Comics

Kazu Kibuishi's AMULET series has been a strong seller for Scholastic and also a strong candidate for the next graphic novel series to get...

An update on what you can and can't bring into and out of Canada, and how to avoid getting your comics seized by the Canadian government. Also, Gahan Wilson and why hotels in San Diego will soon cost even more.

Gene Luen Yang's new book, LEVEL UP, covers some territory that may be familiar to many people -- a young man whose parents want him to make something of himself, while he just wants to play video games. Drawn by Thien Pham, it's Yang's latest exploration of growth and personal identity, especially as it relates to Asian Americans. But the book isn't just about video game addiction. At Wired's GeekDad, he explains where the book is really coming from in his own experience.

Free Comic Book Day founder Joe Field looks back on this year's event (no permalinks) with some numbers:

It's to benefit the CBLDF -- a giant piece of art created by Molly Crabapple at Stumptown. Measuring 8 feet by 7 feet, you need a giant home to display it properly, but it will be a nice conversation starter:

Toyko prefecture's law restricting sales of material deemed "harmful" to minors under the age of 18 has selected its first list of titles to be considered for the ban, Anime News Network reports. The law, which has been revised a few times and goes into effect July 1, has been met with an outcry from publishers and creators.

Behind the scenes at FLASHPOINT and Marvel, among other things.

Just a few weeks ago we were musing about how to get digital comics reviewed, and in our ongoing conversations about this is definitely seems to be the wave of the future. And now Dark Horse has made it official by joining NetGalley, a service that has been automating galley distribution for book publishers for a few years now. Instead of sending out review copies to a kabillion different sites and magazines, publishers can just send them to NetGalley -- reviewers sign up for an account and you're off to the races.

Did you know that Disney owned Marvel Comics? You do now, as Marvel is putting out a licensed comic from the ABC show Castle, which stars nerdlebrity godhead Nathan Fillion as a mystery writer who also solves crimes. The GN. will not be an adapttaion of the show, however, but a story about Castle's best-selling character, Derrick Storm. Tellingly, this will not be a periodical, but a standalone graphic novel, due in September, written by Brian Michael Bendis and Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Lan Medina and a cover by Carlo Pagulayan.

IDW's new Godzilla series grabbed the top spot this month, knocking The Walking Dead from their throne after only one month. Meanwhile Dark Horse released a Dollhouse comic based on the Joss Whedon series of the same name, Dynamite launched a Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris comic with a "Risqué Nude Art" variant cover, and Boom! launched a Hellraiser comic.

So, this tenth Free Comic Book Day, I looked back at the first FCBD and consider it was a seminal day in the history of comics. I consider it a pivotal day, as three different aspects of comics converged into a synchronicity which continues to affect and drive the comics industry. Those three aspects: mass-market retailing among specialty comics shops, graphic novels, and comics movies. As with most historical events, there are multiple events which foreshadowed and pioneered the moments and movements which coalesced the weekend of May 3, 2002.

Led by the top-selling Batman: The Dark Knight and Batman, Inc., which were back on the racks after a two-month absence, and a double-shipping Green Lantern, DC Comics' periodical sales continued a slow recovery in February. Notably, the February numbers also show modest increases across the rest of DC's line-up. Maybe the company's decision to cancel around 25% of its current ongoing titles and stick to a $ 2.99 price point is encouraging retailers, after all.