Friday, April 9, 2010

David Mazzucchelli Leads 2010 Eisner Award Nominations

2010 Eisner Nominations Encompass Wide Range of Works

Comic-Con International (Comic-Con) is proud to announce the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2010. The nominees, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, reflect the wide range of material being published in comics and graphic novel form today, from multivolume deluxe hardcovers to online stories to traditional comic book format.

Topping the 2010 nominees with 4 nominations is David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp, a highly acclaimed literary graphic novel published by Pantheon. Several works have received 3 nominations, including two French graphic novels, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill (by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo, published by Fanfare/Ponent Mon) and The Photographer (by Emmanuel Guibert, published by First Second). Japanese manga master Naoki Urasawa is represented by multiple nominations for two of his works, 20th Century Boys and Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka (both published by VIZ Media), nominated not only in the International category but also for Best Continuing Series (20th Century Boys) and Best Limited Series (Pluto). Another manga title with 3 nominations is Yoshihiro Tatsumi's A Drifting Life (published by Drawn & Quarterly). Other publications with 3 nominations are Robert Crumb's illustrated version of The Book of Genesis (published by Norton), Darwyn Cooke's Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW), Mike Carey and Peter Gross's comic book series The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC), and Mark Waid and Peter Kraus's series Irredeemable (BOOM!), which also has a shared nomination. The big DC event miniseries of the year, Blackest Night, is also on the ballot, with 2 nominations and 1 shared.

The creators with the most nominations are Urasawa (5) and Mazzucchelli (4), followed by several creators with 3: Cooke, Crumb, Bravo, Guibert, Carey, Waid, and writer Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal, and Incognito, published by Marvel).

DC Comics has the most nominations for a publisher, with its various imprints (DCU, Vertigo, WildStorm, Zuda) garnering 20 nominations (plus 2 shared). The DC Universe has 11 of those nominations, spread among multiple titles and creators. The Vertigo imprint's 7 nominations are led by 3 for The Unwritten. The publisher emerging with the second most nominations this year is Fantagraphics Books, with 17 (plus one shared). The company dominates the categories for Archival Collections, with 5 out of the 11 nominees in those categories. Two of the archival works also have design nods: The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley's Cartoons and Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons. The rest of Fantagraphics' nominations are spread throughout the ballot, with the only other multiple nominations being for Carol Tyler (Best Writer/Artist and Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for You'll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man) and the French graphic album West Coast Blues.

Abrams CartoonArts has six titles on the ballot (led by The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics), toting up 8 nominations in all. Also with 8 nominees (plus 2 shared), Marvel Comics posseses multiple nominations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young), Wolverine: Old Man Logan (by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines), and the Marvel Icon titles Incognito and Criminal (by Brubaker and Sean Phillips). Three publishers have 7 nominees: Fanfare/Ponent Man (for 3 titles), IDW (for 5 titles, plus 1 shared nomination), and W. W. Norton (for 3 titles, including Crumb's Book of Genesis and David Small's Stitches). Close behind are First Second (6 nominations plus 1 shared), VIZ Media (6 nominations), BOOM! (5 nominations plus 2 shared), and Dark Horse (4 nominations plus 2 shared). Drawn & Quarterly and Image each have 4 nominees.

This year's judges made some significant changes in the categories, restoring one that last year's judges omitted (Best Single Issue/One Shot), changing the names of two ("U.S. Edition of International Material-Japan" revised to "U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia" and "Limited Series" changed to "Limited Series or Story Arc"), and splitting the Best Writer/Artist category into two, with the second being Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction. They also added the category of Best Adaptation from Another Work. This addition reflects the large number of comics and graphic novels now being based on other sources. The nominees here include not only Crumb's Genesis but also adaptations of Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Richard Stark's The Hunter, and Jean-Patrick Manchette's West Coast Blues.

Named for acclaimed comics creator the Will Eisner, the awards are in their 22nd year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2010 judging panel consists of academic Craig Fischer (associate professor of English, Appalachian State University), librarian Francisca Goldsmith (staff development instructor/consultant, Infopeople), reviewer John Hogan (GraphicNovelReporter.com), writer James Hudnall (Harsh Realm, The Psycho), and retailer Wayne Winsett (Time Warp Comics, Boulder, Colorado).

Ballots with this year's nominees will be going out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable pdf of the ballot will also be available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 23 at Comic-Con International.

Voting in one Eisner Awards category, Hall of Fame, is already completed. The judges chose the nominees earlier this year, and voting was conducted solely online, with voting ending on March 31.

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of 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. Jackie Estrada has been administrator of the Awards since 1990.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Moonstone Books Announces "Honey West" for July


MOONSTONE BOOKS July ’10 releases:

HONEY WEST #1
Story: Trina Robbins
Art: Cynthia Martin
Colors: Mark Simmons
Covers: David Lloyd, Malcolm McClinton
32pgs, color, $3.99
Special color photo variant = $5.99

The return of the world’s first female private eye in fiction and on TV!

As tough as Mike Hammer and as sultry as Marilyn Monroe!

Gloria Fickling’s creation has solved mysteries in 10 novels, and was also the star of the TV series Honey West starring Anne Francis!

Danger lurks in them thar Hollywood hills when topless piano player Mimi Malloy walks into Honey West's office. There's been a double homicide at her nightclub, the Purple Pussy, and Mimi suspects she's the next victim! Join us as our favorite girl detective goes undercover as a go-go dancer and mixes it up with Hollywood hippies to uncover the "Killer on the Keys."

(Covers A ,B, & C available separately)

**RETAILER INCENTIVE#1: for every 4 copies purchased, you can order 1 copy of the Anne Francis photo cover(cover –D) ($3.99 retail)

**RETAILER INCENTIVE#2: If you order a total of 8 or more (any combination of A,B,C), you can receive one FREE copy of BOTH the b/w cover and the color photo cover!

VIZ Media Previews New Baseball Manga


VIZ MEDIA PREVIEWS THE RELEASE OF BASEBALL MANGA SERIES CROSS GAME ONLINE AT SHONENSUNDAY.COM

Set Against The Backdrop Of The Sport Of Baseball, This New Manga Series Explores The Bonds Of Love Between Friends, Siblings And Family

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will bring Mitsuru Adachi’s acclaimed manga series CROSS GAME to North American readers via special online previews beginning in May on VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday website (ShonenSunday.com). CROSS GAME is rated ‘T’ for Teens and is due to release Fall 2010.

CROSS GAME is a moving drama that is heartfelt and true, yet in the brilliant hands of manga artist Mitsuru Adachi, delightfully flows with a light and amusing touch. The series centers around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street and the game of baseball. This poignant coming-of-age story will change your perception of what shonen manga can be.

“Mitsuru Adachi is a legend in Japan, where his work has been loved by fans for more than 40 years, and we're honored to bring him to a U.S. audience with the launch of CROSS GAME," says Andy Nakatani, Editorial Manager, VIZ Media. "Readers can go to our Shonen Sunday web site to get a glimpse of how baseball combined with the drama of adolescence, tragedy and newfound loves produces a truly groundbreaking story."

One of the biggest names in the manga industry today, Mitsuru Adachi made his debut in 1970 with Kieta Bakuon in the pages of Deluxe Shonen Sunday. The creator of numerous mega-hits such as Touch, Miyuki, and Cross Game, Adachi Sensei received the Shogakukan Manga Award for all three of the aforementioned series. Truly at the top echelon of the manga industry, his cumulative works have seen over 200 million copies sold, and many of his series have been adapted into anime, live-action TV series and film. A master of his medium, Adachi has come to be known for his genius handling of dramatic elements skillfully combined with romance, comedy and sports. He, along with Rumiko Takahashi, has become synonymous with the phenomenal success of Shonen Sunday in Japan.

For more information on this title, or others from VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint, please visit www.ShonenSunday.com.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

CO2 Comics Has Steve Lafler


from Gerry Giovinco of CO2 Comics:

CO2 Comics and Steve Lafler Together at Last.

Bill and I first met Steve Lafler back in the early eighties at one of the many comic conventions that we frequented as we promoted our then upstart comics publishing company, Comico. Steve was a regular at most of them, so it could have been in Chicago, Houston, San Diego or any of the many along the road.

Comic conventions have two parts to them. The first part is the convention itself, were you are tied to the booth greeting fans, occasionally sneaking away to network when things are slow. The second part happens after the hall is closed, at dinners and hospitality parties with new and old friends. These are usually fun gatherings that run into the wee hours of the night and are where networking, bonding, and most of the real business of comics gets done.

Being rookies at the game, my young partners and I did our best to fit in at those get-togethers and find acceptance among the comics professionals, many of which were our own personal heroes. Among them all, Steve stood out as a mentor and a role model for reasons that were personal to all of us at Comico. Steve's style was unique and clearly not mainstream, his subject matter was psychedelic with a twist of the occult and, most importantly, he too was a self- publisher standing alone at the helm of the imprint Cat-Head Comics pushing his own black-and-white comic, Dog Boy.

Steve's acceptance, enthusiasm, and infectious attitudes about individuality, creator's rights, and independent publishing were refreshing, supportive and motivating to us, especially since they paralleled our own commitments towards publishing comics.

Flash forward nearly three decades and little has changed.

Comico has long escaped Bill and I but our latest creation, CO2 Comics, has given us a new vehicle by which to present our own work and the work of other great comic talents that share our vision of a cooperative environment where comic creators can support each other creatively and economically through cross promotion on the internet and using the accessibility of self publishing resources.

Steve Lafler is still doing his own thing having published over fifty comics himself. Steve also has had the luxury of seeing his work also published by Fantagraphics and Top Shelf Productions. He has had the opportunity to brag that his Bughouse graphic novel has been declared one of the top 100 best comics of the last decade and he continues to self publish and explore the boundaries of the medium by posting his comics in blog format and publishing via Print on Demand.

Steve's enthusiasm remains unbridled as evidenced by this recent facebook quote "I can't believe how much goddamn fun it is to slap ink on bristol board, holding a brush sideways to draw tire treads. Livin' the dream, baby."

So it is no wonder that the time has finally come for CO2 Comics and Steve Lafler to work together doing what we do best, have fun making the best comics we know how.

CO2 Comics is more than proud to be presenting Steve' earliest professional work,
Dog Boy http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_dogboy.html and his most current work El Vocho http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_el_vocho.html, which will soon be available as a graphic novel published by Steve himself under his Manx Media Label.

To view more of Steve Lafler's other available titles visit this link: http://www.stevelafler.net/

While you are there, buy some comics and get one of those cool "El Vocho" t-shirts!

Don't forget to support all the other creators on CO2 Comics who have provided over 400 pages of comics. Do so by reading their work, visiting the provided links and purchasing related products.

CO2 Comics is committed to delivering great comics direct to the consumer. We have recently reached our one millionth hit on the site and would like to thank you for your appreciation, enthusiasm, and support. Please share your experience with your friends.

Making comics because I want to,
Gerry Giovinco

Anne Rice Bio Part of "Female Force"


VAMPIRE CHRONICLER ANNE RICE HAUNTS NEXT “FEMALE FORCE” BIO COMIC

Anne Rice has penned more than two dozen novels ranging from the supernatural to historical tomes, erotica and religious themes, but her life is as interesting as the tales she spins. Now, the best selling author of nearly 100 millions books will be the featured character in an upcoming biography comic from Bluewater Productions.

Female Force: Anne Rice, scheduled for a June release, follows the popular novelist from her formative years in her beloved New Orleans through the tragedies that influenced the creation of her most popular novels and her fervent rediscovery of Catholicism.

“Anne Rice's uniquely gothic, sensuous, and existential approach redefined the modern vampire mythology,” said issue author Scott Davis. “She advanced the vampire literary genre more than anyone since Bram Stoker.” Davis added that Rice created a fictional universe where vampires, witches, and spirits walk amongst the living and often suffer from the same frailties and faults that affect mortals. It’s what transforms her work from pop fiction to serious literature.

The Rice issue is the fourth in Bluewater’s Female Force series highlighting authors of supernatural fiction. The other authors include Twilight’s Stephenie Meyer, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and Tru Blood writer Charlaine Harris.

The title is being drawn by Louie Demartinis provides the cover art. According to Davis, a very recognizable and iconic vampire will serve as the story’s narrator as he does in the Meyer and Harris issues.

“What I think fans will enjoy is the format of Rice being interviewed by a vampire as a nod to her seminal novel Interview with a Vampire, said Bluewater President Darren Davis. “This allows the Rice to provide added insight to her own story. Accordingly the vampire narrator adds his own spin as well.”

Female Force offers a broad examination of strong and influential women who are shaping modern history and culture. Darren Davis notes other prominent and influential female authors, business executives, entertainers, journalists, politicians and activists are currently in development.

The monthly comic book series, launched earlier this year, has drawn considerable media attention, including features on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and “Live with Regis and Kelly.” It has also been featured in such periodicals as People Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and thousands of blogs and other media outlets.

The suggested retail price (SRP) for the upcoming trade paperback is $3.99 for the 22-page title.

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.

Following its commitment to green publishing, Bluewater comic books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. FSC certification guarantees that the paper used in Bluewater books contains fiber from well-managed and responsibility harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.

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

IDW from Diamond Distributors for April 7 2010

IDW

FEB100978 A-TEAM SHOTGUN WEDDING #3 $3.99
FEB100989 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS SERIES 3 #2 $3.99
JAN101022 GHOSTBUSTERS DISPLACED AGGRESSION TP VOL 01 $17.99
FEB100957 GI JOE MOVIE SNAKE EYES TP $17.99
FEB100953 GI JOE ORIGINS #14 $3.99
JAN101030 LIL ABNER HC VOL 01 $49.99
FEB101002 STARSTRUCK #8 $3.99
FEB100992 ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS AVENTURE #3 $3.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 7 2010

DC COMICS

JUL090325 AME COMI BATMAN VINYL STATUE $70.00
JUL090326 AME COMI ROBIN VINYL FIGURE $60.00
DEC090262 AREA 10 HC (MR) $19.99
FEB100226 AUTHORITY #21 $2.99
FEB100202 BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 NEW PTG $1.00
FEB100130 BATMAN AND ROBIN #11 $2.99
DEC090201 BATMAN AND ROBIN DELUXE HC VOL 01 BATMAN REBORN $24.99
FEB100142 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #43 $2.99
JAN100297 BOOSTER GOLD DAY OF DEATH TP $14.99
FEB100221 CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #48 $2.50
FEB100257 CINDERELLA FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE #6 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99
FEB100252 DEMO VOL 2 #3 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99
JAN100369 DIAMOND GIRL VOL 01 $9.99
FEB100162 DOOM PATROL #9 $2.99
JAN100266 FLASH SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS 2010 #1 $3.99
FEB100163 GREAT TEN #6 (OF 10) $2.99
FEB100259 GREEK STREET #10 (MR) $2.99
FEB100254 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #24 (MR) $2.99
FEB100169 JONAH HEX #54 $2.99
FEB100166 JSA ALL STARS #5 $3.99
JAN100298 JSA TP VOL 04 THY KINGDOM COME PART 3 $19.99
FEB100222 LOONEY TUNES #185 $2.50
FEB100171 NEMESIS THE IMPOSTORS #2 (OF 4) $2.99
FEB100140 RED ROBIN #11 $2.99
JAN100302 SECRET SIX DEPTHS TP $14.99
FEB100230 SPARTA USA #2 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC090255 STARCRAFT HC BOOK 01 $19.99
FEB100143 SUPERMAN LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON #2 (OF 3) $3.99
JAN100251 SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN #5 (OF 6) (RES) $3.99
JAN100252 SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN #5 (OF 6) VAR ED (RES) $3.99
FEB100268 SWEET TOOTH #8 (MR) $2.99
JAN100305 TEEN TITANS CHILDS PLAY TP $14.99
FEB100179 WARLORD #13 $2.99