Publishers

The mystery continues with a killing fetish...

Last week ‘s Walking Dead left off with everyman hero, Rick Grimes, down one seriously gored horse and trapped inside a tank with throngs of the undead crawling all over it.  Will he make it out alive!? Yeah, sure, of course.  But not without trial, error, carnage and a morally compromised ol’ lady.   This week’s episode, Guts, started off driving home Rick’s cruel fate even further by opening up with his former cop buddy, Shane, licking the now wedding ring eschewing Mrs. Grimes all over. 

Continuing our previews of ELMER, the graphic novel by Gerry Alanguilan, available this month from SLG.

I'm going to cheat here a little by breaking up the first chapter of ELMER, by Gerry Alanguilan, which is collected this month by Slave Labor. Originally published in the Philippines as a mini-comic, it's many things: a bizarre SF social satire in the style of George Orwell or (as one reader suggested to me) Poul Anderson's Brain Wave -- and also Adam Hines' recent Rex the Wonder Dog, which has some of the same themes treated very differently. It's also a beautiful example of the Filipino komiks school, all lush penwork and atmosphere. it's also just a good read. Because it's the whole first chapter I'm going to break it up over two days. Tune in tomorrow for the second part.

Okay so Sally Field has been cast as Aunt May. Hiring a bone density spokeswoman to play a frail old biddy who was always clutching her heart is puzzling, but hey, it's the 21st century.

This video of Stan Lee being confronted with the original art for FANTASTIC FOUR #12 for the first time in 47 years or so (or if he did, he probably forgot) is undeniably touching. But it also contains secret clues to the biggest treasure trove of all, Robert Langdon!!!!

What is going on here!!!

While in other places the indie periodical comic has languished, Stan Sakai and Usagi Yojimbo do not question, they just do. After five publishers and 26 years, this story of a wandering rabbit samurai in Edo period Japan has become one of the longest-running and best loved independent comics of all time. With a loyal home at Dark Horse since 1996 and 24 collections published, the Usagi saga has become a continuing epic of heroism, betrayal and romance, with a large cast of characters who weave in and out of Usagi's life. It's comics world building at its purest, and all-ages in the best way. A new issue is out this month that serves as a jumping on point (although truthfully, Sakai is such a strong storyteller that you can always catch up just by jumping on -- check out how the first page of the preview sets up the situation so you can just keep on going.)

[In recent weeks there's been much discussion of comics pricing, and both Marvel and DC have made changes to their pricing levels in order to face the realities of the current economic climate. While DC has announced an across the board roll-back of prices from $3.99 to $2.99, Marvel's policy announcements have been somewhat less clear. At the ICV2 conference last month Vice-President Sales & Circulation David Gabriel announced a rollback on selected titles, but no details. In addition at a retailer meeting, Marvel announced that they would be putting out fewer titles. An interview earlier this week with VP-executive editor Tom Brevoort made it clear that the rollback was limited but left details to Gabriel. In order to clear up what Marvel's policies are in regards to pricing, Gabriel and Chief Operating Officer Jim "Ski" Sokolowski sat down for an interview, discussing some of the business realities of publishing, the growth of digital and how to reach new readers as older ones cycle out.]

Yesterday's release of BATMANn & ROBIN #16 -- the final issue leading into the new BATMAN, INC, book by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette -- included a shocking ending. It was also the first time DC's new Editor-in-chief Bob Harras had made the press rounds with a bunch of interviews at various sites, including a chat with Kiel Phegley at CBR. Nothing too shocking or revelatory. Harras shows himself to be a smart publishing professional who likes Grant Morrison and thinks comics are a visual medium. He's also getting a handle on a wide-ranging job:

Continuing our preview month, here's a 16-page preview from Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Volume 2: The Great Puppet Theater, the sequel to the best-selling Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer by Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins. In this installment, our wooden vampire hunter meets other like him in a story inspired by the great Italian puppet theaters seen to this day in Sicily. The Great Puppet Theater is published by SLG and is on sale this month. There's more info on the book at pinocchiovampireslayer.com, on the Facebook page or on Twitter @p_vampireslayer.

Bob Schreck, one of the industry's best regarded editors, has left his position as Senior Editor at IDW to start a comics division for Legendary Pictures (not Entertainment, as the IDW release states), according to PR that just went out. The parting was amicable. Legendary Pictures, founded by Thomas Tull, has produced such films as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Hangover, Inception, and Where the Wild Things Are, so the connection to starting their own comics company is pretty obvious and Schreck is well qualified to start such an effort.