Conan's Favourite Joke

Great post of a short Conan story, drawn by Bruce Timm at Kev Langley's blog!

Watching comics on my Iphone

The redoubtable Brigid Alverson (of Comic Book Resources) posted a good round-up of the various comic reader apps available for the IPhone/IPod Touch. There's actually a lot on there, once you get hold of a portal app such as Comixology or Iverse.

I think the IPhone market is going to be a huge and I see a lot of indie comics creators adopting the platform to push their work. I read a lot of stuff on my IPod. It's the comics equivalent of an mp3 player; I just load it up with comics and then I can dip into a comic whenever I'm sitting on a bus or having root canal treatment.

Ironically, I think consuming comics in this way might be closer to the throwaway pulp roots of the medium than the wrapped-in-uv-protective-plastic, fetish culture that developed in the 1990s.

After a bit of testing I've come to prefer the ComicZeal reader, which combines a good display (it stays clear even zoomed in), PDF support (I don't just read comics on it) and very easy-to-use syncing.

I'm not holding my breath for the mythical Apple Tablet (aka "The Big Ipod Touch") - which is supposed to CHANGE THE FACE OF COMICS FOREVER!!! - but apart from the size (an inch longer and wider and it would be perfect), I see little wrong with the current platform.

(via Robot 6 and Forbidden Planet)

The Warlord of Io Incident part one

Amidst the debate about why Diamond Comics Distributor decided not to distribute James Turner's The Warlord of Io, from Slave Labour Graphics, few commentators considered the monthly comic format as a culprit.

Like many people who like comics (as a medium), but complain about their price, I no longer buy monthly comics, but wait for them to be collected as trade paperbacks. The monthly comic book occupies no special position, as a format - it is subject to the same technological, commercial and cultural forces that affect every other medium - and yet the argument persists that it deserves preservation in its own right.

Serial comics stories have appeared in various formats apart from the monthly booklet - from the newspaper strips and pullout sections, to features in lifestyle magazines (for example Jamie Hewlett's Get the Freebies strip in Face magazine, in the 90s), to anthology magazines (like 2000AD and various manga) - and will continue to do so (web comics of varying frequency of publication and delivery to electronic devices).

The monthly, thirty-two-page comic book is an anachronism that belongs to another time - in both the history of publishing and printing and in the evolution of the comics medium - and it needs to go.

The problem with the monthly book is not simply price, but that most comics, as Tom Spurgeon pointed out in a recent article, are simply poor value. The comparison in value between monthly comics and trade paperbacks/graphic novels does not need to be restated.

"One of many, many reasons manga has been successful is that it not only seems to connote value on a one on one basis - a manga trade vs. a comic book - but that the perceived value works according to a standard model of participation. A lot of folks seem to feel that buying x-amount of dollars in manga has a better chance to give you a more rewarding experience than buying x-amount of dollars in American comic books."

And the barrier for participation in many mainstream comics is ludicrously high. As I've argued previously, the content of mainstream comics reflects this cultural issue. It may reward the die-hard Wednesday crowd, but it does a profound disservice to a medium that could easily reach a much larger audience.

If the format of a medium is relative to the narrative's length (ie. a long narrative demands a long format) it makes perfect sense for Image Comics to publish a compendium of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead (or indeed Jeff Smith's Bone) to give readers a sense of the story's scope. I predict that this compendium will do well, though it may burn slowly.

"Even the best serial comics only approach those standards [of Jeff Smith's Bone] occasionally, it seems, in between larger segments where nothing very much at all happens and what happens doesn't happen in a way that's memorable. Serial comics readers remember the good runs for decades afterward, and I think live in partial denial about the dominance of the fallow periods."

Apart from the disproportionate financial burden placed on the reader of serial monthly comics - Spurgeon estimates comics prices are about three times ahead of inflation - the medium fails to consider the changed media landscape. Following a serial narrative requires commitment of time and attention that relatively few can afford.

The tendency of comics publishers to merchandise their properties into other media might endear audiences to brands and characters, but not necessarily to monthly comics. Publishers need to listen to what the majority of comics readers are telling them.

Comics have long since ceased to be the magazines of their pulp origins, they are now books.

The Warlord of Io Incident part zero

The comics blogosphere has been in a general state of agitation about (what I am calling) 'The Warlord of Io Incident.'

The Warlord of Io and Other Stories, was a one-shot comic, by illustrator and comics creator James Turner, published by Slave Labour Graphics.

However, when news that comics distributor, Diamond, declined to carry the planned mini-series, on the grounds of its poor sales to comic shops, it seemed to reflect a lack of confidence in the medium on the part of the very people responsible for running the industry, prompting furious debate on all sides.

Without doubt the matter raises some serious issues about the way the comics industry is run; specifically, about...

1. retail comics as a product (their content, format and price)
2. the publication and marketing of comics
3. the distribution and retail of comics

Over the next few weeks, I'll review the debate and try to unpick some of these issues, starting with retail comics themselves, not as a medium, but as a product. Part one of this article - to be posted this afternoon - will look at retail comics.

Prince Valiant

Fantagraphics is shortly to publish a new edition of Prince Valiant, Hal Foster's legendary, Golden Age comic strip of knights, swashbuckling, romance and chivalry.

If the captions can seem a little twee at times (see left), Hal Foster's artwork is amazing. Foster was an exceptional talent in an era of exceptional talents.

The new edition reprints the first couple of years of the strip. Check out the PDF of the first ten strips.

Summer Edition 2009

Phil Barrett, Katie Blackwood and Patrick Lynch are organising the Edition Summer Art Book, Comic and Zine Fair 2009, at Filmbase, in Dublin, on Saturday 14 July.

In a recent interview on the Comic Cast, Katie expressed the view that creators of mini comics, zines and art books share similar creative practices, but very little dialogue. This might be just the ticket then.

Incentive for everyone to get there skates on and make something this summer!

The Guardian says comics 'okay'

Michael Faber's review of Jamilti, by Rutu Modan (Exit Wounds) - a collection of early, short comics - patronisingly gives with one hand and takes with the other. But maybe that's just criticism. Let's face it, it's hard to be a critic without sounding a wee bit pretentious.

Still worth reading Faber's thoughts on Modan's work and comics in general.

Full of Brian Lee O'Malley

Where superheroes are concerned, even the hippest indy comics creators are no less vulnerable than the rest of us.

I'm not sure what happened to Marvel's indie anthology, but I love Brian Lee O'Malley's take on comic fan favourite Kitty Pryde, for the forthcoming Full of Pryde exhibition.

Scott Pilgrim nuts may enjoy Unshelved's graphic review of Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe (coming to cinema screens next year), in the comic strip style of BLO'M.

Michael Kupperman Blogs!

Michael Kupperman's blog - appropriately subtitled 'here comes madness' - is well worth a look-see.

(via The Beat)

British Comics alive and well

Sadly, the British children’s comic, The DFC, published its final issue last week. The DFC was critically well-received, for innovation in both its content - the comic featured a wide variety of strips by many of Britain’s best cartoonists - and for its ad-free, subscription-based format. However, David Fickling Books (an imprint of Random House), which published The DFC, called time on the comic less than a year after its launch.

However, far from a demoralising defeat, comics creators blame the demise of The DFC merely on bad timing and and see it as an inspiration for British comics.

There was a short-lived campaign for a subscriber buy-out of the comic. That was always going to be a difficult sell, given the youth of the publication, but it shows the devotion that the comic engendered and the appetite for a high-quality comic magazine.

On the creative front, former-DFC contributors have rallied together to keep the spirit of the publication alive and (one hopes) to raise the profile of British comics. They have begun a new web-comic Huzzah! (a comic version of exquisite corpse), which showcases their talents.

On other fronts, the number of British comics conventions around the country, the recent anthology of British indie comics from Polish publisher, Polygo Books, and the continued success of acclaimed British comics magazine Crikey!, show the general rude health of British comics.

Huzzah, indeed!

Dash Shaw's Bodyworld

Just started reading Bodyworld by Dash Shaw (Bottomless Bellybutton). I don't love the artwork, so far, but the surreal atmosphere is keeping me interested. Daily Cross Hatch has a fine review of it here.

Comic to Cinema

I had never heard of Danger: Diabolik or Female Convict Scorpion before reading Robin Bougie's excellent article, on Guttersnipe Media about the best adaptions of comics for cinema.

I'd seen a lot of the other ones. I must say that Ghost World is one of my favourite films. If Robert Crumb had written an autobiography, Terry Zwigoff's Crumb would surely be on Robin's list too.

(via The Comics Reporter)

Spazzmoid webcomic drops!

Since wrapping up The Shiznit, Bob Byrne has been promising to bring his acidic stylings to 'The Internet'. Behold Spazzmoid! As Bob might say 'April Fools Day mother-figgedy-fuckers!'

Mindpuss launch party

Ronan Kennedy's Mindpuss #1 launches next Thursday (2 April), at Toners pub on Baggot St, Dublin.

The launch kicks off at 8 and it should be a good opportunity to meet some Irish comics creators.

"Make it so, Sean Gordon Murphy!"

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen eat your heart out!

Sean Gordon Murphy assembles the unlikeliest and possibly greatest team of heroes ever.

Look at Jean-Luc Picard! Click on the picture to see the rest. Name them all and win a special badge for geeks, made out of cold-pressed latinum.

Six of the Best: Comics Festivals

Of course there are loads of comics conventions in the US - San Diego and New York etc - and quite a few in France, but after reading (and especially seeing) so much about it, this year, Angoulême Comics Festival is the one I'd go out of my way to visit.

Now I just have to talk my fiancée into a holiday in the beautiful South-East of France... but how?

Here are some of the tastiest-looking festivals in Ireland, the UK and a little further afield, over the next few months:

• 27-29 March: Phoenix Convention (P-Con), Dublin, Ireland.
  
• 9-10 May: Bristol International Comic Expo, Bristol, England.
• 4-6 June: 2D in Derry, Northern Ireland.
• 18-19 July: London Film and Comic Con, London, England .
  
• 3-4 October: British International Comics Show, Birmingham, England.
• 13-15 November: Dublin City Comic Con, Dublin, Ireland.
• 28-30 January, 2010: Angoulême International Comics Festival, Angoulême, France.
  

Inconveniently, there is a fixtures pile-up next weekend, 28 March, as P-Con and the UK Web and Minicomix Thing coincide with an anime festival, at the Irish Film Institute.

Oeming's Hammer of the Gods 2 online

Not exactly breaking news, but Mike Oemings's Hammer of the Gods 2: Back from the Dead is available to read online at ComicMix.

Oeming's artwork is great and Hammer of the Gods shows it off really well.

(via Mike Oeming)

Eclectic Micks-up!

Double the pun! Double the fun!

Here's a picture of the Rocketeer doing a double-take at my amazing wit!

(sigh...)

Anyway, OK Erok! wishes to belatedly draw your attention to the Eclectic Micks blog, where the cream of Ireland's comic creative talent - Bob Byrne, Declan Shalvey, Stephen Mooney, Stephen Thompson and Will Sliney - post sketches every week!

Finally got around to updating my links too. Check out the drop-down menus to your right. Nice!

Spiderman Must DIE!

(Read part two of this article here.)

Comic Book Resources columnist Augie De Blieck Jr played Devil's advocate this week by suggesting that comics fans save money by buying their comics online or even... re-reading their old comics!

No matter how facetious the argument, Augie makes a good point.

Mainstream comics publishers are forced to reconcile their relentless pursuit of commercialisation with their unwillingness to retire old 'properties' by endlessly recycling material. Many DC and Marvel titles are as old as their publishers and many others are spin-offs of those titles.

Four factors keep the costumed hero genre dominant in mainstream comics publishing:

1. History - characters such as Batman and Superman have historic significance, of course, as the first costumed heroes.
2. Fans - the affection which the current generation of comics readers feels for these old characters.
3. Commercial conservatism - the unwillingness of publishers to risk alienating this market and merely to market their existing 'properties' to new audiences.
4. Creative conservatism - it is safer for publishers to shackle creators to existing concepts, to have them 'interpret' old characters - viz Frank Miller's Daredevil and Batman - than gamble on their ability to innovate.

No matter how one feels about old characters (or the superhero genre in general), should they overshadow another generation of creators and readers?

(Read part two of this article)

Alison Bechdel on Making Comics

A really interesting short video in which Alison Bechdel talks about her process in creating Fun Home.

(via Drawn via Mike Lynch)