The Ultimate Guide to Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Manga

This humongous brick of a book lives up to the title, impressing with its size and length. It’s nicely organized, as well. The chapters are arranged by time period, with a section per every couple of decades. There’s an index by title as well as by author. About the only design choice I can argue with is the indefensible decision to put Terry Gilliam’s foreword on a dark slate blue paper, which made it hard to read. (Then again, since it has little to do with the book, maybe that doesn’t matter so much.)

1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die

A book like this is made for arguments. The first author I looked up was Fumi Yoshinaga, my favorite manga creator. She is included, although only for Ooku: The Inner Chambers; I would have mentioned more of her titles. The next creators I looked up — Alison Bechdel, Rumiko Takahashi, Carla Speed McNeil — were included, thankfully. So I flipped to the last few books, seeing what represented last year, 2011. The list there was much more of a miss for me, with the five titles included either on my avoid list — Habibi, Paying For It — or unknown to US audiences — two Indian titles and The Great Unwashed, published by Escape Books, a company run by Paul Gravett, editor of this book. (That fact isn’t mentioned in the title writeup.)

That’s one factor that many American readers will find eye-opening. Gravett takes the worldwide view, so included are plenty of international works, not just manga or UK books but those from France or Italy or Belgium or elsewhere. Even the most knowledgeable reader of comics will find material new to them in these pages — especially in the older eras — while newcomers may be overwhelmed by the enormous range of content described here. As Gravett points out in his introduction, almost half the book goes to works from 1990 or later, emphasizing how active and vibrant the medium is.

Each book gets either a half-page column (with no picture) or a page (if a cover image is included). The year is given, as are the title in the original language (if not English); the company that first published the work, and its country; the country of the creator(s), and the birth year; and the work’s genre. Many of the books include “Similar Reads” sections or “Also by” the author, to give the reader more titles to try. It’s difficult to tell, from the short space allotted, what a particular comic really is like, especially since no interior art is reproduced, but it’s certainly a good guide to drive store browsing or online searches.

While quite enjoyable to while away time flipping the book’s pages, following titles or creators or decades, or simply seeing what a random page will bring, I found myself wanting the tools an online version would offer. How many works are in which genre, for example, or from which publishers? A text search would be helpful, as would links among the books and creators. Updates could be provided every five years or so; I’d be curious to see what would be added or removed.

With infinite space, consideration could be given to including information about which works are in print and in which forms. Titles are discussed without specifics of how many books make up a series or particular issue numbers that make up a superhero story, making it hard to understand the scope of a particular work if it’s not already familiar. A digital version would also be much more portable — I meant to talk about this volume closer to when it came out at the end of last year, but I found myself leaving it behind in the wrong place, since it’s much too heavy to tote about. Gravett has created a mini website that expands on the book, but since his goal isn’t to replace it, it’s only a start.

The book itself remains an essential addition to any comic reference library. This review of the UK edition provides some other suggestions, and the following comments are entertaining in their defense of superheroes and Judge Dredd, while one fan created an expanded list of the manga included in the book. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

The newest twist in the battle over Archie Comics between co-CEOs Jon Goldwater and Nancy Silberkleit happened last week, with a federal judge placing a temporary restraining order on Silberkleit that prevents her from entering the company headquarters, or doing any work for the company.

The two CEOs reached their positions through inheritance, with Jon the son of one of the company founders and Nancy the widow of Michael, son of another founder. Goldwater filed a lawsuit against Silberkleit before last year’s San Diego Comic-Con accusing her of bullying and sexually harassing employees, while Silberkleit claims a sexist “old boy network” is attempting to keep her out of the company. Goldwater sued again in mid-January in an attempt to remove her from the company, charging “Unless Silberkleit is removed as a director and an officer, the company — an iconic American company — is in serious danger of failing and being liquidated.” There have been rumors of trouble at Archie, with a reduced publication schedule, although nothing publicly confirmed.

Some of the contention is over Silberkleit’s Comic Book Fairs program. She’s a former teacher, and she established the division to teach school kids reading can be fun. Goldwater charges that the program has cost the company over $100,000 while grossing under $10,000. As CBR reported,

As co-executor of her late husband’s estate, [Silberkleit] controls a 50 percent stake in the company. Goldwater owns 25 percent of the shares, and represents the other 25 percent held by the estate of his late brother Richard Goldwater, who passed away in 2007.

It’s a split that leaves Archie’s board of directors deadlocked. Goldwater contends it also hampers the growth of the company, as Silberkleit has rejected proposals for outside investors, who would of course seek an equity share. She has “repeatedly and emphatically said that she would never agree to any dilution of the Silberkleit 50 percent equity interest at any price and under any terms, conditions, or circumstances,” the complaint states.

However, Silberkleit’s control of her late husband’s shares is in dispute, as the children from Michael Silberkleit’s first marriage are contesting their father’s last will, written while he was dying of cancer.

This is a problem faced by any family business. It’s difficult to come up with a succession plan that everyone can agree with and carry out. In this case, if Silberkleit is dead set on keeping half the company, then the risk is that the publisher will be destroyed instead of any compromise being possible.

The Muppets will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on March 20, and there are four options to choose from.

The Muppets

The deluxe pack is a three-disk Blu-ray that comes with DVD version, a digital copy on disc, and a card with a code to download all the songs from the movie’s soundtrack ($49.99 list price). The Blu-ray without digital copy or soundtrack is also available ($39.99). Special features include:

• The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History — We Think)
• A Little Screen Test on the Way to the Read Through featurette showing Jason Segel and the Muppets getting ready for the first day of production
• Disney Intermission — when viewers pause the movie, the Muppets take over the screen
• Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song — an extended version of Chris Cooper’s rap in which he explains why he hates the Muppets
• Audio commentaries with screenwriter and star Jason Segel, director James Bobin, and screenwriter Nicholas Stoller

The standard DVD comes with soundtrack ($34.99) or without ($29.99). No word on whether any of the special features will be available; likely most will not. The Intermission feature, definitely, sounds like it has to be Blu-ray-specific.

Two Columbus, Ohio, art institutions — Thurber House, a literary center and museum located in the former home of James Thurber, and the Columbus Museum of Art — have teamed up to offer a Graphic Novelist Residency. The first recipient is Paul Hornschemeier (Life With Mr. Dangerous, Mother, Come Home). From the press release:

The three-week residency, supported by a grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, is designed to provide a graphic artist/writer with an opportunity to develop a work-in-progress. The recipient will receive a stipend and housing in the two-bedroom apartment located in the boyhood home of author and New Yorker cartoonist, James Thurber. … In addition to researching and producing new work, he will take part in public events during his stay in Columbus.

It’s neat to see a writer’s organization partner with an art museum to cover both aspects of graphic novel creation. Programs will include an Adult Writing Workshop on the Graphic Novel on March 26 (Thurber House); a Young Writers’ Studio on March 28 (Thurber House); a Big Picture Lecture on March 31 (CMA) in which “Otterbein Professor of Philosophy Andrew Mills will speak about Hornschemeier’s work in a philosophical context. Hornschemeier majored in philosophy at The Ohio State University and often addresses philosophical issues in his books, most notably in his 2007 work The Three Paradoxes.” Also at CMA on April 5 is an Artist’s Talk and Interview conducted by Jared Gardner, a professor of English and Film Studies at OSU.

The image shows Paul Hornschemeier teaching a graphic novel course at the University of Chicago.

Capstone, the children’s book publishers behind the line of DC Super-Pets kids titles, has announced another licensing deal with the comic company.

Beginning in Fall 2012, they’re going to republish DC comics as “reinforced library hard covers and paper-over-board editions … The license includes worldwide English and select Spanish editions for limited markets.” 24 titles, not yet specified, will be included, although since the press release talks about how popular Batman and Superman are, I’m guessing they’ll be part of the list.

Standard comics, like many magazines, are too flimsy to stand up to frequent library use or multiple young readers, so hardcovers will be more durable. It’ll be interesting to see how much they charge and whether they’re going to stick to the 20-page-story length or bind up several chapters at once.

Loved this “remember when” story from someone who used to pirate Amiga games back in the late 80s. His story, involving floppy discs (!) sent through the mail (!), includes these comments:

…all was not well at my house. My entire evenings were spent on X-Copy and checking lists. I felt like I was coming home from school to do an 8 hour shift….

That experience taught me a great deal. Mainly that there is no fun in it. I was only one person, and sure I had every game imaginable, but… I could only play one at a time and I needed the time to play it and copying all the stuff was no way for a schoolkid to spend his time on….

Which leads me on the point of this rather elaborate anecdote. I often wonder what percentage of stuff people download they actually consume…. I think this is an avenue the RIAA/MPAA or who ever should consider pursuing. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but what stopped me was I was no longer enjoying it.

While not dealing with the morality of the situation, that’s an approach that speaks directly to the self-satisfaction that can drive some file-sharing. It’s work to keep up with all the newest and find the free sources and keep the sharing ratios up and buy more hard drives to hold it all, so maybe some sharing can be stopped by encouraging people to realize how much time they’re wasting when they don’t have time to enjoy whatever it is they’re trying to obtain? Alternately, content providers worried about piracy meaning lost sales can ratchet down their assumptions by a factor to account for these digital hoarders that aren’t viewing whatever they’re swiping.

(It’s not just a digital problem, either. I greatly sympathize with Mike Sterling, who laments “I have too many comics. But I love ‘em and would like to read them more often than I really have time for.”)

On February 17, Disney will release the newest Studio Ghibli movie: The Secret World of Arrietty. Here’s the trailer:

As pointed out, this is based on the classic series of novels that began with The Borrowers by Mary Norton, about a family of little people who live in the walls of houses and live off items “borrowed” from the Big People. It’s a wonderful choice for a cartoon, since animation allows the various-sized characters to interact realistically without a layer of special effects.

Arrietty is voiced by Bridgit Mendler, while her parents are played by real-life couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. Carol Burnett plays the home’s housekeeper, while Shawn, the boy who makes friends with Arrietty, is David Henrie (the son on How I Met Your Mother; both kid actors also have recurring roles on the Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place). Hiromasa Yonebayashi also directed the running-on-waves scene in Ponyo that was so distinctive and memorable; this is his first full-length film as director. The original screenplay is by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, while the English-language version is by Karey Kirkpatrick.

In conjunction with the film, manga publisher Viz is releasing three tie-in books on February 7.

The Secret World of Arrietty Picture Book ($19.99) is a hardcover aimed at younger readers that retells the movie story using animation cel art from the film.

The Secret World of Arrietty Film Comics ($16.99 each) consists of two volumes in paperback retelling the story, also using film frames.

Of most interest to me is The Art of The Secret World of Arrietty ($34.99), a celebration of the film “from initial concept to the silver screen, thanks to hundreds of sketches, concept drawings, and animation cels, plus in-depth interviews with the creators.” Katherine Dacey recommends it.

To promote the upcoming release of Pac-Man: The Complete First Season, a 2-disc, 13-episode cartoon collection due out January 31 from Warner Archive, the company has made available to watch online the episode “The Abominable Pac-Man/The Bionic Pac-Woman”. But it’s only available through tomorrow, January 27. Click the image to watch now.

The show is described as: “Pac-Man does battle with Inky, Blinky, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue, the Ghost Monster minions of the dreaded Mezmaron, who lusts after Pac-Land’s precious power spheres. Aided by his plucky and charming wife and son, Pac-Man saves the Pac-President, confronts the vampiric Pacula, discovers the Abominable Pac-Man, and more. Pac-Venture awaits — no quarters required!”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but there’s something weirdly American about turning a Japanese video game import into a Saturday morning cartoon spin-off.