World Comics

Every two years, the Max und Moritz Preis Gala takes place at the International Comics Salon in Erlangen, Germany. Who won? Who was nominated? And what was Marc-Oliver Frisch's involvement?

Artist Sara Pichelli won Best Artist and Best Newcomer awards at last night's Stan Lee Awards, which are presented at the Kapow! to recognize achievements in superhero comics or something. Pichelli was on hand to accept her awards, as you can see, which is a good thing because originally there were no women in comics to go to the show. Luckily, some were found.

As the UK's big three-weekend rolling convention rolls on, Kapow! is the big multimedia/Big Two and Image/mancave convention, with movie premiere stuff, Joe Quesada, Dan DiDio, Eric Stephenson, Jonathan Ross, and even Warren Ellis and Peter Serafinowitz. The show is being held at the fairly intimate London Business Design Centre—total capacity is about 6500 people—and all tickets are already sold out, meaning there will be no walk-up tickets at all—so mastermind Mark Millar's wish to give the UK a mini San Diego has come true.

by Jimmy Aquino --

The Bristol Comic Expo was held in Bristol, UK this weekend on May 12-13 at The Passenger Shed in Brunel's Old Station. I was over to cover for my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER and The Beat as well as see friends. I've attended Bristol Expo 2 previous times. First in 2008 when it was the train station like this year. And again in 2010 when it was split between the Ramada and Mercure hotels. I was happy to see it back in the station as it kept everything (except for panels) in one place. When I first came back in 2008, it was the biggest comics show in the UK. Now, with the massive proliferation of other shows, some feel it has been hurt by this trend especially since there are literally 2 more in a row in London. I still found it quite a vibrant show with lots of great UK talent exhibiting. From small press unknowns trying to make a name to the big names in UK comics, it was a great array of comic folks. 

Tony DeZuniga, co-creator of Jonah Hex and The Black Orchid, has passed away at age 71. He suffered a stroke in April and had been battling a series of health problems since then. DeZuniga was a seminal figure in the "Filipino Invasion" of the '70s and '80s which saw artists like Nestor Redondo, Alex Nino, and Alfredo Alcala entering the US market. He helped introduce many of the artists to US editors and then served as an agent for several years. Like most of the artists in this wave, DeZuniga was an impeccable draftsman who could draw just about anything. He's best remembered for his contributions to the barbarians and Westerns of the day, but he also drew romance, adventure, superhero, horror....like we said, he could draw anything.

This past weekend (April 20-21) I took part in the first-ever Middle East Film and Comic-Con (MEFCC), held in Dubai. I attended mainly to promote my IDW Publishing series Kill Shakespeare (along with my co-creator Conor McCreery) but I also went in a quest to answer a question I’ve been wondering: how big is the comic book culture in the Middle East? The answer is: quite big. And it’s growing.

Legendary Filipino creator Tony DeZuniga recently had a severe stroke, and he is currently in critical condition. And his family does not have health insurance—yeah, this stuff happens in the Philippines, too. HIs wife Tina wrote of the details in the link below.

Nicolas de Crécy is one of the greatest artists currently working in comics, and his book THE CELESTIAL BIBENDUM is spectacular proof of that. An English language edition goes on sale tomorrow in the UK from Knockabout, but probably some copies will be slipping into the US. You can also order a deluxe edition from TFAW for $55.96. Pricey but beautiful.

The internet is crossing international lines! Or at least it is with 2000 AD, the essential UK anthology, which will soon be available digitally only 2 days after it hits UK newsstands. Not quite day and date but better than the two weeks it takes physical copies to get to the US. Copies can be purchased at 2000 AD's own store; subscriptions can be purchased via Clickwheel. In addition, 2000 AD publisher Rebellion is working on their own digital comics platform for later this year.

André Franquin's Marsupilami is a very popular character in the Franco-Comics belt. Marsu is a funny cat monkey with a long tail who lives in the jungle. Cat monkey. Sold. He's also known for his funny cry of "Houba!" which is what cat monkeys say instead of "Wooah!"

Lew Stringer debunks the idea that Beano and The Dandy invented the speech balloon with a look at some older comics., like this 1917 cover of Picture Fun No. 428, which uses word balloons AND the then-current wads and wads of text, as originated in The Yellow Kid.

Publisher Rizzoli has responded to complaints lodged here and at the Big Planet blog about production shortcomings in the new edition of Hugo Pratt's The Ballad of the Salt Sea.