Comics

Tom Brevoort believes in the satisfying chunk. Or in his case, "big, sizable, meaty chunks" of of story like those found in graphic novels. Marvel has significantly rejected the notion of creating original graphic novels over the years, with former E-i-C Joe Quesada continually saying they don't make economic sense. However, maybe they do make more reading sense for new readers in a world of tablets and Kindles. Marvel has announced a new line of Season One hardcover original graphic novels which will give modern readers a modern take on the origins of classic characters:

Today at Jim Hanley's Universe 15 creators signing! Awesome line-up -- be there!

Given the huge crowds at Comic-Con International, it's not surprising that an artist or publisher will promote The Latest and Greatest at the show. With all the buzz, the media, the fans... it's an excellent opportunity for a publisher to debut something amazing, something they hope will generate a lot of interest and lead to sales through the holiday season. So regular con-goers shouldn't be surprised that Craig Yoe, Eisner-Award winning author and designer, will have a new book to showcase. Not only are his history books beautifully designed and researched, but they are also fun to read. He even finds little gems, like Elvis reading a copy of "Betty and Veronica", to spice up his books.

None of this year's Russ Manning Award nominees created a bigger splash than Nate Simpson with the debut of his comic Non-Player. With it's gorgeous, fully imagined artwork it was the toast of the internet for a few weeks and sold out right away. LIke may recent Manning nominees, Simpson works in video game design -- not only artwork but character and story concepts; his resume includes Demigod, Space Siege, Supreme Commander 2, GoPets. the Starfleet Command series and dozens more.

Continuing our look at this year's Russ Manning Award nominees, we come to Paul Roman Martinez, aka Kopetkai. He's the creator of the dieselpunk webcomic The Adventures of the 19XX. According to his bio, he's a California-based graphic designer/web designer who works on his comics in his spare time. The 19xx combines his interests in art and history with a pretty nifty premise:

Despite a multiiplayer title war with Marvel, Universal and even Dynamite, the ORIGINAL MYstery Men, as created by Bob Burden are BACK. And they have come with trading cards.

The digital teaming up is coming fast and furious as Top Shelf has signed with iVerse for digital distro. The idea of reading Nate Powell, James Kochalka, and Renee French on a tablet sounds very tasty indeed.

Exhibit A Press is publishing its first-ever full-color book: The Life-Partner of Frankenstein: A Supernatural Law Book by Batton Lash (60 pages, $10.95).

Looking to buy some amazing original art at San Diego? Stop by the D&Q booth for the Beguiling art sale. Details below. Art above by Farel Dalrymple, from Meathaus: SOS; below, Paul Pope for Saks Fifth Avenue.

The Beguiling: Original Comics Art at San Diego Comic Con!