Fantagraphics Announces Tucker Stone to Lead Its Publicity Efforts

Tucker Stone Joins Fantagraphics as Executive Director of Communications & Marketing

Blue-eyed Seasoned Comics Industry Veteran Joins Fantagraphics to Lead Publicity Efforts

SEATTLE, WA—Fantagraphics, the leading publisher of classic comics and literary graphic novels, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tucker Stone as the new Executive Director of Communications & Marketing. Having worked with such highly regarded organizations such as Nobrow & Flying Eye Books, TOON Books, and Ingram, Stone brings over 15 years of experience in the comics and publishing industry to the position at Fantagraphics. He recently served as the President of USBBY, the US chapter of the International Board for Books for Young People, and is the sole US member currently nominated for that organization’s Executive Committee. Tucker also won an Eisner Award in 2018 for his work as Editor at The Comics Journal (published by Fantagraphics). Prior to his tenure in publishing, he was the Managing Partner for Bergen Street Comics, a renowned comics and graphic novel store in Brooklyn, New York.

"The dirty little secret of comics is that if you lack the skill to make comic books, there is no greater job than being the person who gets to tell the world about them," explains Tucker Stone. "I have spent the entirety of my adult life as a devoted reader of the cartoonists that Fantagraphics publishes, and to have the opportunity to join that team and be a part of the greatest comics publishing company in the medium's history is the most exciting career change I could imagine."

"I've known Tucker for 15 years, since he was a managing partner of Bergen St. Comics, which hosted many a Fantagraphics event in its heyday. I've watched him carve a career in comics that not only covers virtually every facet of the industry -- retailing, publishing, distribution, editorial, marketing, etc. -- but also do so with integrity and a sincere love for the medium and desire to make comics better. He is going to be a tremendous asset and I'm absolutely thrilled to have him on board." said Eric Reynolds, Vice President of Fantagraphics.

Fantagraphics Publisher Gary Groth commented, "Tucker co-edited The Comics Journal website for several years, during which time I got to know him, and admire his keen editorial judgment and mature aesthetic appreciation of the comics medium. Tucker’s belief in our mandate —making the world safe for art comics— here at Fantagraphics, not to mention his ferocious competence and clear-eyed professionalism, will make him an important addition to our staff, and I welcome him to our quixotic mission.”

Tucker will be managing all media related inquiries and will actively promote upcoming Fantagraphics titles. For review copies of any Fantagraphics book or to ask questions about a Fantagraphics cartoonist, please contact Tucker at the email address below.

For more info, follow Fantagraphics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

For more information, contact:

Tucker Stone

Executive Director of Communications & Marketing at Fantagraphics

tstone@fantagraphics.com

ABOUT FANTAGRAPHICS:

For nearly 50 years, Fantagraphics has published the very best comics and graphic novels that the medium has to offer. Our mission is to celebrate great cartooning in all of its incarnations, from the form’s early luminaries to contemporary artists currently forging the future of visual storytelling. Not content to rest on our laurels and extensive roster of talented artists, we constantly seek out fresh voices from across the globe. Thus, we honor the rich history of comics while providing a platform for bold new stories, styles, and perspectives that push the boundaries of the medium. Fantagraphics remains peerless in our commitment to be the publisher of the world’s greatest cartoonists.

Related News: Jacq Cohen Departs Fantagraphics for Tapas Entertainment

-----------------------

Fantagraphics Announces New Edition of Joe Sacco's "PALESTINE" and New Weekly Comic

Fantagraphics Announces A New Edition of Joe Sacco's Palestine and the Launch of a New Weekly Comic Series on TCJ.com

SEATTLE, WA—In response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the resurgence of interest in Joe Sacco's seminal work, Fantagraphics is proud to announce a new edition of the groundbreaking graphic novel Palestine, along with the introduction of a compelling new weekly comic by Joe Sacco on TCJ.com, titled "The War on Gaza."

Originally published 30 years ago, Palestine was a pioneering work of comics journalism, offering a nuanced, humanistic portrayal of the lives of Palestinians. After over 25 reprints of the original edition, this new edition comes at a crucial time, as the world witnesses a devastating new chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The new edition will feature an essay by Israeli journalist Amira Hass, updated trade dress, and retain the foreword by the late Edward Said.

“The demand for Palestine has skyrocketed following the horrific events of October 7 and Israel’s brutal response, indicating a yearning for understanding from readers all over the world," said Gary Groth, president and co-founder of Fantagraphics. "We hope that the reissue of Palestine and the new series of graphic commentary 'The War on Gaza’ will help awaken the world to the plight of the Palestinian people and illuminate the political context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Sadly, as Amira Hass makes clear in her new Afterword, Joe Sacco's deeply empathetic account of the Gazan people is even more relevant today than at any time since its original publication.”

Concurrently, Joe Sacco is venturing into a timely exploration of the current conflict through "The War on Gaza," a series of short comics and reflections published weekly on TCJ.com. This new project stems from Sacco's commitment to shedding light on the human cost of the conflict, drawing from his extensive background in journalism and cartooning to offer insightful, poignant observations.

The original paperback of Palestine is available in stores now while supplies last, with the hardcover edition to follow in the fall. Readers can follow "The War on Gaza" weekly on TCJ.com/author/joe-sacco, starting immediately, beginning here.

PRE-ORDER at Fantagraphics or at AMAZON.

New Edition Book Information:

Palestine 

By Joe Sacco

Introduction by Edward Said

Afterword by Amira Hass

$39.99 • ISBN: 9798875000003 

For more info, follow Fantagraphics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

ABOUT JOE SACCO:

Joe Sacco is a critically acclaimed journalist, cartoonist, and pioneer of comics journalism. Known for his immersive reporting and compassionate storytelling, Sacco has been awarded the American Book Award and has received widespread recognition for his contributions to the field of graphic nonfiction.

ABOUT FANTAGRAPHICS:

For nearly 50 years, Fantagraphics has published the very best comics and graphic novels that the medium has to offer. Our mission is to celebrate great cartooning in all of its incarnations, from the form’s early luminaries to contemporary artists currently forging the future of visual storytelling. Not content to rest on our laurels and extensive roster of talented artists, we constantly seek out fresh voices from across the globe. Thus, we honor the rich history of comics while providing a platform for bold new stories, styles, and perspectives that push the boundaries of the medium. Fantagraphics remains peerless in our commitment to be the publisher of the world’s greatest cartoonists.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

I Reads You Juniors: April 2021 - Update #103

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS:

DC FILMS - From Deadline:  "Young Rock" actor, Uli Latukefu, who plays the college football era Dwayne Johnson on the NBC hit series, is reuniting with the action star for New Line/DC’s "Black Adam."

DC FILMS - From BleedingCool:  Voice actress, Stana Katic, talks about the new animated DVD film, "Justice Society: World War II," and the character she plays in the film, Wonder Woman.

DC FILMS - From BleedingCool:  Voice actress, Elysia Rotaru, talks about the new animated DVD film, "Justice Society: World War II," and the character she plays in the film, Black Canary.

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:   The blog details the big changes coming to the Superman line of titles in July.

MARVEL - From GamesRadar:   After being a colorist at DC Comics for 28 years, Alex Sinclair has decided to branch out to other publishers, while still coloring comics for DC.  His first outside work is as the regular colorist for "The Amazing Spider-Man" beginning with this month's issue #63.

MARVEL - From GamesRadar:   Marvel Comics is offering two comic books for Free Comic Book Day 2021, "Avengers/Hulk" and "Spider-Man/Venom."  Free Comic Book Day 2021 is Sat. May 1st.

BOOM STUDIOS - From TheBeat:  The hot comic book news today (Mon., April 26th) is about the upcoming historical and science fiction comic book miniseries, "Dark Blood."   It is written by LaToya Morgan, who was a writer and co-executive producer on the AMC series, "Into the Badlands" and "Turn: Washington's Spies."  It is drawn by first-time comic book artist, illustrator Walt Barna.  The first of six issue arrives July 2021 from BOOM! Studios.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Diamond Comic Distributors is apparently calling each comic book shop to learn which shops will order their Marvel Comics titles though them or directly through Penguin Random House, Marvel's new distributor.  Diamond will still distribute Marvel titles in October, but Diamond will have to get those titles from Penguin Random House.

DC CINEMA - From WeGotThisCovered:   Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shares of a photo showing that he has arrived in Atlanta to shoot the DC Films' movie, "Black Adam."

MANGA - From BleedingCool:   Yen Press announces another slate of new manga and light novel releases.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Wolverine guest stars in "Shang-Chi #3," due this July.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   DC Comics will launch a new horror imprint, "DC Horror," this fall.  The debut title will be a comic book miniseries that will act as prelude to the upcoming film, "The Conjuring: The Lover."

IMAGE COMICS - From EW:   "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke has her own comic book, a three-issue miniseries entitled "M.O.M.: Mother of Madness," which begins in July.

MARVEL/VIZ Media - From BleedingCool:   Marvel Comics and VIZ Media's collaboration will begin in Fall 2021 with "Marvel Meow."  A 72-page hardcover book, this manga will feature Captain Marvel's cat, "Chewi," interacting with Marvel's biggest stars.  The first English-language publication of the Deadpool manga, "Deadpool: Samurai" will occur Feb. 2022.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   DC Comics has announced a new eight-issue mini-series, Blue & Gold, starring Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, by Booster Gold's creator Dan Jurgens and artist Ryan Sook.

MARVEL - From Deadline:  Hulu released a trailer for its stop-motion animated series, "Marvel's M.O.D.O.K."  The series debuts on Hulu May 21st, 2021.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   DC Comics has announced the cancellation of its on-going "Superman" title. It will be replaced in July 2021 by a new title, "Superman: Son of Kal-El," written by Tom Taylor and drawn by John Timms, and which will feature Lois Lane and Superman's son, Jonathan "Jon" Kent, as Superman.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Ablaze Publishing announces its latest uncensored Conan the Cimmerian comic book series, "The Cimmerian: Man-Eaters of Zamboula"

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:   Writer Tom Taylor and artist Andy Kubert talks about "Batman: The Detective #1."

DC CINEMA - From TheWrap: Actor Michael Keaton's talent agent, ICM Partners, has confirmed that Keaton will reprise the role of Batman in DC Films' "The Flash." Keaton played Batman/Bruce Wayne in two films, 1989 "Batman" and 1992's "Batman Returns." 

LGBTQ - From CBR:  Kodansha has announced that the trans coming-of-age manga, "Boys Run the Riot," by trans creator Keito Gaku, will debut in the U.S. May 25th, in both print and digital.

MANGA - From ASAP:   The nominees for Kodansha's 45th Annual Manga Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced May 13, 2021.

SONY SPIDER U - From Variety:   Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson have been tapped by Sony Pictures Animation to direct the sequel to the Oscar-winning animated feature “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:   The upcoming "Red Hood" title, "Future State: Gotham," will have a manga-inspired look due to the work of artist, Giannis Milonogiannis.  "DC Blog" offers several images from the issue including the first five pages of the story and some pages from the back-up story, a reprint of a Katsuhiro Otomo ("Akira") "Batman" short story.

COMICS TO TV - From CinemaBlend:   Beloved "Supernatural" actor, Jensen Ackles, has joined Season 3 of Amazon's "The Boys."  He will play the character "Soldier Boy."

DISNEY - From BleedingCool:  Disney/Hyperion will publish a line of original graphic novels, called "Disney Remix," that will offer new versions of popular characters from various Disney properties, including film and television.   The first graphic novel in the line is "Operation Parent Trap," which is based on the 1961 Walt Disney film and its 1998 remake.

DC CINEMA - From BleedingCool:  DC Film's "The Flash" movie has a logo, and it has been revealed!

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:   "Everything You Need to Know About Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point!," according to "DC Blog."

BOOM STUDIOS - From BleedingCool:   Writer-artist David Petersen returns to his popular "Mouse Guard" series with the one-shot comic book, "Mouse Guard: The Owlhen Caregiver," in July.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Remember Marvel Comics' "World War Hulk."  July brings "World Wars She-Hulk."

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   DC Comics is going to reprint the 6-page story, "Batman: The Third Mask," from 1996's "Batman: Black and White miniseries," in "Future State: Gotham #1."  The story was created by "Akira" creator, Katsuhiro Otomo.

DC CINEMA - From Deadline:   Stand-up comedian, Mo Amer, joins the cast of Dwayne Johnson's "Black Adam" movie from DC Films.

MARVEL - From EW:   Marvel Comics has unveiled its new X-Men line-up: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Polaris, Rogue, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), Sunfire, and Synch.

DC TV - From Deadline:  Actor Dominic Purcell leaves The CW's "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" in a huff.  Purcell has been playing the character "Heatwave."

DC TV - From BleedingCool:   Season 3 of HBO Max's "Doom Patrol" will apparently include the "Dead Boy Detectives."  A duo of ghostly detectives, the characters first appeared in Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman #25," and "Neil himself" approves of the casting of actors Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant in the roles.

DC COMICS - From CBR:   This article details "10 Classic DC Characters Who Didn't Debut in a Comic Book."  Harley Quinn is obvious, having debuted in television series, "Batman: The Animated Series," but I did not know that the Superman character, "Jimmy Olsen," did not get a name until an appearance in "The Adventures of Superman" radio serial in 1940.

DC COMICS - From THR:   Following the events of "Future State," Jason Todd/Red Hood will get a new ongoing comic book series , "DC's Future State: Gotham," written by Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver and drawn by Giannis Milonogiannis.

IMAGE COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Image Comics will publish an art book from cable network, AMC.  Entitled "The Art of AMC's The Walking Dead Universe," the book is due September 2021.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From BGR:   There are plenty of rumors about what Marvel Studios plans to do in regards to bringing Wolverine back to the big screen ... and the small screen.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  The mutant "Polaris" has won the fan vote to be a new member of the X-Men.

VIZ MEDIA - From BleedingCool:   VIZ Media will publish a complete "Ultimate Edition" of the classic 1980s manga, "Fist of the North Star." The first volume arrives June 15th at $19.99 US.

COMICS - From GamesRadar:   The upcoming "Shadowman" comic book from Valiant (which debuts April 28th) will re-imagine the supernatural side of the "Valiant Universe."

BLACK COMICS - From Previews:   Artists Julian Shaw and Paris Alleyne talks about bringing 28 artists together for their art book, "28 Days of Black Heroes: The Arts of Julian Shaw and Paris Alleyne."

COMICS - From YahooNerdist:   How the year 1986 changed American comic books forever with "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" and "Watchmen," among others.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  "MPLS Sound" is a graphic novel that pays homage to the musical legacy of late music legend, Prince, via a story that focuses on the fictional band, "Starchild."

COMICS TO FILM - From Deadline:  Director Joe Cornish ("Attack the Block") is set to direct a film version of Mark Millar and Goran Parlov's comic book, "Starlight," for 20th Century Studios.

COMICS - From TCJ:   "The Comic Journal's" Robert Newsome interviews Evan Dorkin about his new "Beasts of Burden" miniseries.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Want some "Heroes Reborn" spoilers?

MARVEL - From TheWrap:   "The Wraps" says the "incel Captain America" of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" is so perfect.

BOOKS - From BleedingCool:   Gallery/Saga Press is reprinting author Michael Moorcock's "Elric of Melnibone" novels in three deluxe volumes.  The forewords for those volumes will be written by Neil Gaiman (Vol. 1), Michael Chabon (Vol. 2), and Alan Moore (Vol. 3).

IMAGE COMICS - From THR:   "The Hollywood Reporter" has a feature on comic book artist Joe Madureira and the return of his comic book, "Battle Chasers," after a 20-year hiatus.

DC CINEMA - From WeGotThisCovered:   As DC Film's "Black Adam" starts shooting, star Dwayne Johnson posts the first set photo.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   May 2021's "Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1" is one of those rare occasions when fans will be treated to a comic book containing interior art by the great Kevin Nowlan.

IN MEMORIAM - From BleedingCool:   The comic book writer, Joye Hummel Murchinson Kelly, died Monday, April 5, 2021 at the age of 97.  If you don't know her name, then, you don't know that she was Wonder Woman creator, William Moulton Marston's writing assistant.  She took over writing duties of Wonder Woman with "The Winged Maidens of Venus" in Wonder Woman #12.  She would go on to write over 70 Wonder Woman stories through 1947, credited as "Charles Moulton," an in-house credit.  After Marston died of cancer, National/DC Comics chose writer Robert Kanigher to continue Wonder Woman.

FANTAGRAPHICS - From BleedingCool:  Publisher Gary Groth and artist Don Simpson explain why Alan Moore's name is not credited for "In Pictopia."

COMICS TO TV - From YouTube:   Netflix releases an official trailer for "Jupiter's Legacy," its TV series adaptation of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely's comic book series.

DC CINEMA - From VanityFair:   Oscar-winning screenwriter Chris Terrio is not happy about what Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon did with his work for Zack Snyder on the "Justice League" film, and he is tired of keeping silent.

FOX MARVEL U - From WeGotThisCovered:  Rumor is that Ryan Reynolds wants to give voice to the Marvel character, "Deadpool," which he has played in two successful live-action films.  He reportedly want to revive the proposed animated Deadpool series that was to be produced for FXX.  No word on if brothers Donald and Stephen Glover would run the show as originally planned.

SONY MARVEL U - From THR:   Sony Pictures has signed an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix.  From 2022 onward, all Sony Productions will stream exclusively on Netflix, and that includes all those Spider-Man and Spider-Man related titles that Sony has released - including the Marvel "Spider-Man" films.

DC CINEMA - From WeGotThisCovered:  Warner Bros. executives apparently don't want to follow Zack Snyder's lead when it comes to films based on DC Comics characters.

DC CINEMA - From Deadline:   Dwayne Johnson's DC Films movie, "Black Adam," adds current Tony Award nominee, actor James Cusati-Moyer, to the cast.

DC COMICS - From YahooAP:   A copy of the rare "Action Comics #1," the comic book that introduced Superman, was sold for 3.5 million dollars at auction.  It is graded "8.5" by the CGC.

MANGA - From JapanTimes:   An "Attack on Titan" themed museum has opened in Hita, Oita Prefecture, the hometown of "Attack on Titan" creator, Hajime Isayama.

MANGA - From BleedingCool:   Kodansha announces new manga titles for Fall 2021 "Lovesick Ellie" and "Penguin & House."

DC CINEMA - From THR:   The interview of actor Ray Fisher and feature article goes into great detail about Fisher's complaints against various Warner Bros. executives and filmmakers involved in the making of the film, "Justice League," including Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and director Joss Whedon.

BOOM STUDIOS - From BleedingCool:   When BOOM! Studios "Magic: The Gathering #1 debuts tomorrow, it will be the highest ordered issue in the history of the franchise as a comic book.

MARVEL COMICS - From WashingtonTimes:  Canadian clinical psychologist and bigot Jordan B. Peterson is stunned that the Marvel Comics Nazi villain, "Red Skull," as written by Ta'Nehisi Coates sounds like him.

COMICS SHOP - From TheBeat:  A retailer talks about the good and bad ideas of comic book publishers, Bad Idea.

MANGA TO ANIME - From Jotaku:   Junji Ito's short story collection, "Ito Junji Kesssaku-shu" ("Junji Ito Masterworks Collection"), is getting an anime adaptation.

DC TV - From WeGotThisCovered:   The CW is reportedly looking for a new Green Arrow.  Stephen Amell played the character for eight seasons on The CW's "Arrow (2012-20).

VIDEO GAMES TO COMICS - From GamesRadar:   Tapas Media has partnered with the mobile gaming giant Netmarble for a series of prosel novels and webcomics based on the company's hit games, including "Iron Throne: The Firstborn."

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:  DC Comics is introducing a new Asian superhero, "Monkey Prince," created by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang.

MARVEL CINEMA - From WeGotThisCovered:  Rumors say that Deadpool would be a member of the X-Men when the team returns to cinemas via Marvel Studios.

DC CINEMA - From WeGotThisCovered:   Warner Bros./Legendary Entertainment's "Godzilla vs. Kong" had the biggest HBO Max debut ever in terms of viewership numbers - even bigger than "Zack Snyder's Justice League."

COMICS TO FILM - From Movieweb:   Hong Kong action movie legend, John Woo, is set to produce a film based on "Monkey Master," an unreleased comic book created by the late Marvel Comics' legend, Stan Lee.

COMICS TO FILM - From BleedingCool:  Mike Mignola reflects on the first "Hellboy" film from 17 years ago, 2004's "Hellboy."

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Here is a look at the DC Comics, omnibus editions, deluxe compendiums, and collections for early 2022.

DC COMICS - From GamesRadar:   DC Comics' Batman and G.I. Joe's Snake-Eyes will final battle ... in a "Fortnite" comic book.

COMICS - From Express:  First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will be the star of an issue of "Female Force," a comic book that focuses on high-achieving female public figures from publisher, TidalWave Comics.

MANGA - From ScreenRant:   The "Eternal First God" manga apparently combines "Pokemon" and "Naruto."

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics is delaying its launch of "Predator #1" to November 2021.  Apparently, other Predator and Predator-related publications will also be delayed.

COMICS TO TV - From Nerdcore:   Actress Katia Winter ("Sleepy Hollow") will reportedly play the cult favorite character, "Little Nina," in Season 3 of Amazon's hit superhero series, "The Boys."

MARVEL - From TheRinger: "Who is John Walker."  The website talks about the character that has assumed the identity of Captain America in the Disney+/Marvel Studios' series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

DC COMICS - From ComicBook:  DC announced its first-ever "Round Robin" bracket, which will allow fans to vote on a potential series from a number of pitches. While creative teams for none of the series have been announced, the series in question is expected to be published later this year.

DC CINEMA - From THR:   Two previously DC Films have been cancelled.  The first is Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay's "New Gods" film, and the second is "Aquaman" director James Wan's Aquaman spinoff, "The Trench."

STAR WARS - From GamesRadar:   Lucasfilm releases "Pride Month" (June) cover image for Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: The High Republic."

FANTAGRAPHICS - From TheBeat:   "The Beat" interviews cartoonist Paco Roca about his newest English translated work, "The Winter of the Cartoonist."

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   After about eight years at DC Comics, artist John Romita, Jr. is returning to his original home, Marvel Comics.

MARVEL/VIZ MEDIA - From BleedingCool:  The first Marvel Comics/Shonen Jump crossover is "My Hero Academia/Deadpool."

DC CINEMA - From THR:  The beloved "Batman" comic book, "Batman: The Long Halloween," is now a two-part animated film, with the first part debuting either this spring or summer on DVD and Blu-ray.  The cast includes Jensen Ackles ("Supernatural") as Batman and the late Naya Rivera as "Catwoman."

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Diamond Comics UK will continue to distribute DC Comics titles through December 31st, 2021.

----------------------------

APRIL 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Behemoth Comics for April 2021 

From BleedingCool:  Black Mask Studios for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Second Sight for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for April 2021

From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for April 2021

MAY 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for May 2021 

From BleedingCool:  Black Mask for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for May 2021 

From BleedingCool:  Comic House for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for May 2021

From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for May 2021

JUNE 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for June 2021 

From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for 2021

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Eaglemoss for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for June 2021 

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Entertainment for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for June 2021

From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for June 2021 

 

JULY 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Artists, Writers & Artisans for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Hero Collectors for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Entertainment for July 2021

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for July 2021

AUGUST 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Free Comic Book Day for August 14, 2021

----------------------

#28DaysofBlack Review: Ho Che Anderson's KING

KING
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

WRITER-ARTIST: Ho Che Anderson
EDITOR: Gary Groth
ISBN: 978-1-56097-622-5; paperback with French flaps (February 16, 2005)
240pp, Color, $22.95 U.S.

Introduction by Stanley Crouch

King was a three-volume graphic novel series written and illustrated by Ho Che Anderson and published by Fantagraphics Books.  Anderson is a British-born, Toronto, Canada-based comic book creator and illustrator.  Over his three-decade career, Anderson is known for such works as I Want to Be You Dog (1997), Scream Queen (2005), and Godhead (2018).

King was a comic book biography of slain Civil Rights leader and icon, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968).  The first volume was published in 1993, the second in 2002, and the third in 2003.  In 2005, Fantagraphics collected the series in a single over-sized paperback volume, entitled King, and subtitled “A Comics Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.”  Stanley Crouch provided a weighty three-page introduction to the book.  The 2005 edition eventually went out-of-print, and Fantagraphics released a new hardcover edition in 2010 (which is currently still in stock via Amazon).  This review references the 2005 edition.

Any reader who is a fan of comic book biographies or historical comics will find that the King collection, even sixteen years after its collection, remains an essential edition to any comic book library.  This paperback collection, with its French cover flaps, has the book design and printing quality of pricey art books and illustrated historical retrospectives.

THE LOWDOWN:  King, Vol. 1 debuted in the second half of 1993, and, of the three volumes, it is the closest to actually being a biography that focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a human.  Certainly, the narrative here reveals him as a man grasping at greatness, but the Dr. King in Vol. 1 is like clay still being molded into a great man.

In this volume, Anderson uses collage and traditional drawing in various styles to illustrate the narrative.  Some of the art may remind readers of Kyle Baker and Dave McKean and, from the fine art world, Pablo Picasso.  It is simply a virtuoso performance in the illustration of a comic book, but it is also an example of someone taking advantage of the comic book medium's storytelling potential.

The script and dialogue are also important in Vol. 1.  The easy thing to do is to describe this as a biography of King.  It is that, but much more.  King, Vol. 1 covers the early movements of the entire Civil Rights movement.  It does so with such force and flavor that this sometimes comes across like a documentary film, except we're getting the most powerful and informative still moments from that film.  The reader really gets a sense of struggle and conflict through the characters.  Anderson manages to give each character a unique voice, which in turns broadens the scope of the narrative about the movement.

Early in Vol. 1, Anderson creates a series of talking head panels.  Each character, a sort of background player, has a say, which allows him or her to have an immeasurable impact on the narrative's ability to communicate multiple points of view.  It also allows for multiple points of view of the main character.  This is similar to a Greek chorus, or even closer, this is like Frank Miller's use of the television talking heads in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

If, back in the early 1990's, Joe Sacco showed us how comics can be journalism (Palestine), Anderson, then, showed us how comic books can tell history.  Thus far, comic's biggest achievement in the field of history is Maus; other than that, it's mostly been war stories.  King might come across as that dreaded important book one must read, but it is a great work of comics in the tradition of Maus.

While Volume 1 of King covered the early years of the life of Dr. King and the early years of the American Civil Rights Movement, post World War 2, King, Vol. 2 leaps fully into detailing the life of the movement:  inner workings and conflicts, public tactics and the face the movement presented to the public.  Anderson reveals the players both major and minor, the movement's adversaries and sympathizers and people who straddle the fence.

Anderson uses the same illustrative techniques as in the first book: collage, drawing, painting, and some mixed media.  His script remains the darling of this project.  Here, Dr. King isn't so much a main character as he is a player (albeit the primary one) in a major social event.  We do get snippets of Dr. King's character, but here he is most interesting as the most prominent figure in a movement that swells and ebbs with tidal consistency.  I have a number of favorite moments in this volume.  There are the private meetings between Dr. King and President John Kennedy (Anderson's account is speculative, as the subject of the conversations were known only to King and Kennedy).  Two other exceptional moments are when Dr. King's daughter asked to be taken to a theme park and she couldn't understand why black children would be unwanted there; and the " I Have a Dream" speech.

This work could have had the same problem that movies have when they attempt to cover a large historical movement or a public figure with a rich past.  Sometimes, movies hop from one big moment to another and end up looking like an over produced highlight reel, as in the case of Michael Mann's film, Ali.  Anderson makes full use of the space on every page, using concise unadorned dialogue and brief bits of conversation that advance his story.  Imagine the excitement that Neal Adams brought to comics four decades ago in page layout.  Combine that with traditional layout, Film-Noir, fine art, collage, and you have Anderson's King.

When King, Vol. 2 was first published it was another example of the continuing evolution of comic books as a serious medium of storytelling, and revealed that comics could engage in the kind of myth making and communication that prose and film, both fiction and non-fiction, have been doing for a long time.

King, Vol. 3 is the last book in Ho Che Anderson's three-piece suite, an interpretative biography of Dr. King.  In his afterword to the third volume, Anderson wrote he understood that some readers might find this last book's appearance “visually eclectic.”  Anderson wrote that he felt he had earned the right to indulge himself.

The book's narrative eclecticism is, however, equally worthy of notice.  It's as if the author devoured the history of the Civil Rights movement and regurgitated a book that couldn't possibly contain the movement's far-reaching story, but the author would certainly give it his best shot.  Of course, Dr. King was the epicenter of the Civil Rights movement and is focus of Anderson's graphic novel, but even as a fictional character, King seemed lost in a movement larger than his life, but not his legend.  For all that King the comic has, it seems to be missing not just something, but a whole lot of things.  Vol. 3 perhaps revealed the shortcomings of this entire concept without crippling the larger novel.

If we accept Anderson's conceit of his book's personal bent, many notions of historical accuracy get tossed.  This isn't to say that the book is inaccurate, but as with any broad movement in history, each pair of eyes might see the same thing as any other pair, but look at it differently.  The Civil Rights movement is exactly that, a movement; it's not a single incident in time.  The Civil Rights movement is a whole bunch of events and moments artificially lumped together in hopes that it'll be easier to make sense of what happened.

It is best to examine King the comic as a graphic narrative and to investigate how well it works as a comic book, rather than to argue its historical merit alone.  Pretensions aside, this is still a comic book, and (dammit) there's nothing wrong with that.  We should always remember that comic book creators produce work like The Spirit or Love & Rockets just as they easily create digestible products for reading, which we can also enjoy

What Anderson does in King is take the graphic narrative another step forward the way comic books like The Spirit and Love and Rockets did.  Both were revolutionary in their form at the time of their initial release and even further ahead of the high concept/low brow narratives that make up the bulk comic book storytelling today (DC Comics' “Black Label” line).  It's as if Anderson took all the raw materials that he could use to make comix and used them to produce his final volume of King, making it far more adventurous than even the previous two volumes.

Anderson uses talking heads, collage, splash pages, photographs, line drawings, paintings, color effects, special effects, surrealism, expressionism, and guess what?  It all works; it actually looks like a comic book.  So often comic books try to look like something else, for instance, comic book art that looks like anime or painted comics that look like Norman Rockwell paintings.  King is a comic book, an expensive comic book printed on enamel paper with card stock covers, but by gosh, still a frickin' comic book.

Visually, King 3 has such a sense of organic unity, in which all the disparate parts come together to give this book its own life.  Each reading seems to tell a story different from the previous reading.  The book seems almost self-aware, as if the words and pictures deliberately communicate something beyond the static images on the surface of the page.

There is one thing about the story of movement Anderson gets right.  Civil Rights are an ever growing ideas that absorb people, places, and times, and the best an observer can do is understand just that.  Who can ever nail this thing down, and, in way, it seems that Anderson's fictional Dr. King can't ever really put his finger on it the entire pulse of the movement.  King has an idea of his place inside the movement, but he has trouble getting a fix on where the movement itself is going.

Anderson also seems to have a little difficult putting his finger on the pulse of the story because he moves from one plot to another or in and out of subplots like a journalist running madly from one news hot spot to another.  Best example is when Dr. King discusses with Ralph Abernathy the possibility of Abernathy taking King's place as spokesman for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference if something were to happen to MLK.  The wonderful exchange between the two is a fascinating peek at Dr. King's place in the SCLC, but it only tantalizes with the mention of other "leaders."  Ho Che leaves the idea of SCLC rivalries dangling because Dr. King's rivals for power over the larger movement are perhaps more important to this story.  Throughout the series, Ho Che gives the reader a small taste, here and there, of King the man, even if the narrative demands a deeper look than what the author gives.

Still it's good that Anderson didn't make the King he was “supposed to make.”  He didn't make the one for which other people (like me) would have wished.  In spite of what faults it may have, King is example of what a cartoonist can create within the medium of the so-called "graphic narrative" when he uses all the artistic elements available to him.  Anderson took an adventurous leap forward with this comic book – a brave, personal, artistic statement and an adventurous leap forward with the comic book – warts and all.  King shows that comics can deal with subject matter weightier than, say, Wolverine's origins or just how screwed up Batman/Bruce Wayne is.  Maybe Ho Che Anderson is one of the few cartoonists capable of treating comics as a medium of art and communication the way the great novelists, short story writers, musicians, and filmmakers treat their respective mediums.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of great comic books will want to read Ho Che Anderson's King.

A+
10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://www.fantagraphics.com/
https://twitter.com/fantagraphics
https://www.instagram.com/fantagraphics/
https://www.facebook.com/fantagraphics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtLxEaspctVar287DtdsMww


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Fantagraphics to Republish Four Tomi Ungerer Books

Honoring A Legend

Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

SEATTLE, WA—The international art and literary communities recently suffered a huge blow with the loss of legendary artist and writer Tomi Ungerer (1931–2019). Readers of all ages have been enchanted by his vast oeuvre, from his masterpieces of children’s literature (such as the internationally beloved and award-winning The Three Robbers, Moon Man, and Otto) to his equally masterful satirical and erotic work for adults. In his lifetime he was recognized for the extraordinary breadth of his creative vision, receiving both the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Children’s Book Illustration and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sexual Freedom Awards.

Fantagraphics Books is honored to play a part in preserving the legacy of this creative genius with the re-publication of four Ungerer books for adults: The Underground Sketchbook, The Party, Babylon, and Adam and Eve.

Due out in Fall 2019, Tomi Ungerer’s infamous 1969 Underground Sketchbook is a tour de force glimpse into the artist’s id. A shocking departure from his children’s book illustration, each page seethes with coruscating social commentary, dada-esque observations, and existential angst. Underground Sketchbook is revered for its audacious visual wit, absurdist humor, and scathing satire, and this long-awaited reprint will be a visual treat for both fans of Ungerer and appreciators of fine cartooning unfamiliar with his work.

“While preparing for my career-spanning interview with Tomi Ungerer that appears in the new print edition of The Comics Journal, I was astonished to discover that many of his best satirical works were only available as used books at exorbitant prices,” explains Fantagraphics Publisher Gary Groth. “In an attempt to right this wrong, I chose four of his books to reprint, all trenchant commentaries on the folly of our relationships and the absurdity of our social order."

The publication dates of The Party, Babylon, and Adam and Eve are TBD.

Underground Sketchbook by Tomi Ungerer
Introduction by Steve Brodner
On-sale: October 2019
$19.99 Hardcover
160 pages, two-color, 10 ¼” x 7 ¼”
ISBN: 978-1-68396-262-5

--------------------------

Fantagraphics Books Seeks Help with Kickstarter Campaign

Fantagraphics Books Launches a Kickstarter Campaign to Help Fund Spring-Summer 2014 Comics Publishing Season

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS IS ASKING FOR READERS' SUPPORT THROUGH KICKSTARTER. HELP FINANCE OUR SPRING-SUMMER SEASON, AND BE A PART OF THE COMPANY THAT HAS PUBLISHED MORE OF THE BEST CARTOONISTS IN THE HISTORY OF COMICS THAN ANY OTHER PUBLISHER.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantagraphicsbooks/fantagraphics-2014-spring-season-39-graphic-novels

Fantagraphics Books is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help finance our Spring-Summer 2014 season of books. Earlier this Fantagraphics Co-Publisher Kim Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and died four months later, on June 19, 2013. Because Kim was such an active part of our company, his death has had repercussions — both emotionally and financially. Kim edited our European graphic novel line and, as a result of his illness, 13 of the books scheduled for the Spring and Summer of 2013 had to be cancelled or postponed. This represents the loss of one-third of the entire season. We have suffered a severe shortfall that will impede our ability to produce next season's books. That's why we're asking our faithful readers and new converts alike to help us recoup — and help finance our 2014 Spring-Summer books through Kickstarter. We are offering a varied list of premium options, from signed copies of the books from that season to a target-shooting trip with Fantagraphics' Publisher Gary Groth.

OUR NEXT SEASON: APRIL-AUGUST 2014
Fantagraphics' Spring-Summer season is comprised of 39 books by a stellar line-up of cartoonists. There are a number of books from names familiar to longtime comics readers — Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Joe Sacco, Drew Friedman, Michael Kupperman, Jim Woodring, Don Rosa, Tony Millionaire, and The Hernandez Brothers. Not to mention any number of other names that could anchor a comics Hall of Fame: Charles Schulz, Steve Ditko, Simon & Kirby, Hal Foster, Carl Barks, Floyd Gottfredson, L.B. Cole, Jacques Tardi, John Severin, S. Clay Wilson, Wally Wood, and more. We also have one of our strongest seasons of original graphic novels ever, including new books from Olivier Schrauwen, Simon Hanselmann, Esther Pearl Watson, Conor Stechschulte, Carol Swain, Lane Milburn, Eleanor Davis, and Ed Piskor.

From The Complete witzend to The Complete Eightball, Buddy Bradley to Megg & Mogg, and Don Rosa's Ducks to S. Clay Wilson's pirates, plus new Peanuts, Donald Duck, EC Comics and Love and Rockets books, our 2014 lineup truly features The World's Greatest Cartoonists.

And that's merely one publishing season of five months; we publish a virtual pantheon of cartoonists every season.

OUR MISSION
Fantagraphics Books has been waving the banner of cartooning for almost 40 years, and we have always believed in the artistic potential of comics — in the medium's power and subtlety; its vast capaciousness and intimate smallness; its ability to transport us to different worlds or express the human heart in conflict with itself; its ability to vivify political and historical events or reveal intimate autobiographical truths; its hilariously vulgar humor, or its moving urban dramas. We strive to find the best and brightest comics from new cartoonists and from the classic archives.

THE PERENNIAL STRUGGLE
Ours is and always has been an intrinsically difficult commercial enterprise, and we have survived due to a combination of great taste, sheer will, good luck, and reasonable business acumen. Still, it has never been easy. Fantagraphics has always been a guerilla publisher — lean and mean. In order to do what we do, we have always kept our overhead low and our lifestyle modest. We publish about 100 books a year with a staff of less then 20 — a level of efficiency unheard of in corporate publishing. We pride ourselves on taking risks, publishing work based on merit, and a commitment to serious artistic standards.

Fantagraphics has never existed comfortably within the traditional capitalist model — ruthlessly competitive, obsessed with growth, and the endless accumulation of surplus money. Our artistic values have always tempered our profitability. Fantagraphics has managed to scrape by, but we realized that with the advent of crowd funding, we are in a position to make an end-run around the most brutish strictures of the marketplace and appeal directly to our readers through Kickstarter. We are asking the public to help us continue this quixotic enterprise. At the end of the day, we cannot rely on anyone but our readers.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantagraphicsbooks/fantagraphics-2014-spring-season-39-graphic-novels

fantagraphics.com
twitter.com/fantagraphics
facebook.com/fantagraphics

I Reads You Review: BATMAN: Li’l Gotham #2

BATMAN: LI’L GOTHAM #2
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs
ART/COVER: Dustin Nguyen
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (July 2013)

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger

Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns was a critical and sales success, likely even beyond what anyone expected.  In response, DC Comics, in what can only be described as an unleashing, started releasing Batman publications that ran the gamut from new ongoing comic book series and miniseries to original graphics novels and special editions.  It also seemed as if anything about Batman that had once been fit to print was fit to be reprinted – sometimes in cheap editions and other times in expensive hardcover books and archival editions.

The year 1988 saw the publication of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s one-shot comic book/graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke, and also the formal announcement of a Batman movie scheduled to be released during the summer of 1989.  After that, DC Comics literally flooded the market with Batman publications, apparel, and assorted merchandise.  With limited capital, comic book shops chose Batman, but to do so, many apparently cut orders elsewhere.  In my experience, that elsewhere turned out to be fewer orders of comic books from independent, alternative, and small press publishers.

Fantagraphics Books co-publisher Gary Groth described, in The Comics Journal, all the Batman products as “bat guano.”  If I remember correctly, Groth wasn’t calling this Batman stuff “crap,” because it was necessarily awful in terms of quality.  Perhaps, he meant “crap,” as in “Look, at all this shit!”

So...

Batman: Li’l Gotham is another of DC Comics’ digital-first comics (read using an app on a PC, smart phone, tablet, or other hand-held device).  The series features diminutive or child-like versions of characters from the world of Batman comic books.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #2 collects Chapters 3 and 4 of the series.  The first story (Chapter 3) takes place during the Christmas season.  Batman and Nightwing team-up (1) to stop a well-intentioned, but misguided plot by Mr. Freeze and (2) to find the missing children’s choir of Saint Peter Academy.

Chapter 4 stars the Gotham City Sirens:  Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy.  After a rendezvous with Batman, Catwoman-Selina Kyle is ready to sit back and relax on New Year’s Eve.  Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, however, insist that Selina Kyle join them on a crime spree – that will be for the benefit of man and beast, of course.

Pretty art, pretty weird.  That’s the best way that I can describe what I read in Batman: Li’l Gotham #2.  Chapter 3 pulls off the unusual hat trick of being poignant, creepy, and well-intentioned.  I can’t figure out what is the intended audience for this story (or comic book).  Chapter 4 is just lame.

Co-writer and artist Dustin Nguyen pulls off the cute with his “chibi” versions of Batman characters.  But is this a kid’s comic book or just another way for DC Comics to exploit Batman and take cash from their suckas... I mean, customers?

I think there have been four issues of Batman: Li’l Gotham published as of this writing, and maybe, I would like them more than I do #2 if I had the chance to read them.  But either way, Batman: Li’l Gotham seems more Bat-crap – more Bat-guano.

C

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

2013 Will Eisner Award Winners - Complete List

by Leroy Douresseaux

The winners of the 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced at a ceremony held during the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, on Friday, July 19, 2013.

Since the people that manage (or own) the Eisner Awards and many of their supporters hilariously call the Eisners the "Oscars of the comic book industry," that must mean either the "Best Continuing Series" winner (Saga) or the "Best Graphic Album" winner (Building Stories) is the Eisner "Best Picture" winner - or maybe both.

Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners 2013

Best Short Story: “Moon 1969: The True Story of the 1969 Moon Launch,” by Michael Kupperman, in Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8 (Fantagraphics)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): The Mire, by Becky Cloonan (self-published)

Best Continuing Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best New Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7): Babymouse for President, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8–12): Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17): A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)

Best Humor Publication: Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)

Best Digital Comic: Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)

Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Reality-Based Work (TIE):

• Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion)
• The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank M. Young and David Lasky (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Graphic Album—New: Building Stories, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium: Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint: King City, by Brandon Graham (TokyoPop/Image)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips: Pogo, vol. 2: Bona Fide Balderdash, by Walt Kelly, edited by Carolyn Kelly and Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again: Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW

Best U.S. Edition of International Material: Blacksad: Silent Hell, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia: Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Penciler/Inker (TIE):

• David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
• Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel); Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (IDW)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art): Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist: David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)

Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Batwoman (DC); Fatale (Image); BPRD, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy in Hell, Lobster Johnson, The Massive (Dark Horse)

Best Lettering: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: The Comics Reporter, edited by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com

Best Comics-Related Book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe (HarperCollins)

Best Educational/Academic Work: Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass, by Susan E. Kirtley (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Publication Design: Building Stories, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Hall of Fame: Lee Falk, Al Jaffee, Mort Meskin, Trina Robbins, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sinnott

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Russel Roehling

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Chris Sparks and Team Cul deSac

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award: Steve Gerber, Don Rosa

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award: Challengers Comics + Conversation, Chicago, IL


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fantagraphics' Co-Publisher Kim Thompson Dies at Age 56

Photograph of Kim Thompson with two Eisner Award trophies. Photo by Lynn Emmert

Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson died at 6:30 this morning, June 19. "He was my partner and close friend for 36 years," said Gary Groth.

Thompson was born in Denmark in 1956. He grew up in Europe, a lifelong comics fan, reading both European and American comics in Denmark, France, and Germany. He was an active fan in his teen years, writing to comics — his letters appeared in Marvel's letter columns circa early 1970s — and contributing to fanzines from his various European perches. At the age of 21, he set foot, for the first time, on American soil, in late 1977. One "fanzine" he had not contributed to was The Comics Journal, which Groth and Michael Catron began publishing in July of 1976. That was soon to change.

"Within a few weeks of his arrival," said Groth, "he came over to our 'office,' which was the spare bedroom of my apartment, and was introduced by a mutual friend — it was a fan visit. We were operating out of College Park, Maryland and Kim's parents had moved to Fairfax, Virginia, both Washington DC suburbs. Kim loved the energy around the Journal and the whole idea of a magazine devoted to writing about comics, and asked if he could help. We needed all the help we could get, of course, so we gladly accepted his offer. He started to come over every day and was soon camping out on the floor. The three of us were living and breathing The Comics Journal 24 hours a day."

Thompson became an owner when Catron took a job at DC Comics in 1978. As he became more familiar with the editorial process, Thompson became more and more integral to the magazine, assembling and writing news and conducting interviews with professionals. Thompson's career in comics began here.

In 1981, Fantagraphics began publishing comics (such as Jack Jackson's Los Tejanos, Don Rosa's Comics and Stories, and, in 1982, Love and Rockets). Thompson was always evangelical about bandes dessinées and wanted to bring the best of European comics to America; in 1981, Thompson selected and translated the first of many European graphic novels for American publication — Herman Huppen's The Survivors: Talons of Blood (followed by a 2nd volume in 1983). Thompson's involvement in The Comics Journal diminished in 1982 when he took over the editorship of Amazing Heroes, a bi-weekly magazine devoted to more mainstream comics (with occasional forays into alternative and even foreign comics). Thompson helmed Amazing Heroes through 204 issues until 1992.

Among Thompson's signature achievements in comics were Critters, a funny-animal anthology that ran from 50 issues between 1985 to 1990 and is perhaps best known for introducing the world to Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo; and Zero Zero, an alternative comics anthology that also ran for 50 issues over five years — between 1995 and 2000 — and featured work by, among others, Kim Deitch, Dave Cooper, Al Columbia, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sacco, David Mazzuchelli, and Joyce Farmer. His most recent enthusiasm was spearheading a line of European graphic novel translations, including two major series of volumes by two of the most significant living European artists — Jacques Tardi (It Was the War of the Trenches, Like a Sniper Lining up His Shot, The Astonishing Exploits of Lucien Brindavoine) and Jason (Hey, Wait..., I Killed Adolf Hitler, Low Moon, The Left Bank Gang) — and such respected work as Ulli Lust's Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, Lorenzo Mattotti's The Crackle of the Frost, Gabriella Giandelli's Interiorae, and what may be his crowning achievement as an editor/translator, Guy Peelaert's The Adventures of Jodelle.

Throughout his career at Fantagraphics, Thompson was active in every aspect of the company, selecting books, working closely with authors, guiding books through the editorial and production process. "Kim leaves an enormous legacy behind him," said Groth, "not just all the European graphic novels that would never have been published here if not or his devotion, knowledge, and skills, but for all the American cartoonists he edited, ranging from Stan Sakai to Joe Sacco to Chris Ware, and his too infrequent critical writing about the medium. His love and devotion to comics was unmatched. I can't truly convey how crushing this is for all of us who've known and loved and worked with him over he years."

Thompson was diagnosed with lung cancer in late February. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Emmert, his mother and father, Aase and John, and his brother Mark.

I want to offer my prayers and condolences to Kim Thompson's family, friends, and colleagues.  Rest in peace, Kim. - Leroy Douresseaux

Kim Thompson's Statement About His Battle with Cancer

I received this message Wednesday night (March 6, 2013): Ed.

Kim Thompson has been my partner at Fantagraphics Books for 35 years. He's contributed vastly and selflessly to this company and to the comics medium and worked closely with countless fine artists over that time. This is a tough announcement to make, but everyone who knows Kim knows he's a fighter and we remain optimistic that he'll get through this and report back to work, where he belongs, doing what he loves.

– Gary Groth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm sure that by now a number of people in the comics field who deal with me on a regular or semi-regular basis have noticed that I've been responding more spottily. This is because of ongoing health issues for the past month, which earlier this week resolved themselves in a diagnosis of lung cancer.

This is still very early in the diagnosis, so I have no way of knowing the severity of my condition. I'm relatively young and (otherwise) in good health, and my hospital is top-flight, so I'm hopeful and confident that we will soon have the specifics narrowed down, set me up with a course of treatment, proceed, and lick this thing.

It is quite possible that as treatment gets underway I'll be able to come back in and pick up some aspects of my job, maybe even quite soon. However, in the interests of keeping things rolling as smoothly as I can, I've transferred all my ongoing projects onto other members of the Fantagraphics team. So if you're expecting something from me, contact Gary Groth, Eric Reyolds, or Jason Miles and they can hook you up with whoever you need. If there are things that only I know and can deal with, lay it out for them and they'll contact me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On behalf of Kim, we would like to encourage anyone who would like to reach out to him to feel free to send mail to him c/o Fantagraphics Books, 7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, or email to fbicomix@fantagraphics.com.

Complete Archives of "The Comics Journal" Now Online

THE COMPLETE COMICS JOURNAL ARCHIVES JOIN THE UNDERGROUND AND INDEPENDENT COMICS ARCHIVE FROM ALEXANDER STREET PRESS

July 31st, 2012 – Seattle, WA — Fantagraphics Books, publisher of The Comics Journal, has announced a partnership with Alexander Street Press to make the complete archive of the The Comics Journal available as part of its Underground and Independent Comics online collection. This is the first-ever scholarly online collection for researchers and students of literary and underground comic books and graphic novels, and the inclusion of more than 25,000 pages of interviews, commentary, theory and criticism from the 35 year history of The Comics Journal marks a significant contribution to the academic study of the comics form.

“Most back issues of The Comics Journal are sold out and unavailable,” says Comics Journal founder and Fantagraphics President Gary Groth. “This will allow academics, critics, and historians access to the magazine that's covered the widest range of cartooning for the longest period of time. We believe Alexander Street Press' project serves an important cultural function and we're very pleased to be part of it.”

The Underground and Independent Comics online collection covers the works that inspired the first underground comix from the 1960s (such as works by Basil Wolverton and Harvey Kurtzman), to the first generation of underground cartoonists (including R. Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Spain Rodriguez and many others) and encompasses modern sequential artists like Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez and Daniel Clowes, with over 75,000 pages of comics from the 1950s to present. With the inclusion of The Comics Journal archives, scholars can now similarly trace the roots of comics criticism and have access to the Journal’s incomparable oral history of the field.

Institutions who have already subscribed or purchased the archive include the Library of Congress, British Library, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Notre Dame and many others.

Comics have become an increasingly popular area of academic study, and yet the typical library has only a small selection of graphic novels in the catalog. Underground and Independent Comics solves this problem, collecting thousands of comics and related texts in one, easy-to-use online collection. With multiple combinable search fields, users can sort the materials in the collection by type, coloring, publication date, writer, penciler, inker, character, genre, publisher and more. Scholarship never before possible is now just a few keystrokes away.

“The chance to have access to 100,000 pages of underground and new wave comics in ways that were unimaginable a short time ago should change the face of comics research completely.” — James Danky, faculty of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2012 Eisner Award Winners - Complete List

Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners 2012

SAN DIEGO - The following awards were given out at the 24th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, Friday night July 13, at the Indigo Ballroom in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, as part of Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Best Short Story
"The Seventh," by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition (IDW)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Daredevil #7, by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series
Daredevil, by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)

Best Limited Series
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)
Snarked, by Roger Langridge (kaboom!)

Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)
Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)

Best Anthology
Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Humor Publication
Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, by Evan Dorkin (Dark Horse Books)

Best Digital Comic
Battlepug, by Mike Norton, http://www.battlepug.com/

Best Reality-Based Work
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case (Dark Horse Books)

Best Graphic Album - New
Jim Hensons Tale of Sand, adapted by Ramon K. Perez (Archaia)

Best Graphic Album - Reprint
Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project - Comic Strips
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project - Comic Books
Walt Simonson's The Mighty Thor Artist's Edition (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt (Dark Horse Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer
Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible (BOOM!); Daredevil (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist
Craig Thompson, Habibi (Pantheon)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson's Tale of Sand (Archaia)

Best Cover Artist
Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther (Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars (Dynamite); Archie Meets Kiss (Archie)

Best Coloring
Laura Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)

Best Lettering
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Journalism
The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, http://www.comicsreporter.com/

Best Educational/Academic Work (tie)
1. Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
2. Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Comics-Related Book
MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Best Publication Design
Jim Henson's Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman (Archaia)

Hall of Fame
Judges' Choices: Rudolf Dirks, Harry Lucey Bill Blackbeard, Richard Corben, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Gilbert Shelton

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award:
Tyler Crook

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award:
Morrie Turner

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award:
Frank Doyle and Steve Skeates

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award:
1. Akira Comics, Madrid, Spain - Jesus Marugan Escobar
2. The Dragon, Guelph, ON, Canada - Jennifer Haines

The Eisner Awards are part of, and underwritten by, Comic-Con International, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

For a list of past winners, go to http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_pastwinners.php