Thursday, May 20, 2010

Legendary Michael Golden and Joe Jusko Tour Europe

Michael Golden and Joe Jusko Headline "LEI 2010 Euro Spring Tour"!

Paris, The Netherlands, Brussels -- The Eva Ink Artist Tour for May 2010 is underway! And this year sees the bi-annual event reprising the successes of two years ago by bringing back two illustration heavy hitters for the adventure-- creator Michael Golden and illustrator Joe Jusko!

"I admire the work of both of these talents immensely," says Renee Witterstaetter of Eva Ink Artist Group, "And I'm very happy to welcome them both back on the tour. It's seldom that we invite the same creators back so soon, but the demand for Joe and Michael was high, both from the fans of their work in Europe, and from the store owners themselves!"

And it's certainly no wonder!

Artist/writer/creator Michael Golden, co-creator of the X-men's Rogue character, is known for his detailed pencil work on "The 'Nam," "Micronauts," "G.I. Joe Yearbook," and "Dr. Strange, " among much more!

Milestones in Golden's career include the co-creation of "Bucky O'Hare," which led to an animated series and toy line designed by Michael, "The Mirconauts," as well as "Spartan X" with editor Renee Witterstaetter. Currently, Golden's work can be seen with new covers on "Spiderman 1602," "Iron Man", "Heroes for Hire", "X-Men," "Demon's Regret, " "Mice Templar," and many more. In addition, Vanguard Production's extensive art book, "Excess: The Art of Michael Golden," is on a second printing, while Creator Chronicles has also recently released a two part candid DVD on Michael and his career.

Michael has served as an Editor at DC Comics as well as Senior Art Director at Marvel Comics, and has worked on scores of movie production projects, including some currently in development. His art has been the focus of gallery shows in places as diverse as Gijon and Barcelona, Spain, New York, Antwerp and Brussels, while his class on storytelling has been conducted from Spain to Brussels to Canada to The United States and most recently in China. He was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Lille, France.

Following the successful "Heroes and Villains" sketchbook" released last year, Michael's new hardcover art book "Michael Golden: MORE Heroes and Villains," has just hit the stands, and his work on the Eva Ink project "Kerry and the Scary Things," is due out in October.

Joe Jusko is undoubtedly one of the best known Fantasy, Pin-Up and Comic Artists in the world today. His career has spanned almost 30 years, starting with the sale of his first cover for Heavy Metal Magazine in 1977 at the age of 17. Since , Joe has worked for almost every major comic book publisher, producing hundreds of images for both covers and interiors.

In addition to his work at Marvel over the years, Joe has produced art for many other companies and characters, including DC Comics, Crusade Comics, Innovation Comics, Harris Comics, Wildstorm Comics, Top Cow Productions and Byron Preiss Visuals, to name just a few. His recent work includes miscellaneous cover paintings for 'The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles', 'Vampirella' , and Sheena, among others. The next project due out on to highlight Joe's amazing work is "Joe Jusko: Savage Beauty," a hardcover art book from Eva Ink Publishing.

Jusko's work has earned him myriad awards and honors, including two "Favorite Painter" Wizard Fan Awards, multiple trading card awards, a Golden Lion Award from the Burroughs Bibliophiles (previous recipients include Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo) and a Chesley Award nomination for best cover .

The LEI 2010 Euro Spring Tour includes stops at:
Paris-- Diablo Blanc Comics-- May 21st and May 22nd
The Netherlands, Breda-- Der Stripspecialist-- May 27th
Brussels-- Utopia Comics-- May 28th and May 29th
Brussels-- Ganshoren Comics Festival-- May 30th

"We look forward to seeing all of our friends at all these stops," continued Renee, "And, hey, if you are a store in Europe and would like to be on future tour itineraries, drop me an e-mail. We love to work with new people as well, and meet fans we haven't met yet!

"Stories from the last two years of tours are legend, " laughs Renee. "It will be exciting to see what this year holds."

Golden and Jusko will be signing and sketching at all stops, as well as offering 4 prints each exclusive to the tour, while supplies last. For more information on the stores, locations, and any commission rates, contact Renee at: evaink@aol.com


Comics Critics at Skylight Books

Comics Critics Unite at Skylight Books May 27th!

BEN SCHWARTZ, SAMMY HARKHAM, and ROBERT FIORE discuss BEST AMERICAN COMICS CRITICISM at SKYLIGHT BOOKS!

Bookforum critic Ben Schwartz, editor of the new anthology Best American Comics Criticism, will discuss comics and comics criticism with Kramers Ergot editor and acclaimed cartoonist Sammy Harkham and comics critic Robert Fiore at L.A.'s SKYLIGHT BOOKS!

WHEN: Thursday, 05/27/2010
7:30pm - 9:30pm
WHERE: Skylight Books
1818 N. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90027

Whether you choose to call them “comics lit,” “graphic novels,” or just “thick comic books,” book-length narratives told in words and pictures confidently elbowed their way into the cultural spotlight in the first decade of this new millennium — beginning with the simultaneous 2001 release of Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth and Daniel Clowes’ David Boring, and continuing on through ground-breaking and best-selling works such as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Robert Crumb’s Genesis, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, and Joe Sacco’s Palestine.

This renaissance in turn brought forth a chorus of critical commentary that not only addressed these recent works, but also initiated a much-needed look back at the previous century’s neglected and forgotten masterpieces.

This chorus, as presented in The Best American Comics Criticism, comprises both criticism (Douglas Wolk on Frank Miller and Will Eisner, Robert C. Harvey on Fun Home, Donald Phelps on Steve Ditko and Phoebe Gloeckner) and history (David Hajdu on the 1950s comic-book burnings, Jeet Heer on Gasoline Alley, Ben Schwartz on Little Orphan Annie, Gerard Jones on the birth of the comic-book business), as well as revelatory peer-on-peer essays by novelists (Jonathan Franzen on Peanuts, John Updike on James Thurber) and cartoonists (Chris Ware on Rodolphe Töpffer, Daniel Clowes on Mad’s Will Elder, and Seth on John Stanley).

Add in still more voices (The Daily Show’s John Hodgman on Jack Kirby, Sarah Boxer on Krazy Kat, Ken Parille with a meticulous deconstruction of Clowes’s David Boring), and a selection of revelatory interviews with comics masters (Kim Deitch, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Marjane Satrapi, Will Elder, Chester Brown) and cartoonist tête-à-têtes (Eisner/Miller, Jonatham Lethem/Clowes, Dan Nadel/Sammy Harkham), and The Best American Comics Criticism offers a riveting and comprehensive look at a medium finally come into its own—not just creatively, but in terms of the respect and prominence within American culture it has so long deserved.

The Best American Comics Criticism is edited by Ben Schwartz, a contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, The Atlantic On-Line, and Bookforum.


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

"Murderland" Coming from Image Comics in August

A REFORMED KILLER FINDS HIS HAPPY PLACE IN BALTIMORE

Bizarre New Crime Series from David Hahn and Stephen Scott Hits the Streets in August

Artist DAVID HAHN joins newcomer STEPHEN SCOTT tell a story of doomed romance, bloodshed and the outer limits of human potential in MURDERLAND, published by Image Comics

Scott states, "In MURDERLAND, I wanted to do several things: (1) Teach people what an Arabber is before they are all gone, (2) show why Baltimore is more like a difficult lover than a crack head relative, and (3) stir funny feelings about a bearded woman. All I'm sure we did was mix some comedy with solid action and strangely authentic characters."

"Method is the money character," says Hahn. "Not just another pretty face, but one with the most unusual body issues I've ever seen. She is at one moment beautiful, then unexpectedly repulsive. I have a certain squeamishness regarding Method's 'hair powers,' but I have to say, I have never seen a writer so unafraid to 'ugly-up' his female lead without just beating her up. This is like nothing else I've drawn or even seen in mainstream comics."

BOO COOK, who provides the flip cover for the first issue, adds, "It just so happened that I was fired up about Baltimore from watching THE WIRE, and the MURDERLAND pitch just hooked me in."

"I've been a fan of David's artwork since his PRIVATE BEACH days, so I was thrilled when he and Stephen approached Image with MURDERLAND," says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "Together, they've come up with one of the more unique takes on the vigilante concept, and I think fans of crime comics are going to eat this up."

MURDERLAND unfolds on the "complicated" streets of Baltimore, Maryland. The Arabber is a reformed killer bent on bringing peace to his hometown. Method is his lover and partner in crime, but she may not be long for The Arabber's crusade.

MURDERLAND #1, a 32-page full-color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores August 4, 2010.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Rin-ne's New Boy Exorcist

I read RIN-NE, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which just released the latest version of its iPhone app).



IDW from Diamond Distributors for May 19 2010

IDW PUBLISHING
MAR101062 BEYOND THE WALL TP $17.99

MAR101007 CLASSIC GI JOE TP VOL 08 $24.99

MAR101015 GHOUL HC $14.99

MAR101001 GI JOE #18 $3.99

MAR100986 JAMES PATTERSONS WITCH & WIZARD #1 BATTLE SHADOWLAND $3.99

MAR101032 KILL SHAKESPEARE #2 $3.99

FEB100938 LAST UNICORN #1 SGN ED $9.99

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MAR101045 TANK GIRL ROYAL ESCAPE #3 (OF 4) $3.99

MAR100993 TRANSFORMERS LAST STAND O/T WRECKERS #5 $3.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 19 2010

DC COMICS
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MAR100189 AZRAEL #8 $2.99

MAR100187 BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #12 $3.99

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MAR100176 DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES #1 (OF 10) $3.99

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SEP090243 GREEN LANTERN LEGACIES STATUE PART 1 HAL JORDAN $195.00

MAR100173 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #45 (BRIGHTEST DAY) $3.99

MAR108044 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #45 (BRIGHTEST DAY) VAR ED $3.99

FEB100189 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA BAD SEED TP $14.99

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MAR100256 SCALPED #1 NEW PTG $1.00

MAR100214 SPIRIT #2 $3.99

FEB100197 SUPERGIRL FRIENDS AND FUGITIVES TP $17.99

MAR100194 SUPERMAN BATMAN #72 $2.99

MAR100203 SUPERMAN WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #3 (OF 4) $2.99

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MAR100271 TINY TITANS #28 $2.50

JAN100336 WORLD OF WARCRAFT ASHBRINGER TP $14.99

MAR100234 ZATANNA #1 $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 19 2010

MARVEL COMICS
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MAR100508 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS AMERICAN SON #1 (OF 4) $3.99

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MAR100520 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 HA $3.99

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MAR100490 DEADPOOL #23 HA $2.99

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MAR100536 ENTER THE HEROIC AGE #1 HA $3.99

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MAR100476 HER-OES #2 $2.99

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MAR100630 HULK PREM HC $19.99

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MAR100629 SPIDER-MAN GAUNTLET PREM HC VOL 03 VULTURE MORBIUS $19.99

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