ComicBlogs

Here is a handy dandy link to all the seven groups of artists who are trying out for the Line it is Drawn. They each drew a piece based on a suggestion of comic book characters teaming up that haven’t teamed up before (plus links to drawings of a famous person or character being “superfied” [...]

I’ll be posting entries in groups of roughly 20 artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at all the great talent on display here. Then, after these artists do a second drawing, we’ll ask you all to vote on your favorites. I’ll also have a group of judges vote for their favorites. I’ll [...]

I’ll be posting entries in groups of roughly 20 artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at all the great talent on display here. Then, after these artists do a second drawing, we’ll ask you all to vote on your favorites. I’ll also have a group of judges vote for their favorites. I’ll [...]

I’ll be posting entries in groups of roughly 20 artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at all the great talent on display here. Then, after these artists do a second drawing, we’ll ask you all to vote on your favorites. I’ll also have a group of judges vote for their favorites. I’ll [...]

I’ll be posting entries in groups of roughly 20 artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at all the great talent on display here. Then, after these artists do a second drawing, we’ll ask you all to vote on your favorites. I’ll also have a group of judges vote for their favorites. I’ll [...]

I’ll be posting entries in groups of roughly 20 artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at all the great talent on display here. Then, after these artists do a second drawing, we’ll ask you all to vote on your favorites. I’ll also have a group of judges vote for their favorites. I’ll [...]

I’ll be posting entries in groups of 20 or so artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at all the great talent on display here. Then, after these artists do a second drawing, we’ll ask you all to vote on your favorites. I’ll also have a group of judges vote for their favorites. [...]

Welcome to the first Week 2 batch of drawings by artists who are trying out to see if they can nab a spot as one of the regular The Line it is Drawn artists! All day, I’ll be posting entries in groups of roughly 20 artists an entry. Check their work out and marvel at [...]

As the fallout from the Dark Horse digital initiative continues to blow like a glowing cloud over the internet, one other digital initiative has been trashed pretty thoroughly by a bunch of retailers in public and private: ComiXology's digital storefronts. The rollout of terms was poorly handled and pissed off a lot of retailers with fears that it was just a front for ComiXology to get their customer information. Perhaps in light of this, ComiXology has just made a lengthy release about the programs first few months with news that money has been paid out early and at a lower minimum payment. Also a new TOS perhaps more to the liking of retailers will be released, along with other improvements. And the retailers that did use it have called it a big success. 100 stores -- listed below -- are taking part in the program. So -- consider this a new sales pitch: "Take a look at me now."

DEFENDERS #2 (NOV110487) Written by MATT FRACTION Pencils & Cover by TERRY DODSON Inks by RACHEL DODSON Colors by SONIA OBACK FOC – 12/12/11, ON SALE 1/4/12

Surprise! Early episode! As we weren’t both going to be around in Edinburgh this weekend, we’ve got in a bit under the wire with a nice juicy hour and a quarter of chat on such topics as the passing of Jerry Robinson, the continuing New 52 creative reshuffle, the Kickstarter success of Ashes, the upcoming [...]

Oops, well just yesterday The Beat and Michael Sangiacomo were reporting that Archie Comics co-CEO Nancy Silberkleit was continuing to peacefully tell children about the joys of comics despite her past as the target of a sexual harassment lawsuit. However, it seems that a series of anonymous phone calls alerted school officials to Silberkleit's ongoing legal problems and the school visits were canceled. A comics shop appearance and the sale of comics to benefit the schools have gone on as planned. But there is much more than that going on.

DC has announced Night Force is returning as a 7-issue mini-series in March. This will be the third revival for the series, which retains its original writer: Marv Wolfman. Night Force originally dates back to 1982, when Wolfman and Gene Colan reunited after their long run on Tomb of Dracula. The first run lasted 14 issues. The second series went for 12 issues from 1996-97, with a variety of artists like Brent Anderson and Matt Smith joining Wolfman.

All December long, I will be doing daily installments of Comic Theme Time. Comic Theme Time is a twist on the idea of a “Top Five” list. Instead of me stating a topic and then listing my top five choices in that topic, I’m giving you the topic and letting you go wild with examples [...]

“A child is born into a world of phenomena all equal in their power to enslave. It sniffs — it sucks — it strokes its eyes over the whole uncomfortable range. Suddenly one strikes. Why? Moments snap together like magnets, forging a chain of shackles. Why? I can trace them. I can even, with time, [...]

A new Gilbert Hernandez GN is not astonishing news in and of itself -- the guy is one of the most prolific geniuses out there. However, that it will be overtly semi-autobiographical and that it will be published by D&Q makes it even more newsworthy, as revealed this morning at The Comics Reporter. MARBLE SEASON "follows a group of children and teenagers growing up in suburban southern California of the early 1960s, and tells the untold stories from the youth of an American comics legend. Pop culture references—TV shows, comic books, and music—saturate this evocative story, giving MARBLE SEASON the distinctive narrative depth and attention to detail fans have come to expect from the acclaimed cartoonist's work."
 
The book will be released this fall with a tour to follow.

Yesterday's comments by Tom Brevoort on the lack of sales support for female characters at Marvel did not go unnoticed by the usual gender issue commentators.

Charges against cartoonist/journalist Susie Cagle for "being present at a raid" have been dropped, although not without a bit of drama:

DC sure is coming on steady with these writer changes. On Wednesday, you had Paul Cornell off Stormwatch (though DC really only announced Paul Jenkins writing a 2-parter, Cornell was the one announcing he was off). On Tuesday, you had Joe Harris replacing Gail Simone as Firestorm co-writer. On Monday, you had Tom DeFalco replacing Fabian Niceiza on Legion Lost. Are we seeing a pattern pattern here?

WonderCon has added a bunch of new guests to their lineup including Arthur Adams, Ernest Cline, Joe Hill, Richard Kadrey, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee, and Richard Starkings. They join Sergio Aragones, Fiona Staples, Steve Niles, and others you can see in the above link. WonderCon will be held for the first time in Anaheim next year, but it promises to be the same kind of star-studded show as usual. WonderCon will be held March 16-18, 2012.