Showcase Doesn't Present

Some major changes to DC's Showcase Presents black and white reprint series were quietly announced in a press release early today.

Namely, the following volumes have been canceled (to be resolicited 'at a later date'): Captain Carrot vol. 1, The Great Disaster vol. 1, Suicide Squad vol. 1, Secret Society of Super-Villains vol. 1, Jonah Hex vol. 2.

In their place, three volumes are being rush solicited: World's Finest Comics vol. 1, Sgt. Rock vol. 1, and Supergirl vol. 1; and two volumes will be retro-solicited in the October Previews: Brave & The Bold Batman Team-Ups vol. 2 & Justice League of America vol. 3.

I must admit that I was surprised when the now-canceled volumes were initially solicited. They all come from a period (the late 70s through the mid-90s) when for various reasons the reprint rights aren't clear cut. My understanding is that because of the work-for-hire contracts in use at DC at the time the reprint rights must be renegotiated or else the costs of reprinting are so high as to make them unprofitable. This is why we see so few DC comics from that time frame collected; it's doable, just time consuming; and unless DC has a current good relationship with the creators it can get sticky.

I had figured that DC had figured out a way around the legal quagmire; apparently DC did too, but with this batch of cancellations it would appear that they were wrong. Hopefully there's a solution forthcoming; I for one would love to have The Great Disaster and Secret Society volumes, and I know that there are many people who never read Suicide Squad the first time around who were looking forward to the Showcase Presents volume of that title.

Edit: Here's the relevant quote from Bob Greenberger:

DC pays a royalty based on a percentage of the cover price to writers, pencillers, and inkers to all material published prior to 1976 and after 1997. For the period in between, the vouchers that were in use called for a set reprint fee to be paid. In some cases, the amount of contractually obligated reprint fees makes the budget for a proposed collection unprofitable. In those cases, DC will either scrap the project or ask the talent involved to waive the reprint fee in lieu of the standard royalty arrangement. If the parties agree, then everyone benefits.

Edit 2 (Sept 10): According to Bob Wayne, the canceled volumes will "reappear sometime in the second half of 2008."

 

New This Week: August 29, 2007

What looks good this week?


Run, don't walk, to your friendly local comic store to buy Matt Kindt's Super Spy, a sure-to-be-wonderful graphic novel of multiple interlocking stories about spies during World War II. Based on the preview book Top Shelf sent out a while ago, and Kindt's previous GN 2 Sisters, I have high expectations for this.

There's the third Manhunter collection from DC, so you can see what you missed the first time around.

Fantagraphics have a new hardcover OGN from Gilbert Hernandez, Chance in Hell.

HarperCollins have Nightmare Factory, new comic adaptations of stories by Thomas Ligotti, one of the few modern horror writers that I actually like.

There are tons of manga volumes (must be the last Wednesday of the month!), including the second volume of Anike Hage's global manga title Gothic Sports.


What looks good to you?

New Library Comics: Week of August 20, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to out library collection last week:


Bác Ba Phi : un genio del futuro / Flemington, Vic. : Dead Xerox Press, [1998?]

The Beast : golfers go berserk! / [Australia] : Dead Xerox Press, [between 1990 and 2005]

Bertozzi, Nick. The salon / New York : St. Martin's Griffin, 2007.

Drawing the line again / [Toronto] : Fengsuli Press ; USA : VEI Press, 2006.

Drooker, Eric, 1958- Flood! : a novel in pictures / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books, 2007.

Gipi, 1963- Appunti per una storia di guerra / Bologna : Coconino Press, c2004

Indovina, Mike. Hercules : choose your destiny : a choose-your-own-adventure based on the Labors of Hercules / Oak Forest, Ill. : Satyr Play Productions, 2006

Toffolo, Davide. Carnera : la montagna che cammina / Bologna [etc.] : Coconino press, [2006]

Trondheim, Lewis. Tiny tyrant / New York : First Second, 2007.

Valentino, Serena. Nightmares & fairy tales / San Jose, Calif. : SLG Publishing, c2004- vol. 3

Van Lente, Fred. Action philosophers! : the lives and thoughts of history's A-list brain trust told in a hip and humorous fashion / Brooklyn, NY : Evil Twin Comics, 2006- vol. 1

Wall paper. / Flemington, Vic. : Dead Xerox Press, [1998?]

Weeks, John. Quickdraw. / Torrance, Calif. : John Weeks ; Flemington, Vic. : Dead Xerox Press. no. 1


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New Library Comics: Week of August 13, 2007

Here's a list of comics we added to our library collection last week:


Arf forum / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2007.

Braddock, Paige. Jane's world : collection. Sebastopol, Calif. : Girl Twirl, 2006. vol. 1

Braddock, Paige. Jane's world / [Sebastopol, Calif.] : Girl Twirl Comics, 2003- vol. 6

Buzzard (Hudson, Mass.) Buzzard. Hudson, MA : Cat-Head Comics nos. 4, 17, 19

De Pieri, Erika, 1979- La saponificatrice : cronaca a fumetti / Ponte di Piave (Treviso) : BeccoGiallo, 2005.

Deitch, Kim, 1944- Alias the cat! / New York : Pantheon Books, c2007.

Drawn & quarterly showcase. Montreal : Drawn & Quarterly, 2003- no. 4

Guibert, Emmanuel. The professor's daughter / New York : First Second, 2007

Hernandez, Gilbert. New tales of old Palomar. Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, c2006 no. 1

Hot Mexican love comics 2006 / [S.l.] : Hot Mexican Love Comics, c2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : experiencing creative difficulties / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : let it be as it is / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : space to breathe / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : up leaves fall down / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2005.

Lafler, Steve. BugHouse / Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, 2000- vols. 1-2

Nanni, Giacomo, 1971- Storia di uno che andò in cerca della paura / Bologna : Coconino Press, c2006.

Porcellino, John. King-Cat classix : the best of King-Cat comics and stories / Montreal : Drawn and Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Potlatch prjoect. Westminster, Md. : Angry Dog Press, 2005, c2004. vol. 4

Pyle, Kevin C. Blindspot / New York : H. Holt, 2007.

Slate, Barbara. Yuppies from hell / New York : Marvel Comics, 1989

Stuck in the middle : seventeen comics from an unpleasant age / New York : Viking, 2007.

Wolfman, Marv. Homeland : the illustrated history of the state of Israel / Skokie, Ill. : Nachshon Press, 2007.

Yuri monogatari / [United States] : ALC, c2004- vol. 4


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Review: The Dreamer

Time travel romance seems to be a big thing these days in the world of popular romance fiction, so it was only a matter of time before it made its way to the world of comics.

Near as I can tell, The Dreamer—a Webcomic by Lora Innes (not the actor, I presume), hits all the right notes for the genre. Beatrice is a pretty and talented high school theater geek who is having vivid dreams of romance and adventure back in 1776, complete with a dashingly handsome soldier.

At only 18 pages in I can't be sure where the story is going for sure. But the art is attractive and the set-up for the coming story is done well.

The only problem I have with The Dreamer is the problem I have with most long-form Webcomics: reading pages as they come in dribs and drabs over a length of time isn't my preferred way to read comics. I'd suggest to Innes that she make an RSS feed to announce when new installments are available, as I fear I won't be the sort to " Check back regularly" to see if there are any new pages. But should she finish all three 'issues' and collect them into a trade paperback, I'll be there.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

(discovered from JC via Dirk)

New This Week: August 22, 2007

What looks good this week?

Top Shelf releases Death By Chocolate: Redux, a re-worked collection of David Yurkovich's stories about agents Swete and Anderson and their investigations into bizarre food-related crimes.

Long-awaited new issues of Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules (#18) and Kevin McShane's Toupydoops (#6).

The debut issue of the new Mouse Guard: Winter 1152.

The final Strangers in Paradise collection (vol. 19: Ever After).

And the first Showcase Presents: Wonder Woman volume.

(Plus The Complete Peanuts, 1965-1966, which was apparently delayed from last week.)

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

This week's Action Comics #854 by Brad Walker features Superman & Jimmy Olsen battling a giant Kryptonite ape!

(Standard disclaimer about big green apes not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

New Library Comics: Week of August 6, 2007

Here's a list of the comics that were added to our library collection last week:


Abel, Jessica. La perdida / New York : Pantheon Books, 2006.

Bates, Cary. Wonder Woman no. 213 / New York : DC Comics, 1974.

Beyer, David. Worthless comix no. 6 / Milwaukee, Wis. : Beyer Beware Productions, [200-?]-

Big ol' book of bizmar : a bunny, insect, zombie, monkey, alien, robot experiment. /[Lansing, Mich.] : Young American Comics, 2006.

Black, Steve. Mini ring king no. 1 / [Columbus, Ohio] : Jury Rigged Comics, 2006-

Bliss, Pam. Kekionga box set : six minicomics / Valparaiso, Ind. : Paradise Valley Comics, [2005]

Campbell, Ross. Wet moon vol. 1 / Portland, Or. : Oni Press, 2004-

Feazell, Matt. Junior librarians / [S.l. : AvailableLightWorkshop], 2006-

Kurkoski, Bettina M. My cat Loki. vol. 1 / Los Angeles, Calif. : Tokyopop, 2006.

Marcej, Richard. Action Figure ; From the Journals of Richard Marzelak. no. 1 / Audubon, PA : Baboon Books, 2006.

Morris, Steve. Blessed thistle / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse, 2007.

Pak, Sang-sŏn, 1974- The tarot café : vol. 1 / Hamburg : Tokyopop, 2005.

Panel (Columbus, Ohio) Panel vol. 3. / Colmbus, OH : Panel, c2003-

Panter, Gary. Jimbo's inferno / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, 2006.

Pencil Fight number 3 : When plants attack / Portland, OR Grass Hut

Sala, Richard Delphine. no. 1 / Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, 2006.

Sartori, Leonora, 1978- Villarbasse : la cascina maledetta : cronaca a fumetti : [l'ultima condanna a morte (per fucilazione) in Italia] / Levada di Ponte di Piave (Treviso) : BeccoGiallo, 2006, c2005.

Sfar, Joann. Dungeon twilight vol. 2 / New York : NBM Pub., 2006-

Shickley, Melody Nadia. In the hands of boys no. 1 / [S.l.] : M. Shickley, 2005.

Williams, Tom. S.P.B. rise no. 1 / Columbus, Ohio : Crash Comics, 2006-


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Sigh

So I was reading all the latest hullabaloo about the art on Supergirl, and then thought to myself: "You know who I bet would be good on Supergirl? Mike Wieringo!"



Then I remembered. And got a bit sad. Dammit.

(Image from Ringo's sketch blog)

Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest Results

Using an advanced random selection process (there were six entries, so I rolled a die...) the winner of the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest has been chosen.

The recipient of a copy of The Best American Comics 2006 is: Paul Abbamondi.

And as runners-up prizes, everyone else who entered will receive a copy of a comic from Boom! Studios.

I'll have the prizes in the mail sometime next week. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Undiscovered Gems 2 Day 5

One final entry for the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest:

From Iris Acosta:

Recommendation: Devi by Siddharth Kotain

Devi was a celestial warrior goddess created by the gods to fight the renegade god Bala in the second century of man. When Bala rose again to threaten the universe, Devi was reborn within the body of a young woman named Tara Mehta.

Thanks to Iris for her recommendation; she's been entered into the drawing for The Best American Comics 2006. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow.

Undiscovered Gems 2 Due Today!

Entries in the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest are due today by 6pm EDT! Don't miss out on your chance to win a copy of The Best American Comics 2006.

Edit: Submissions are now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow.

New This Week: August 15, 2007

So, what looks good this week?

Fantagraphics have a new volume of The Complete Peanuts, 1965-1966. The strip hits what many consider to be its sweet spot, with many classic, well-remembered strips such as Snoopy's first dogfights with the Red Barron, and the debut of Peppermint Patty.

The latest Minx offering is Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm.

Phil & Kaja Foglio have the latest Girl Genius collection (vol. 6).

Those looking for a good overview of international art-comix will probably enjoy the third C'est Bon Anthology, under a cover by fave James Jean.

Boom! collect their enjoyable X-Isle series into a trade.

I'm sure it'll be pure continuity porn, but I'm on-board for the new Booster Gold series by Geoff Johns and original creator Dan Jurgens.

And there's lots and lots of manga, which may be why your FLCS proprietor is quietly sobbing when looking at this week's invoice.

Undiscovered Gems 2 Day 4

Another entry for the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest:

Paul Abbamondi writes:

Actually, I don't read that many comics, and so I'm not too sure of what is technically discovered or undiscovered, but my recommendation has to go to Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred. The story revolves around Robin Plotnik, a young assistant mechanic who has just arrived on the Fist of Earth for duty. In this era, over half the human population has been killed. To fill the void, a race of aliens offer intelligence first to the dolphins (they turn them down, bunch of bottle-nosed snobs!) and then next to gorillas (who gleefully accept). Robin quickly learns that he'll be working under Mac, a sentient gorilla. Action isn't the name of the game here, with the focus being more on the budding relationship between Robin and Mac, human and accelerated animals, and together these two will share some sometimes silly adventures and some sometimes downright serious ones. Regardless, I found both the writing and artwork to be top-notch. The hint of war never really blossoms into anything other than background drama, but with Mac looking for love and Robin yearning to find his place a battle in space is the last thing on their minds. A really fun read, one that I always tell people should check out. The entire series of comics has been published by Tor Books as a graphic novel.

Thanks to Paul for his recommendation; he's been entered into the drawing for The Best American Comics 2006, which will be awarded next Wednesday. There's still time for you to enter!

New Library Comics: Week of April 16, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection 2 weeks ago:


Bieri, Sean. Cool Jerk & Homo Gal : the collected mini-comics, 1992-1997 / Hamtramck, Mich. : [S. Bieri], c2002.

Burden, Bob. Flaming carrot comics / Eugene, OR : Dark Horse Comics, [1997]- vol. 6

The coevolution quarterly. /Sausalito, Calif. : POINT, 1977. no. 14

Derian, Evan. Insignificant gods / Detroit, Mich. : Deadcity Comics, 2002- nos. 1-5

Howarth, Matt, 1954- Caroline : circle vs. square / Seattle, WA : Aeon, c1998.

Kanan, Nabiel. The drowners / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics ; Norcross, Calif. : Desperado Publishing, 2006.

Mad super special. /New York : E.C. Publication, Inc., no. 46

Marshall, Kenjji. Eden preview / Detroit, Mich. : Sigma6, 1997.

Marshall, Kenjji. The days and nights of Kid Shade / [Detroit, Mich.] : Detroit Comic Alliance, [199-?]-

Science : sequential art annual 2006 / Savannah, Ga. : Savannah College of Art and Design, c2006.

Simpson, Don, 1961- Bizarre heroes / Pittsburgh, Pa. : Fiasco Comics, 1994- no. 1

Simpson, Don, 1961- Bizarre heroes / Princeton, Wis. : Kitchen Sink Press, 1990-[199-?] no. 1

Simpson, Don, 1961- Megaton Man /Princeton, Wis. : Kitchen Sink Press, 1984- no. 1

Simpson, Don, 1961- The return of Megaton Man / Princeton, Wis. : Kitchen Sink Press, 1988.

Simpson, Don, 1961- Yarn Man / Princeton, WI : Kitchen Sink Press, 1989.

Spudd 64 / [Ohio : M. Kish, 200-?- ] no. 4

Young, Ethan. Tails / [United States] : Bohemian Press, 2006- vol. 1


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Undiscovered Gems 2 Day 3

Two more entries in the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest:

The Dane writes to tell us:

Clan Apis is a wonderful book for two reasons. In the first place it fulfills all the typical demands of storytelling. It's funny, exciting, interesting, and emotive. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Et cetera. In the second place, Clan Apis does something amazing. It actually comes off as a work of non-fiction, explicating and illustrating the secret lives of bees. And doesn't bore the reader into giving up partway through. I had read the back cover on several visits to my local seller and put the book back on the shelf several times. It just didn't sound interesting. At last and after a great many months later, I decided to purchase it as I had already gone through most of the books my seller stocked. After that, it sat on my to-read pile for another month or two. Then I finally read it and was...surprised. I was engrossed. Jay Hosler had created something amazing and no one had told me. I've since read it multiple times and given it to my wife's students to enjoy as well. Good stuff!

And Joe Szilvagyi writes:

My recommendation for the undiscovered gems list is The Surrogates written by Rob Venditti with art by Brett Weldele published by Top Shelf. The writing paints an incredibly credible view of the future where people choose to experience life through surrogate androids that transmit all sensory information to the user. It manages to run through a crime story that explores the benefits and drawbacks of this technology without coming across as preachy or too technical. Best of all, the art is quite solid with well thought out colour schemes and dynamic compositions.

Thanks to Joe and The Dane for their recommendations; they've been entered into the drawing for The Best American Comics 2006, which will be awarded next Wednesday. There's still time for you to enter!

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Bow tie-wearing monkeys and surfing space heroes go great together on the cover to Kid Blastoff #1 by Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer.

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Bassoon Manga

I do believe that this is the first ever appearance of a bassoon on the cover of a comic:



Cover to Nodame Cantabile 11 by Tomoko Ninomiya.

(Why yes, I was a bassoon player in high school...)

Undiscovered Gems 2 Day 2

I received one further entry in the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest:

Bill Burns writes:

Hey Mister, by Pete Sickman-Garner

A series of bizarre comedies focusing around a family unit of three unrelated characters: the dissipated loser Mister, the weird-looking child Young Tim, and Aunt Mary, the toughest woman in comics. Sickman-Garner (the best-named writer in comics) intersperses an occasional tale of his own creative process, one of which features Chris Staros demanding "I want wall to wall women and I want them greased up, strapped on, spread out and going down or you've drawn your last comic for Top Shelf." Hey Mister's humor is surrealistic and outrageous, but Sickman-Garner's affection for his characters makes them more than caricatures. The comics have been collected in three volumes from Top Shelf: Afterschool Special, Celebrity Roast, and The Fall Collection.

Thanks to Bill for his recommendation; he's been entered into the drawing for The Best American Comics 2006, which will be awarded next Wednesday. There's still time for you to enter!

Undiscovered Gems 2 Day 1

Only one entry received so far in the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest:

Redhead Fangirl writes:

UMBRA
Image Comics
Art: Mike Hawthorne
Written by: Steve Murphy
A female forensics investigator in Iceland, with situational anxiety disorder discovers a mysterious skeleton in a cave… if this plot does convince you it’s not the average comic storyline, maybe the two Harvey nominations will. Absolutely deserves a wider audience (and I said so at the Vertigo panel).

Thanks to RHFG for her recommendation; she's been entered into the drawing for The Best American Comics 2006, which will be awarded next Wednesday. There's still time for you to enter!

Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest

In honor of my 3rd blogiversary next Wednesday (August 15), I'm having another contest!

The Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest will operate a lot like last year's anniversary contest. This year the grand prize is a hardcover copy of The Best American Comics 2006, edited by Harvey Pekar. It includes works by a number of luminaries in the comics field, including Kim Deitch, Alison Bechdel, Joe Sacco, Chris Ware, Rebecca Dart, Jamie Hernandez, Alex Robinson, Jessica Abel, Rick Geary, Tom Hart, Linda Barry, Robert Crumb, and many others.

There will probably also be some runners-up prizes, though I'm not sure yet how many or what they will be.

So how do you enter? I'm glad you asked!

Simply email me your recommendation of a comic that you think is worthwhile, but that you don't think that very many people have read. What I'd like to do through this contest is give you all the opportunity to share an undiscovered gem with the rest of the comics Intraweb. Thoughout the next week until the end of the contest on the 15th I'll be posting here on YACB the picks that you send me.

Your entry should include:

• Your name (tell me if you wish your name to be used when I post your pick)
  
• Your address (I won't share your address or your email with anyone!)
  
• Your pick, with a sentence or brief paragraph describing why you recommend it.
  
• The phrase 'Undiscovered Gems 2' in the subject line
  

On the evening of August 15th the winners of the Undiscovered Gems 2 Contest plus the runners-up prizes will be selected at random, and announced here on this blog.

The fine print:

• You must be 18 or older and reside in the United States to enter. (If you are outside the U.S. you can still send your recommendation pick, but you will not be elligible to win a prize.)
  
• Only one entry per person
  
• Deadline for entry is 6pm EDT on Wednesday, August 15, 2007.
  

So go ahead and enter today! (Or tomorrow, or anytime before next Wednesday.)

(You may receive an auto-reply saying that I am out of the office. Be assured that I have received your entry; there is no need to send it again to any other email.)

(Last year's undiscovered Gems: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6.)

YAFQ: Final Crisis?

One of the big announcements at CCI last weekend was the creative team for DC's next big crossover, Final Crisis: Grant Morrison & J. G. Jones.

Given that DC's recent Countdown (and to an extent Amazons Attack) have pretty much sucked the momentum of excitement right out of their super-hero line, this creative team might be just the thing to get people interested again. Morrison is extremely popular amongst the super-hero intelligencia, and has shown that he can do big crossovers in the past with DC One Million. Jones is a highly regarded artist of capes; he has a reputation of being a bit slow, but it sounds like they;re giving him plenty of lead time.

So our Friday question to you this week is:

What do you think about DC's upcoming Final Crisis?

Are you looking forward to it, or are you all crossovered out?

Shameless Friend Promotion: Steve Lieber

Go over to The Beat to see Heidi's video interview with pal Steve Lieber, focusing on the graphic novel Whiteout and the forthcoming, movie.

Super-assertive Cool Female Black Protagonists in Comics

In his recent review of Mark Haven Britt's Full Color, Tom Spurgeon remarks:

...one can count the number of super-assertive cool female black protagonists in comics history on one healthy foot and another foot ravaged by frostbite...

I took this as a challenge, and came up with:

• Agent 355 (Y the Last Man)
  
• Amanda Shane (Amanda & Gunn)
  
• Amanda Waller (Suicide Squad, Checkmate)
  
• Martha Washington (Give Me Liberty, etc.)
  
• Misty Knight (Daughters of the Dragon, Heroes for Hire)
  
• Monica Rambeau (NextWave)
  

Help me out: Who am I missing?

New Library Comics: Week of July 23, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Brown, Jeffrey (Jeffrey David), 1975- Feeble attempts. /Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions Inc, 2007.

Crécy, Nicolas de, 1966- Glacial period /New York : NBM, c2006.

Drawing the line. /[Toronto?] : [s.n.], 2004.

J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc. J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc. /[White Plains, N.Y. : J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc., 200-]

Lonergan, Jesse. Flower and fade /New York : NBM ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2007.

Ottaviani, Jim. Quantum entanglement, spooky action at a distance, teleportation, and you : a.k.a the official G.T. Labs guide to teleportation via quantum entanglement and spooky action at a distance (including a brief but helpful section on why, perhaps, you should not try this at home) /A² [i.e. Ann Arbor], MI : G.T. Labs, c2003.

Raging Rhino Productions. Erotic screams : a catalog of the wicked, twisted & bizarre. /Hollywood, Fla. : Raging Rhino Productions, 1993- vol. 1 no. 1

Talbot, Bryan. Alice in Sunderland /Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books, 2007.

Toffolo, Davide. Il re bianco /Bologna [etc.] : Coconino press, [2005]

Zap comix. San Francisco, CA : Last Gasp. nos. 2-3

Zero zero. /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c1995- no. 2

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Pirates vs. Gorillas? It's hard to tell who to root for on the cover of Tom Strong #32.

(Standard disclaimer about pirate-fighting gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Review: Flower & Fade

Flower & Fade
by Jesse Lonergan
NBM/ComicsLit, $13.95

It's a pleasure to sometimes find a graphic novel I'd heard nothing about from a creator I knew nothing about, and have that comic turn out to be quite good. Jesse Lonergan's recent Flower & Fade is just such a graphic novel. It tells the story of a relationship--one between protagonist Kyle and his pretty neighbor Erika--from beginning to end, starting with the initial infatuation and hitting all the beats through to the bittersweet end.

Lonergan tells his story through a series a vignettes, each leading off with a title and a date over a six month period. There are no thought balloons, but Lonergan has a way with both dialog and emotions expressed through body language that gets across how the characters are feeling and relating. The art is an important part of the story; it may appear simple at first glace but really isn't, and Lonergan does a good job at pacing and moving the eye through the story; he also makes a great use of using blacks and contrast to set the tone.

Most importantly, Flower & Fade has a ring of truth about it. Many times I saw episodes from past relationships of my own being reflected in the story I was reading. It may not be a world-changing graphic novel, but Flower & Fade succeeds quite well in what it sets out to do.

Rating: 4 (of 5).

YAFQ: Omnibuses?

Today's Yet Another Friday Question concerns the latest craze in trade collections: omnibuses, those massive collections of previously collected comics.

From Runaways & New X-Men hardcovers to Star Wars & Buffy paperbacks to massive Palomar & Locas hardcovers of L&R material, omnibuses are a great way to get a lot of material you like under one cover. Many people will even buy material they already own just for the convenience of having it in one place.

Our question for you all today is:

What new omnibus edition would you like to see published?

I'd like to see an omnibus collection of Matt Howarth's various Bugtown material. It's all one connected narrative, but it was published in so many disparate places and much (if not most) of it is out of print. I'd gladly slap down a wad of bills for a nice hardcover.

How about you?

Update: Both John Jakala & David Welsh recently addressed this topic!

Shameless Friend Promotion

Pal Sara Ryan has not one, not two, but three new comics coming out, just in time for ComicCon:

Click is a story that fills in the gap between her two well-received YA prose novels. It's drawn by Dylan Meconis (who also drew the recent Wire Mothers from GT Labs).

Einbahnstrasse Waltz is a stand-alone story about a high school orchestra trip to Europe, drawn by Cat Ellis (an animator making her sequential comics debut).

And there's the third issue of her irregular ongoing Flytrap, with art once again by Ron Chan.

Sure I'm biased, but I'm sure they are all three fabulous. If like me you can't make it to ComicCon, there should be online ordering info available soon.

New This Week: July 25, 2007

"In brief" is now the default format for New This Week. Highlights instead of a more exhaustive list. Hope it's good for you!


Run, don't walk, down to the comic store today and get yourself a copy of the first volume of the reissued Gon, Masashi Tanaka's wonderful manga from DC/CMX. Seriously, this is up there with Yotsuba&! as one of my favorite fun mangas of all time. Heck, I'm buying it again and I already have the first editions!

Avatar have the first issues of two new Warren Ellis comics: Black Summer (which actually started with a 'zero' issue) and Doktor Sleepless. Just ignore the multiple covers.

A new issue of Buffy, a stand-alone issue about the pseudo-Buffy from that Angel episode, and the last penned by Joss himself for a while.

Wait wait, two issues of All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder in the same year?!

And on the same day as a new issue of Queen and Country?!

After too long of an absence from sequential story telling, Mark Crilley returns with the first volume of his new Miki Falls GN series.


So get thyself to thy local comical shoppe!

New Library Comics: Week of July 16, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Abbott, Wes. Dogby walks alone /Hamburg ; Los Angeles : Tokyopop, c2006

Alexander, Jed. Yellow baby /Gainsville, Fla. : Alternatve Comics, 2003- no. 1

Aragones, Sergio. Sergio Aragonés solo. /New York : DC Comics, 2006.

Ashihira, Hinako. SOS /San Francisco, CA. : VIZ, LLC, c2005.

Bell, Marc. Worn tuff elbow /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 2004- no. 1

The blend. /Victoria, B.C. : Bad Sign, 2002-2003. no. 2

Brown, Jeffrey (Jeffrey David), 1975- Cat getting out of a bag and other observations /San Francisco : Chronicle Books, c2007.

Cheung, Man Wai. Top speed /Fremont, CA : ComicsOne, 2004.

Crumb, R. Home grown funnies /Milwaukie, WI : Krupp Comic Works, Inc., 1971.

Crumb, R. XYZ comics /Milwaukee, Wis. : Krupp Comic Works, c1972.

Daisy handbook. /[Plymouth, Mich.] : Daisy Manufacturing Company, 1946-1948. no. 1

de Leon, Franz. Vagabond /Toronto, Ont. : Helikon Comics, 1995- no. 1

Delisle, Guy Aline and the others /Montreal Drawn & Quarterly 2006

Fisher, Mindy. Undeciluna /Cleveland Heights, Ohio : Love Bunni Press, 2004- no. 1

Frick, Carl Vaughn. Watch out comix. /San Francisco, CA : Last Gasp, c1986- no. 1

Griffith, Bill, 1944- Yow comics /Berkeley, Calif. : Last Gasp, c1978- no. 1

Highly dubious. /[Halifax, N.S. : s.n.], 2001- nos. 1-2

Howarth, Matt, 1954- Crazy for the girl /Providence, R.I. : Brave New Words, 1992

Howarth, Matt, 1954- Star crossed /New York : Helix-DC Comics, 1997. nos. 1-3

Howarth, Matt, 1954- Temple snare /Seattle, WA : Mu Press, 1990.

Howarth, Matt, 1954- Weirdfall /San Antonio, Tex. : Antarctic Press, 2005- nos. 1-3

Howarth, Matt. Afternoon in the sun. /Levittown, PA : Matt Howarth, c1976.

Howarth, Matt. Con and C'Thulu: The cardboard condo concert. /Seattle : AEON, 1996.

Howarth, Matt. Con and C'Thulu: Uberdub /Seattle : AEON, 1996.

Howarth, Matt. Scan /Plymouth, MI : Iconografix, a division of Caliber Press, 1992. nos. 1-2

Howarth, Matt. Those annoying Post brothers : disturb the neighbors. /Seattle : AEON, 1995.

Howarth, Matt. Video Hiroshima : jungle cunning. /Seattle : AEON, 1995.

Jademan collection. /Hong Kong : Jademan, 1989- nos. 1-3

Jademan kung fu special. /Hong Kong : Jademan (Holdings) Ltd., c1988- no. 1

Marcucci, Massimo. Ombre arcane : i misteri dei musei. /Ravenna : Alta Fedeltà Edizioni, c2004.

Miniburger : dirty dozen & the lucky 13th. /Ljubljana, Slovenia : Forum Ljubljana, 2004.

Mousli, L. G. X. Lillian, 1960- Lilli & Poldi : das erste Jahr /Berlin : Jochen Enterprises, 1997.

Panel (Columbus, Ohio) Panel. /Colmbus, OH : Panel, c2003- Fall 2005

Paper Rad (Artists' collective) Pig Tales Cartoon Workshop /Brooklyn, NY : Don Nadel, 2007.

Parisi, Paolo, 1980- Chernobyl : cronaca a fumetti : [di cosa sono fatte le nuvole] /Levada di Piave (Treviso) : BeccoGiallo, 2006.

Pop art funnies /Detroit, Mich. : MPH comics, [2004]- nos. 6-8

Q-Ray. Wang /Melbourne, Vic. : Q-Ray Comics.

Shrigley, David. Who I am and what I want /San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2006.

Twisted sisters comics. /Northampton, MA : Kitchen Sink Press, c1994- nos. 1-4

Vox pop. /Fairfield, CT : Vox Populi Comix, 1999- no. 1

Wacky adventures of Cracky. /Poughkeepsie, N.Y. : Western Pub. Co. no. 1

Wendy, the good little witch. /Sparta, Ill. : Harvey Picture Magazines, 1960- no. 82

Wide awake (Greenville, S.C.) Wide awake. /Greenville, SC : J Chris Campbell nos. 3, 5

Wild penny : a collection of comic shorts. /[Richmond, Va.] : Young American Comics, 2001- nos. 1-6

Willingham, Bill. Fables /New York : DC Comics, [2002- no. 1 Special Edition

Market Share: So What?

Warning: Rambling rant ahead.

The big news from the June sales figures from Diamond was that Marvel trounced DC on market share, 44% to 27% (in dollars). But why should that matter?

In practical terms it doesn't. Unless you hold so much of the market share that you can dictate terms of the market (like Microsoft in operating systems, or Apple in digital music sales), being #1 in market share doesn't mean much. Let's face it, after the Heroes World fiasco, any threats that Marvel might make about leaving Diamond won't be very convincing.

What really should matter is profit. And that's what's missing from all the sales figures, because we have no idea how much it cost to produce any of these comics. Does Marvel make more profit from an issue of The Dark Tower than DC does from Justice League of America? We'll never know.

Sure 52 was a huge seller for DC week after week, but how much did they have to pay Waid, Morrison, Johns, Rucka, Giffen and all the artists involved for each issue, not to mention all the editorial time necessary to push out a weekly series. (There are also opportunity costs involved; would DC's relaunches of Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman et al. have floundered so badly if editorial's attention hadn't been distracted?)

Never mind the fact that the Diamond numbers are just one segment of the total comics market these days, and they present a very short term glimpse at that. I still maintain that one of the most successful comics of recent years must be Fables, given its strong trade sales in both the direct market and regular bookstores, and its seeming evergreen status.

Market share doesn't really mean much. Look at how many years General Motors was the #1 automobile seller in North America, yet for many of those years, especially recently, they were losing money hand over fist.

In my experience, those who tout market share position or gains do so because that's the only good news they have; it distracts from the fact that they aren't making profit.

Unless making profit isn't your goal; which is the case at both DC and Marvel.

Positioned as it is as a minor part of the Time-Warner publishing empire, DC's goal isn't to make money. It's to a) protect the trademarks of their iconic assets (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.); and b) generate content that can be exploited by other arms of the empire, like movies and television. Any actual money made from publishing comics is probably nice, but I bet there are many years in which the DC Comics division operates at a loss.

Similarly, Marvel's goal--until recently--was to make money from licensing their characters; now that they're making their own movies, it'll be to generate content that can be exploited on celluloid. Again, profit from publishing comics is nice, but the potential money that comes from a successful Iron Man movie is far greater than any that can be made from an Iron Man comic book.

And where does all of this leave us, the readers? Unless we own stock in Marvel or Time-Warner, it shouldn't matter one lick. As long as there are comics being published that we want to read, it shouldn't matter where the big two stand against each other in terms of market share.

Except...

When the big boys are playing market share games, they are likely to push out an enormous number of titles month after month, in the attempt to crowd each other off the shelves. This has two effects: One, Marvel or DC may keep a marginal selling title around a little longer just to keep shelf space (and I stress 'may,' as they are just as likely to cancel it and put something else in its place). Two, they potentially push titles from other publishers off the shelves, other publishers who do rely on profit (or at least breaking even) to survive.

The good news is that the trend--at least in dollar sales--is in growth. But in the direct market served by Diamond, most of the growth seems to be going to Marvel & DC, and there doesn't seem to be much trickle-down. If everybody were playing the same game, "Let's Make Profit," then things might be different. But Marvel & DC aren't playing for profit, they're playing for visibility, operationalized as market share. It's like a bunch of eight-year-olds playing tag on the same field that a bunch of junior high kids are playing tackle football.

Somebody's going to get stomped.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

A little for you James Kochalka fans out there with the cover to his 2003 graphic novel Monkey vs. Robot and the Crystal of Power.

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

YAFQ: Giant Squid?

(Warning: Spoiler of sorts for the end of Watchmen)

The origin of this week's Yet Another Friday Question is in a conversation I had a couple of days ago:

The conversation turned (as sadly a majority of my conversations do) to graphic novels. M mentioned that she had recently read Watchmen, only her third graphic novel ever (after Maus and Persepolis). She liked it, but didn't care much for the ending, specifically the giant squid. J and I--both long-time comic readers--said that we didn't mind the giant squid and thought that it worked. M said that she had done some unscientific polling and that people had one of two reactions: "Giant Squid? Really?" or "Yeah, Giant Squid!"; and that those reactions broke down along gender lines.

So our Friday question to you is this:

What did you think of the giant squid in the last chapter of Watchmen?

New Library Comics: Week of July 9, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Baker, Bill Alan Moore's Exit Interview /Milford, CT Airwave Publishing 2007

Baumann, Suzanne. Turtleneck Boy /Hamtramck, Mich. : Suzanne Baumann, [1998]- no. 5

Beland, Tom. True story, swear to God : [chances are...] /San Francisco, CA : AIT/Planet LAR, 2005, c2003.

Beland, Tom. True story, swear to God : this one goes to 11 /San Francisco, CA : AiT/Planet Lar, 2005.

Character sketches : Trauma & Joy /Applecross WA, Australia Gestalt Publishing 2007

Coyle, Matt Worry Doll /Derby, UK Mam Tor Publishing c2007.

Hernandez, Gilbert. Heartbreak soup : a love and rockets book [the first volume of 'Palomar' stories from love & rockets] /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; 2007.

Hernandez, Jaime. Maggie the mechanic : a love and rockets book [the first volume of 'locas' stories from love & rockets] /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; 2007.

Hyland, Mike. Trip /Lower Sackville, N.S. : Costello Comics, [2000]- no. 2

Jensen, K. Thor. Red eye, black eye /Gainesville, Fla. : Alternative Comics ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2007.

Kemble, Joshua NUMB /Long Beach, CA Joshua Kemble 2006

Kominsky-Crumb, Aline, 1948- Need more love /London : MQ, c2007.

Lehmann, Matthias. HWY.115 /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2006.

Linsner, Joseph Michael, 1968- Angry Christ comix /Berkeley, Calif. : Image ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2006.

Mahler, Nicolas Lone racer. /Atlanta : Top Shelf Productions, 2006.

Marti Calvario Hills /Seattle Fantagraphics Books - Coconino Press 2007 no. 1

Messner-Loebs, William. Welcome to heaven, Dr. Franklin /Thousand Oaks, Calif. : About Comics, c2005.

Nicholson, Jeff. Colonia : islands and anomalies /San Francisco, CA : AiT/PlanetLar, 2002.

Nicholson, Jeff. Colonia : On into the great lands. /San Francisco, CA : AiT/PlanetLar, c2005.

Niles, Steve. Big book of horror /San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2006.

Nilsen, Anders The End. /Seattle Fantagraphics Books and Coconino Press 2007 no. 1

Omand, Jennifer. Squarecat comics : small, square and sarcastic /Rochester, NH Jetpack Press 2006 vol. 2

Ortalani, Leo. Tutto Rat-man /Modena [Italy] : Panini Comics, 2002- nos. 6, 7, 19

Thank God it's ugly. /Sittard, Holland : Monguzzi Foundation, 1994-2002. nos. 5-6

Thurber, Matthew 1-800-MICE /Brooklyn Picture Box 2007 no. 1

Tinkle digest. /Bombay : H.G. Mirchandani for India Book House, [199-?]- v.10 no. 11

TRS-80 computer whiz kids. /Mamaroneck, N.Y. : Archie Comics, 1984-

Turok, son of Stone. /New York, N.Y. : Dell Pub. Co., 1954- nos. 105-106

New This Week in Brief: July 18, 2007

Going 'in brief' last time worked well, so here's another quick look at what should be good on the shelf tomorrow:


Two non-fiction graphic 'novellas' from my pal Jim Ottaviani: Levitation: The Physics Psychology Service of Deception with art by Janine Johnston; and Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow & the Science of Love with art by Dylan Meconis. You should buy and read both; you'll be both entertained and a little smarter when you're done.

Eric Powell's The Goon returns with issue #19.

Two of Boom!'s best series have new issues: Cover Girl #3 and Fall of Cthulhu #4.

A couple of once-in-a-blue-moon comics hit the shelves this week: Licensable Bear #4 and Lenore #13.

The final issue of Jeff Smith's delightful Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil comes in from DC.

Random House releases the fourth installment of the super-popular Flight anthology.

If you've got some serious coin weighing down your pocket, you may want to take a gander at Mike Allred's Madman Gargantua hardcover, presenting every Madman story to date (prior to the recent Image series, that is).

And for maximum destructive fun, Marvel has the second issue of World War Hulk.

I know, I know, I said 'in brief'. There's even a heck of a lot more waiting for you tomorrow at your FLCS!

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Giant gorillas know how to cool off on those hot midsummer days, as per the cover of Mad House Comics #122.

(Standard disclaimer about giant ice cream eating gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

YAFQ: This Year's "Wow" Comic?

It's the return (for one week at least) of Yet Another Friday Question! This week's question is:

Has there been a "WOW" comic yet in 2007?

We're already more that halfway through the year. Has a comic come out that's really made you stand up and take notice? That you can't stop telling people about?

For me, not really. Don't get me wrong, there have been some very good comics: Jeff Lemire's Tales from the Farm; a new volume of Yotsuba&!; a couple of issues of All-Star Superman; Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #12.

But nothing that's really Wowed me. Nothing on the order of Fun Home or We3 or Ganges yet.

Of course there's still 5 and a half months left in the year. And with all the comics coming out these days, I'm sure to have missed something really good.

So tell me: Has a comic come out this year that's Wowed you?

New Library Comics: Week of July 2, 2007

Here's a list of the comics that we added to our library collection last week:


Chadwick, Paul (Paul H.) World below /Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; Enfield : Publishers Group UK [distributor], c2006.

Goff, Cindy. Tales from the heart /Brooklyn Center, Minn. : Entropy Enterprises, 1987- no. 1

Hurd, Damon. Temporary /Newburgh, N.Y. : Origin Comics, 2004- no. 1

Kochalka, James. Super f*ckers /Marietta, GA : Top Shelf, 2005- nos. 271, 277

Kouno, Fumiyo. Town of evening calm, country of cherry blossoms /San Francisco, Calif. : Last Gasp, 2006.

Kraatz, Rebecca. House of sugar /[Canada] : Tulip Tree Press, 2006.

Kupperman, Michael, 1966- Tales designed to thrizzle /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2005- no. 1

Lasko-Gross, Miss. Escape from "special" /Seattle : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Moebs, Chris. Taters and gators /Taylor, Mich. : Lefty Comics, 2004- no. 1

Richie Rich & Casper. /New York, N.Y. : Harvey Publications, 1974- nos. 9, 17

Roberts, Scott. Patty Cake & friends /San Jose, Calif. : SLG ; 2006.

Ryan, Johnny. Back in Bleck /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2007.

Sandlin, David, 1956- Swamp preacher /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, 2006. no. 1

Spain (Cartoonist) Subvert comics /San Francisco, Calif. : Rip Off Press, c1970- no. 1

Suburban high life. /San Jose, Ca. : Slave Labor Graphics no. 2

Superior showcase. /Richmond, Va. : AdHouse Books, 2006- no. 1

Takashige, Hiroshi. Striker : the armored warrior /San Francisco, Calif. : Viz Communications, c1992. nos. 1-4

Tales from the crypt (Prescott, Ariz.) Tales from the crypt. /Prescott, AZ : Gladstone Pub., c1990-1991. no. 1

Tales of the closet. /New York, NY : Hetrick-Martin Institute, 1987- nos. 7-8

Tomine, Adrian, 1974- Optic nerve. /Montreal, Que. : Drawn & Quarterly Publications, 1995- no. 11

Tytler, Cassandra. Relax baby /[Melbourne, Vic. : s.n., 199-?- ] nos. 1-2, 7

Quick Boom! Reviews

Two recent comics from Boom! Studios showcase the worst and best that the publisher has to offer.

Unfortunately, Warhammer: Forge of War #1 is a muddled mess. The story by Dan Abnett & Ian Edginton would appear to be about some sort of fantasy-era battle, flashing back to the minutes of preparation before the battle. But as a reader I could neither follow said battle nor did I care one whit about who the participants were. The art by Rahsan Ekedal is on the surface competent but lacking in any sort of fluidity or dynanism required of an issue-long battle scene. Perhaps this comic will make sense to a die-hard Warhammer fan, but I suspect that even they will find a better use of their $2.99.


On the other hand, Cover Girl #2 is a joy to read, even better than the first issue. Last time we were introduced to up-and-coming leading man Alex Martin, an actor who witnesses something he shouldn't and whose live is placed in jeopardy because of it. This time out we and Alex meet Rachel, Alex's new no-nonsense bodyguard, along with Rachel's partner Dwight. The story by Andrew Crosby and Kevin Church moves along at quick pace, the dialog crackles, and there's plenty of action, plot, and character to go around. The art by Mateus Santolouco and R. M. Yankowicz fits the script wonderfully, clear and dynamic with just the right touch of cartoonishness when needed. Here's a comic that not only gets the big things right but also the little things, such as introducing the characters by name within the first couple of pages and providing a recap of the previous issue that fits organically with the story in just a third of a page. And there's plenty of story here to make it $3.99 well spent.


Ratings:
Warhammer: Forge of War: 1.5 (of 5)
Cover Girl: 4 (of 5)

(copies of the above comics were provided by the publisher for review)

New This Week in Brief: July 11, 2007

Pressed for time, so here's a shorter look at what's good on the comic shelves today:

Librarian comic book fans get a one-two punch of Showcase Presents Batgirl vol. 1—500+ pages of the original kick-ass comics librarian—and the first collected edition of Rex Libris—the latest kick-ass comics librarian—with more library-funny per page than any other publication ever.

Frank Miller & Dave Gibbons provide the long-awaited end to the Martha Washington saga with the Martha Washington Dies one-shot.

Samurai Commando Mission 1549 from DC/CMX looks interesting and I think it's only two volumes long. Bu tthen again it's seinen and nobody reads that, right?

Nexus returns after a long absence with issue #99.

The second NextWave hardcover comes out, just in case you're one of those who weren't buying it in floppy.

Lettering Flashback

Letterer extraordinaire Todd Klein has a basic how-to guide on his Website, and he talks about using an Ames Letter Guide:



Which caused me to flashback to high school drafting & architecture classes, where I made use of just such a guide extensivey. Although admitedly lettering was the weakest part of my drafting, I did have a legible print style, which 20 years later has atrophied into chicken scratch.

(link via Dirk)

While We Were Out...

You all may have noticed that posting was very light this past week. That's because I was on vacation and decided to take a vacation from blogging as well.

Unfortunately we missed the latest comics blogosphere hysteria, the whole OMG Seinen isn't selling bruhaha. The initial reaction was that it's because the manga market is dominated by females, and isn't it tough/just that male comics fans now have to see what it's like to be in the consumer minority.

However, missing such things means that there's a chance for more rational thoughts to prevail. Jason Thompson rightly points out that it's not a girl-boy thing, but a teen-adult thing, as josei sells just as poorly as seinen. How the whole manga-targeted-to-males-don't-sell idea even got started is something of a mystery, since titles like Naruto and the monthly anthology Shonen Jump are among manga's best sellers. Chris Butcher also points out that, in comics stores, seinen actually sells quite well thank you very much; not surprising since the male 18-35 audience typically gets its comics fix in comics stores. In other words, when its audience can find it, seinen is being bought.

The issue that interests me in all of this is what happens to manga when its readership grows up? I see one of three possibilities:

1) It's like the US comics market pre-1980, when kids grow up, discover the gender of their choice, and leave manga behind, whilest at the same time new kids come in to take their place.

2) It's like the US comics market of the past 20 years, where the kids grow up into their 20s and 30s and want more of the same that they read as kids, just with more 'adult' content.

3) It's like comics markets in Japan (and other parts of the world), where people become lifelong comics/manga readers and new kids are constantly being added into the stream as well.

Obviously the best outcome is #3, as long as there's material available for all who are interested. #2 presents interesting challenges, especially if the manga publishers don't see it coming and keep on turning out kids manga for an audience that doesn't want it. #1 would be the most comfortable for the publishers, as they can continue with what they know works.

(I don't think that a fourth possibility, manga flames out in a few years, is very realistic at this point. Despite many early naysayers going on about how manga was just a flash-in-the-pan, it's become pretty clear that it's here to stay for a while.)

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Richard Jenkins draws the cover to 2006's Sky Ape: King of Girls #1.

(Standard disclaimer of the fact that, while an ape with a jetpack may be the third best idea ever in comics, it is not really a monkey.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

New Library Comics: Week of June 25, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Benson, John. Confessions, romances, secrets and temptations : Archer St. John and St. John Romance Comics ; John Benson. /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, c2007.

Biblos. J-boy /Gardena, CA : Digital Manga Pub., 2006.

The boxing bucket /San Jose, Calif. : SLG Publishing, 2006.

Cossi, Paolo, 1980- Unabomber : romanzo a fumetti /Ponte di Piave (Treviso) : BeccoGiallo, 2005.

Dalrymple, Farel. Pop gun war /Freeport, NY : Cryptic Press, c2000- no. 1

Dupuy, 1960- Complete universe of Dupuy-Berberian / Philippe Dupuy, Charles Berberian. /Amsterdam : Oog & Blik, 2006.

Ellison, Harlan. Harlan Ellison's dream corridor. /Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 1996- vol. 2

Falcinelli, Riccardo, 1973- Grafogrifo /Torino : Einaudi, 2004.

Frazetta, Frank. Shining Knight and other tales /New York : DC Comics, Inc. for Sea Gate Distributors, 1983.

Green, Grass. Sinnin' /Seattle, Wash. : Eros Comix, 1991. no. 1

Hemak, Sean. Pole Land /Almont, Mich. : Grand Rapids, Mich. : Xeno Press, 1998- no. 1

Holmes, Mike. The strange adventures /[Halifax, N.S.] : HFX Comics, [2002?]

Howarth, Matt, 1954- Das loot /Seattle, Wash. : Aeon, c1994.

Howlett, David. Scenester /[Halifax, N.S.] : HFX Comics, 2002- nos. 1-3

Kudō, Kazuya. Pineapple army /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, 1988-1989. nos. 1-10

Miss Lips. Snitch /[S.l. : s.n.], 2003- no. 1

Pop art funnies /Detroit, Mich. : MPH comics, [2004]- nos. 3-5

Pran. Pinki. /New Delhi, India : Diamond Comics, 199-?- no. 5

Pure. Pixy junket /San Francisco, CA : Viz Comics, c1993- nos. 1-6

Reactor girl. /[Guelph, Ont.] : Tragedy Strikes Press, [1990?]- vol. 2 no. 6

Real girl. /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 1990- nos. 1-4, 6

Redmond, Michael. Street poet Ray /New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, c1990. nos. 1-2

Renate. /Berlin : Renate, [1990?- ] nos. 2, 4-10, 12-14

River würst comics. /[Milwaukee, WI : s.n., 2002-2004] nos. 3-4

The Rocky Horror picture show : the comic book /Westland, Mich. : Caliber Press, 1990-1991. nos. 1-3

Sad Sack and the sarge. /Sparta, Ill. : Harvey Hits, 1957-1982. no. 117

Sad Sack laugh special. /Meriden, Conn. : Harvey Publications, 1958-1977. no. 83

Sad Sack with Sarge and Sadie. /New York, N.Y. : Harvey Hits, 1972-1973. no. 3

Sandlin, David, 1956- Wonderfool world. /Kilkenny, Ireland : Butler Gallery, 2006.

Smith, Sean. Self-centered comics /[Halifax, N.S. : s.n., 200-?- ] no. 5

Stephens, Jay. Sin / by Jason Stephens.Guelph, Ont. : Tragedy Strikes Press, 1992-1993. nos. 1-3, 5

Stephens, Jay. Sin comics / by Jay Stephens.Cambridge, Ont. : Black Eye Productions, 1993. nos. 1-2

Stereoscomic /Pontault-Combault, France : Alban Rautenstrauch, [1999]- no. 3

Steudler, Joel. The rabid monkey /Pittsburgh, PA : D.B.I. Comics, nos. 1-8

Takemiya, Keiko, 1950- To terra -- /New York : Vertical, 2007- vol. 1

Valentino, Serena. Nightmares & fairy tales /San Jose, Calif. : SLG Publishing, c2004- vol. 1

Walton, Rob Ragmop. /Toronto : Big Bang, 2006.

Wighton, Tamara. Re: vulva girl /Melbourne, Australia : Strap On Productions, 1999- no. 1