July 27, 2008 Johanna Toon Books 6 comments

Toon Books: Benny and Penny, Otto’s Orange Day, Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons

Toon Books is a new imprint that debuted earlier this year with the goal of providing “hardcover comics produced especially for earlier readers” (defined as ages four and up). It’s run by the folks behind Little Lit: Editorial Director Francoise Mouly (who is also Art Editor of The New Yorker) and her husband, Series Advisor Art Spiegelman (who is also author of Maus). So lots of knowledge and experience there! I’m glad to see such handsome volumes carrying the message […]

July 24, 2008 Johanna Other Manga Publishers 2 comments

Apothecarius Argentum Volume 1

A princess needs a healer, who turns out to be a childhood friend become an apothecary, in Apothecarius Argentum by Tomomi Yamashita. She’s a headstrong tomboy, but Argent is the man who knew her when. He’s also a living toxin, immune to poison but with a killing touch. That kind of irony — the master healer brings life although he’s walking death — underlies the book’s plots, providing multiple layers. The princess loves food, to the point of overeating, but […]

July 24, 2008 Johanna Comic News Leave a comment

New Platinum Wowio Contracts Discussed; Goodbye, Wowio

WOWIO worked for everyone: free comics for readers and real payments for creators of 50 cents a PDF download. (I previously interviewed Bill Williams of Lone Star Press about how well it worked for them.) Then they were acquired by generally shady Platinum. Even if you don’t mind the ethics, Platinum lost over $5 million last year (link no longer available), mainly because their business plan appears to be “acquire comic properties, don’t publish them, hope someone gives us lots […]

July 20, 2008 Johanna Comic Book Films 2 comments

Dark Knight Sets Box Office Record

The new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, set a new box office record, according to the New York Times. Warner estimates that the film made $155.3 million over the three-day weekend, beating the previous record-holder, Spider-Man 3, which made $151.1 million. $18.5 million came from the midnight showings, which were so popular that they scheduled more after the first ones sold out. Imax showings, which cost more for an average ticket, may have also helped the movie set a record. […]

July 18, 2008 KC DCU Original Animation Leave a comment

Batman: Gotham Knight

Review by KC Carlson and Ed Sizemore [A note from KC: When Johanna asked me to review the new Batman: Gotham Knight animated DVD, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was in over my head. Although the history of American animation is kind of a hobby of mine, I have only a very limited scope of what is going on in the rapidly growing world of anime. Sadly, except for the end credits of the DVD, the […]

July 17, 2008 Johanna IDW / Top Shelf One comment

Delayed Replays

Liz Prince’s first full-length book, Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?, won the 2005 Outstanding Debut Ignatz Award. It was a pocket-size volume of observational strips mostly about her relationship. Her new book, Delayed Replays, is similar, with one big difference: the book is oriented horizontally, the better to reflect the direction of the comic strips. Prince’s style is sketchy, with construction lines visible. Reading this small book feels like looking through a sketchbook or journal. […]

July 17, 2008 Johanna Comic News Leave a comment

Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Phooey

I don’t know why this cracks me up so much… have you ever heard of Phooey Duck, Donald’s fourth nephew? He’s another one of those comic accidents, like Wonder Girl. (I like it when people playfully try to fill in gaps like that, instead of getting bent out of shape about them. It’s creative.)

July 17, 2008 Johanna Comic Book Films 3 comments

Batman Begins

KC wants to go see The Dark Knight soon, before we hear too much about it. I’m not really interested — I can’t see clips without thinking how tragic it was to lose Heath Ledger — but everyone expects me to see it, and I want to keep him company. (We’ll see Mamma Mia! first, though.) I mention this only to explain why I finally watched Batman Begins — it was necessary homework. It was pretty much what I expected. […]

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