§ Nice art: not much comics linkage today so this drawing of Moebius’s Arzach in the style of Krazy Kat by Jason will have to do.
§ Paste listed The 40 Most Anticipated Comics of 2018 – this got me excited! YAY!
§ Artist Steve Lieber pens his 52nd and final column for the Toucan Blog, and offers a few points of summary for creators:
1. Stay focused on story Every comics page offers challenges and opportunities. You’re asked to draw people, places, clothing, gestures, props, situations. You design typography and compositions, and you get to arrange the panels to create new meanings by how they relate to each other. It’s fun, but it can seem like an endless parade of exhausting choices.
When there are so many options and possibilities, how do you choose? The answer is to serve the story. The layout that best serves the story might not always be the most fun to draw, or the most glamorous moment, or the most impressive bit of draftsmanship. Stories sometimes need simple, quiet, or prosaic moments. Other moments might require you to knuckle down and draw something really tough. One story might need dramatic, high-contrast lighting, with vivid bright areas, and deep shadows.
Others might call for the austerity of clean, uninflected outlines. A coming-of-age memoir that turns on a specific detail of period fashion will require you to draw in a way that makes that fashion recognizable. Another memoir might work best with wild expressionism that deemphasizes naturalistic observation and prioritizes emotional intensity. Know your story inside and out, and let it guide your choices.
§ OLD LINK: A profile from last month of Ariell R. Johnson, owner of Philadelphia’s groundbreaking Amalgam Comics shop. The store is still going strong after opening two years ago.
§ After San Diego Comic-Con won it’s trademark battle last month, The Phoenix Comic Con has rebranded itself as the Phoenix Comic Fest.
In recent months, the use of the word Comic-Con, and its many forms, has become litigious. We would prefer to focus on creating the best events and experiences for our attendees. Therefore, effective immediately, our event held annually in Phoenix in the spring will be rebranded
— Phoenix Fan Fusion (@PhxFanFusion) January 2, 2018
This was definitely a pre-emptive strike but I hear a few other cons are pondering similar name changes.
§ Oscar Isaac continues to embrace the whole “Stormpilot” fandom, as a quote on a promo tour reveals:
Isaac offered this take on the Finn/Rose romance as part of a BAFTA Q&Awith the cast and director Rian Johnson:
Look, it was a little difficult to see my man kiss somebody else, but, you know, you gotta give up control … you got to watch some stuff you don’t want to watch sometimes.
How refreshing to see an actor who is so comfortable with the idea of his character being queer, and fandom embracing that idea. And refreshing that Disney and Lucalfilms have no problem with this. Oscar Isaac is our way forward.
