Where do comic concepts come from? Sometimes, it’s a cool piece of art that inspires people to want to see more. Take, for example, the DC Bombshells. Originally a set of variant covers by Ant Lucia featuring the female heroes in 40s inspired costumes and poses, they then became a merchandise line, including statues, mugs, posters, blankets, and playing cards. Finally, now they’re going to star in a comic book! DC Comics Bombshells is a digital-first comic available through ComiXology […]

I suspect many readers don’t remember Elk’s Run. Elk’s Run was a miniseries written by the now-much-better-known Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Noel Tuazon. Fialkov self-published three issues through Hoarse and Buggy Productions in 2005. That same year, it was picked up by Speakeasy, a short-lived mid-2000s comic publisher, who put out a collection of the first three issues and issue #4. Elk’s Run then was released in 2007 as a collected graphic novel from Villard, an imprint of […]

It’s no surprise that publisher Action Lab would want to enter the merchandise market, particularly with such a cute property as Gronk now in their stable. In the newest Previews catalog, you can order a six-inch plush of the little monster for $11.99. However, to fill out the line, they’re also offering a Zombie Tramp statue. I’m not surprised that this comic continues to sell, because it plays to the worst stereotypes of the direct market, offering a barely-dressed pneumatic […]

This weekend is the Toronto Comics Arts Festival, or TCAF, the reason I keep my passport current. It’s a wonderful show, free to everyone, held at the Toronto Reference Library, and with substantial content and attendees. I’m honored this year to be moderating three panels, all on topics I find fascinating in comics. Here’s my schedule, but visit the programming list to see the many more choices available as well. Art of the Travelogue, Saturday, 12:15pm, Marriott Bloor-Yorkville Hotel The […]

For years, Amazon has had a referral fee program, where an associate can share links to products. (I use it at this site to make a minimal amount to cover hosting fees and similar costs.) If those links are used to buy, then the associate gets a small cut. They also pay fees for signing up new customers to certain programs. For example, right now associates are getting $3 per person who signs up for Amazon Prime or tries Amazon […]

Kate Beaton, acclaimed cartoonist who portrays history and literature with welcome sarcasm and lack of pretension, has two new books coming this fall. Step Aside, Pops from Drawn & Quarterly is a followup to Hark! A Vagrant, with similar strips and topics. It’s due in September. You can get a sampling in the Drawn & Quarterly Free Comic Book Day 2015 book, with a neat range of subjects. The Princess and the Pony is more of a departure. Beaton puts […]

Julia Wertz’s Drinking at the Movies revitalized the graphic memoir genre for me when it came out in 2010 from Three Rivers Press, a paperback imprint of Random House. However, it’s now out of print from them, to be republished by Koyama Press, who put out Wertz’s followup, The Infinite Wait and Other Stories. The new edition of Drinking at the Movies will be out in November for $15. They’re promising “brand new material from Wertz” and, as you can […]

Valiant has announced that their big summer push will be titled Book of Death, an “epic, four-part event revealing the future fates of X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Ninjak, and more in July”. Along with this miniseries, they’re offering the four-issue Book of Death: Legends of the Geomancer — but only as a “retailer-incentive companion series”. That means you can only buy certain amounts, based on how many issues you’ve ordered of the main series. It’s an obvious incentive strategy that seems […]