How do I get Rid of 'Spy Axe'?
Particularly if it doesn't involve spending money...

Looks like out of sheer terror, I won't be using my home computer for a little while. Last thing I need is spyware giving me viruses and fucking with my e-mail. Any help would be appreciated.

--

Also, the following titles are shipping next week, January 5th, making them entirely inelligible for any 'best of the year' lists. ;)


OCT050023 13TH SON WORSE THING WAITING #3 (OF 4)
OCT050016 AEON FLUX #4 (OF 4)
SEP052668 ALAN MOORE SPELLS IT OUT
OCT058106 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SECOND PTG VARIANT #526 (PP #69
NOV050252 AQUAMAN #38
OCT052778 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #97
SEP052965 ARTHUR SUYDAM ART OF THE BARBARIAN HC
NOV051984 ASTONISHING X-MEN SAGA #1
OCT052855 BART SIMPSON COMICS #27
OCT053356 BASTARD VOL 10 TP (MR) (C: 3)
NOV050232 BATMAN AND THE MONSTER MEN #3 (OF 6)
OCT050034 BILLY THE KIDS OLD TIMEY ODDITIES TP (C: 4)
NOV050253 BLOOD OF THE DEMON #11
NOV051734 BONE REST #7 (MR)
NOV052930 CHIMERA #1
AUG050017 CHRONICLES OF CONAN VOL 9 RIVER DRAGONS & OTHERS T
NOV051783 CITY OF HEROES #9
AUG052624 DAVID SHEPHERDS SONG #3 (OF 3)
NOV050255 DAY OF VENGEANCE INFINITE CRISIS SPECIAL
NOV052712 DEAD EYES OPEN #3
NOV050227 DETECTIVE COMICS #815
OCT052875 DOC FRANKENSTEIN SKETCH CVR B #4
OCT052874 DOC FRANKENSTEIN SKROCE CVR A #4 (RES)
NOV051959 DOC SAMSON #1 (OF 5)
NOV051782 DOWN #3 (OF 4)
NOV052037 ESSENTIAL OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
NOV050320 EXTERMINATORS #1 (MR)
OCT053372 FROM FAR AWAY VOL 8 GN (C: 3)
OCT053373 FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 17 GN (C: 3)
JUL052996 GIVE IT UP AND OTHER SHORT STORIES BY KAFKA SC
OCT051736 GODLAND #6
NOV050236 GOTHAM CENTRAL #39
NOV050270 HARD TIME SEASON TWO #2
NOV052970 HEAVY METALS ODYSSEY HC (MR) (C: 4)
NOV050325 HELLBLAZER STARING AT THE WALL TP (MR)
NOV052935 INTERIORAE #1
AUG051916 IRON MAN #5
OCT053071 JON SABLE FREELANCE BLOODLINE #6 (OF 6)
NOV050277 JONAH HEX #3
NOV050273 JSA #81
NOV050293 JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #17
OCT052682 KEIF LLAMA XENOTECH #3 (OF 6)
OCT051718 KISS & TELL GN
SEP050015 LADY SNOWBLOOD VOL 2 THE DEEP SEATED GRUDGE TP (MR
SEP050015 LADY SNOWBLOOD VOL 2 THE DEEP SEATED GRUDGE TP (MR
NOV052728 LITTLE SCROWLIE VOL 2 DAWN OF FASHION VICTIMS TP (
NOV050297 LOONEY TUNES #134
AUG052631 LULLABY #2
NOV052718 MARLENE #1 (MR)
NOV051964 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #11
NOV051968 MARVEL TEAM-UP #16
NOV051967 MARVEL ZOMBIES #2 (OF 5)
OCT053031 MASTERS OF HORROR #1 (OF 12)
SEP052981 MAZE AGENCY VOL 1 TP
JUL053042 MEDICS CODE 3 SPECIAL
OCT053000 MICKEY MOUSE ADVENTURES VOL 7 TP
OCT053510 MYTH CONCEPTIONS MMPB (C: 4)
NOV051990 MYTHOS X-MEN
NOV052020 NEW AVENGERS VOL 1 BREAKOUT TP
NOV051989 NEW EXCALIBUR #3
JUN050035 NEW RECRUITS TP (C: 4)
NOV050280 OUTSIDERS #32
NOV053394 PICTURES & WORDS TP (C: 4)
OCT053375 PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH VOL 14 TP (C: 3)
OCT053365 PROJECT ARMS VOL 11 TP (C: 3)
NOV052003 PUNISHER #29 (MR)
OCT053376 RED RIVER VOL 10 GN (C: 3)
NOV051712 RUNES OF RAGNAN #2 (OF 4)
NOV051983 SABLE & FORTUNE #1 (OF 6)
NOV051977 SENTINEL #3 (OF 5)
NOV050282 SEVEN SOLDIERS FRANKENSTEIN #2 (OF 4)
OCT053062 SHADOWPLAY #4
OCT054212 SHADOWRUN BK 2 POISON AGENDAS MMPB (C: 4)
OCT053334 SHONEN JUMP FEB 06 #38 (C: 3)
SEP052854 SOULSEARCHERS #75
NOV051943 SPIDER-GIRL #94
NOV051944 SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #13
OCT050055 STAR WARS PURGE ONE SHOT (C: 3)
NOV050247 SUPERMAN #225
NOV050249 SUPERMAN SACRIFICE TP
SEP050224 SUPERMAN SHAZAM FIRST THUNDER #3 (OF 4)
NOV052005 SUPREME POWER NIGHTHAWK #5 (OF 6) (MR)
NOV050331 SWAMP THING #23 (MR)
NOV050313 TEAM ZERO #2 (OF 6)
OCT050270 TEEN TITANS #31
OCT053381 TOKYO BOYS & GIRLS VOL 3 TP (C: 3)
OCT053369 TOUGH VOL 5 GN (MR) (C: 3)
NOV052024 ULTIMATE ANNUALS VOL 1 TP
NOV052023 ULTIMATE X-MEN VOL 5 HC
OCT050022 UNIVERSAL MONSTERS CAVALCADE OF HORROR TP (C: 4)
OCT053366 VIDEO GIRL AI VOL 14 LENS STORY TP (C: 3)
OCT053377 W JULIET VOL 8 GN (C: 3)
MAY052758 WE ALL DIE ALONE HC
OCT051763 WITCHBLADE #93
NOV051998 X-MEN COLOSSUS BLOODLINE #5 (OF 5)
NOV051996 X-MEN THE 198 FILES
NOV052001 X-MEN THE END MEN AND X-MEN #1 (OF 6)
NOV050333 Y THE LAST MAN #41
AUG052636 YENNY #2 (NOTE PRICE)
SEP053061 ZORRO VOL 2 HC
SEP053062 ZORRO VOL 2 SC

Cyclops Has Been Having A Rough Go Of It Lately
I've only really got enough time to be pithy

On the left we have the cover to X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS #1. On the right? Ultimate Extinction #1. What do these comics have in common? Aside from a desperate attempt to catch up with DC's bleakness, they both feature a Cyclopskeleton. In fact, the one on the right features two Cyclopskeletons (the one in the background is recoiling in horror at the one in the foreground). I normally couldn't give a shit, but we got a poster today of the image on the right that makes the assembled mass of bodies too big too ignore. If you are buying these books, what is wrong with you? Seriously. What is wrong with you that all you want from your comics is corpse-versions of superheroes? At least Marvel Zombies was funny. This is just... Yowch. These are "event" books too, the ones we're all supposed to rally around that 'set the tone' etc. It's just a bunch of corpses dressed like Children's characters. As upsetting as Disney's new Winnie The Pooh with a gurl is, at least they didn't bother with Corpse Pooh and Corpse Eeyore. Is this really the best you can do? The people producing this, buying this, marketing this, this is really the best you can do? Admitting that your books are just corpses dressed in costume, making another go at Secret Wars for the superhero fetishists? Because, honestly, the symbolism of superhero corpses being propped up for two more event miniseries (one of which even features an HOMAGE cover) should be immediately apparent to all but the most hardcore apologists.

- Christopher

Time Magazine Best Comix of 2005
Compare and Contrast!
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1142132,00.html

Go check it out. Commentary forthcoming.

- Chris

Drawn & Quarterly Solicitations
For Items Shipping In March, in the January Previews
http://www.drawnandquarterly.com

Sorry I was a little late with posting these (what with the Previews already out), but I'm pretty excited about the new Vellekoop and the new edition of Doucet so I figured I'd give them some time in the spotlight. You can click on all of the covers to see full-size versions.

--

My Most Secret Desire - NEW 10th Anniversary Edition Hardcover
Julie Doucet
HARDCOVER book, 120 pages, 6.75 x 9 inches, color with b/w.
$ 19.95 USD
UPC Code: 1-896597-95-5

New 10th anniversary edition, featuring new covers, endpapers, plus a bonus never-before-published 8 page story! Considered by many to be the most influential female cartoonist ever, Julie Doucet created an iconic body of work in the ten short years she solely devoted herself to her trailblazing comic-book series Dirty Plotte. Her comics are densely inked and detailed with a pulsating neurosis from a decidedly female point of view that set the comic-book world on its head when the series debuted. Doucet returns to comics after a 5-year hiatus with a reworked edition of her dream journal My Most Secret Desire, complete with never-before-published material. My Most Secret Desire is considered to be Doucet’s most innovative work, exploring the longings, pressures, and exploits of the feminine subconscious. Nightmarish tales of pregnancy, menstruation, sex changes, and boyfriends haunt Doucet’s nocturnal psyche with a feverish and surreal pitch.


A Nut At The Opera
Maurice Vellekoop
HARDCOVER book, 96 pages, 9 x 12 inches, full color throughout.
$ 19.95 USD
UPC Code: 1-896597-94-7

A new over-sized, lavish full-color book by one of D+Q's first-published cartoonists. This is a colorful and hilarious look at a fictitious opera world as seen through the eyes of cult cartoonist and illustrator Maurice Vellekoop. With characters such as Olga Pickptruckskaya and Valda Heck and references ranging throughout the history of opera, nothing—from the heights of Wagnerian solemnity to the excesses of French spectacle—escapes the elegant skewering of Vellekoop’s pen. Featuring Vellekoop’s trademark lavish, over-the-top illustrations throughout, A Nut At The Opera is the perfect gift for both music and comic fans alike. Vellekoop is one of the very first artists published by D+Q 16 years ago and an excellent sampling of his work, "Best of Drawn & Quarterly," is also offered here.


Ed The Happy Clown # 6
Chester Brown
Comic book, 6 x 9 inches, 24 b/w pages.
$ 2.95 USD

This installment of the 1980s classic begins as the professor locates President Reagan in another dimension. However, the President's hopes of ultimately being rescued are dashed when the professor is violently killed by a hail of bullets ... All of this, plus previously unpublished art, new covers and extensive commentary by Chester Brown.



-

So, that's the solicits for March! I should be posting the ones for April in a few weeks.

Thanks for reading,

- Chris

Merry Christmas

I am having a very Merry Christmas, hope you are as well (if that's alright with you).

:)

- Chris

The Saga Of Dark Horse's 300
The Things You Hear On The Telephone
http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/

Heidi MacDonald reminded me that the official website for the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300 graphic novel has just gone live.

I've known about the production for the film version 300 for a while now. Because the production on the film is ocurring in Montreal (a six hour drive from us here in Toronto), we had some dudes coming in, looking for copies of the graphic novel so that they could audition for roles as Spartans with a bit of a competitive edge. The graphic novel was 'between printings' at the time.

We did manage to get a few copies in over the course of the year, but we've been out of stock for a little while. You see, Dark Horse Comics' 300 HC has been 'between printings' now for about 3 months. Or at least, Diamond has been out for at least 3 months (who knows how long it's really been unavailable?).

The situation with 300 came to a head this week when someone from the film production called our store. For the last few months we've had constant requests for the book, as I've mentioned, and we just couldn't fill them. The person who called us was looking for a few copies to give as gifts to his co-workers, other people on staff at the film. We felt horrible about not having them, but what are you going to do? When we told him we were out of stock, we got a pretty unbelievable story:

Apparently, 2 or 3 weeks ago, there was a signing with Frank Miller in Montreal (this didn't get any press as far as I saw?). For 300. At which, there were NO copies of 300 available. Dark Horse didn't come through (it was implied that they were going to but the gentleman who called). I later confirmed the signing with some friends in the media who were at the event, with offers of cash being made to fans who had brought their own copies of 300 by people working on the film. Embarassing? Not as embarassing as the fact that the folks at Warner Brothers were not able to buy copies for everyone on the film's staff copies of 300 as Christmas Gifts this year. Apparently, no copies available for them either? Merry Christmas?

The conspiracy theorist in me wants to make something of Dark Horse not having books to promote a Warner Brothers movie, but honestly? I think it's just absolutely amazing that Dark Horse has let the book fall out of print at all, let alone at Christmas, let alone while the movie is filming, let alone for a big Frank Miller signing in support of the book and movie!

This is the company that got caught short on Hellboy trade paperbacks AND Sin City trade paperbacks, at the height of their movie-tie-in-buzz.

How completely and utterly embarassing for them.

'Tis the season not to be an asshole, though. While Amazon and Diamond are out of stock, at least you can snag a copy from Dark Horse's online retail arm, who seemingly have plenty of copies in stock.

It's a Christmas Miracle!

- Christopher
This piece has been edited for clarity on December 27th, 2005.

Sorry

If you don't know what a "Starfox" is, don't click.

Otherwise, this just made me laugh out loud. So loud it startled a customer.

Carry on with your Holiday merriment.

- Chris

Fuck you, Burton
Goddamned Showoff
http://www.comicworldnews.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?column=pastthefrontracks&page=62

Fuck you, Chris Burton.

Stealing my thunder all the time.

With your... bullshit.

"You'll find so much good out there in the messy, screwed up world of comics. To prove it, I offer the following list: a list of 365 things that I enjoyed in 2005 that are comics related.
...
49. Comics 212.net by Christopher Burton"
- Shawn Hoke, Past The Front Rack

That's it, no more Burton in 2006. It's all Butcher, baby, with a little bit of Azzopardi maybe.

Maybe.

- Christopher
(Just kidding Shawn, thanks for the props in the column, and for your column itself. It's nice to know people are reading here. :)

...and a child shall lead them...
Read it in Linus' voice, from the Peanuts Christmas Special
http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1457616

It bums me out to read stuff like this.

Certainly both sides have their versions of the issue and I have no interest in taking sides. Just knowing how difficult it is to publish independently nowadays it does no one any favors when the public sniping reaches this level.

Retailers are always looking for THE reason NOT to order something new, and I can't blame them considering they've been burned by nearly every non-DC, Marvel, Dark Horse publisher, myself included. This just supplies them with another reason to stay away from indies.

- Rob Liefeld, talking about how Alias and DB Pro got into a fight and cancelled a bunch of comics.

Heartbreaking.

- Chris

My Auspicious Debut
I have a story in the forthcoming Belle & Sebastian comics anthology.
http://www.imagecomics.com

Because I am a mouthy bastard, I'm reluctant to actually create any comics. First and foremost, it's really really easy to dismiss any comics criticism at all if the critic actually makes comics, at least online. It's easy to ascribe any motivation behind any review to sour grapes, even more so than normal. I think a lot of the things that I talk about are important enough to be dismissed because I'm a left-wing commie pinko faggot Canadian, not just because I'm a frustrated wannabee.

That said, I really like the band "Belle & Sebastian". When word got out that a Belle & Sebastian themed comics anthology was coming down the pipe, I got a bit mopey cuz it sounds like the kind of thing I'd wanna do for myself. I moped at the right person, who put a bug in Eric Stephenson's ear, and I was invited to submit a story. I enlisted the help of my good friends Kalman (iCandy) Andrasofszky and Ramon (Butternut Squash) Perez for the art chores (though one day I'll draw something again, probably), and we made a story (...and handed it in 8 days late (my fault, not theirs)...). I'd been pretty worried that the lateness may have disqualified the story. For about a week now, actually. Merry Christmas :)

I just got the word that the story is in the anthology and was well-received at Image. Come Februaryish, the first comic story I've written will be published. Kalman and Ramon did a wonderful job, better than I could've hoped for given the conditions I made them do it under. Reviews are good. I'm very happy, all around.

I'm just hoping being a comics creator doesn't undermine my credibility too badly.

- Chris

PS: Here are a few pages from the book. Art by Kalman and colours by Ramon.

Hey Everybody,

What do you think of website advertisements or blogs with ads?

I might have to move servers in 2006 due to a change in software/format, and until this point I've never paid for hosting (not in any real way). I'd like that to continue, and I've never had a wish list or paypal tip jar or anything on the site, let alone ads. I'm just curious what you think of these things?

Please ramble away in the comments section.

Best,

- Christopher

Very Good Piece Of Journalism
Over at Buzzscope.
http://www.buzzscope.com/features.php?id=1226

Speakeasy Comics is just down the street from me, the home of publisher Adam Fortier is about a 10 minute walk, when the sidewalks aren't covered with ice. I've been following Speakeasy's development with interest, having written about it a few times. The company has recently had a string of fairly strange announcements made about it, as I don't think I've seen an official PR on it from anyone (just lots of rumours and stories being broken at Rich Johnston's rumour column). The latest development involves all company books being mandated to achieve 1,750 copies pre-ordered, or not being printed. Guy LeCharles Gonzales has a very good, very long piece of journalism on the subject at buzzscope:

When asked by Buzzscope to elaborate, Fortier explained: “[I]t's as cut and dry as Rich made it sound. There were a number of factors involved in making this decision, of course; one was the Diamond policy. Just as important, though, was offering creators alternative methods of getting their product out there (and we're still looking into additional methods), but ones that wouldn't hit the checkbook quite so hard.”

“The independent comic books are just not selling well right now (look at many peoples’ sales),” Fortier conceded. “Printers are changing their policies, Diamond is changing their policies; it means we have to think outside the box and offer alternatives.”

What he's saying is true, of course, though the story isn't getting much play. Many books (and lines of books) that had previously carved out a niche in the direct market are seeing sales decline as more customers and retailers invest their time and energy in DC and Marvel crossover events. It's sort of why I'm generally non-plussed about things like "ONE YEAR LATER" or "HOUSE OF M", it's not doing anything to sell comics to more people, it's about trying to wring every last ounce of money out of an existing fanbase. Which seems a little ridiculous to me, but whatever.

Reading the article though it seems that Speakeasy comics isn't tightening it's belt so much as changing the way it does business altogether, locking in publishing contracts and series concepts (Intellectual Property) while not having to actually spend any money publishing the book. They're switching up their line as well, trying to bring more established brands to draw readers eyes to the creator-owned and company-owned properties (The Dreamwave/Devil's Due method). The following paragraph was the most interesting to me, out of the whole piece:

In a bit of foreshadowing, perhaps, in an interview about the Ardustry partnership with Comic Book Resources a day earlier, Fortier noted that, “as a result we'll be subtracting from the creator owned [properties]. We'll probably end up with a 1/4 to a 1/3 creator owned, 1/4 to 1/3-book properties that we own with the rest being licensed properties.” When asked to clarify that point in light of the newly announced cutoff policy, Fortier backtracked a bit, clarifying himself: “I stated it doesn't affect our creator owned publishing business. It will mean that for new projects we'll be pickier, but that's about it! For Speakeasy publishing, it will mean a lot. We'll have more projects that we control, and that will be exciting.”

Very Exciting Indeed! Particularly as Speakeasy has yet to officially publish a licensed title in the way that Fortier is describing above (although one of their launch titles was intended to be Yoshitaka Amano's HERO, which hasn't seen the light of day yet). This is a big shift in the way the company was doing business, and it even runs counter to my earlier post here about licensed comics (I'll dig up the link and post it in the comments section later). I guess it's fairly clear following that interview that getting the company to break down in thirds along creator-owned/company-owned/licensed books lines didn't involve adding 30 new books to their line so much as effectively cancelling 25 existing books... I do like that no one is using the words CANCELLED here, so much as insisting that "the books must meet order minimums or see their publication format altered" or whatever. Between the lack of WE'RE CANCELLING BOOKS here and WE'RE NOT GOING TO SAY THE WORDS 'MATURE-READERS' in yesterday's Viz pr/interview, it's gratifying to see the comic industry putting corporate-speak to work so much more effectively.

I imagine things were a little strange at the Speakeasy Christmas Party this year.

I've no doubt, by the way, that the company will pull through, or that whatever books happen to be left after the culling will perform strongly and consistantly. Honestly, none at all. Adam Fortier and co. really are quite intelligent people, and this course of action was obviously necessary to keep things moving forward. But speaking as a Speakeasy Brand Approved Retailer who ordered a minimum of 5 copies of every book they published, I'm happy that the number of titles I have to order will be drastically reduced in the near future.

Incidentally, the following Speakeasy books are shipping this week:

ELKS RUN #4 (MR)
GATESVILLE COMPANY #2
GRIMOIRE #7
MUTATION #3
SEASON OF THE REAPER WINTER #1 (OF 3)
SHOTGUN WEDDING #1
SPELLGAME #2
LONEBOW #1

...and maybe more?

- Christopher

Webcomics, The News, Manga, Links
A little scattershot, sorry.

My friend and yours, Jim Munroe, just completed his first comic book. It's called "The Bold Explorers", and it spins out of his last novel, An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil. It's really very good. It's about a post-rapture society, actually, and for a stand-alone comic book it's a really solid little read. The art's lovely too. Of particular note, Jim has tons of practical, first-hand advice for aspiring self-publishers. Of Novels. Which is a helluva lot harder than doing comics. Lots of interesting stuff at http://nomediakings.org/.

Marvel Comics is in the news for launching their webcomics service. I'm kind of shocked that no one has mentioned that Marvel used to have lots of 'webcomics' on their site. They were called dot comics and I probably read most of Ultimate X-Men that way a while back. They were launched right-around the same time as Crossgen's big online comics giveaway too, and they seemed like a Bill Jemas idea at the time... I guess those are two strikes against mentioning dotComics in the here-and-now. Their initial slate of offerings all make sense, more-or-less, but I think there's a clear argument that these aren't 'webcomics' at all, so much as print comics on the internet. I assume that the webcomicscogniscenti will pick up on that thread soon enough.

I don't understand the reticience of reporters to say things like "Didn't you try this already? In a big way? And then didn't you just stop one day and pretend it never happened?"

It's one of the things that bugs me about Publisher's Weekly's comics suppliment, at the moment. It's interviews with PR people, and even when I'm inclined to enjoy the material the PR people are promoting, it still raises the hairs on the back of my neck something fierce. Case in point was the interview with Viz's PR director about the VIZ SIGNATURE LINE, which makes me very happy. Promoting a new line of books for readers with a more sophisticated sensibility (and if you read that entire article, they go out of their way to dance around the word "mature", which I find amusing because of the perception that "mature" means "porn" to a lot of people), I think of the promotion of such books as an inherantly moral thing. But whoever did the interview didn't stop to mention "Isn't this just an outgrowth of your existing EDITOR'S CHOICE line of graphic novels? Which was, after a fashion, an outgrowth of the PULP line of graphic novels?" For one thing, it would have been a nice acknowledgement that this material isn't being released in a vacuum, and that there's a healthy backlist of sophisticated material available. For another, I think it would have led to an interesting discussion on how Viz plans to differentiate this line from the previous ones. Hell, even a question about why Tezuka's PHOENIX has a much lower profile than his BUDDHA series, and if this isn't a move to redress some of that inequity. ANYTHING. But, yeah, much like Tom Spurgeon's complaints about the lack of depth in the interview with DC, this one seemed a little shallow. Which is unfortunate because I really like Viz, PW, and the Signature Line, and don't want to be griping about them.

MONSTER UPDATE CONFIDENTIAL TO "J": To save you from having to read, we're getting Monster 1 in February and then every 2 months after. Yay for us!

Luckily another Viz interview was really good, and made me a little happier. ICV2 sat down with Liza Coppola, Viz' VP of Sales and Marketting. ICV2's manga and anime interviews have been genuinely interesting, and they work hard to get a point of view out of their subject, whether I agree or disagree with it. Granted, there are four "pages" of interviews there, but it's remarkably interesting right from the get-go. Viz seems much more able to capitalize on product integration (Manga, Anime, Merch) than even ADV, whose manga line seemed set-up solely to exist for that purpose. I'm also glad to see they're not too big to take shots at their competition, as they dump on OEL manga in a fairly harmless way. They acknolwedge they have competitors, which is something that I don't think they're going to have to do in a year or so (unless something RADICALLY changes in the market this year). Great interview about the nuts-and-bolts behind manga publication and distro, worth reading.

Speaking of dumping on OEL manga (heh), over at her livejournal, aspiring OEL manga artist telophase takes a look at what differentiates the look of OEL material of that from manga from Japan. It's turns into this multi-part, really interesting back-and-forth on the mechanics of page layout and design, lettering, narrative, visual cheats, toning and texturing, the whole nine yards. It's not quite academic-level discourse, but for my buddies like Jim Rugg and Zack Soto and Bryan Lee O'Malley (I'm calling you guys out), this type of nuts-and-bolts breakdown of narrative is extremely rare in comics discussion or criticism. There are multiple parts to the discussion, but my favourite is the last. I haven't contributed to the discussion yet, but one thing that hasn't come up (so far as I can see) is that all of the OEL stuff shown has minimal-if-any editorial input, and it's certainly not coming from hardcore manga editors who've made a career of it. Beyond that though, it's pretty obvious that the work just isn't as accomplished or tight as the Japanese material. That's the thing about OEL that I've noticed so far, it's that MANGA isn't trying to be anything else. Manga is manga, for the most part. OEL material is, by and large, art that is striving towards a specific, intricate aesthetic. The OEL material that's been the most succesful is by the people who are strong artists in their own right, who can do solid work. I LUV HALLOWEEN, Ross Campbell's book, Becky Cloonan's book (what I've seen of both), don't have that commercial-anime-appeal-style that marks the efforts of STEADY BEAT or THE DREAMING. They're allowed to be successful on their own merits. Something like DRAMACON gets a much tougher go of it because it's aspiring to look like the material that comes out in Japan, and it doesn't have the support network (a culture of anime and manga, an experienced editorial staff, a community of professionals). It's why something like SCOTT PILGRIM feels more like manga to me than most OEL manga I read; it's only really trying to be itself while letting its influences influence, not dictate, the story (words+pictures). Anyway, enough outta me, go read the articles and discussion that follows:

Part One: http://www.livejournal.com/users/telophase/352903.html
Part Two: http://www.livejournal.com/users/telophase/353508.html
Part Three: http://www.livejournal.com/users/telophase/353702.html

- Christopher

Quote of the Week
Good call, Tom.
http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/as_long_as_we_dont_say_anything/

"I think it's imperative to suggest comics readers embrace a level of massive skepticism, not just for sites and writers with limited budgets who embrace a limited scope for their work, but for magazines of record with paid staff and all the access in the world."
- Tom Spurgeon, Comics Reporter

Note: Doing this does not make you "negative", or fill the industry with "negativity". It makes you an intelligent consumer, and it's pretty apparent why that isn't in the best interests of everyone using the 'net to market their wares.

- Christopher

New Tom Gauld Stuff For Sale
http://www.cabanonpress.com/

I really love the work of cartoonist Tom Gauld. His work isn't really that well known in North America (he's from England) but it's wonderful. I think I've linked him before, and he's also the cover artist (and big participant) in the book-on-comics I linked in last month's Previews Review.

Gauld's new book is actually a book of 16 postcards. "Postcards on a variety of themes featuring robots, monsters, dinosaurs, ghosts, astronauts, hillbillies, cavemen and a giant floating head," according to Gauld. He's got a bunch of previews of the new postcard book at his website, http://www.cabanonpress.com/comicsstore.htm, as well as a number of other wonderful comics previews and things. Go check it out!



- Christopher

Girls Kissing
By Kalman Andrasofszky
http://www.horhaus.com

More on this soon. For now though? Girl on girl action!

- Christopher, pandering

Warning: Books may contain ideas
Worth talking about, though obvious and stupid
http://www.local6.com/news/5497816/detail.html#/index.html

Apparently a parent is upset because her daughter took a book out of the library that features ideas the parent does not agree with. What makes this fairly-regular occurence a television news story is a) that it happened in America, and b) that it is a comic book from Japan, or a manga book.

I've probably already lost most of you with the America crack, but honestly, this story has everything in it. It's got sex and drugs and wife-swapping and it takes place in a publically funded institution, and why are my tax dollars paying for books?, and they're not even American books, they're from Japan and we all know that they're perverts, and it continues the war on literacy, which doesn't get as much play as the war on terror but is much more damaging, long-run.

These sorts of media-ambush type stories are specifically designed to make one side of the disagreement look like scum of the earth. A couple of years ago there was a really great discussion about handling these types of media ambushes on the Comic Book Retailer Forum, with plenty of first-hand experience and recommendations. I kind of hope that's the discussion will spring up somewhere, anywhere, about this type of thing. As funny as it is to see 10 pages of anime fans mispelling invective-filled rants about how stupid people who hate manga are, some practical information would probably go a lot further.

I feel bad for this library, because I (and my co-workers Jason and Peter) are fortunate to work with a lot of very smart, passionate librarians who really know their shit. How libraries work, how to deal with the media, and most importantly they know the material they're carrying. I've had discussions with librarians who hate manga, but who purchase it with gusto and who choke down as much as they can so they can speak to their patrons, and know their product. I know librarians who put more work into learning about manga than many retailers that actually carry the material, despite a lack of financial incentive to do so. They would have eaten this ridiculous news crew with their empty, perfectly-coiffed heads for breakfast.

Anyway.

In terms of practical advice, the best I can give to comics retailers (if not library PR departments) is to develop positive relationships with media ahead of time, and try to promote positive sides to your product in advance of any problem. Sure, some manga is inappropriate for 11 year old girls, but at the same time you have a youth services librarian who holds a book club for 11 year old girls, suggesting good books in the library system and talking about them. Or have a store book-club, or a well-marked 'young readers' section at your store (and be aware of what is in the young readers section). We've been in the media a lot this year, TV and Radio appearances, newspapers, winning awards, working with libraries. When the attack-dog media comes for us (and we know they will), we've at least got some decent credentials to back up our reasons for stocking all manner of smut.

Anyway, I really do wish all the best for the library and librarians involved, and hopefully the ALA steps in sooner than later and explains to Flordians how libraries actually work...

- Christopher

Conversation
This blog is anything-goes until New Years

Chris: Do you think $7 is too much for a practical joke?
Andrew: Not at all!
Chris: Joke's on me I guess. I can't believe this thing came out in 2004.
Andrew: Well there was almost a Care Bears renaissance last year.
Chris: ... (stunned silence at the idea of a Care Bears Renaissance)

Also got: Kenny & Dolly Once Upon A Christmas, Gene Autry Western Christmas, Various Artists Stars of Christmas, and The Oak Ridge Boys: Christmas, for N.

- Christopher

Holiday Gift Guide Alpha
9 quick suggestions from the last Beguiling newsletter
http://www.beguiling.com

So I don't really have a whole bunch of time to post, but I did want to mention 9 great gift ideas that were in yesterday's Beguiling Mailing List message. ADD really seemed to dig the mailing, so maybe y'all will as well. If you want to sign up for the mailing list btw, just head over to the website at http://www.beguiling.com, there's a sign-up thingy right there.

Here's the list (Prices in Canadian Dollars):

GREAT COMICS FOR YOUNG READERS:

BONE COLOUR EDITION HARDCOVER VOLUME 1 & 2: Scholastic's new colour editions of TCAF guest Jeff Smith's BONE are excellent. Featuring wonderful production, a super-high-quality hardcover that will (likely) never come apart, and the same BONE story that we've all grown to love, this gift is a certified hit with kids of all ages. $23.95 each. Look for volume 3 in February! Click Here To Buy.

SALAMANDER DREAM: Former Torontonian Hope Larson's first graphic novel is a multi-layered story of a girl and her imaginary friend, growing up and growing apart. Beautifully illustrated, it's a book that girls just entering their teenage years will treasure, and that will speak to women beginning to have children of their own. $18.00. There is a SECRET SALE on this item, e-mail The Beguiling for details, or for more information on what, exactly, SECRET SALES are. Click here to purchase.


EXCELLENT COMICS FOR ADULT READERS:

THE COMPLETE BLACK HOLE, by Charles Burns: Now back in stock following our amazing sell-out during Burns' signing here in Toronto, THE COMPLETE BLACK HOLE collects all 12 issues in one beautifully designed hard cover volume. It's one of the most talked-about graphic novels of the year, and for good reason! $34.95, Click here to purchase.

MASTERS OF AMERICAN COMICS: This is the newest compendium of comics art and features over 100 years of work. One of the best we've seen, Masters was produced in conjunction with the gallery show in California. This massive book features essays on and extensive samples from the "15 Masters of American Comics", including George Herriman, R. Crumb, and Jack Kirby. $54.95, Click here to purchase.


NON-COMICS GIFTS WORTH GIVING:

TCAF POSTERS, by James Jean, Darwyn Cooke, Marc Bell, and Seth: The Toronto Comic Arts Festival has commissioned some outstanding art from top comics artists and illustrators for their festival posters, and these posters are available for sale! Darwyn Cooke's comics-infused Toronto street-scene, James Jean's sci-fi extravaganza, Marc Bell's organic monument to the event, and Seth's favourite subject: Hobos! Hobos are the new pirates, you know. Posters are available in store and run from $5-$8 each, or in a set of 4 for $20. Click here to purchase posters.

DIESEL SWEETIES T-SHIRTS: Shirts with slogans like "I Liked You Better Before You Sold Out" and "Jesus Helps Me Trick People" seem custom-designed for The Beguiling, but it turns out they're actually from our good friend Rich Stevens' web comic DIESEL SWEETIES. You may have even seen two great designs, "REMIXING A SONG IS LIKE ADMITTING YOU WERE WRONG" and "BACON IS A VEGETABLE" featured in a Holiday shopping guide in the National Post. We've got lots of styles in various sizes for men and women in stock now, and might even be restocking before Christmas. Come check 'em out. $19.95-$22.95 each. Visit Diesel Sweeties To Purchase These Shirts.

HARD TO BUY FOR? TRY THESE:

HAW & HEE: A pocket-sized book of filth, HAW is just-about the blackest humour you'll find for sale in The Beguiling, and it's sure to raise someone's spirits as a great stocking stuffer or secret-santa gift this year. Cheat the "Under $10" rule and pick this one up for just $13.45. If your intended gift-recipient already got HAW and loved (or hated it), the sequel HEE is also available for a fraction of the price.

YOU AIN'T NO DANCER: There were a LOT of anthologies this year, so you can be forgiven for missing out on this excellent little anthology featuring tons of young comics talent talking about the worst times of their lives (and the lives of others, of course). Featuring a pretty amazing array of artists and a lovely/ugly cover by Dave Cooper, you can find this on the counter by the 1st floor cash.

EASY GIFT:

BEGUILING GIFT CERTIFICATES: Available in any denomination! Just ask at the main floor cash, and get them the gift of choice this Holiday season. :)

--

I have a bunch of other ideas for Holiday Gift Giving. I just don't have time to write them up. Sorry!

For bonus reading, I wrote two columns on buying comics as gifts like 8 and 6 years ago respectively (AHEAD OF THE CURVE). I can't remember them at all but they're probably at least funny in a laughing-at-me kind of way. http://comics.212.net/comic1299.htm and http://comics.212.net/comic1197.htm.

- Christopher!

SECRET VOICES
Secret Voice #1 by Zack Soto
http://www.studygroup12.com

A few months back I heartily endorsed Zack Soto's THE SECRET VOICE #1 in the Previews Review. Holding the book in my hands, I can say with certainty that I'm glad to have made the endorsement. It's tough doing things like Pre-Re, or trying to generate any advance word about something at all. Sometimes the finished product doesn't live up to its promise, and what sounded good in the solicitation text dies on the page. A lot of publishers suffer this fate, though luckily it seems like TSV's publisher Adhouse Books would rather blow pre-release hype out of the water with stunningly-produced art objects that surprise on art and story. The Secret Voice keeps up the heady tradition brought on by great projects like Project's TELSTAR and SUPERIOR, and comics and graphic novels like SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST and SALAMANDER DREAM; It's really very good.

Before we go too much further, I should make sure to note that Zack Soto has become a friend of mine. Last year we started chatting via the blog and on message boards, and I began to really notice his work whenever it would pop up. We both have lots of ideas on comics, the difference being he puts them out every once in a while.

Zack sent me a PDF of SECRET VOICE a month or two back, and I read it then and really liked it, but I have to admit to skimming the text pages and maybe not lingering as long as I could on some of the material. The computer screen tends not to encourage reading for comprehension. Actually sitting down with the book, it becomes immediately apparent that the comics, text pages, bonus material, even the endsheets are all essential, which is to say that they're all carefully planned and chosen to interact with one another flawlessly. Each piece builds to the greater whole, the idea of Zack Soto's Secret Voice being one that has all kinds of interesting little things to say. I apologize to Zack if that allusion is a little too Tori Amos.

The 64 page first issue (for only 5 bucks!) features 55 pages of comics over 4 stories. The first, "Dr. Galapagos part 1", introduces a Steve Ditko-esque superhero, all weird mental states and creepiness, as he recovers an object that will aid him in a larger mission. He kills a bunch of trolls and a spit-golem too. It's rollicking good fun, with the pacing being a little awkward at first before really letting loose and moving the character through an impressive set piece and some great drawings. The second story, Day 34, is about a hole in the ocean. The drawing on this is much more refined but still raw and unmistakably Soto's work, with the superheroic tradition standing alongside influences like Dylan Horrocks and Chester Brown. A short about ghosts fighting robots is amusing, but my favourite was easily "The Smog Emporter", a 14 page short story featuring Soto's character from the now sold-out PROJECT SUPERIOR anthology. Even moreso than in this issue's "Dr. Galapagos", Smog Emporer perfectly hits the awkward realism of art comix auteurs like Dan Clowes, and uses it to tell stories filtered through the lens of the Marvel Superheroes Role Playing Game. It gets to the heart of being a teenager with a superheroic alter-ego in a way that feels more authentic than any Marvel comic I've ever read. It's not just angst, it's genuine regret when something goes wrong (and the fear that maybe you liked that part of it a little too). Have you ever read Ron Rege's SPIDER-MAN story from Coober Skeeber? It's like that only different...? Different in execution, similar in effect.

Authenticity is probably the word I'm looking for here. You get the idea that every piece of this work is lovingly hand-crafted, and even the stuff that doesn't work (that opening sequence in the first story) doesn't seriously detract from the package as a whole, because it feels very intentional. I ended up really loving the text pieces and character profiles too, mostly because they contributed to that overall sense of a realised artistic vision, but also because I felt that Zack was trying to make sure that we all got our money's worth out of the book.

Oh, and before I forget, I think the production is excellent. Nice cover image, matte stock, two colour endpapers, good paper and crisp printing. Nicely done, contributes to the object-ness of the work (which is important because apparently we're only getting 3 issues of this a year at most...).

The Secret Voice is a strong debut project from Zack Soto, and more importantly than that it makes me excited to see what he's going to produce next. Just like any good first issue should.

--

This book came out on Wednesday November 30th, and should be available in really good comic stores. If it's not, try not to despair too badly as we have it at The Beguiling (www.beguiling.com) and I hear Last Gasp is carrying it soon too.

- Christopher

Music, Video Games, Comics
Response to post by Zoilus' Carl Wilson
http://www.zoilus.com/documents//2005/000626.php

"What strikes me as odd is that gaming is more analogous to sports than art. The excitement about finding a perspective on life or a point of identification - the personalized gnosis that seems key to the teenage music-listening experience - doesn't transfer to gaming. Not that the medium can't be artful and adventurous, and I'm sure users form attachments and affective communities related to it. But has anyone ever uttered over-earnestly that a game tells the truth about their lives or that they feel as if some gaming designer would really like them if they could just hang out and talk? (And if they do, why do they?)"

To answer the last three questions, yes, yes, because at the best of times the medium does generate the same point of identification for some teenagers.

So, Scott Pilgrim. I don't know exactly when it's genesis was, but much of the formative stuff came up out of Mal and I talking shit, usually on bus-rides to visit my parents. The video games of our respective (and then-current) youths provided a common vantage point to crack jokes and tackle some of the larger story aspects. It also provided a language, a common entry-point to the larger narrative. It's what Warren Ellis and a few others have seized on, "Video Game comics" or whatever, but the video gaming aspects are more than the setting, I think. They inform the personality of Scott (at the least), and a lot of the narrative structure. Of course, there are other influences there, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say that removing all of the gaming bits would make the series a completely different read.

Reading the quote from Zoilus, I'm not sure that Mr. Wilson recognizes that video games are (usually) a narrative, whether they're sports or shooters or even fighting games. I have an expensive hardcover book detailing the sprawling backstory of Street Fighter 2, a game where you one guy beats up another guy (or girl) within 60 seconds, The End. Video games are about wearing 'fiction suits', trying on the personalities of other characters for the length of the game. Being tougher, quicker, smarter, heroic, evil, friendly, whatever. It's about being the protagonist in a novel, rather than hearing a piece of music and being convinced that Michael Stipe (or David Bowie or John Lennon or...) is singing directly to you, about your life. Video games tend to be about letting you find your own role rather than waiting for something to speak to you. You hope that something does (I think the big community-based games take this to another level, giving you skills that make you better than you, and then telling you to function in a society).

Which is why some people prefer non-narrative games like Tetris, Dance Dance Revolution, or Pac Man, which are more clearly 'games' than 'narratives'. But yeah...

I tend to find extended narratives too engrossing, so I don't play them anymore. I lost a job thanks to Grand Theft Auto Vice City (I didn't like the job anyway, and it was much more interesting to stay home and play that, rather than actually go out and earn money). Mario Kart, Smash Brothers, and the level-and-mission-based Katamari Damacy are much safer (and very good too).

Many of my video game illusions have been dashed, that was the one thing that the novel LUCKY WANDER BOY was really good at (see my earlier post here ), but I still want to meet Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario Brothers and many of Nintendo's best games. I am not alone in my desire, either. (It's the same way I want to meet Hayao Miyazaki, actually.) He's immensely creative, he creates beautiful, engrossing works that are so simple that you can really take anything you want from them. I'd just love the chance to talk with him about the work he creates, why certain themes are so important to him, really just the chance to meet him. The why is simple, he has created things that clearly had a huge impact on my life. I'd like to thank him.

Comics: To tie this all into comics, please read the short story ONE LIFE: FURNISHED IN EARLY MOORCOCK by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russel, available in a single issue or in Dark Horse Comics' ELRIC trade paperback.

- Christopher

Things Change: Con No Baka and Me Write Book
Comparing two seemingly disparate things to gain insight into both
http://www.roumieu.com

I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, things have been a bit busy at work. I work for The Beguiling, a comic store in Toronto, Canada as the "Manager", which suits my "jack of all trades" skillset very well. I handle most of the Diamond ordering, schedule convention appearances, speaking engagements, stocking and inventory issues, staff scheduling, and on-sites (which means when we go and sell books somewhere that isn't the store, like a book launch party or a reading or whatever). I bring up these responsibilities because I've actually done all of them in the last 7 days, which has made for a truly exhausting week-and-a-bit, actually. I'm looking forward to the weekend. A lot.

Last night, I had the pleasure of setting up at the launch party for Graham Roumieu's new graphic novel/picture book for adults, ME WRITE BOOK: IT BIGFOOT MEMOIR. It's sort of a behind-the-music style look at the popularity of Bigfoot: Huge in the late 70s and early 80s, washed up in the nineties, and on the road to a comeback. It's hilarious. Seriously, the part about Andrew Dice Clay killing the hobos alone. Beautifully illustrated too. I mean, everyone in the book is hideous, but the ilustrations are great. Not for kids. Well, not for most kids.

The event was 'presented' by a hip Toronto magazine, Toro, the publisher Penguin Canada, and The Beguiling. It was a really interesting affair, a mix of Toronto 'literati', the authors illustrator-friends, local comics creators, and folks that like a book launch. Free drinks, a nice spread of things to snack on, a few art/promotion displays, and us selling books. It worked really well, the bar had a capacity for about 100 people or so, and even with people coming and going all evening it was generally full, not can't-move-at-a-standstill, but just bumping into people enough to know that you're somewhere where people want to be. It was a really successful evening, and congrats to Graham on his book being excellent (it sold well too, which is a plus).

Now imagine they decided to take the same event, with the same amount of promotion and effort, and instead hold it in an airplane hanger. 200 people over the course of an evening in a place with a capacity for 4,000.

This was ConNoBaka, an "anime and gaming relaxicon" held last weekend here in Toronto. I'm not going to be unkind and venture into hyperbole, but if you do a search on the nameof the con you'll see that the rest of the internet is calling it an unmitigated disaster. Essentially, 350 people showed up at a three day convention that was expecting more than 3,000. They didn't make enough money and had to close the convention a day early.

Yeah, that's right. A three day con where they said Saturday afternoon "THERE WILL BE NO CONVENTION TOMORROW. YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO REMOVE YOUR THINGS. THANK YOU."

It was held at a posh hotel by the airport, they reserved three ballrooms and 12 (I think) meeting rooms of various sizes. 350 people. Yikes.

Now, this event was put on by a guy who had been involved in Toronto's gaming and anime fan community for some time, and who had volunteered for Toronto's ANIME NORTH, a convention that's pulling in 8,000+ people a year at this point. It's not inconceivable that 3,000 people could show up to a 3-day long convention in its first year. But why would you want to run that show in the first place?

I also co-chair a big comics event in Toronto, the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. For our first year, we did a one-day event. We rented a church theatre space in the heart of downtown Toronto. We busted our ass to get our name out there, our admission was like $5 for much of it, and we had maybe 20 or 30 comics creators that had never been to Canada before, and another 20-30 that did, but were still fairly popular guests. All told, we had an attendence of about 700 over the course of the day, in a 2 spaces that fit about 500 combined at any given time. We had plenty of space to grow, but it didn't feel empty and everyone did ok.

What we didn't do was get 700 people in a space for 7,000.

The first TCAF ran me into the ground. I slept for 2 days afterwords. 700 people and I was fucking exhausted, to say nothing of the 15 other staff members and 20 other volunteers, all of whom also busted their asses and were similarly exhausted. Can you even imagine if we wanted 3,000 people for our first year? With no idea of the logistics of that crowd, without having learned how to promote that sort of event to the media? Having had to rent a venue that could contain 3,000+ people (and the exponential increase in cost that would entail)? My fears leading up to TCAF are never "What if no one comes?", they're "What if too many people come?"

The point I'm making here, although it's a bit roundabout admittedly, is comics and anime, they're too big now to operate on this sort of "Let's put on a show!" mentality. The publishing industry has this down pat. Book launches, author parties, readings. They run them and people show up and the whole thing runs like clockwork, it's amazing to watch. This is where we as publishers and people who promote comics need to be looking. And for anyone thinking of doing an event, you should be a sponge, soaking up all of the information you can from every other event that's out there whether it's in your field or not.

CoNoBaka didn't even have a mailing list. How do you not have a mailing list?

I get asked with some frequency why the Toronto Comic Arts Festival is only once every two years. That's because after its done, we need to take 6 months off to recover. And then we need a year and a half to plan the next one adequately. Arranging international guests, securing funding, finding and booking appropriate venues, advertising, advertising, advertising. Advertising. Building enough redundancies into our planning so that when we screw up (and we will, we're only human), everything doesn't fall apart and we don't have to cancel, say, Sunday.




I feel genuinely horrible for the organizer of ConNoBaka, he's already got a mountain of shit heaped on him and it looks like he's going to owe a lot of people a lot of money. But having attended an event that worked thanks to a reasonable scope and intent, it's a reminder that a small success is much more desirable than a collossal failure, and that ambition is no excuse for proper planning. It is good to be reminded of these things, particularly as I plan my wedding and whittle the guestlist down from "all of the people I know including the internet" to "maybe 60."

- Christopher