§ The other day we announced the formation of Clover Press, the new venture from former IDW president Ted Adams, and here’s their first project: a Gabriel Rodríguez Silver Surfer Black #1 Variant Cover
This exclusive variant for the brand-new series, Silver Surfer Black, features cover art from the Eisner Award Winning artist and co-creator of Locke & Key, Gabriel Rodríguez. Rodríguez took his inspiration from Silver Surfer’s creator, the legendary Jack Kirby when creating this piece. This is the debut exclusive variant cover from Clover Press.
Copies are available for $19.99 in the link. (You may think you dont’ need a whole imprint to put out variant covers, but they have lots of other stuff cooking.)
§ Tom King has revealed the official reason his Batman run was cut short, in an interview with EW about “City of Bane,” his final Batman arc. According to this, it was mostly scheduling:
“I’m working on a DCU movie now (New Gods with Ava DuVernay) and a secret TV show thing that hasn’t been announced,” King tells EW. “DC was kind enough to see that doing all that and a twice-monthly Batman would be tough. So they divided the Batman book into two monthly books, Batman and Batman/Catwoman. Bat/Cat will complete this epic story we’ve been telling and lead to this game-changing moment I’ve been hinting at. Batman will…well, I can’t tell you, but it’s very cool. But, because of the beats that will be handled in Batman, I have more room for my storylines in Bat/Cat, which means that the twelve issues can cover all of the story that was part of the original plan.” King continues, “I used to think Batman #100 was the biggest book I’d ever write. Now it’s Bat/Cat #12. Same issue, same artist, same impact, different name—slightly different.”
It’s a good cover story, and probably some truth to it. I guess we’ll find out what really happened in the tell all interview in Comic Book Artist in 25 years. Also what is that seeeeekrit TV project? I’m thinking it’s LOBO!
Meanwhile, Batman and Catwoman are canoodling again! A bat and a cat! Oh my.
§ Fabio Moon sketches the first table read for Umbrella Academy Season Two!
§ Matt O’Keefe escaped from his duties at The Beat long enough to write something for The MNT, on a Jonathan Hickman comic that only lasted one issue.
The Core was one of six titles part of Top Cow’s 2008 Pilot Season, an initiative during which the publisher let readers vote on what comic they wanted to go to series based on the “pilot” issue. Hickman, artist Kenneth Rocafort, and The Core lost to Genius and Twilight Guardian. Even amongst the losers, Hickman faced stiff competition from comics made by creators like Josh Fialkov, Jeremy Haun, and Jay Faerber. Neither of the winning titles went beyond five issues, but reading The Core it’s clear Hickman was thinking beyond one miniseries. That’s what I’m excited to explore in this piece, along with where it falters and how it compares to his future works.
While one wonders what might have been, one also thinks “Wow, those Top Cow PIlot Season comics had some top talent!”
§ BTW is The MNT going to steal ALL Beat writers? I need to have a word with Steve about this.
§ Outcry from cartoonists continues over the NY Times decision to drop all editorial cartoons. And now the president of the National Cartoonists Society has spoken out:
On behalf of the membership of the National Cartoonists Society, the NCS board express our great dismay at the decision announced to cease running daily editorial cartoons in all international editions of the New York Times as of July 1st, 2019 as they have also done for the domestic edition.
Editorial cartooning is an invaluable form of pointed critique in American newspapers that dates back to the 19th-century work of the legendary Thomas Nast, as well as to pamphlet images published by Benjamin Franklin.
The history of our great nation can be read through the pens of our editorial artists and cartoonists. Journals of record are the conduits to this history.
The cartoonists that contribute to your publication are not mere hobbyists, but deeply committed life-long devotees to the art of political commentary. It is not a job that is taken lightly, nor done with ease. It is a passion that not only feeds the national and international conversation, but just as importantly, feeds their families.
The contribution of cartoonists to your publication are as important and viable as those of op-ed contributors, and yet you would never consider dropping the op-eds. We find ourselves in a critical time in history when political insight is needed more than ever, yet we see more and more cartoonists vanishing from the pages of our publications.
If we are to dull the voices of our most valued critics, satirists, and artists, we stand to lose much more than the ability to debate and converse; We lose our ability to grow as a society. We rob future generations of their opportunity to learn from our mistakes. We would implore the management of the New York Times to reconsider their decision, and reinstate daily editorial cartoons to both the domestic and international editions of The New York Times in print and online.
Sincerely, Jason Chatfield, President
The National Cartoonists Society
§ Once in a while I like to link to something here at the Beat that may have escaped your attention given all the material on the site. In this case it’s Samantha Puc’s excellent interview with Gay Comix founding editor Howard Cruse. Few people really deserve the term pioneer, but Cruse does. And a lot of very valuable history here and insight here.
We didn’t know at the time whether it would be a one-shot. We weren’t necessarily thinking ahead to whether it would be a series. However, there was a network of gay bookstores that embraced the comic, even though a lot of the direct market comic shops were wary of the subject matter. We didn’t have a lot of penetration in comic shops, except for the very forward-looking ones, for a number of years. The gay bookstores made up for that.
I hasten to mention, because everyone always says Gay Comix was the first gay underground comic and then I have to correct them. Before Gay Comix arose, there were three comic book titles in the underground written and drawn by gay people. Mary Wings had put out two titles, Come Out Comix and Dyke Shorts; Roberta Gregory had put out Dynamite Damsels; and Larry Fuller had put out Gay Heart Throbs. Basically, Mary and Roberta were role models for the very human stories that I was hoping to have in Gay Comix. Gay Heart Throbs didn’t really try to have much depth. Larry was breaking ground having a comic by and about gay men. Anyway, Gay Comix was pioneering in the sense that, for one thing, it was bi-gender — back in the days when we only thought there were two genders — and I didn’t want it to be a boys’ club like early undergrounds had been. I wanted to be sure that gay men and lesbians were there.
§ Stop what you are doing! Stop the presses. Stop the world, I want to get ON. THE biggest event at this year’s Comic-Con has just been announced: Mickey’s Disco Night, a night of inferno-like discoing to celebrate the 40th – yes 40th!!! – anniversary of Mickey Mouse Disco, the second* greatest album of all times.
D23 will be hosting Mickey’s Disco Night on Friday, July 19. Official Event
Description: Look out, San Diego! It’s the 40th anniversary of the multi-platinum Mickey Mouse Disco album, which means it’s time to turn back the clock and party like it’s 1979! Get glammed up and ready to boogie all night long. You can bet your squad there’ll be plenty of #throwback moments to capture. No platform shoes are too high and no jumpsuit is too sparkly for this night of funky fun!
Watch out, watch out for Goofy! He’s a disco demolition!
I feel certain that this song was the inspiration for the entire Goof Troop show. A lot of people wondered where Max came from – surely he was the result of one of Goofy’s careless nights at the disco. Also is Goof Troop ever going to get the nostalgia treatment?
• The greatest album of all times is, of course, Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of The Haunted House.
THE Haunted House. Think about it.
It’s only a matter of time for Goof Troop — the kids of the 90s that are the Instagram artists and animators of today all ADORE that movie.
Scary enough, I believe my family had that Mickey Mouse Disco album when I was a kid. I recognize that cover…
Nice. Thanks for sharing this.
Comments are closed.