic at NYCC and today, confirmation that editors Jody LeHeup and Alejandro Arbona have been laid off. CBR is reporting that as many as 15 people were let go today in a cost cutting measure.

Continuing today's trend of Ed Piskor webcomics at hugely successful blogs, his new strip Brain Rot is now running at Boing Boing, the memaw of all blogs. Piskor's Wizzywig, a comic about the history of hacking, recently wrapped, and the new one looks to be both personal and created in a style to ape aging Silver Age comics.

Engadget, the hugely popular tech blog, is now running comics by Box Brown, Dustin Harbin, Ed PIskor and more. The comics will eventually appear on the Distro app and the web. Given the subject matter, an eventual appearance on Tumblr/refrigerator doors seems likely.

Another day another comics in Hollywood deal! But this one's all in the family, as it's been announced that Warner Bros. TV is developing MEMOIR by Ben McCool and Nikki Cook, as announced in Publishers Marketplace. The deal was negotiated by Angela Cheng Caplan at the Cheng Caplan Company. McCool writes: