§ Nice art: This came out last week but I cannot help but share this stunning Black Panther variant cover drawn by Paul Pope and colored by Toby Cypress. Take about a team supreme.
§ Writer and friend Tim O’Shea has been battling brain cancer and is now in hospice care, but letters written to him are greatly easing his time, so please consider writing him a note. I know he will appreciate it.
§ Nice art again. Earlier this year, Mike Mignola announced he was taking a year off from comics to devote to painting. Word has it, he’s already feeling a bit done with painting. but oh what paintings, as Paste magazine reports. I guess when you are that talented you can do whatever you darned please.
Edgar Allen Poe once expounded that, “The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world,” an appropriately creepy, unnerving and confusing belief for the doom prophet who turned live burials and alcoholism into a literary tradition. But looking at the watercolor paintings of comic icon and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, the connection between death and beauty has never been more profound.
§ The upcoming Luke Cage Netflix show is getting great reviews, and Evan Narcisse joins in the praise pile on:
The show’s writing self-consciously tethers Luke Cage to a legacy of black pulp heroism. Moreover, Luke Cage takes the exaggerated, over-affected mannerisms of 1970s blaxploitation movies and 1990s hood flicks, and brings them forward, pulling threads from the sharkskin suits of New Jack City, New York Undercover, American Gangster, The Wire, and kinfolk melanin-heavy melodramas like Empire. The show occasionally teeters on the edge of overly earnest message-movie corniness but, even then, it feels like it’s doing so intentionally. The mix of tonalities make it feel richer than first impressions might suggest. It moves from barbershop shit-talking to considerations of Harlem’s singular history or visual nostalgia for old-school rap videos without inducing whiplash. There’s a self-awareness at play here that pulled me in. Luke Cage takes its themes and performances seriously but not at the expense of having fun in the kitchen.
§ Area couple profile Dawn and Gary Guzzo, former Marvel mainstays who now make comics in Boothbay Harbor, ME.
But Stan Lee isn’t the only classic comic character creator who Dawn, and her husband Gary Guzzo, are in touch with from their years at Marvel Comics. Particularly since a reunion of sorts happened three years ago at Gary’s 60th birthday party in New York City. Before the couple moved to Boothbay Harbor, they were both at Marvel Comics; Gary was the head of publicity and marketing, and Dawn, head of the production department. She was the first woman to climb up the ladder at Marvel to become head of production from freelance graphic artist to assistant designer, designer, senior designer to running the then-famous Marvel “Bullpen” for 15 years.
§ I do not own any Artists Editions, or whatever each publisher calls them, lacking the funds and space to properly collect the darn things. Plus, you would need a LOT of money and space to keep up as every publisher announces their own lines. The site Comic Book Daily has you covered with both a list of all the oversized editions WITH ANNOUNCED PRINT RUNS and a list of those that are out of print, a smaller list than I would have thought. I’m going to have to study that list a bit and make some opinions known!
§ Conventions! How many are there, who what and when? I have on this site archived an old list from now defunct ConNews.com that has about 1000 events, but here’s an up to date master list from FanCons.com. ULTRA SUPER BONUS: a list of PAST cons going back to the 30s!
§ And speaking of cons, here’s a brief report on the Nairobi comic convention, which sounds much like all cons:
The two day event saw nerd culture engage in tournaments, cosplay competitions, workshops and a social euphoria of a whole new digital world. With amazing awards, giveaways and raffles draws everyone left with a piece of Naiccon with them.
§ And a photo gallery from Salt Lake Comic Con.
Thanks for the Artist Editions link, Heidi.Fascinating stuff. (Especially looking forward to the Hal Foster one- who knew?)
This Mignola ghost reminded me some great watercolors of Thomas Girtin (1775–1802, about who William Turner noted, “Had Tom Girtin lived, I should have starved.”). Especially his classic “The White House at Chelsea”, http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=21824
> “Edgar Allen Poe once expounded”
How come so many people still misspell Edgar Allan Poe? (To add insult to injury, Edgar Poe only ever signed “Edgar A. Poe” because he hated his stepfather but loved his stepmother, Mr. & Mrs. Allan. The commercial fad for middle-named writers later resurrected Poe’s old nemesis.)
How does:
“Initial reported sales are based on Diamond’s North American sales numbers for the book’s release month; unfortunately they only rank the Top 300 Graphic Novels and Top 10 Books. Inexplicably Diamond ranks Artist’s Editions in Graphic Novels or Books interchangeably. Publishers don’t seem willing to release sales numbers so please take Diamond’s reports as estimates.”
Turn into this:
“a list of all the oversized editions WITH ANNOUNCED PRINT RUNS”
I mean, seriously, you even run your own monthly articles on estimates based on Diamond’s lists, so you should know the inherent limitations, especially for books like these which probably have significant sales at conventions, mail order, re-orders after the initial month and other sales that don’t show up on Diamond’s charts, so calling them ANNOUNCED PRINT RUNS is ridiculous bordering on journalistic malpractice.
Thank you, Simon, for stating that about Poe–I was just about to post something similar. Poor Poe must be rolling in his grave.
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