Nobody was required to submit the ballots (I didn’t either year; mostly because I was disgusted by the scheme), but I’m sure we still had two- or three-dozen nearly identical ballots sent for both of those years. The worst part is that they were so pathetically obvious about it. In 2007, completely blank ballots were e-mailed to Gemstone employees… and then we were told to not touch those, but to instead wait for the “J.C. Vaughn-approved” (pre-filled) versions to be passed around.

That gives some idea of how few nominations it may take to get on the ballot.

The 2009 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced with the release of the final ballot, presented by the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. They will be presented October 10, 2009 in Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators – those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. Professionals who participate will be joining nearly 2,000 other comics professionals in honoring the outstanding comics achievements of 2008. Thank you to all that have already participated by submitting a nomination ballot.

Final ballots are due to the Harvey Awards by Friday, August 28, 2009. Full details for submission of completed ballots can be found on the final ballot. Voting is open to anyone professionally involved in a creative capacity within the comics field. Final ballots are available for download at www.harveyawards.org.

This will be the fourth year for the Harvey Awards in Baltimore, MD. Our Master of Ceremonies this year will be Scott Kurtz.

Johanna comments: Full list after the break. And congratulations to John Gallagher and Sky Dog Comics, who placed in most categories despite not releasing an issue of Buzzboy in 2008 that I could find. Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule #2 came out in February 2007; #3 came out last month.

Kind of cool to see so many webcomics under Best New Series.

Oh, I forgot to say: If it were up to me, I wouldn’t consider Diary of a Wimpy Kid eligible, because it’s not a comic. It’s illustrated text.

BEST WRITER

Kyle Baker, NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
Ed Brubaker, CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Comics
John Gallagher, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
Grant Morrison, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics

BEST ARTIST

Gabriel Ba, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, Dark Horse Comics
Kyle Baker, NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press
Jason Kruse, WORLD OF QUEST, Yen Press
Frank Quitely, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics

BEST CARTOONIST

Lar deSouza, LEAST I COULD DO, www.leasticoulddo.com
John Gallagher, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Al Jaffee, TALL TALES, Abrams Books
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
Thom Zahler, LOVE & CAPES, Maerkle Press

BEST LETTERER

Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press
Rob Leigh, THE SPIRIT, DC Comics
Doug Sherwood, LOCAL, Oni Press
John Workman, MARVEL 1985, Marvel Comics
Thom Zahler, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics

BEST INKER

Rich Faber, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Jamie Grant, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
Mark Morales, THOR, Marvel Comics
Ryan Winn, THE DARKNESS, Image Comics

BEST COLORIST

Frank Cammuso, OTTO’S ORANGE DAY, Raw Junior, LLC
Jamie Grant, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics
Laura Martin, THOR, Marvel Comics
Wil Quintana, THE MICE TEMPLAR, Image Comics
Dave Stewart, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, Dark Horse Comics

BEST COVER ARTIST

Frank Cho, BUZZBOY: SIDEKICKS RULE!#3, Sky Dog Press
James Jean, FABLES, Vertigo Comics
Jay Lynch, MINDSHAFT #23, Mindshaft Publishing
Ken Rocafort, PILOT SEASON: CORE #1, Top Cow
Alex Ross, JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, DC Comics

BEST NEW SERIES

THE DREAMER, IDW
ECHO, Abstract Studios
HIGH MOON, www.zudacomics.com
NIGHT OWLS, www.zudacomics.com
SUPERTRON, www.zudacomics.com

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics
CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Comics
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
MICE TEMPLAR, Image Comics
UMBRELLA ACADEMY, Dark Horse Comics

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION

DRAW!, edited by Mike Manley, Twomorrows Publishing
HOW TO MAKE WEBCOMICS, Brad Guigar, Dave Kellett,
Scott Kurtz, and Kris Straub, Image Comics
KIRBY: KING OF COMICS, Mark Evanier, Abrams Books
SCORCHY SMITH AND THE ART OF NOEL SICKLES,
edited by Dean Mullaney, IDW
WORDLESS BOOKS: THE ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVELS,
edited by David A. Berona, Abrams Books

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL

BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY!, Tim Rickard, Tribune Media Services
GET FUZZY, Darby Conley, United Features Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate
THE NORM, Michael Jantze, Uclick Gocomics
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, Stephan Pastis, United Features Syndicate

BEST ANTHOLOGY

COMIC BOOK TATTOO, edited by Rantz Hoseley, Image Comics
FLIGHT VOLUME 5, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Villard
MOME VOLUME 10, edited by Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books
PIXU #1, edited by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, Self-Published
POPGUN VOLUME 2, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith, Image Comics

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM – ORIGINAL

BOTTOMLESS BELLY BUTTON, Fantagraphics Books
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, Amulet Books
ESSEX COUNTY: THE COUNTRY NURSE, Top Shelf
SKIM, Groundwood Books
TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN, Top Shelf
WORLD OF QUEST: VOL. 2, Yen Press

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM – PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED

AMELIA RULES!: FUNNY STORIES, Renaissance Press
M, Abrams Books
NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
THE MICE TEMPLAR: VOL. 1, Image Comics
QUEEN AND COUNTRY: VOLUME 3, Oni Press
SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST (HARDCOVER), Adhouse Books

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY

ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #19, Self-Published
FIRST BORN: AFTERMATH #1, Top Cow
LOVE AND ROCKETS, VOL. 3 #1, Fantagraphics Books
M, Abrams Books
NASCAR HEROES #5, NASCAR Comics
NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
THE AMAZING REMARKABLE MONSIEUR LEOTARD, First Second
Y: THE LAST MAN #60, Vertigo Comics

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT

ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS, IDW
COMPLETE PEANUTS, Fantagraphics Books
COMPLETE TERRY AND THE PIRATES, IDW
SCORCHY SMITH AND THE ART OF NOEL SICKLES, IDW
WACKY PACKAGES, Abrams Books

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL

GUS AND HIS GANG, First Second
POCKET FULL OF RAIN, Fantagraphics Books
RED COLORED ELEGY, Drawn and Quarterly
SOLANIN, Viz
WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA #’s 11 & 12, Top Cow

BEST ONLINE COMICS WORK

BLACK CHERRY BOMBSHELLS, Tony Trovarello and
John Zito, www.zudacomics.com
HIGH MOON, Scott O. Brown, www.zudacomics.com
LEAST I COULD DO, Lar deSouza and Ryan Sohmer, www.leasticoulddo.com
NIGHT OWLS, Bobby & Peter Timony, www.zudacomics.com
PVP, Scott Kurtz, www.pvponline.com

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR IN COMICS

Lar deSouza, LEAST I COULD DO, www.leasticoulddo.com
John Gallagher, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Al Jaffee, TALL TALES, Abrams Books
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
David Malki, WONDERMARK, www.wondermark.com

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION

COMPLETE LOCAL: HARDCOVER EDITION, Ryan Kelly and
Brian Wood, Oni Press
KIRBY: KING OF COMICS, Mark Evanier, Abrams Books
QUEEN AND COUNTRY: VOLUME 3, Greg Rucka, Mike Norton,
Steve Rolston, and Chris Samnee, Oni Press
TALL TALES, Al Jaffee, Abrams Books
WONDERMARK, VOL. 1: BEARDS OF OUR FOREFATHERS,
David Malki, Dark Horse Comics

BEST NEW TALENT

Matt Cassan, NASCAR: HEROES, Nascar Comics
Bryan J.L. Glass, THE MICE TEMPLAR, Image Books
Laura Innes, THE DREAMER, IDW
Tim Sievert, THAT SALTY AIR, Top Shelf
Bobby Timony, NIGHT OWLS, www.zudacomics.com

Congratulations to all the nominees! If you know a nominee, please pass on the good news!

The Harvey committee and the Baltimore Comic-Con will make every effort to contact all nominees. If you are a nominee and do not hear from us by the end of June, please contact us at baltimorecomiccon@yahoo.com. We would love to discuss your involvement in the ceremony and the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck stories should make great companions for the existing Pixar and Muppet Disney licenses, already published to great success by Boom! The stories this time around are more in keeping with the Muppet Robin Hood miniseries — Disney characters in other genres. The first two titles will feature the characters as superheroes, in a long story called Ultraheroes, and in a fantasy series, Wizards of Mickey.

Meanwhile, although Boom! is publishing Muppet comics, Archaia has announced that they are teaming with The Jim Henson Company to “publish comic books and graphic novels based on popular Henson titles as well as new co-branded original properties.” While specifics will be announced at the San Diego Comic-Con, Henson properties mentioned include Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Mirrormask, and The Storyteller. I wonder if this means Tokyopop has given up on their Return to Labyrinth manga series?

Later he Twittered that he was told that it was because of his association with Long Beach Comic Con, a competing show to Wizard’s delayed-and-not-yet-rescheduled Wizard World LA con. LBCC is run by other former Wizard employees. No word on whether Wizard is reimbursing him for expenses, like table fees, after banning him.

There’s another interesting mention in Hoveke’s blog post, about how Wizard tries to have everything their way, screwing up his plans:

Howard Chaykin, after having been tricked by Wizard, had to sign all day at the Dynamite Entertainment booth, apparently as some sort of deal setup to lure Dynamite to the show, as they were not going to setup there, or at least not as big a setup as they had this weekend. He had fixed the gitch tho, and was all set to sign in AA the rest of the show with Walter Simonson, our other attending artist.

What right does Wizard have to promise artist’s time to other publishers in order to secure their attendance? I can understand having certain obligations, if Wizard paid for Chaykin to attend, but an all-day signing? That’s excessive.

The first 75 women who visit his table, booth SP-638, at Heroes Con this upcoming weekend get a free copy of the comic. Visit loveandcapes.com to see what the strip is about.

I’m sad I won’t be at Heroes to say hi and “neat idea”. It’s a great way to call attention to the issue of leaving out one gender.

Two of my favorite people in comics have teamed up for an exciting new comic. Underground is a five-issue miniseries, written by Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas, X-Men: First Class) and illustrated by Steve Lieber (Whiteout). Image is publishing it, at $3.50 for 32 color pages. It’s due out September 23 and can be order with Diamond code JUL09 0341.

It’s described as an adventure thriller, with this plot:

Park Ranger and avid caver Wesley Fischer is on a one-woman mission to stop Stillwater Cave from being turned into a tourist trap, but public opinion is not on her side. When locals begin blasting in the cave, Wes and a fellow ranger investigate – and a confrontation spirals into a deadly chase deep under the Kentucky mountains!

I had the chance to read a preview copy, and I was impressed by how quickly I got to know and care about the characters, as well as the (literal) cliffhanger. I can’t wait to read more!

Everyone has mentioned that the show started an hour late and the show staff weren’t very good about keeping the people in line informed of what was happening. The delay actually turned out to be beneficial because I was standing with Rivkah and her friend Matt. Behind us in line was Douglas Wolk. So this meant listening in on some good conversation. Douglas also showed off his sketchbook, which was a who’s who of independent/alternative artists. (You can see some of the pages on his website.)

It’s also well documented that the Armory doesn’t have A/C and the dealer’s room was hot and stuffy. I would recommend putting fans at the rear doors to get some air flow going. I know that fans create wind and that’s not really desirable at a comic show. However, the humidity isn’t good for comics either, so fans that create a light breeze should be a good compromise. Contrary to the opinion of some, the panel room was not air-conditioned. They opened up the windows and cooled the room that way. I guess living in the South has some advantages I didn’t think it was THAT hot or THAT humid. At least not compared to a few of the days we’ve already had here in Richmond.

The spacious aisles at MoCCA

My complaint was the lack of chairs for attendees to use. It would’ve been nice for us older folks to be able to sit in a chair as we took a break instead of on the floor. There certainly was more than enough room to put chairs up along the walls without disrupting traffic flow.

I liked the Armory and thought it had a few good points. First, the stairways and doors were large and easily accommodated heavy traffic flow. There was plenty of elbow room as people moved between the panel room and the dealer’s room. Second, this is the first convention I’ve been to that actually had aisles wide enough for everyone to move around without tripping over each other. The aisles were about four to five people wide, which meant you could have people standing around tables on each side and still have room for two lanes of traffic. Kudos to the MoCCA staff for a nice room layout. Third, there was room for the expansion in the Armory. MoCCA could hold at least one more show there, if not two. Although it would be nice if MoCCA could find a permanent convention hall. Finally, the Armory was surrounded by little eateries so it wasn’t hard to find food.

I attended two panels. The first was Making Good Comics in a New Era, moderated by Heidi MacDonald. The guests were Randy from Bodega Distribution, Tom Neely, Dylan Williams of Sparkplug Comics, Julia Wertz, Brett Warnock of Top Shelf, and Mats Jonsson of Galago. This was an interesting look into the current state of small press publishing, self-publishing, and comics in Sweden. Remarkably, the biggest effect the economy appears to have on small publishers is a reduction of upfront capital. So projects are being moved back. Everyone hates Diamond and is hoping that someone/some company will step up and became the distributor for small press comics. Sweden is enjoying a comics boom with largest number of new artists in their history. The enthusiasm has helped staved off the effects of the poor economy in Europe for Swedish publishers.

Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee

The second panel was on the short-lived 50s humor magazine Humbug!, moderated by Paul Karasik. The guests were Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee. Karasik asked a few questions to get the conversation going, then sat back and let Roth and Jaffee just tell stories of working for Harvey Kurtzman. It was a great hour filled with funny stores very well told. I hope someone taped the panel, because I can’t do justice to Roth’s and Jaffee’s delivery.

I also meet a few people. I got to talk to Erica Friedman, a thinker/writer/blogger whom I have tremendous respect for. I also got to meet Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content and Richard Stevens of Diesel Sweeties and tell them both how much I love their comics. Of course, I said hi to Tania Del Rio and her husband Wil Staehle.

Tania Del Rio and Wilhelm Staehle

This was my first time at MoCCA and only my second alternative/independent comic convention. I didn’t have nearly enough money to pick up everything that caught my eye. Thankfully, all the artists I was interested in had websites. Which brings me to my first observation: all the artists had either business cards or postcards available. Equally important, these were well-designed items that gave you a sense of the artist’s style. So when I look through them now, I can see why I picked up each card.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to put real thought into your business cards or promotional material. I picked up an equal number of business cards at SPX last year, and most turned out to be generic in style and design. I ended up throwing those out since I couldn’t remember if I put them in my bag because I was being polite or because they had something I liked. So if you want people to visit your website after the show, give them a business card that honestly reflects who you are as an artist.

Second, I thought too many artists were more focused on being cool, ironic, or provocative than in making good comics. Not many, if any, seemed interested in exploring the limits of comics either visually or thematically. Related to this, I was disappointed in the a lot of the art I saw. It seems that the new fad is to make your style look crude and sloppy. I realize some of those people may not be good artists and what I saw was the best they could do. But there were too many for that to be the case with everyone. The art is your chance to make a first impression with the audience. You should want your art to attract new readers. You’re going to have to be the Plato or Einstein of comics for me to read your material if the art looks like it was done by a grade-schooler in a rush to finish up before recess.

Third, I know it’s NYC, but many of those mini-comics and self published comics were overpriced. I saw asking prices of $5.00 for a twenty-page mini-comic that was only three inches square. For that price I could get a full-sized comic professionally printed from either Evil Twin Comics or Blacklist Studios. I know the tables were expensive, but you have to price yourself competitively.

Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente of Evil Twin Comics

Fourth, I was impressed to see all the international publishers there. It was great to see comics from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Canada, and England. And those were just the ones that caught my eye. I’m sure I’m missing a couple.

Finally, there was an amazing variety of comics and merchandise there. All genres and formats of comics were represented. If you couldn’t find something you liked or wanted to try then you weren’t looking. I can’t complain about the amount of selection available.

Overall, I had a great time. The complaints I had about the venue are minor compared to the value of just being there. All the artists and publishing companies were nice and approachable. No one let the heat get to them. I wasn’t the only one excited to be there; the crowd had a good vibe. Even though I only attended two, I thought there was a nice selection of panels. I enjoyed myself and would like to go back next year.

Featured guests include Bernard Chang, Fred Chao, Cliff Chiang, Sean Chen, Derek Kirk Kim, Greg Pak, and Christine Norrie. Three workshop tracks will cover Reading Comics, Making Comics, and Creator Spotlight, and a Special Achievement Award will be presented to Larry Hama. My best wishes to the effort, and I hope it goes well!

A Slow Start and Other Problems

The show opened over an hour late. Explanations varied: cash registers weren’t there, badges weren’t there, publishers’ books weren’t there. The organizers extended closing time an hour, but that didn’t help people, like me, who had evening appointments they couldn’t miss. It totally bollixed up the programming schedule, too. I heard someone saying that the experienced show folks left the sponsoring museum organization last year, so the organizers may have had to re-learn some skills.

Matt, Rivkah, and Johanna at breakfast diner

I had had breakfast beforehand with Ed, Rivkah, and her friend Matt Bernier, also an artist. (His minicomic Out of Water, the story of a boy and a dolphin based on a Greek myth, reminded me of Craig Thompson’s Goodbye Chunky Rice. He’s also contributed to Flight 5.) That was good, because I was fortified for the delay, and they were wonderful to talk with as we waited. I’m eagerly awaiting Rivkah’s next book, a huge autobiographical tale about coming to recognize when a relationship is bad for you and how to escape.

And who should appear in line behind us but Douglas Wolk! We’ve both contributed to the same two websites, but I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him before. Later, I also met Rick Marshall while chatting with Gary Tyrrell during a much-needed rest break. Otherwise, the show was big enough that I didn’t find anyone I hoped to bump into. It was definitely a place to make arrangements and phone calls instead of relying on chance.

Once we got in, the show was much warmer than I expected, which meant that promotional postcards came in very handy as substitute fans. There was no air conditioning in one big barn-like room, although I’m told that it was much improved over last year’s upstairs sweatbox.

People in line before opening as far as the eye can see

I was also disappointed by the lack of identifying table numbers. Many of the artists I was interested in finding had been diligent about posting where they’d be, and I noted down the numbers… but digits were nowhere to be seen on the tables themselves, and it was very hard to see where one table stopped and another started, so counting was impossible.

Oh, and because I kept tiring myself out, I didn’t check out any programming, although Ed did. He’ll have a post later.

Exciting Books

Some of the books I was most looking forward to buying were by Lucy Knisley. I have fallen in love with her art. Pretty Little Book is, like Radiator Days, a collection of journal comics, but in color this time! (Which means it’s the same price for fewer pages, but oh so pretty. And funny.) I also got Heart Seed Snow Circuit, her graduate school application project, a large-format comic with a talking apple, snowman, and refrigerator who discuss hunger, passion, and creation, all with food undertones (as I’ve come to expect in Knisley’s work). Thought-provoking and inspirational. Although an essay in comic form, the unusual characters are well-cartooned and keep the reader interested.

Probably my favorite is Drawn to You, a collaborative comic by Lucy with Erika Moen. They each drew themselves, sending pages back and forth online. It’s like reading a combination interview and letter series. They discuss why they do autobiographical comics, gender distinctions, sexuality, and compliment each other. It’s fascinating, in part because it stays so interesting even though it’s just two representations talking.

Chris Pitzer and Mike Dawson at AdHouse table

I also picked up these great-looking titles, which I haven’t had a chance to read yet:

• Johnny Hiro, collecting the three previous issues with a lot more
• Lamar Abrams’ Remake, which looks like silly action fun
• Side B, a music-themed anthology
• Ghost Comics, a benefit anthology out of Minnesota
• Undertow, a story about not fitting in the 1950s. Author Ellen Lindner now lives in England, which I found fascinating.

Many Minicomics

Top of my list for minicomics were new issues of Jumbly Junkery by L. Nichols. I was complaining about non-descript covers on earlier issues, so I was tickled to see the day-glo pink skeleton on yellow background on the new #7. That’s certainly not going to be overlooked!

The longest story in #6 really touched me, too. It’s about scientists inventing a time machine, and in the future, the traveler discovers that souls can be measured by quantum physics and as a result, science and religion have become one. As someone else who gave up the hard stuff for creative functions, I could really identify.

Cathy Leamy (Geraniums and Bacon) put out “Greenblooded: An Introduction to Eco-Friendly Feminine Hygiene”, which I had to have just because of the unique subject matter. She’s right, no one talks about this stuff. I learned a lot. Not willing to give up traditional products for the alternatives, but it’s good to know they’re out there.

Tim Kelly caught my eye because he had a puppet named Max the Meanie. He draws comics about it. He also has done diary comics about his daughter, who has autism, so we talked about the manga With the Light, which covers the same subject.

(I have a lot more to talk about, but that will have to be a second post, since I’m over 1500 words here already.)

Upcoming Promotions

Raina Telgemeier had postcards promoting the collection of Smile, due out in February. The cover takes a minimal approach, featuring a smiley face wearing braces. I can’t wait to read the whole story!

Hope Larson’s new book, Mercury, will also be out in 2010. I know nothing about it except for the intriguing postcard image she had, but it’s by her, so I’ll buy it.

Matt Loux, who looked younger than I expected (but then so did everyone), told me the third volume of his Salt Water Taffy series, The Truth About Dr. True, is due out a little later than expected, probably September.

I missed saying hi to Neil Kleid, although NBM had promo booklets for his upcoming book The Big Kahn. It’s a nice presentation with a substantial chunk of story, and it worked — I want to read more.

End Thoughts

I closed the visit with a very nice sushi dinner at Japonica with my brother and sister-in-law. I like coming back to family after comic shows, because it grounds me.

On the way back to the airport, I wound up sitting next to a young woman who leaned over and gave me information about a subway stop. I asked her, “how could you tell I was a tourist?” She replied, “You smiled at me.”

My very deepest thanks to Jim Ottaviani, for giving me a place to sit when I really needed it.

Reading other people’s reports, I feel like there was so much I missed. Heck, Ed and I came away with almost totally different stacks of reading material. (Time to swap and share!) I don’t mind — I’d rather leave wanting more than feel burned out early — but I wish the environment had been more conducive to browsing (lower temperature, places to sit down, easier table navigation).

The biggest problem I saw at the show was that of pricing. Minicomics are more often $5 than $1, and books start about $15. Which means it’s a lot harder to sample widely (unless people pay attention to the press badge, which is the only reason I came back with as much as I did). I spent $60 right off the bat on must-haves (six books), which made me pickier afterwards. With news that table fees are increasing to $400 next year, I fear for what that means — artists will have to have higher-priced items just to have a chance to make a profit. For a normal visitor paying a $10-15 entry fee just to have a chance to shop, this becomes a pricey weekend.

The biggest hope I saw was that there is no reason to fear for the future of comics. All these young creative people were almost too much for one huge room. It’s astounding, what’s being done out there, and even though I exhausted myself physically, I feel energized by it all.

Well, never say never. They removed the comics (and had some back-and-forth with SLG Publishing), which led to little reason for many users to visit. Now, they’re shutting down.

A personal note: That original link still gets plenty of traffic here, as Google searches from people looking for “DC Marvel torrents” turns it up. The sites may die, but the demand remains and won’t be denied, as you can see from the shutdown discussion, where responses post links to other sources for online comic torrents.

First came word that two of their four conventions were cancelled, the ones in LA and Dallas, leaving only Philadelphia and Chicago. (Wizard insists that Los Angeles has only been “postponed”. Baseless speculation has it that this is because that way, they don’t have to pay back deposits.) Although they did buy the New York Big Apple Con, putting themselves in a city that already has a huge comic show.

Next, they cancelled Anime Insider. Subscribers did not get refunds or any word on status, reportedly because Wizard has been eliminating staff all over, including customer service.

That might explain why their Amazon store has a horrendous feedback ranking, 47% positive at the time of this writing. (Bear in mind that general recommendation is not to order from someone with under 92%.)

Most bizarre are the feedback comments, with many unhappy customers complaining that instead of receiving the collectibles they paid several hundred dollars for, they got a “plastic Superman doll”. Thankfully, Amazon has refund policies that protect the seller in such cases, but what is going on over at Wizard Entertainment?

For more horror stories, visit their message boards. Three years’ worth of “I didn’t get what I ordered” with the refrain lately being “no one was available for me to contact.”

Update: Between the time of my starting to write this article and publishing it, their Amazon feedback rating dropped another point, to 46%.

Also, Wizard responded, saying,

During a recent inventory move we incurred some damage to parts of our inventory. Since many of our customers are collectors, these items are not suitable. When this occurs, we send people a free gift (with shipping at our own expense) to compensate them for their inconvenience. They also receive a full refund on their order.

So the doll was a complimentary action figure, and all these troubled customers were just confused and unaware they were refunded.

Whether or not you’re a subscriber, the shop will bring comics to you (in particular zip codes) on either Wednesdays or Saturdays. (If you’re not a subscriber, there’s a $15 minimum purchase. At today’s prices, that’s merely 4 comics.) You’re also able to browse other comics; see below. Most amazingly, this is a free service!

There is no service charge and our people will not be allowed to accept gratuity. Comic book store at your front door will cost you nothing extra! We will bring along your subscribed books, already sorted, as well as the entire stock of new books for the week, which you can browse and purchase to your heart’s content. We can also do special requests on older material, but we need a week’s heads-up on that.

I’ve never previously heard of Fantom Comics — is anyone a customer? Anyone trying out this service? It sounds like a terrific idea. I’d subscribe, if I lived in the area. In today’s comic market, most serious readers have to pre-order to get their titles, anyway, so why not save them a trip?

Well, turns out that those rumors weren’t correct then, but the book is now cancelled, as confirmed by series writer Paul Cornell. Issue #15 is the last.

Kudos to Cornell for addressing the point. As he says:

you know that time when the whole internet thought we were cancelled? We genuinely weren’t. The book coming to an end now isn’t a revelation that the rumours then were ‘true all along’. If it had been true then, I’d have told you then. I think that controversy, and the extremely welcome reaction from fans, ended up doing a lot of good.

Unfortunately, not enough. And that’s what tends to happen — once people hear a title is in danger, they start reevaluating it. Some people tend to treat pull lists like dating: better to be the dropper, and decide to read something else now, than the droppee, and have something you’re enjoying taken away from you.

After riding a publicity wave with their Female Force line of comics, covering such popular names as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, Bluewater announced the male-focused Political Power line. It launches in July with an issue covering Colin Powell, to be followed in August with President Barack Obama and September with Vice-President Joe Biden.

But that’s not enough! Also in September comes Puppy Power: Bo Obama, the comic book story of the President’s dog. I kind of admire the demented determination to keep milking this political trend until it’s dead, buried, and revived as a zombie.

The United States Naval Academy is adding the comic Bravo Zulu to their Fulfill Your Destiny recruiting campaign. The effort is intended to increase the number of female and minority applicants, and so far, they’re attributing an increase of almost 50% since last year to the campaign. (Although I suspect the continually declining economy may have played a role as well.)

Bravo Zulu, which means Well Done, was created to educate young people about the opportunities at the Academy and in the Navy. It joins 30- and 60-second TV ads that aired last fall. The story, written by Deborah Franco, who created and directed the ads, features five midshipmen interacting with Navy heroes of the past and future. The 12-page comics will be distributed in high schools for free beginning next month.

Typical superhero comic, right? I was trying to follow along — too many characters doing nothing but talking — when I turned a page and was astounded to see this:

Either Marvel’s desperate for ad money, or they’ve got a REALLY good sales team, or someone behind “MyPrincessAcademy.com” has no idea what publications their ads are being placed in, because those audiences don’t match at all. Threw me right out of the comic, too, from surprise.

That wasn’t the only weird placement. Later in that same issue, there’s an ad that looks to me like what happens when someone gets the color settings wrong on the computer. Spider-Man and Iron Man are a kind of mustard yellow, and the whole page blurs into muddy turquoise.

Congratulations, Jeremy! With Bayou due in print at the end of the month, this is a great time for it be recognized.

Note that in 2007, Stagger Lee similarly won four of the nine judged awards. Some may see this as recognition of the strongest work in a particular year, but I fear it also indicates that we have a way to go. I would rather see a year with so many quality black-focused projects that there’s more healthy competition.

Additionally, the Awards press release pointed out that “DC Comics also achieved a sweep, capturing all eight categories it was nominated in, including, for the first time, the Fan Award for Best Comic, the sole award voted on by the fans.” This isn’t immediately obvious until you realize that DC Comics owns Zuda, web publisher of Bayou.

Here are the winners:

Story of the Year
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Best Writer
Jeremy Love, Bayou

Best Artist
Jeremy Love, Bayou

Best Male Character
Black Lightning, Final Crisis: Submit, Grant Morrison, writer, Matthew Clark, Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter, and Don Ho, artists

Best Female Character
Lee Wagstaff, Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Rising Star Award
Damian Duffy & John Jennings, The Hole: Consumer Culture

Best Reprint Publication
Me and the Devil Blues V1, Del Rey, David Ury, translator/adapter

Best Cover
Unknown Soldier #1, Igor Kordey, illustrator

Best Comic Strip
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Fan Award for Best Comic
Vixen: Return of the Lion, G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist

From the press release: The Glyph Comics Awards recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, the goal is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is proud to announce MoCCA Festival 2009 will be held June 6th and 7th at the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington Avenue and 25th Street in New York City.

Saturday only, but I’m looking forward to it!

If you or someone whose work you enjoy are exhibiting there, please let me know in the comments to this post! I’m making my list of people I must make sure to see.

Retailers who join ComicsPRO as Full Members can get a hand from Marvel. Marvel made available some first printing variant covers of Amazing Spider-Man #583, featuring President Barack Obama. This hot, sold-out issue has gone for more than $100 at auction, and retailers who join now can get one for free while supplies last!

Except that current prices, based on ebay sales finished today, range as low as $44, so it appears that this collectible may have peaked. Other copies offered starting at $25 and $50 closed with no bids. Given that Marvel did four or five reprints of the cover, everyone who wants one may have one.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice idea, that a retailer get back something to help offset their membership dues — heck, DC’s done that for years with exclusive RRP editions of comics given out at their invite-only retailer gatherings. I’m just a little tired, personally, of this “let’s exploit the President” approach to marketing. Plus, without knowing how many “some” are, it’s tough to know how generous Marvel is being. Although it is considerate that ComicsPRO isn’t leaving out existing members: “Existing Full Members can get a free Obama variant copy with an early
renewal of 2009-2010 dues.”

But wait! There’s more! Marvel is also discounting subscriptions to their Marvel Retailer Resource Center. According to Marvel, “The Marvel Retailer Resource Center enables retailers to create websites for their stores with up-to-the-minute news, artwork, catalog listings and changes, as well as maps and local happenings.” In other words, they’re selling branded web creation packages. It’s very difficult to find any concrete information on pricing online, but reportedly, it’s over $100 a year for this service. So this “extra $10 discount” is a gesture, but not very substantial. I suspect any store that knows they need a website already has one. Others may not want to be so locked into one vendor’s products.

The press release also says that ComicsPRO has “more than 140 members with more than 180 storefronts.” Given the usual estimate of about 3000 comic retailers, that’s 6% of stores, but I bet they’re the most active and involved ones.

Thom answered a few questions I had as well as providing information about how Diamond is resolving the situation.

Were you timing the solicitation of issue #11 to coordinate with your Free Comic Book Day publication?

Yes, I did. There’s an ad on the back inside cover of #10 promoting it as being in Previews. The idea was to make it as easy as possible for people to order it. People would get the book on Saturday and say “Order me more” and their retailer could.

How does something like this happen?

It was just a error on Diamond’s part. They work with a huge volume of books in any given month, and mistakes are going to happen. I’m sure there are systems in place, but no system is ever perfect. Fortunately, they’re stepping up to the plate to make things as right as possible.

What will happen now?

First, Love and Capes #11 will be solicited in the June Previews catalog for August release. I’ll get the book out as early in the month as I can so it’s as close to the original shipping date as possible. I will have copies for sale at my table at Comic-Con in San Diego as well (also part of why the book was scheduled for July). I won’t sell them off the website, though, until the books are in stores. I’ll be keeping the retailers informed as that draws closer, and I’m sure they’ll understand why I need to sell my new product at the biggest show in the country.

Diamond is also providing me some additional consideration for #11. For instance, it’ll be covered in an e-mail blast to retailers. There may be some other things that we’re still working out, too. Obviously, I’m disappointed that this has happened, but Diamond and my rep have been doing their level best to fix it. They’ve been exceedingly professional about it and I can’t imagine how they could handle this situation any better.

I’m glad to hear that there’s an eventual happy ending! Thanks, Thom, for the information.