Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Carl Carter is a small-town baseball star in his senior year of high school in 1998. He’s about to get a scholarship for college ball. He knows how valuable he’s considered, and as a result, he treats those around him with disregard. He relies on his brother to do his work, ignores his father, and skates on schoolwork. His best friend Esden parties with him, but Esden doesn’t have the skills that excuse this frat-boy-like behavior. Then the two make […]
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Connie Sun’s webcomic today was one I strongly identified with, mostly for this panel. That was me last weekend, when I didn’t blog at all — but I don’t regret it.
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ICv2 ran an interview with Jon Goldwater, Publisher and Co-CEO of Archie Comics, yesterday. As one would expect, it’s mostly generic puffery: Archie’s “still the #1 mass market comic book in the world”. Archie’s decades of history make it a well-known property. People are looking for quality entertainment. Archie’s broad-based, suitable for everyone. I found Goldwater’s mantra, “Archie is open for business”, interesting. He uses it to mean that he’ll consider new artists, new talent, new styles, and new approaches, […]
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I talked about how enjoyable The Double Life of Miranda Turner was at the beginning of year. It’s been quite the patience-tester since then, since issues #2 and 3 make up one story, and issue #3 just came out today. The comic is written by Jamie S. Rich and drawn by George Kambadais. In this issue, Miranda is figuring out the best way to battle a troupe of theater actors, given super powers, with the aid of her dead sister […]
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The digital comic All My Ghosts is hampered by a really extended release schedule. Issue #1 came out last October, and the second issue (of four) is just now coming out. (The artist, Jeremy Massie, has said he aims to release quarterly.) It’s one of Alterna Comics’ ComiXology titles, $1.99 for a 24-page digital “issue”. I’m talking about it, though, because it tackles a relevant, intriguing subject that I haven’t see done in comics, the idea of family legacies and […]
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Dave Kellett (cartoonist of Sheldon) and Fred Schroeder have been working on Stripped, their documentary on comic strips and their creators, for a long time. The original Kickstarter funded at over $100,000 in September 2011, 2 1/2 years ago, with a planned delivery in January 2012. Now, the end is in sight. Original backers are waiting on their DVDs (they will ship March 21 from the manufacturer), but digital copies are starting to go out, and the reactions are excellent. […]
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I’ve put together plans to attend my first show of the season, MoCCA Fest 2014, held April 5 and 6 this year in New York City. The show is put on by the Society of Illustrators/Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, and it’s terrific. I had a fabulous time last year. This year, as before, there will be awards, a fascinating, diverse group of guests of honor, an art gallery, and as a crowning touch, a reasonably priced on-site cafe. […]
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Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, had another comic strip running from 1957-1959. It’s Only a Game focused on sports and games — often golf, bridge, and bowling, pastimes of the suburban 50s. The strip was offered in two formats. There was a single gag panel, run three times a week, in black and white. Those comics were reprinted in 2004 in a compact paperback. As Schulz found that his workload became heavier, Jim Sasseville came on to finish the art […]
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