Promotional poster for our previously mentioned Mini-comics Day.
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Sunday 27 March 2011
Monkey Covers
King Kong relaxes on the set of his latest movie on the cover of Mad House #106 (1977).
(Standard disclaimer about giant movie star gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)
Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.
Saturday 26 March 2011
Tarot Witch Of The Black Rose #64
Sept 2010 | 37 pages | CBR | 24.2 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
Star Wars - The Old Republic #4
Oct 2010 | 31 pages | CBR | 13.2 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
The Wheel of Time - New Spring #8
2010 | 26 pages | CBR | 16.1 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
Superman - The Last Family of Krypton #3 (of 3)
Dec 2010 | 60 pages | CBR | 32.2 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
Crossed - Family Values #4 (of 6)
Sept 2010 | 26 pages | CBZ | 22 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
Time Masters - Vanishing Point #3 (of 6)
Nov 2010 | 35 pages | CBR | 12.9 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
Friday 25 March 2011
Amazon Top 50
Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.
1 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
2 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
3 (-2). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
5 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
6 (-1). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
7 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
8 (-9). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
9 (N). Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 6 HC *
10 (+1). Big Nate: From the Top
11 (+35). The Unwritten Vol. 3: Dead Man's Knock *
12 (-2). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
13 (+7). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
14 (-2). Batman: Year One
15 (+4). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
16 (-7). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
17 (-4). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
18 (-2). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
19 (-2). Daytripper
20 (+7). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 8: Last Gleaming *
21 (R). Batman: The Long Halloween
22 (-4). Walking Dead Volume 13
23 (+9). Walking Dead Volume 12
24 (+5). Watchmen
25 (+10). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star *
26 (-4). Batman: The Killing Joke
27 (-6). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
28 (-3). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
29 (-6). Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs *
30 (-2). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
31 (+6). Big Nate Out Loud *
32 (+8). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
33 (-). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
34 (+14). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
35 (+9). The Walking Dead, Book 5
36 (R). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
37 (-22). Batman: Time and the Batman
38 (R). Blackest Night
39 (-15). The Walking Dead, Book 6
40 (+10). The Walking Dead, Book 3
41 (R). V for Vendetta
42 (R). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
43 (-5). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
44 (N). iZombie Vol. 1: Dead to the World
45 (-20). Superman: Earth One
46 (N). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (Kindle edition)
47 (-5). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
48 (-12). Batman: Hush
49 (R). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
50 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 4
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* After two weeks at the top, the Oatmeal collection 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin slips down to #3 behind a couple of Wimpy Kid volumes. Also, the Kindle edition of 5 Very Good Reasons shows up near the bottom of the list.
* The latest volume of Invincible Ultimate Collection debuts in the top 10.
* The other debut this week is the first iZombie collection, while the third collection of The Unwritten vaults way up to just outside the top ten.
* While the Scott Pilgrim box set maintains a respectable ranking, I do believe this is the first time in a long while that not a single individual volume of Scott Pilgrim shows up on the chart.
* Dead Watch: Ten Walking Dead collections in the top fifty this week. (Bottom-of-the-list Book 4 is #2,417 on the overall chart)
1 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
2 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
3 (-2). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
5 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
6 (-1). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
7 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
8 (-9). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
9 (N). Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 6 HC *
10 (+1). Big Nate: From the Top
11 (+35). The Unwritten Vol. 3: Dead Man's Knock *
12 (-2). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
13 (+7). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
14 (-2). Batman: Year One
15 (+4). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
16 (-7). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
17 (-4). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
18 (-2). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
19 (-2). Daytripper
20 (+7). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 8: Last Gleaming *
21 (R). Batman: The Long Halloween
22 (-4). Walking Dead Volume 13
23 (+9). Walking Dead Volume 12
24 (+5). Watchmen
25 (+10). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star *
26 (-4). Batman: The Killing Joke
27 (-6). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
28 (-3). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
29 (-6). Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs *
30 (-2). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
31 (+6). Big Nate Out Loud *
32 (+8). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
33 (-). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
34 (+14). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
35 (+9). The Walking Dead, Book 5
36 (R). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
37 (-22). Batman: Time and the Batman
38 (R). Blackest Night
39 (-15). The Walking Dead, Book 6
40 (+10). The Walking Dead, Book 3
41 (R). V for Vendetta
42 (R). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
43 (-5). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
44 (N). iZombie Vol. 1: Dead to the World
45 (-20). Superman: Earth One
46 (N). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (Kindle edition)
47 (-5). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
48 (-12). Batman: Hush
49 (R). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
50 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 4
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* After two weeks at the top, the Oatmeal collection 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin slips down to #3 behind a couple of Wimpy Kid volumes. Also, the Kindle edition of 5 Very Good Reasons shows up near the bottom of the list.
* The latest volume of Invincible Ultimate Collection debuts in the top 10.
* The other debut this week is the first iZombie collection, while the third collection of The Unwritten vaults way up to just outside the top ten.
* While the Scott Pilgrim box set maintains a respectable ranking, I do believe this is the first time in a long while that not a single individual volume of Scott Pilgrim shows up on the chart.
* Dead Watch: Ten Walking Dead collections in the top fifty this week. (Bottom-of-the-list Book 4 is #2,417 on the overall chart)
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Marvel June Solicitation Thoughts
The Fear Itself event continues. The main book is $4 for 32 pages; weren't the first two issues 40 pages?
I have little interest in the multitude of spin-off books. Youth in Revolt is by creators I know and generally like (McKeever & Norton) and is $3, so I'll probably pick that up. Fearsome Four has Man-Thing and art by Michael Kaluta (and also $3), so I'll likely get that as well.
Two issues of Thunderbolts, both Fear Itself tie-ins, with tag team writers and artists. Probably skipable, but this is one of those instances where having a long run on a title will keep me buying though short blips like this.
A new Dark Tower series by Peter David & Michael Lark. I have zero interest in the property, but that's a creative team that might get me to pick it up, except for the $4 price tag.
There are a couple of Cars 2-related comics, but it's confusing as to what is what. There's Cars 2 #1 (of 2) which may or may not be an adaptation of the new movie. Then there's Disney • Pixar Presents Cars 2, which despite the title seems to be an adaptation of the first Cars movie.
Apparently after months of build up this is the month that they're finally killing Ultimate Spider-Man. Because that whole Ultimatum mess did such great things for the Ultimate Line.
There are a couple of instances where Marvel are collecting three recent issues of Avengers titles for just $5. I'm not sure on the publishing strategy here.
The ill-conceived 'point one' initiative hits a title I actually follow (Avengers Academy). I'd be just as happy buying an issue #15 as I would #14.1. Also, this seems like a good way to make sure that customers who don't aggressively follow the comic news sites will not purchase an issue of a title.
Captain America Corps? Really? It's like they're just trying to come up with things to flood the market that just won't sell (no matter how good it may actually be).
(Marvel Adventures) Super Heroes has been a reprint book for the past few months. The latest issue is by the regular writer (the very good Paul Tobin) but no indication as to whether this is a new story or not.
As has been noted elsewhere, Andi Watson's long-completed-but-never-published 15 Love is finally seeing the light of day. I'll be in line, but wouldn't this work better as an OGN targeted at the bookstore market?
There's a new WWII-set All-Winners Squad limited series written by Paul Jenkins, whose super-hero stuff has always been hit-or-miss with me. So I'll like wait and see if it is well-received, and pick it up in trade if it is.
No such worries with Jenkins' other new limited series, Ka-Zar: I'm not a fan of artist Pascal Alixe, and it's $4 for 32 pages to boot.
Even dumber than kicking off a new series with a #0 issue? Kicking it off with a #0.1 issue, as is the case with Ghost Rider. How would starting a new series off with a regular ol' #1 issue not be considered a jumping-on point in and of itself?
Mystery Men #1 & 2: CLASSIFIED! By a writer I'm unfamiliar with? PASS!
Two different Marvel Zombies mini-series running at the same time? Do they think it is still 2006?
Hickman & Weaver's well-received S.H.I.E.L.D. series is back as an ongoing; $4 for 40 pages, so let us hope that future issues are $3 for 32 pages.
I care not one whit for Deadpool, but I'll admit that the Dave Johnson cover for #38 is pretty awesome.
Looks like just abut every X-Men title gets two issues this month. Because what we really need are twice as many X-Men comics.
Supreme Power returns with a four issue mini, just about at the point where most have forgotten about it. And the $4 price tag won't help matters either, and make it just that easy a pass for most I suspect.
We're drowning is Captain America and Thor collections. X-Men too. Think maybe there's a movie or two coming this summer?
Mini-Comics Day at the Library
This will be very similar to our 24 Hour Comics Day event last semester, except about 1/3 as long!
More details at http://www.lib.umich.edu/minicomicsday
Sunday 20 March 2011
Monkey Covers
Maxwell Tiberius poses with partner Ann O'Brien and the kids from Gen13 on Arthur Adams' cover for Gen13/Monkeyman & O'Brien #1 (1998).
(Standard disclaimer about super-intelligent other-dimensional gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)
Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.
Friday 18 March 2011
Amazon Top 50
Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.
1 (-). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
5 (+1). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
6 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
7 (+2). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
8 (-3). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
9 (+4). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
10 (+6). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
11 (-). Big Nate: From the Top
12 (+7). Batman: Year One
13 (-3). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
14 (N). Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice *
15 (+2). Batman: Time and the Batman
16 (-2). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
17 (-9). Daytripper
18 (-3). Walking Dead Volume 13
19 (-1). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
20 (-). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
21 (+4). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
22 (+16). Batman: The Killing Joke
23 (+26). Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs *
24 (+4). The Walking Dead, Book 6
25 (+16). Superman: Earth One
26 (N). Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster
27 (R). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 8: Last Gleaming *
28 (-1). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
29 (-). Watchmen
30 (-7). The Walking Dead, Book 1
31 (+8). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
32 (+2). Walking Dead Volume 12
33 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
34 (R). Prince Valiant: 1941-1942 (Vol. 3) *
35 (N). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star *
36 (R). Batman: Hush
37 (N). Big Nate Out Loud *
38 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
39 (+3). The Walking Dead, Book 2
40 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
41 (N). Gotham Central Book 4: Corrigan
42 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
43 (+5). Captain America Lives Omnibus *
44 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 5
45 (-1). Odd Is on Our Side
46 (N). The Unwritten Vol. 3: Dead Man's Knock *
47 (-4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
48 (+2). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
49 (-37). The Thanos Imperative
50 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 3
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The Oatmeal collection maintains its #1 spot on the comics chart and hangs on at #48 on the overall chart. Looks like it wasn't a one-week fluke.
* Of the rest of the top 10, six are either Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries items.
* The top debut this week is a pre-order of Ivan Brunetti's Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice. Also new is the latest Dragonbreath from Ursula Verson; pre-orders for new entries in the Dork Diaries & Big Nate series; a Gotham Central hardcover; and the pre-order for the latest collection of The Unwritten.
* The Scott Pilgrim box set remains relatively strong, but the only single volume to stay on the chart is vol. 1 way down at #47.
* Dead Watch: Ten Walking Dead collections in the top 50 this week, an improvement over recent weeks. (Book 3, at #50, is #2,834 overall.)
1 (-). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
5 (+1). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
6 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
7 (+2). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
8 (-3). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
9 (+4). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
10 (+6). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
11 (-). Big Nate: From the Top
12 (+7). Batman: Year One
13 (-3). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
14 (N). Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice *
15 (+2). Batman: Time and the Batman
16 (-2). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
17 (-9). Daytripper
18 (-3). Walking Dead Volume 13
19 (-1). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
20 (-). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
21 (+4). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
22 (+16). Batman: The Killing Joke
23 (+26). Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs *
24 (+4). The Walking Dead, Book 6
25 (+16). Superman: Earth One
26 (N). Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster
27 (R). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 8: Last Gleaming *
28 (-1). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
29 (-). Watchmen
30 (-7). The Walking Dead, Book 1
31 (+8). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
32 (+2). Walking Dead Volume 12
33 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
34 (R). Prince Valiant: 1941-1942 (Vol. 3) *
35 (N). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star *
36 (R). Batman: Hush
37 (N). Big Nate Out Loud *
38 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
39 (+3). The Walking Dead, Book 2
40 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
41 (N). Gotham Central Book 4: Corrigan
42 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
43 (+5). Captain America Lives Omnibus *
44 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 5
45 (-1). Odd Is on Our Side
46 (N). The Unwritten Vol. 3: Dead Man's Knock *
47 (-4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
48 (+2). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
49 (-37). The Thanos Imperative
50 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 3
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The Oatmeal collection maintains its #1 spot on the comics chart and hangs on at #48 on the overall chart. Looks like it wasn't a one-week fluke.
* Of the rest of the top 10, six are either Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries items.
* The top debut this week is a pre-order of Ivan Brunetti's Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice. Also new is the latest Dragonbreath from Ursula Verson; pre-orders for new entries in the Dork Diaries & Big Nate series; a Gotham Central hardcover; and the pre-order for the latest collection of The Unwritten.
* The Scott Pilgrim box set remains relatively strong, but the only single volume to stay on the chart is vol. 1 way down at #47.
* Dead Watch: Ten Walking Dead collections in the top 50 this week, an improvement over recent weeks. (Book 3, at #50, is #2,834 overall.)
Thursday 17 March 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Veronica Lodge & Yet Another Comics Blog wish for you the Luck of the Irish!
(Cover from Veronica #23 (1992) by Rex Lindsey.)
Sunday 13 March 2011
Monkey Covers
Beast Boy turns into a gorilla to fight Grodd on Rick Hoberg's cover for Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew #20 (1983).
(Standard disclaimer about green super-heroes and world-conquering gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)
Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.
Friday 11 March 2011
Amazon Top 50
1 (N). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
2 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
3 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
4 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
5 (+5). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
6 (-). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
7 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
8 (-4). Daytripper
9 (-4). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
10 (+1). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
11 (+3). Big Nate: From the Top
12 (-5). The Thanos Imperative *
13 (-5). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
14 (+3). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
15 (+3). Walking Dead Volume 13
16 (-1). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
17 (-1). Batman: Time and the Batman
18 (+12). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
19 (+1). Batman: Year One
20 (+19). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
21 (+14). V for Vendetta
22 (N). Batman Beyond: Hush Beyond
23 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 1
24 (R). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
25 (-13). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
26 (R). Identity Crisis
27 (+5). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
28 (-5). The Walking Dead, Book 6
29 (-16). Watchmen
30 (-3). The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
31 (-6). Scalped Vol. 7: Rez Blues
32 (R). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
33 (+9). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
34 (+3). Walking Dead Volume 12
35 (+9). Fables Vol. 14: Witches
36 (+5). Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe
37 (-8). Scott Pilgrim, Vol 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
38 (+8). Batman: The Killing Joke
39 (R). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
40 (N). Skullkickers Volume 1: 1000 Opas and a Dead Body *
41 (-22). Superman: Earth One
42 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 2
43 (-19). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
44 (-4). Odd Is on Our Side
45 (-7). The Walking Dead, Book 5
46 (-24). All Star Superman, Vol. 2
47 (-14). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
48 (N). Captain America Lives Omnibus *
49 (N). Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs *
50 (-). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* In a shocker, the Oatmeal collection 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth debuts at #1 on the chart (and is #41 overall). An amazing feat to debut at #1, especially for a property with no tie-in to other media.
* The last time a non-Wimpy Kid book was #1 was a Scott Pilgrim volume in August 2010. The last time a non-WK non-SP book was #1 was Troublemaker in June 2010. The last time a book debuted at #1 was the Twilight Graphic Novel in January 2010.
* Other debuts this week are Batman Beyond: Hush Beyond at #22; Skullkickers at #40; Captain America Lives Omnibus at #48; and Big Nate Boredom Buster at #49.
* Dead Watch: Just seven Walking Dead collections in the top 50 this week, though the Compendium hops up to #5.
* I have no idea why the Identity Crisis hardcover shows up out-of-the-blue at #26. Sometimes the charts are just weird...
Thursday 10 March 2011
Project IITS Update
Hey folks,
I promised I'd give an update with a few details on the Project IITS, uh...project. The game stars Kayli, of course, and while it was the intent to feature her prominently for the game, I'm a great believer in allowing gamers to create their own persona within the world we want them to spend a great deal of time in. The scope of the project has scaled back and forth a few times but we needed a Kayli character in any version. For the game, I felt a smaller, cuter Kayli was more appropriate so we needed to re-imagine her a bit to fit into the game world. Below is the dynamite little package that we came up with:
While our readers will surely recognize Genevieve's distinct touch and style, I needed someone to create Kayli in 3D for the game. I was lucky enough to catch a former co-worker of mine, Mark Kobrin, in between gigs (he is now in NZ working at WETA Digital, no less) and he banged out a great 3D Kayli for me. Here's the result:
Given that Genevieve has been so busy, I've had to look elsewhere for some help in doing some concepts for environments that will later be turned into digital versions. My friend and former co-worker, Brandon Luyen (who is an instructor at the Academy of Art University in S.F.), suggested that a former student of his might be a good fit for the general style of the game and I contracted Cecilia Wong to do a few pieces for Project IITS...here is a re-imagined "Gordo's Island" that will be one of the set pieces for the game:
Hope y'all enjoyed this tiny taste of the Project IITS game. Thanks again to all our faithful readers for continuing to believe in IITS, supporting Genevieve and I, and spreading the word.
- Joseph
I promised I'd give an update with a few details on the Project IITS, uh...project. The game stars Kayli, of course, and while it was the intent to feature her prominently for the game, I'm a great believer in allowing gamers to create their own persona within the world we want them to spend a great deal of time in. The scope of the project has scaled back and forth a few times but we needed a Kayli character in any version. For the game, I felt a smaller, cuter Kayli was more appropriate so we needed to re-imagine her a bit to fit into the game world. Below is the dynamite little package that we came up with:
While our readers will surely recognize Genevieve's distinct touch and style, I needed someone to create Kayli in 3D for the game. I was lucky enough to catch a former co-worker of mine, Mark Kobrin, in between gigs (he is now in NZ working at WETA Digital, no less) and he banged out a great 3D Kayli for me. Here's the result:
Given that Genevieve has been so busy, I've had to look elsewhere for some help in doing some concepts for environments that will later be turned into digital versions. My friend and former co-worker, Brandon Luyen (who is an instructor at the Academy of Art University in S.F.), suggested that a former student of his might be a good fit for the general style of the game and I contracted Cecilia Wong to do a few pieces for Project IITS...here is a re-imagined "Gordo's Island" that will be one of the set pieces for the game:
Hope y'all enjoyed this tiny taste of the Project IITS game. Thanks again to all our faithful readers for continuing to believe in IITS, supporting Genevieve and I, and spreading the word.
- Joseph
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Tezuka's Notebooks
Last week at the library we received our copy of Tezuka Osamu sōsaku nōto to shoki sakuhinshū (手塚治虫・創作ノートと初期作品集), a reproduction of several of Osamu Tezuka's hand-drawn notebooks. As you might expect, the whole package is gorgeous. It's going straight down into storage for safe keeping, but I managed to snap a few photos:
Monday 7 March 2011
New Library Comics: February 2011
Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last month:
Brave old world nos. 1-3 / New York, N.Y. : DC Comics, 2000.
Ciencin, Scott. Silent Hill omnibus / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, 2010
Costa, Ben. Pang : the wandering Shàolín monk (vol. 1) : refuge of the heart. / [n.p.] : Iron Crotch University Press, 2010
De Haven, Tom. Our hero : Superman on Earth / New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, c2010
Edington, Ian. Hellgate. London / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2007.
Ellis, Warren. Global frequency nos. 1-12 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2002-2004.
Encyclopedia of comic books and graphic novels / Santa Barbara, Calif. : Greenwood, c2010
Englehart, Steve. Big town nos. 1-4 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 2001
Fulp, Charles. Harry Johnson : and the case of the Crabbes nos. 1-2 / [S.l.] : Fulp Fiction, Inc., c2004
Furman, Simon. Starcraft / La Jolla, CA : Wildstorm, 2010
Gallardo, Adam. 100 girls nos. 1-7 / [United States] : Arcana Studios, 2004-
Gen 13 (La Jolla, Calif. : 2002) Gen 13. nos. 0-16 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2002-
Harmon, Paul. Mora nos. 1-4 / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2005-
ICandy. nos. 1-3 / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2003-c2004.
Johns, Geoff, 1973- The vision nos. 1-4 / New York, NY : Marvel Entertainment, 2002-
Johnston, Antony. Dead space : salvage / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, c2010
Kanan, Nabiel. Now & then / Derby, United Kingdom : New Flame Publishing, 2003
Krueger, Jim. Galactic. nos. 1-3 / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Comics, 2003.
Labelle, Simon, 1958- Le suicide de la déesse / [Montréal] : Mécanique générale, c2010
Leblanc, Samuel, 1982- Parfum de lilas / [Montréal] : Mécanique générale, c2010
Manga : an anthology of global and cultural perspectives / New York : Continuum, 2010
Manga and philosophy / Chicago : Open Court, c2010.
Michael Moorcock's multiverse. nos. 1-12 / New York, N.Y. : DC Comics, 1997-
Mishkin, Dan. Creeps. nos. 1-3 / Orange, CA : Image Comics, 2001-
Nelson, Arvid. London falling / Hamburg ; Los Angeles : Tokypop, 2008
Oprisko, Kris. Metal gear solid : omnibus / San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
The rise and reason of comics and graphic literature : critical essays on the form / Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2010.
Searle, Ronald, 1920- St. Trinian's : the cartoons / London : Penguin Books, 2008.
Shelton, Daniel, 1965- Ben : à deux, c'est mieux! / Montréal : Les 400 coups, c2010.
Siu-Chong, Ken. Wages of sin / Richmond Hill, Ont. : Udon, c2009
Sonic the Hedgehog archives. vols. 1-3 / Mamaroneck, NY : Archie Comic Publications, [2006]-
Speers, Megan, 1986- Wanderlust : a story told in 50 wood engravings / Erin, Ont. : Porcupine's Quill, c2010
Starlin, Jim. Infinity abyss nos. 1-6 / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 2002
Storrie, Paul D. Robin Hood and the minstrel / Calumet City, IL : Moonstone and Paul D. Storrie, c2001
Tadano, Nobuaki. 7 billion needles. Volume 2 / New York : Vertical, c2010
Van Ness, Sara J. Watchmen as literature : a critical study of the graphic novel / Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2010.
X-Factor (New York, N.Y. : 2002) X-Factor. v.2 nos. 1-4 / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 2002
As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.
Brave old world nos. 1-3 / New York, N.Y. : DC Comics, 2000.
Ciencin, Scott. Silent Hill omnibus / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, 2010
Costa, Ben. Pang : the wandering Shàolín monk (vol. 1) : refuge of the heart. / [n.p.] : Iron Crotch University Press, 2010
De Haven, Tom. Our hero : Superman on Earth / New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, c2010
Edington, Ian. Hellgate. London / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2007.
Ellis, Warren. Global frequency nos. 1-12 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2002-2004.
Encyclopedia of comic books and graphic novels / Santa Barbara, Calif. : Greenwood, c2010
Englehart, Steve. Big town nos. 1-4 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 2001
Fulp, Charles. Harry Johnson : and the case of the Crabbes nos. 1-2 / [S.l.] : Fulp Fiction, Inc., c2004
Furman, Simon. Starcraft / La Jolla, CA : Wildstorm, 2010
Gallardo, Adam. 100 girls nos. 1-7 / [United States] : Arcana Studios, 2004-
Gen 13 (La Jolla, Calif. : 2002) Gen 13. nos. 0-16 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2002-
Harmon, Paul. Mora nos. 1-4 / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2005-
ICandy. nos. 1-3 / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2003-c2004.
Johns, Geoff, 1973- The vision nos. 1-4 / New York, NY : Marvel Entertainment, 2002-
Johnston, Antony. Dead space : salvage / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, c2010
Kanan, Nabiel. Now & then / Derby, United Kingdom : New Flame Publishing, 2003
Krueger, Jim. Galactic. nos. 1-3 / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Comics, 2003.
Labelle, Simon, 1958- Le suicide de la déesse / [Montréal] : Mécanique générale, c2010
Leblanc, Samuel, 1982- Parfum de lilas / [Montréal] : Mécanique générale, c2010
Manga : an anthology of global and cultural perspectives / New York : Continuum, 2010
Manga and philosophy / Chicago : Open Court, c2010.
Michael Moorcock's multiverse. nos. 1-12 / New York, N.Y. : DC Comics, 1997-
Mishkin, Dan. Creeps. nos. 1-3 / Orange, CA : Image Comics, 2001-
Nelson, Arvid. London falling / Hamburg ; Los Angeles : Tokypop, 2008
Oprisko, Kris. Metal gear solid : omnibus / San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
The rise and reason of comics and graphic literature : critical essays on the form / Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2010.
Searle, Ronald, 1920- St. Trinian's : the cartoons / London : Penguin Books, 2008.
Shelton, Daniel, 1965- Ben : à deux, c'est mieux! / Montréal : Les 400 coups, c2010.
Siu-Chong, Ken. Wages of sin / Richmond Hill, Ont. : Udon, c2009
Sonic the Hedgehog archives. vols. 1-3 / Mamaroneck, NY : Archie Comic Publications, [2006]-
Speers, Megan, 1986- Wanderlust : a story told in 50 wood engravings / Erin, Ont. : Porcupine's Quill, c2010
Starlin, Jim. Infinity abyss nos. 1-6 / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 2002
Storrie, Paul D. Robin Hood and the minstrel / Calumet City, IL : Moonstone and Paul D. Storrie, c2001
Tadano, Nobuaki. 7 billion needles. Volume 2 / New York : Vertical, c2010
Van Ness, Sara J. Watchmen as literature : a critical study of the graphic novel / Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2010.
X-Factor (New York, N.Y. : 2002) X-Factor. v.2 nos. 1-4 / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 2002
As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.
Sunday 6 March 2011
Monkey Covers
Peter Panda helps a monkey get coconuts down from a tree on the cover of Peter Panda #3 (1953).
Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.
Saturday 5 March 2011
Long Time No Post!
Hey Folks,
Sorry for the extended silence, I feel bad for keeping everybody in the dark for so long but there really hasn't been a lot going on with Islands in the Sky for awhile. First the bad news, Genevieve and I have no IITS related shows currently planned for 2011. We're currently taking a bit of a break from the comic project but are collaborating on a few other smaller projects here and there...if we feel there is potential interest among our IITS readership regarding these other projects, we'll post the info here.
The good news is, neither of us have given up on IITS...but it's just a matter of the planets aligning correctly for Genevieve and I to find the time to get back to the comic. In regards to the comic, we were originally going to do a direct sequel to the first issue we put out but decided to reboot the series midway through. We're simply not capable of putting out a regular book so we've decided to put out a "one shot" IITS graphic novel that will give readers a complete story. Rebooting the story requires quite a bit of work in terms of figuring out what format we want the book to be and most importantly, coming up with a great story from start to finish. This is all on me and it will take awhile for me to put together the original storyboards for the book. I think the first step is to contact some printers about the technical aspects of the book type we want but I've been putting that off. When there is progress on the storyboards...I'll let everyone know here.
The other good news is that I'm currently working on an indie video game project that I've codenamed: Project IITS. As some of you may know, Islands in the Sky started off as a video game idea that was a natural evolution of game ideas that, as a game designer, I've developed over the course of several years. Now, I know a video game isn't of much interest to those of you simply wanting more of the comic but I love comics AND video games and I'm doing my best to be true to the feel of the IITS world and its characters. This post is already getting TLDR so I'll save some of the details about the game that I can share in the next post...probably a few days from now.
For all of you who still hold out hope that we're nearing the completion of a second book, thank you for keeping up the faith...we will do our best not to let you down and want to make sure that the IITS graphic novel will meet and exceed all your expectations.
- Joseph
Sorry for the extended silence, I feel bad for keeping everybody in the dark for so long but there really hasn't been a lot going on with Islands in the Sky for awhile. First the bad news, Genevieve and I have no IITS related shows currently planned for 2011. We're currently taking a bit of a break from the comic project but are collaborating on a few other smaller projects here and there...if we feel there is potential interest among our IITS readership regarding these other projects, we'll post the info here.
The good news is, neither of us have given up on IITS...but it's just a matter of the planets aligning correctly for Genevieve and I to find the time to get back to the comic. In regards to the comic, we were originally going to do a direct sequel to the first issue we put out but decided to reboot the series midway through. We're simply not capable of putting out a regular book so we've decided to put out a "one shot" IITS graphic novel that will give readers a complete story. Rebooting the story requires quite a bit of work in terms of figuring out what format we want the book to be and most importantly, coming up with a great story from start to finish. This is all on me and it will take awhile for me to put together the original storyboards for the book. I think the first step is to contact some printers about the technical aspects of the book type we want but I've been putting that off. When there is progress on the storyboards...I'll let everyone know here.
The other good news is that I'm currently working on an indie video game project that I've codenamed: Project IITS. As some of you may know, Islands in the Sky started off as a video game idea that was a natural evolution of game ideas that, as a game designer, I've developed over the course of several years. Now, I know a video game isn't of much interest to those of you simply wanting more of the comic but I love comics AND video games and I'm doing my best to be true to the feel of the IITS world and its characters. This post is already getting TLDR so I'll save some of the details about the game that I can share in the next post...probably a few days from now.
For all of you who still hold out hope that we're nearing the completion of a second book, thank you for keeping up the faith...we will do our best not to let you down and want to make sure that the IITS graphic novel will meet and exceed all your expectations.
- Joseph
Penthouse ComiX (Nov-Dec 1995)
English | PDF | 83 pages | 41.8 MB
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
Friday 4 March 2011
Amazon Top 50
Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
2 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
3 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
4 (-2). Daytripper
5 (+5). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
6 (-1). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
7 (N). The Thanos Imperative *
8 (-2). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
9 (+6). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
10 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
11 (+15). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
12 (-5). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
13 (+17). Watchmen
14 (+21). Big Nate: From the Top
15 (-6). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
16 (N). Batman: Time and the Batman *
17 (+5). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
18 (-6). Walking Dead Volume 13
19 (-). Superman: Earth One
20 (-12). Batman: Year One
21 (-3). All Star Superman, Vol. 1
22 (-8). All Star Superman, Vol. 2
23 (+2). The Walking Dead, Book 6
24 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
25 (+7). Scalped Vol. 7: Rez Blues
26 (-9). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
27 (R). The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
28 (N). Prince Valiant: 1941-1942 (Vol. 3) *
29 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
30 (+4). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
31 (N). The Stand: Hardcases
32 (+8). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
33 (+11). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
34 (N). Morning Glories Volume 1 TP
35 (-6). V for Vendetta
36 (-15). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
37 (-6). Walking Dead Volume 12
38 (+5). The Walking Dead, Book 5
39 (-23). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
40 (-4). Odd Is on Our Side
41 (-21). Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe
42 (-28). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
43 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
44 (+4). Fables Vol. 14: Witches
45 (R). The Arrival
46 (R). Batman: The Killing Joke
47 (-23). The Flash, Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues
48 (N). Popeye, Vol. 5: Wha's a Jeep? *
49 (-2). Nemesis
50 (-). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* Daytripper slips back down below the Wimpy Kid offerings to #4 on the comics charts and #499 on the overall chart.
* In fact, six of the top ten this week are hybrid prose/comics offerings for kids from the Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries series.The top book is #82 on the overall chart.
* A relatively good week for Marvel; they debut a pre-order of The Thanos Imperative in the top ten and The Stand: Hardcases in the middle of the list. Nemesis hangs on near the bottom as well.
* Other debuts this week include a couple of strip collections, Prince Valiant & Popeye; the latest Grant Morrison Batman collection; and the first Morning Glories collection.
* The Scott Pilgrim universe rights itself this week, with the box set jumping back up and the individual volumes going back down.
* Dead Watch: Just six Walking Dead collections in the top fifty this week. Vol 9, the #50 book this week, is #2,507 on the overall chart.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
2 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
3 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
4 (-2). Daytripper
5 (+5). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
6 (-1). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
7 (N). The Thanos Imperative *
8 (-2). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
9 (+6). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
10 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
11 (+15). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
12 (-5). Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
13 (+17). Watchmen
14 (+21). Big Nate: From the Top
15 (-6). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
16 (N). Batman: Time and the Batman *
17 (+5). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
18 (-6). Walking Dead Volume 13
19 (-). Superman: Earth One
20 (-12). Batman: Year One
21 (-3). All Star Superman, Vol. 1
22 (-8). All Star Superman, Vol. 2
23 (+2). The Walking Dead, Book 6
24 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
25 (+7). Scalped Vol. 7: Rez Blues
26 (-9). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
27 (R). The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
28 (N). Prince Valiant: 1941-1942 (Vol. 3) *
29 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
30 (+4). Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red *
31 (N). The Stand: Hardcases
32 (+8). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
33 (+11). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
34 (N). Morning Glories Volume 1 TP
35 (-6). V for Vendetta
36 (-15). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
37 (-6). Walking Dead Volume 12
38 (+5). The Walking Dead, Book 5
39 (-23). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
40 (-4). Odd Is on Our Side
41 (-21). Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe
42 (-28). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
43 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
44 (+4). Fables Vol. 14: Witches
45 (R). The Arrival
46 (R). Batman: The Killing Joke
47 (-23). The Flash, Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues
48 (N). Popeye, Vol. 5: Wha's a Jeep? *
49 (-2). Nemesis
50 (-). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* Daytripper slips back down below the Wimpy Kid offerings to #4 on the comics charts and #499 on the overall chart.
* In fact, six of the top ten this week are hybrid prose/comics offerings for kids from the Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries series.The top book is #82 on the overall chart.
* A relatively good week for Marvel; they debut a pre-order of The Thanos Imperative in the top ten and The Stand: Hardcases in the middle of the list. Nemesis hangs on near the bottom as well.
* Other debuts this week include a couple of strip collections, Prince Valiant & Popeye; the latest Grant Morrison Batman collection; and the first Morning Glories collection.
* The Scott Pilgrim universe rights itself this week, with the box set jumping back up and the individual volumes going back down.
* Dead Watch: Just six Walking Dead collections in the top fifty this week. Vol 9, the #50 book this week, is #2,507 on the overall chart.
Be Gentle
Last week, you voted that Unicorn and Robot will surely...
rescue Poo (54%)
make love (43%)
ignore Poo (7%)
break up (7%)
I'm over-ruling your votes to allow a little robot-on-unicorn action.
Thursday 3 March 2011
Grimm Fairy Tales Myths and Legends #2
March 02, 2011 | 34 Pages | CBR | 24.12 MB
From the creators of Grimm Fairy Tales and the Wonderland trilogy, Zenescope's newest ongoing series continues here! A storm arrives, cutting off the facility from the rest of the world as patients continue to disappear. Meanwhile the unsuspecting staff of the Seidwell facility has yet to realize that they are being picked off one by one by something not of this world. Don't miss issue #2 of this exciting new Grimm spin of series.
Download MIRROR #1
Download MIRROR #2
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