Stumptown Comics Fest 2011 Adds Eric Powell

Press release:

MORE GUESTS ADDED TO LINEUP FOR STUMPTOWN COMICS FEST 2011

PORTLAND, OR - Just in time for Halloween, Stumptown Comics Fest is pleased to announce some spooky additions to our guest lineup for 2011. We will be joined by writer and self-taught artist Eric Powell, creator of The Goon, as well as locals Lukas Ketner and Brandon Seifert, whose self published comic Witch Doctor was signed as the premier title for Skybound Comics.

Previously announced guests include Kurt Busiek (writer for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image), Molly Crabapple (illustrator, founder of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School), Barry Deutsch (Hereville), Larry Marder (Tales of the Beanworld), and Carla Speed McNeil (Finder).

The 8th annual Stumptown Comics Fest will take place on April 16th and 17th at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. For continuing updates regarding the event, head to the official website at http://www.stumptowncomicsfest.com/

Hikaru No Go Great Expectations

I read Hikaru no Go, Vol. 21 (Hikaru No Go (Graphic Novels))

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Ben McCool Presents "Memoir"

AT A LOSS

 

CHOKER scribe imagines an amnesiac small town in new miniseries from Image Comics

 

In January 2011, Ben McCool, the creative mastermind behind CHOKER, teams up with brilliant artist Nikki Cook (Girl Comics, DMZ) for a haunting tale of mystery and memory loss.

McCool explains, "MEMOIR is a mysterious match up of Twin Peaks and the Twilight Zone, featuring a town devoid of memory, an eager journalist looking to exploit it, and a strange young girl watching over everything -- a young girl who claims to be the daughter of God."

"There'll be plenty of twists and turns as the truth behind Lowesville's surreptitious past is revealed, and with Nikki Cook's exquisite art bringing it all to life, I think MEMOIR is a must-read mini-series for early 2011!" he adds.

The setting of MEMOIR, Lowesville, is a small town in the American Midwest, peaceful and quaint. But one morning the population awakens with no idea of who they are, where they are, or what's happened. The town's memory has been completely erased. All except for the mind of one man... He remembers everything.

MEMOIR #1 (of 6) (NOV100409), a 32-page black-and-white comic book featuring a cover by John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America), will be in stores January 19, 2011, for $3.50.


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 five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound 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 http://www.imagecomics.com/.

The Walking Dead Reprint Series is Weekly in 2011

THE DEAD WALK EACH WEEK IN 2011

 

Image Comics announces THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLY and new Omnibus

 

Are you excited about THE WALKING DEAD on AMC, but you've never had the chance to read the hit comic book series that inspired it? Starting in January 2011, Image Comics will be reprinting the single issues of the hit series -- shipping one issue per week all year long!

"Keeping a series like this going year after year is all about creating good jumping-on-points for new readers," says series creator and writer Robert Kirkman. "And what better way to jump on than with the very first issue? Making this series available in single issue form will make it easier for new fans to jump on board and for old fans to fill in any gaps in their collection."

January will see the release of the following issues:

THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #1
January 5

Starting in this issue, Rick Grimes awakens to a world he's not prepared for. This small town cop must now fight the forces of the undead while he searches for his missing wife and son. This is the issue that started it all!

THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #2
January 12

Rick Grime's horrific adventure continues. Everything he knew is gone, and the search for his family begins. Rick sets out for Atlanta, the last known location of his wife and son.

THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #3
January 19

Now reunited with his family, Rick Grime's focus shifts from survival to protection. It's one thing to know that you have to watch your back every second of every day. It's another thing entirely to have to worry about losing your family in the blink of an eye.

THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #4
January 26

It is decided that in order to survive... every person at the camp should have guns. As it is, they don't have enough to go around and the only place to get more guns is the city, but it means certain death to go into the city. Is Rick crazy enough to risk his life for the good of the camp?

You will also be able to pick up THE WALKING DEAD OMNIBUS, VOL. 3 in January 2011. Collecting issues #49-72, the OMNIBUS is a deluxe oversized and slipcased hardcover. It's perfect for long time fans, new readers and anyone needing a heavy object with which to fend off the walking dead. The omnibus is strictly limited to a print run of 3000.

THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLIES (#1: NOV100410; #2: NOV100411; #3: NOV100412; #4: NOV100413), each a 32-page black-and-white comic book for $2.99, will be in stores each Wednesday of January 2011. THE WALKING DEAD OMNIBUS, VOL. 3 (regular edition: NOV100442, $100; signed and numbered edition: NOV100443, $150), a 560-page oversized slipcased hardcover, will be in stores January 5, 2011.


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 five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound 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 http://www.imagecomics.com/.

VIZ Kids Welcomes Panda Man and Taro in November

TWO NOVEMBER RELEASES FROM VIZ KIDS

 

PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE! and TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL Combine Stories of Fun and Mischief with Brain Tickling Puzzles and Games

 

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, gives younger readers something to look forward to with the release of PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE! and TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL on November 2nd.

PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE!, TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL, and the subsequent books in each series, were created to tap into every child's sense of play. The new titles, recommended for readers ages 6 years or older and part of the VIZ Kids imprint, tell the stories of a flatulent panda and a brave little pup. Each book offers a unique reading experience, mixing comic book elements with traditional prose. In addition, readers solve mazes, puzzles and riddles to move the stories along.

"We are really excited to offer these two new series," said Traci Todd, Senior Editor, Children’s Publishing. "PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE! and TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL are good, silly fun mixed with a lot of heart."

THE ADVENTURES OF PANDA MAN: PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE • MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.99 CAN • Available November 2nd

Boing Oing! It's Panda Man, a roly-poly hero with a bottomless belly and the power of pee-yew! Evil villains are no match for our hero's funky feet and flatulence, but he still needs your help! Together you can solve the mazes and puzzles that stand between Panda Man and ultimate justice...or his next meal. Whichever comes first!

THE ADVENTURES OF TARO: TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL • MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.99 CAN • Available November 2nd

Before his comic book drawings came to life, Taro was an ordinary boy. Now his characters are in danger, and it's up to him to save them! With the flick of a magic pencil, Taro transforms into Terrie (a terrier) and enters his comic book world. The adventures ahead are more amazing than anything he ever imagined!

VIZ Kids titles offer engaging manga and manga-related content intended specifically for a younger audience. All VIZ Kids products share the same core values of strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes, and lots of good humor that will delight a whole new generation of readers.

For more information on these or other VIZ Kids titles, please visit http://www.vizkids.com/.

Bluewater Productions Signs with Talent Agency

APA SIGNS BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS

 

Bluewater Productions, a full-service publishing and production company that specializes in comic books, graphic novels and Multimedia, has signed with APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) for representation for television, film, videogames and branding.

Known as one of the top graphic novel production companies, Bluewater pairs high quality art with stories ranging from classic myths to Hollywood legends, melding comic books with the diverse multimedia marketplace. Bluewater president Darren G. Davis has experienced enormous success over the past 15 years in Media Design with such titles as "10th Muse," known as the sixth highest selling comic in 2001, "VSS," and "Legend of Isis," as well as their newest venture into biography comics with "Fame," "Female Force," and "Political Power."

Bluewater maintains impressive media partnerships with such notables as Adam West, William Shatner, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures and Dreamworks. Currently, Bluewater is set NBC/Universal on "10th Muse." APA will work with Bluewater to market graphic novels and comic book material to established TV, feature and video game companies, as well as other ancillary business that are organic fits for the brand.

"We are very excited to be represented by Steve Fisher & Debbie Deuble from APA," said publisher, Darren G. Davis, "We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship."


About APA:
An industry leader in the field of talent and literary representation for nearly fifty years, APA represents many of today's most talented artists in all areas of the entertainment industry, with principal offices in Beverly Hills, New York and Nashville.

Unique in the industry, APA believes that there should be no delineation between Film, Television and Theatre. Our artists, including Academy Award, Tony Award and Emmy Award winning talent, are able to move from features to television series to Broadway at any given moment. Consistently one of the top booking agencies in the country, APA's concert and comedy departments represent a diverse slate of clients from all over the world. Our comedy roster includes some of today's hottest comedians and talk show hosts. APA's many concert-recording artists and stand-up comedians also cross over into other mediums. Our literary department boasts an impressive list of established screenwriters, directors, executive producers and novelists, and is at the forefront of packaging some of the most successful and critically acclaimed shows on the air.

For more information, visit www.apa-agency.com/

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”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” et al) 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.

For more information, visit http://www.bluewaterprod.com/.

R. Crumb's Sweet Side

I read The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has those FREE smart phone apps).  This is a slim collection of drawings and illustrations from the great comix creator.