I tried the X-Men comic, but while I liked the new character Pixie and I was able to understand what was going on, I didn’t care at all about the team fighting generic demons. There was nothing exciting here to bring me back, and the slickness of Greg Land’s art is off-putting. I’ll be reading along, and whomp, out of the story I go as I hit something that looks like a fashion mag photo. Which it probably was in its previous life.

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Why would they have said only five days ago that they had no plans to reprint? Maybe the answer is hinted by this paragraph from their new printing press release:

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on all issues of Invincible Iron Man and Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas, as the hero continues to generate buzz all over the world!

Which I translate as: Buy more! Buy more! We’ve got a success so we want to milk it for all it’s worth!

Here’s something else funny. Much as I loved the movie, I laughed at this five-minute synopsis. WARNING! There are all kinds of spoilers! Here’s a non-spoiler sample:

Obadiah: I hope you aren’t going hippy on me with that freaky medallion.

Tony: Nah, it’s just a miniature fusion plant.

Obabiah: On your chest?

Tony: Yup.

Obadiah: That you built with spare parts and an equipment shop that the Mythbusters would reject?

Would be even nicer if the writer knew how to spell SHIELD.

The video teaser is a neat idea, but it waits much too long to show any Iron Man, with only regular people (not Tony) on view until over halfway through. That’s not the biggest head-scratcher, though. Today, the company announced that the issue (and all of its six covers) had sold out and that “Marvel currently has no plans to go back to press” on the title. Why the heck not?

(Thanks to Ed, who made me realize that Iron Man combines the best parts of Batman and Superman — he’s got the astounding levels of power, but anyone can put on his suit of armor and be just as super. Plus, he avoids the childhood trauma issues and the split personality.)

So what should I read? I suspect my best choice will be the new Invincible Iron Man comic, which debuts tomorrow. I think writer Matt Fraction, based on his work on Casanova, is a great choice for that kind of thing. To attract that audience, there’s even a movie photo cover, among the six variants possible.

In the meantime, there are always the Masterworks. Those stories won’t be modern, certainly, but they’ll be the original character concepts. Good thing we already own them — the first volume is out of print, so it’s going for triple cover price. What clever timing. The Omnibus, also due tomorrow, is likely intended as a replacement.

At least the DVD-ROM archive is still available. Which would be the best issues for me to look up there? KC said something about playboy Tony being best in the 70s - true?

My experience elsewhere was much better. First, I accidentally opened up Velocity Comics. (I still say, teasingly, if you’re not open yet, you should lock the front door.) They had a nice display, a reasonable limit of 3 books per person, helpful staff, a decent selection of only the books they wanted to support, and a 20% off sale. I chose the three titles I was most looking forward to that I didn’t already have.

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Ahem, I am rambling. Today’s about the local comic shop. Many have creator appearances or special sales. Find your local participating store here.

I wanted to point out a couple of the free comics I’ve already had the pleasure of reading. There’s a new Love and Capes #7, which is already the highlight of my day. It introduces Microdot, a shrinking superheroine with purple hair, but that’s just a cameo. The real story is about how Mark is trying to propose to Abby but isn’t sure of the right way to go about it. Getting advice from his and her friends and family is a great way to introduce the characters to new readers, plus it’s very entertaining.

Love and Capes issues always make me go “eeeeeee” with happiness after reading them. They’re terrific with their blend of romance, superheroes, and comedy.

Comic Book Diner, the Kids Love Comics! offering, has a selection of kid-friendly stories featuring Roboy Red, Patrick the Wolf Boy, Buzzboy, and others, plus drawing tips and a recommended reading list from a variety of publishers. The layout is fantastic, very inviting (although I was a little dismayed they used the first paragraph of my Amelia Rules! review without credit in the Reading List section).

Today, I’m looking forward to finding copies of the IGNATZ book, a new Amelia Rules!, and Owly and Friends. Jughead visiting the Geppi Entertainment Museum in the Archie Comics giveaway might be fun, too.

The Special actually shipped January 23, but that’s not unusual, for comics to be off a week or so. #14 came out February 13, but #15 shipped April 2. Ok, so that’s still in the same week as a March date, let’s let that slide.

Now, it’s May, and there’s been no sight of #16, which was due in April. Image’s site currently says it’s due May 7 (still with the caption “Now Monthly!”), which puts the series about a month behind. Issue #17 was solicited for May 14, with issue #18 planned for June 18.

At the beginning of April, Paul Grist mentioned that #15 was delayed a couple of weeks due to “a hold up at the printers for some reason”. Later in that same thread, he mentions #16 had been at the printer since the beginning of the same month, saying “I thought it would have been out by now.” Me too.

Update: I have been chastised by someone nicer than I am that for not contacting Image and/or Grist for their side of the story. While he’s right, that would have been courteous, that’s not my point. The fact is, Grist had a horrible track record, he and his publisher made promises that things had changed, and for whatever reason, that promise wasn’t kept. Those are the facts.

The reason behind the delay may satisfy some curiosity, and some fans may want to judge whether or not the delay was Grist’s “fault”, but I’m not one of them. At this point, I don’t care. I’m raising the subject ultimately to provide yet another piece of evidence why reading collections is more satisfying for the reader. Or this reader, anyway.

Imagine if the members of the Justice League moved to Wisteria Lane with spouses in tow, and you get a hint of what life is like in Woodshire Village, a planned community for superheroes, their spouses, girlfriends and domestic partners. Superbia is created and written by Lisa Klink and Jordan Gorfinkle.

Gorf, you might recall, was part of the Batman editorial team and helped create the Birds of Prey.

I haven’t read any of Virgin’s product so far, because they remind me of Tekno Comix (which was also associated with Sci Fi, albeit much more vaguely) in their use of licensed names and emphasis on mass-oriented concepts. When the Virgin/Sci Fi partnership was first announced in early 2007, they stated an intent to develop five titles. Only one, The Stranded, has been released, although they’ve achieved their intended cross-platform synergies by also developing it for TV.

The concept of superheroes’ domestic lives isn’t new, ranging from the recent Welcome to Tranquility way back to the 1980s Mr. Miracle series that spun out of that era’s Justice League. Still, if done right, it can provide an entertaining twist on the usual fights in tights.

I wish some art was available, but none of the announcements make any mention of that aspect of the creative team. It’s possible it hasn’t been determined yet.

That’s probably due to the organizer Michael George recently being found guilty of a 17-year-old murder. Reportedly, there was a movement to boycott the show. I don’t know if that was successful or if people just want to stay away from the whole situation.

The Newsarama blog has an update on the murder case: George’s attorneys will be heard on May 6 on their motion to have the verdict overturned. If they are unsuccessful, George will serve life in prison.

What KC first noticed: There are no girl Legionnaires included.

What I noticed: He put the lesbian in pants. I guess she’s lucky to be included at all, given the history of her promised title.

I thought it was amazing when I saw it, illustrating the power and beauty of these characters, and very cool that DC was using this as their major giveaway.

Here’s a picture of the poster unfolded, showing the caption “The Real Power of the DC Universe”:

That image is via Occasional Superheroine, where the commenters are debating whether it’s sexist. Some want the women in their costumes (don’t we see that often enough?) or call it “eye candy” (it’s a poster! how much depth of character and storyline can you put in one image?). “Augie” said “DC hired Annie Liebowitz to do a photoshoot!” which is closer than s/he thinks — a staffer told me that they were inspired by Vogue-like layouts.

As for guessing who’s who, the poster has a small tagline that lists the characters as I have them above, by their codenames.

Also in this Sunday’s paper is Parade magazine’s yearly What People Earn feature. The only comic-related mention is Elizabeth Moisant, 73, who says she’s a comic-book publisher in Oak Park, IL, and made $110,000 last year. I couldn’t find any mention of her in Google, but there’s a Charles Moisant associated with Silver Phoenix Entertainment, which I’ve never heard of. Their website talks about what will be coming out in 2007, so that’s not particularly helpful.

Can you point me in the direction of any quality, independent comics that are about African-Americans, or at least have non-stereotyped African-American characters? I have just finished reading Best American Comics of 2007, and it seemed filled with self-pitying white, Jewish, or Asian upper-middle class hipsters. I want to give graphic novels a try, but I’d also like to see some characters I can identify with.

That’s a sensible request. I know I appreciate reading good comics that reflect my concerns and struggles. I haven’t read the anthology mentioned, but autobiographical comics, which I’ve heard it’s heavy on, do tend to reflect their protagonists, and there aren’t a lot of African-American creators I know of working in that genre.

An exception is Keith Knight, whose K Chronicles are autobio but quite funny without self-pity. You might also enjoy the works of Kyle Baker. His Baker family strips are like cartoons on paper, but he’s also done more serious work, like Nat Turner.

Moving away from humor, in 2007, Stagger Lee deservedly swept the Glyph Comic Awards, which recognize the best in black comic books and creators. It explores the story behind the song in a multi-layered historical tale. Another choice is Incognegrok, a historical genre adventure I recently enjoyed reading.

For more information and recommendations, check out Rich Watson’s blog. He organizes the Glyphs and often features information on African-American comics.

Readers, do you have other suggestions?

The official Board member quote comes from Treasurer Marion Vitus:

“We are excited to bring an award event to MoCCA Artfest, and just as excited not to be competing with the multitude of great events at San Diego Comic-Con this July. We are able to reach a larger group of people eager to see wonderful creators recognized for their hard work in this field.”

Since the awards are moving a month earlier, nominations (open to everyone, whether or not a Lulu member) will begin at the FoL table at the New York Comic-Con next week. For more information, they say check their blog, but it’s not up at the time of this posting. I’m sure it’s coming.

Personal opinion: yay for more things I’m interested in on the East Coast. Seriously, I think the MoCCA show is a better match for the organization’s sensibilities, and it certainly makes sense to avoid competing with the multimedia extravaganza San Diego has become.

In other words, it sounds like exactly the kind of project that would be perfect for Free Comic Book Day… only it’s coming out a week and a half early. (Marvel’s official FCBD book is an X-Men story.) Marvel even agrees you can give it out then:

Perfect for distribution at movie theatres, Free Comic Book Day, and other promotional functions, this special one-shot provides all the information anyone needs to dive right into any current Iron Man or Hulk series. The back cover of each sampler also offers an ad for Free Comic Book Day on May 3rd and a place for retailers to stamp their store’s information so fans know where to shop!

It has to be ordered by retailers by tomorrow. And it’s exactly the kind of marketing outreach that comic companies should be doing, if it lives up to all its promises. But I am very suspicious about this timing.

Did Marvel come up with this idea too late to make it officially part of FCBD? Did they not want to hassle with the official program for this book for some reason? Or are they just trying to steal the thunder? Maybe there’s a more charitable motive that I’m not thinking of now. Or maybe the two events have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

I mentioned there that retailers pay for the comics, but I was reminded that they’re not the only ones who contribute financially to the event. A knowledgeable source says that “Diamond loses money on this every year… the publishers break even at best.” They also mentioned that the publishers reserved approvals but Diamond handled all the administration, which often meant delays as the people doing the ground-level work had to wait for sign-offs. Diamond has responsibility without the power, in other words.

That also explains why the content issues are handed off to the retailers — for legal reasons, the publishers and distributor don’t want to make those decisions. Given that setup, I was told that the “all ages” content decision had to have been made by retailers, not Diamond, although it was understandable that no one wants to take credit for it.

The good news is that retailer surveys do show that the event works and is a success, with both increased sales and new customers attributable to FCBD.

As he put it, “It’s got Romance! Adventure! Fashion! Curses! Cupcakes! What more could you want in a comic?”

What’s your strip about?

Sam & Lilah is romantic modern-day mythology with a touch of manga flavor. When a budding love affair between two fashionable urban twentysomethings is imperiled by a gypsy curse, slice-of-life meets the supernatural - in Technicolor.

How did you and artist Hyeondo Park come together to work on this?

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Free Comic Book Day is a joint marketing effort among Diamond Distribution, dedicated comic book retailers, and publishers. The goal is to get new customers into stores by giving away promotional comics created especially for the day. (The retailers, by the way, pay for the comics they give away.)

This year, decisions were made to reject webcomic samplers and require the publications be all ages. I got in touch with the designed FCBD marketing contact, Elissa Lynch, to ask about these decisions. I had five questions:

1. Who makes up the FCBD Committee responsible for decisions about the program?
2. Who determines which sponsors will be Gold level?
3. Which publishers, if any, applied to be Gold but were not selected this year? And why?
4. Which publishers, if any, applied to be Silver but were rejected? And why?
5. Why were all titles required to be suitable for all ages this year?

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Or the new owners didn’t think to check other conventions’ schedules, or they think that they’re not in competition for guests or audience with SPX. I dunno.

Superstar comic artists Greg Horn & Glenn Fabry try their pencils in a new market with Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink

Once you’ve defeated every gory barbarian and made it with every busty super-villainess in the comic book market, where else should an award-winning comic artist go to get their kicks?

For Greg Horn (Elektra, She-Hulk) and Glenn Fabry (Preacher, Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere), the answer was clear: kids’ books. … Centering on a motley crew of sixth-graders, The Professionals introduces a new breed of tweenage heroes: Rather than superpowers or magic wands, each kid has a bona fide profession, ranging from therapist to chef to crime sketch artist.

Do they really think that those interested in kids’ books are going to find the phrase “made it with every busty super-villainess” intriguing? Useful? Appropriate? (Although I guess it got them mentioned here.) And if they’re superstars, why are they switching fields?

She concludes from the fact that she got permission to do this that more issues of the series are unlikely to be released. Given that writer J. Michael Straczynski is now promoting his work with DC, and the comic was published by Marvel, that seems a valid assumption.

How many creator-driven vanity projects of this type have long runs? The American superhero comic companies have more interest in characters they own. So do the readers. The established creators (especially those with backgrounds in other, more profitable media) don’t have a lot of incentive to hang around when better deals are dangled. Are they just ways to make (mostly) writers happy so they’ll keep working on the bread-and-butter franchises?