Friday, January 8, 2010
The War of Drawz
This Truthout piece is quite interesting, if for no other reason than its title, "Gird Your Loins for the Global War on Underwear."
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Radical Comics' "Last Days" a Hit
THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1 SELLS OUT
Radical Publishing is proud to announce that the first printing of fan-favorite writer Rick Remender’s criminal masterpiece The Last Days of American Crime #1 has sold out at the distributor level, with very few copies remaining at a select number of comic and book stores across the country. The Last Days of American Crime is Radical’s newest release featuring Radical’s “Bigger Books! Bigger Value!” initiative of 64-page books at a $4.99 price point. Hurry while you can and join the heist of the century!
Illustrated by the immensely talented Greg Tocchini (Marvel 1602: New World
), The Last Days of American Crime takes readers into the world of Graham Bricke, a petty crook never quite able to reach the upper echelon of career criminals. When the American government installs a new currency system using digital charge cards, Graham puts together a grand scheme to steal one of the charging stations to finally hit the big time and live like a king for the rest of his life. As he assembles his team and finalizes his plans, the media leaks news of the government’s intention to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts…in less than two weeks. Now, Graham and his team have a ticking clock to turn the heist of a lifetime into the final crime in the history of America.“…writers must perform a magic act in order to make the reader believe he is reading something new. Well, someone get Rick Remender a top hat and a wand because he accomplishes it in the down and dirty Last Days of American Crime. By infusing a classic noir heist with the tension of modern American politics, Remender gives us a great opening to a comic series – perhaps even on the level of Criminal
or 100 Bullets
.” Andy Bentley, IGN Comics“We’re incredibly proud of the response to Rick’s work, both critically and on the retailer and fan level,” said Radical President and Publisher Barry Levine. “The Last Days of American Crime is exactly the kind of project we strive for at Radical – high-concept, engaging and incredibly well-written. As we move into the New Year, we are always appreciative and thankful for the continued support of our distributors, the retailers and our fans.”
Rick Remender
adds, "Everyone involved in the project is extremely excited and it shows in the final product. Greg's work in particular, it's just nearly unparalleled, he's been killing himself to make this series special and it's wonderful to see it paying off."About Radical Publishing
Radical Publishing is founded by Barry Levine (producer for Hercules, Caliber, Freedom Formula, Shrapnel, Abattoir, Oblivion, The Last Days of American Crime and executive producer for the in-development Rex Mundi movie for Warner Bros., written by Jim Uhls and starring Johnny Depp) and entrepreneur Jesse Berger (executive producer for Hercules, Caliber, Freedom Formula, Shrapnel, Abattoir, Oblivion and The Last Days of American Crime).
For their quality and excellence in 2008, retailers voted Radical Publishing the Gem Award for “Best New Publisher of the Year” from Diamond Comic Distributors. Radical brings the best writing, storytelling and fully painted cover and interior art to the global comic book market, from prominent international talents such as Yoshitaka Amano, John Bolton, Luis Royo, Jim Steranko, Paul Gulacy, Stephan Martinière Steve Pugh, Warren Ellis, Arthur Suydam, Steve Niles, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Arvid Nelson, Flint Dille, Marko Djurdjevic, Alex Maleev, Ian Edginton, David Hine, Rick Remender, Joseph Kosinski, Andree Wallin, Nick Percival, Steve Moore, Sam Sarkar, Stjepan Sejic, Francesco "Matt" Mattina, JP Targete, Greg Tocchini, Dave Wilkins, Tomm Coker, Clayton Crain, Bill Sienkiewicz, Leonardo Manco Nick Sagan, Clint Langley, Nick Simmons, Rainier Beredo, Vincent Proce, Stephen Crowe, Richard Lee, Patrick Reilly, Weta Workshop, Haberlin Studios, Meduzarts Digital Environment Studio, Zombie Studios and many more.
Radical Publishing currently has production deals with Spyglass Entertainment and Peter Berg’s Film 44 for Hercules; Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil for Caliber; and New Regency and Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions for Freedom Formula. [END]
Pink Dogs with Unicorn Horns
I finished reading Goats The Corndog Imperative (The Infinite Pendergast Cycle)
I published a review at the Comic Book Bin.
I published a review at the Comic Book Bin.
GAHAN WILSON at the STRAND: Tues, Jan. 19
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS AND THE STRAND PRESENT: An evening with GAHAN WILSON
Signing and discussing his new book: GAHAN WILSON: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons
Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons
by Gahan Wilson; Price: $125.00 • ISBN- 978-1606992982; Full ColorThree hard covers in an embossed slipcase with a plexiglass back. A complete collection of Gahan Wilson's comic strips, including pieces from Playboy and National Lampoon. Gahan Wilson is among the most popular, widely-read, and beloved cartoonists in the history of the medium, whose career spans the second half of the 20th century, and all of the 21st. His work has been seen by hundreds of millions in the pages of Playboy, The New Yorker, Punch, The National Lampoon, and many other magazines. It’s about time that a collection of his cartoons was published that did justice to his vast body of work. Gahan Wilson’s illustrations have appeared in every issue of Playboy from the December 1957 issue to today.
Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons features not only every cartoon Wilson drew for Playboy, but all his prose fiction that has appeared in that magazine as well, from his first story in the June 1962 issue, “Horror Trio,” to such classics as “Dracula Country” (September 1978). It also includes the text-and-art features he drew for Playboy, such as his look at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, his take on our country’s “pathology of violence,” and his appreciation of “transplant surgery.”
About The Writer
Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style, and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams.
Wilson received the World Fantasy Convention Award in 1981, and the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and is the subject of a feature length documentary film, Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe.
GAHAN WILSON: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons
Tuesday, January 19, 7PM
THE STRAND BOOKSTORE
12th & Broadway
New York, NY [END]
Fantagraphics Books Holds 2010 Preview Exhibition
FANTAGRAPHICS 2010 PREVIEW Exhibition this Saturday!
Don’t miss an opportunity to get a sneak peak at some of the great books you’ll be reading later this year at the FANTAGRAPHICS 2010 PREVIEW event this Saturday, January 9 at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle.
On display will be work from Fantagraphics favorites like Peter Bagge (HATE ANNUAL #8), Tony Millionaire (BILLY HAZELNUTS AND THE CRAZY BIRD
), Jim Woodring (WEATHERCRAFT
), Jason (WEREWOLVES OF MONTPELLIER), Michael Kupperman (TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE
#6), Richard Sala
(THE HIDDEN), and Gilbert Hernandez
(LOVE & ROCKETS NEW STORIES #3), as well as new offerings from masters like Jacques Tardi
and Carol Tyler and relative newcomers like Joe Daly
, Tim Hensley
and Nate Neal, among many others. 2010 promises more of the amazingly diverse yet cohesive line of compelling comics you’ve come to expect from Fantagraphics Books. See for yourself this Saturday. The opening from 6:00 to 9:00 PM coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations at several locations throughout the historic neighborhood. For details and a map, visit http://www.georgetownartattack.com/.
Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.) only minutes south of downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110. [END]
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Bluewater Comics Launches "Fame" Line with Lady Gaga
BLUEWATER ADDS “FAME” TO ITS BIOGRAPHY COMIC LINE UP STARTING WITH LADY GAGA
With its biography comic titles selling well despite a slumping comic industry, Bluewater Productions announced the expansion of its biography title assets with Fame, a new series that focuses on culturally relevant celebrities and other pop culture icons.
The preview issue will be available in time for "Free Comic Book Day" on May 5th. featuring performer Lady GaGa. Future issues will feature such personalities as Robert Pattinson, 50 Cent, David Beckham and Taylor Swift.
“Over the past year we saw an opportunity to broaden the scope of who reads comics,” said Bluewater president Darren G. Davis, “There were many who had never picked up a graphic novel or comic book buy our biography titles like Female Force and Political Power. Fame is the natural extension of that trend.”
Davis, who was once a marketing executive E! Entertainment Television and Lionsgate, noted that the multiple printings of the tribute book, Michael Jackson: King of Pop, convinced him that the current crop of biography titles were too limiting.
“Fame gives us the ability to tell more interesting stories about a wider variety of notable personalities. Conversely, it allows us to focus the scope of our other biography titles to more socially and political important figures.” Davis added.
Additionally, Bluewater announced its biography title release schedule for the first half of 2010.
As previously announced, the Female Force series will feature Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Obama: Year One and Ellen DeGeneres. Other biographies filling out the first half of the year's schedule include Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor, news anchor Meredith Vieira, and novelist Anne Rice.
The Political Power series will feature Al Gore, Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton followed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Franken, and Rush Limbaugh.
“People seem to enjoy debating whether this person or that are worthy of our biographies. Whereas some subjects have more influence on our social, cultural or political landscape than others, the bottom line is we try to choose subjects that have compelling or important stories to tell,” Davis said.
The biography comic book series, launched earlier this year, has drawn considerable media attention, including features on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, “The View” and “Live with Regis and Kelly.” It has also been featured in such periodicals as People Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and thousands of blogs and other media outlets.
About Bluewater Productions
Bluewater Productions Inc. is one of the top independent production studios of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its extensive catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis” ”Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), Logan's Run and celebrated actor Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”), Additionally, Bluewater publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Female Force” and “Political Power.”
Bluewater aims to unite cutting-edge art and engaging stories produced by its stable of the publishing industry's top artists and writers.
Following its commitment to green publishing, Bluewater comic books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. FSC certification guarantees that the paper used in Bluewater books contains fiber from well-managed and responsibility harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.
For more information, visit http://www.bluewaterprod.com/. [END]
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