§ Nice Art: Tillie Walden captures the anticipation of fall in this sketch. Walden’s eagerly awaited Spinning – sure to be one of the graphic novels of the fall – drops today and we’ll have an interview with her on the site later today as well.

§ Nice art Supplemental: Jock was looking out the window at the LA skyline apparently. Whoa.

§ Cartoonist Dean Haspiel is going to the stage! Or as a playwright, at least. His play Harakiri Kane (a.k.a. Die! Die, Again!) will run from Oct. 28 to November 20 at Brooklyn’s the Brick theater.

The 90-minute play follows an amnesiatic angel of death who discovers how he died as a mortal and is torn between trying to fight to get his life back or a continue a budding romance. Ian W. Hill is directing and designing the production, with an cast that includes Jessica Stoya in her NYC stage debut.

“Inspired by morbid events I experienced years ago, Harakiri Kane shifts between outlandish opportunity, existential crisis, and romantic irony. Fans of my Billy Dogma comix will recognize this deep cut where characters are forced to confront their own meaning at the crossroads between life and death. I’m truly excited to be collaborating with director Ian W. Hill and the actors who will bring this story to the stage.”

§ I can’t remember if I linked to this or note: Mimi Pond picks The 10 Best Graphic Memoirs and it’s not what you think!

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§ Writer Dan Gearino has a book coming out this call called Comic Shop, and it’s just that, a history of comics shops and the direct sales market and profiles of contemporary shops. It’s an excellent, necessary book, and he’s interviewing some key retailers of the past on his blog. More to come on this.

§ SelfMadeHero, the excellent British GN publishers, is 10 years old and I guess they had a swanky anniversary party in London.

§ SPX Is coming! As if our own series of interviews didn’t tip you off to that. Here’s a list of 10 debut books from SPX 2017 – that covers the basics

§ I guess there was some weird stuff at Rose City Comic Con including a group that dresses as Hello Kitty Nazis (no) and tchotchkes being removed from sale in Artist Alley.

§ As Spike Trotman put it on Twitter, That wasn’t so hard, was it? Daniel Dae Kim will replace Ed Skrein in the role of Major Ben Daimi in the Hellboy reboot which stars David Harbour. Skrein gracefully bowed out of the role when his casting as the Asian character was pointed to as yet another example of Hollywood whitewashing.

Kim has plenty of cred, having starred in two successful TV shows – Lost and Hawaii Five-O–although he had to exit the latter when he and another Asian actor, Grace Park, were not paid as much as white actors.

I know I’ve said this a zillion times, but there are tons of leading men and women of Asian heritage in the world – they star in movies that make lots of money in ASIA, where US movies have to go to make money. It’s not very hard.

PS: The Hellboy reboot just got underway filming in London!

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§ Great sighs of relief were heaved around the Warners lot when it was announced that director Patty Jenkins has officially signed for the Wonder Woman sequel. The studio had neglected to sign her up for a follow-up, maybe because…well, who knows why. But they paid dearly: Jenkins made about $1 million for WWI, but for the sequel the deal is estimated to be in $7 million to $9 million range and she’ll get a big backend. This makes her the highest paid female director in Hollywood history.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Comic Shop looks really good!

    There’s been too much second guessing on this Patty Jenkins signing. No one knows why she wasn’t signed for two pictures. It’s a black hole. I’ve read a lot of cries of sexism, but maybe she only wanted to sign for 1 and bet on herself? Why is she never given that as a possible motivation? I mean, she’s pretty damn smart and has a history of doing exactly that. I just feel like everyone is underestimating her.

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