§ Nice art: Tomer Hanuka is selling prints of his New Yorker cover Spring Awakening for $45 but sales end today. They may have already ended – hurry hurry hurry!
§ I got a note from a promo company named Rackfest that sells limited edition autographed stuff and they have a signed edition of God Woke, a graphic novel that some how both Stan Lee and William Shatner are involved in. I guess Stan thought directed the thing. The creators are Fabian Nicieza, Nadir Balan, Rick Emond, Walter Flanagan, John Hebert, Mariano Nicieza, Kelly Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos and it was published by Shatner Singularity which…well I think you can figure that out. (The link is to Comixology but I’ve seen print versions at cons.)
The cover evokes those ads in the back of magazines for books that offer to tell you about how God is going to destroy the universe but if you send in $19.95 you’ll find out how the gory details, an esthetic not much exploited in comics, so I like that. The story, plotted by Stan, involves “a timeless tale of humanity’s search for meaning … and a fresh take on God’s own search for the same.” Rackfest is offering an edition signed by Stan, Fabian Nicieza, Mariano Nicieza, Frank Lovece and Wilson Ramos Jr. for $495 but there’s also an Exclusive ONE OF A KIND FIRST Edition Run that costs a mere $995 because it has five autographs and a hand painted front cover. Alas, William Shatner did not sign this edition, because a book signed by Stan and the Shat would truly bring on the rapture. Will anyone pay $1000 for a signed graphic novel? I guess we’ll find out.
§ Shea Hennum looks back at the anthology island, which just wrapped up its run after 15 issues. It was a good run, and Island was a zeitgiest anthology, just as Kramers and Mome were before it, as radically different as the esthetics and audience were. And the “serialization to small graphic novel” model Island used seemed promising, but even with Image’s financial model and the strong following for editors Brandon Graham and Emma Rios, the end came. Hennum goes over all that in his piece as will as the legacy:
This frenetic eclecticism was not limited to the magazine’s comics. If it were, readers would have been able to pick up the bound collections of Island’s serials without missing a unique part of the Island experience. Instead, the magazine was just that — a magazine. It was full of serialized and self-contained stories, and it featured beautiful covers, spot illustrations, and mixed-media fashion spreads by cartoonists like Patrick Crotty and Katie Skelly. Some issues included interviews with Island contributors, while others featured illustrated prose by comic writers like Bitch Planet’s Kelly Sue DeConnick. What’s more, these illustrations and comics were published at a size that dwarfs the standard 6.6″ x 10.24″ pamphlet comics format; Island’s broad and varied contents were printed at a 7″ x 11″ trim size, a slight increase that makes a big difference, and the magazine itself literally stands out from nearly all the other comics on the shelf.
§ Cartoon Network unveiled a lot of new content on multiple platforms at its up fronts because that’s the world we live in now, but they also announced two new cartoons, Apple & Onion, two naive buddies who discover the ways of the world in the big city; created by George Gendi (The Amazing World of Gumball).
And Steven Universe alums Ben Levin and Matt Burnett, are offering Craig of the Creek, (above) “set in a kid utopia of untamed wilderness where Craig and his two best friends have ventured and tribes of children reign over tree forts and dirt bike ramps.” I expect to see this in heavy rotation on Tumblr.
§ Tony Isabella followed up on his big week, saying he liked that Black LIghtning costume we showed you earlier, but doesn’t think BL should team up just yet, not even with Static:
I confess I’m getting a wee bit annoyed by fan calls for Static to appear on this show. Now I love Static and the Static Shock cartoon series, but, were it my call (and it isn’t), you would NEVER see Static in this series. Black Lightning doesn’t need Static. Static doesn’t need Black Lightning. They are great characters who can stand on their own. The Outsiders. I feel the same way about them, though a live-action Metamorpho would be epic. They are terrific characters, but Black Lightning doesn’t need them. Every other DC/CW super-hero show has turned into a show about a team of heroes. Again, though it’s not my call, but I think Black Lightning should be different. Variety is a cool thing.
§ At CinemaCon it was tweeted that the Justice League movie will be nearly three hours long,an idea that encouraged joyous shouts among fans led people to cast themselves on the ground and rend their garments, but as the link suggests that was just scuttlebutt and PEOPLE NOTHING IS CONFIRMED. So calm down. And all the footage was LIGHTHEARTED. ABSOLUTELY LIGHTHEARTED.
§ I liked this article All the WonderCon 2017 panels you don’t want to miss because several of them were about comics!
For $1000 a pop, that graphic novel should absolutely be signed by William Shatner (unless Bill doesn’t actually have a creator credit for it). Not only that but either Bill or Stan should hand-deliver the thing (kidding–mostly).
There are comic collectors who would consider a rare high-grade book – i.e. worth a lot more than $1000 – to be actually devalued by a Stan Lee signature.
Comments are closed.