My Trip to MoCCA Fest 2012

The Trip

I took a long weekend in New York City to visit this year's MoCCA Fest held to benefit the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. My mother and I were traveling together, since after the show, we planned to do some sightseeing and shopping in the city.

We stayed at the Ramada Eastside, which I heartily recommend. For about $200 a night (it is New York), we had a recently renovated room much larger than I expected with a bathroom with plenty of space as well. Plus, they provide free wifi and free breakfast (bagels, donuts, pancakes, hard-boiled eggs, cereal). This was all four blocks from the show location at the Lexington Armory. If you're interested in visiting the MoCCA show and staying within walking distance, it's a great choice. Now that I know of a reliable place to stay in the area, that makes it much easier to make this trip a yearly habit.

I was at the show at opening on Saturday, 11 AM, and was surprised to find myself done at 3:30. I had seen many wonderful artists, talked with old friends, met some new ones, and acquired a lot of terrific reading. I could have done another sweep of the floor, and I'm sure I would have found more great comics to try, but I was tired ' we were up for our flight that morning at 3 AM ' and I didn't feel like I could carry much more.

My show strategy this year is to avoid overdoing, to enjoy what I what find and not stress about what I might have missed. (So I'm sorry I didn't get to say hello to Stephen Robson of Ponent Mon or Ed Chavez of Vertical, but I'm sure there will be another opportunity in future.) This show can be done in an afternoon or take the full two days, especially if, unlike me, you remember to go to some of the panels and programming. By mid-day Saturday, the show floor was nicely crowded. I would get bumped every so often, which I don't care for, but that many attendees hopefully meant good business for exhibitors.

The Comics, Artists, and Publishers

This show didn't have one standout book for me. Instead, it was about continuing enjoyment of the medium and its artists. I should say to start that I didn't spend a lot of time shopping with big publishers such as Top Shelf, Fantagraphics, or Drawn & Quarterly. They all had books I was interested in, but I can easily get them when I'm home, without worrying about how to carry them back there. I had limited packing space this trip, so I focused on small press and minicomics, many from artists who are long-term favorites of mine.

That was the best thing about this show ' seeing creators whose work I've enjoyed for years continue bringing out new and exciting works. Take Kris Dresen, for example. I've been loving her work since the mid-90s, and now she was debuting the print edition of She Said. I also picked up Gone, which is almost an illustrated poem about trying to fly.

John Green at MoCCA

I enjoy Alisa Harris' Cooking Up Comics web recipes, so I bought the three issues of her Urban Nomad minicomic about living in New York City. (Great reminder of how much fun it is to visit the city but how glad I am that I don't live here. It takes a special kind of person to survive it.) And my mom was actually interested in taking the bookmark I brought back ' Cooking Up Comics might be the first webcomic she reads!

Lucy Knisley had two minicomics I hadn't bought yet, and I got to hear a little bit more about her upcoming book Relish, coming next year from First Second. Given the food focus, I expect to share that with Mom as well. The key to converting comic readers: subjects they're interested in.

John Green didn't have a table, but I bumped into him setting up for a sketch session. They are debuting Teen Boat with a release party on a real boat! Ok, it's a stationery barge, but on Friday, May 11, the authors will be appearing at the Waterfront Museum in Brooklyn. What a neat idea!

There was also the fun of catching up with old buddies, such as former Richmonder Chris Irving, who was working with PowerHouse Books. They were at the show to promote their anthology of Golden Age Western Comics ' which has a cover with holes in it, as though someone shot it! ' and Chris' interview book Leaping Tall Buildings, with impressive photographs by Seth Kushner. This beautiful volume is aiming to introduce some of the key figures who made American comics to non-fans.

Mark Smylie of Archaia

Archaia was at MoCCA for the first time in four years. Mark Smylie and I chatted briefly about their convention strategy, how they hope to make more appearances at smaller shows with targeted samples of their diverse line, which sounds like a great idea to me.

Also fun to catch up with was Ross Richie of Boom! Studios. Someday, we're going to get a chance to get a drink together and really swap stories about all the comic history we remember; this time, we chatted about the Austin comic scene, remembering Sam Hurt and Hepcats. Plus, Ross, who was there then, told me the real story of why Marvel bought Malibu. I shouldn't neglect to mention the pleasure of meeting Rich Tommaso, there promoting his just-out Pete and Miriam.

I picked up a copy of Luci's Let Down by Marjee Chmiel & Sandra Lanz. I saw this at SPX last year, and I think I was going to borrow Ed's copy from him, but you know how good intentions go. I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing this shortly.

Pete Stathis took a 'daddy break' from comics, but he's coming back with a new project, Kulok and Dunlop, a fantasy adventure comedy launching in June. There's a preview at his website.

It's always a pleasure to see Bill Roundy, who has a weekly comic called Bar Scrawl about 'the drinking establishments of Brooklyn'. He's smartly collected them into minicomics arranged by particular neighborhood, a smart idea for locals.

A lovely lady named Patricia Burgess had the most darling tiny fruit slice earrings. Amazingly, they matched a bracelet I bought online for summer, so I had to have the little oranges.

Billage, Amelia Onorato, Melanie Gillman, and Donna Almendrala

My last stop of the show was the kind of coincidence that ends the experience on a high note. While in one far corner of the room, an artist I knew introduced me to a Center for Cartoon Studies student. He wanted to show me his comics, but he had just left his table on the other side of the room for the first time in the show. I said I'd work my way back across the room and meet him there.

When I got there, he wasn't back yet, so I looked around and discovered he was sharing a table with one of my favorite young webcomic creators, Melanie Gillman. I've talked before how much I enjoy her comic Smbitten, and now I own the print copies. Which are hand-stitched with pearl trim! If Billage, the student, hadn't asked me to come by, I would have missed one of my favorite purchases. Serendipity!

I also got Bill's comics, along with another tablemate's, Amelia Onorato. I look forward to telling you more about all the many great minicomics I picked up in a future column.

The Food and Art

We're done with comic stuff now ' the rest of this is just me talking about dining out, because one of the goals of the trip was to eat some really good meals, and at that, we were successful.

Dinner Saturday night was at Artisanal Bistro, a French restaurant with an amazing cheese selection. They even have a cheese consultant, similar to a sommelier for a wine cellar. We chose a soft, Brie-like cheese (but with a stronger taste that was evocative of scallops) and discovered Shropshire Blue, a sort of blend of Stilton and Cheshire.

I love dining out with my mother, because we both love the same kinds of elaborate dishes and we like to share and taste. At Artisanal, she had a light and classic trout almandine with haricot vert, while I enjoyed a braised lamb shank with ratatouille and an amazing goat cheese polenta. It's a good thing we ate early, because after all that and the early rising, we crashed early and slept well.

Sunday began with brunch with Brigid Alverson and her friend John, another Boston comic fan. The Tick Tock Diner, just across the street from Penn Station, was swamped, but the food was diner classic and made for a filling breakfast.

Instead of returning to the show, Mom and I were interested in another kind of shopping. We went to Macy's, which was overcrowded with international tourists, and then Lord and Taylor. Mom was looking for a particular purse style which unfortunately isn't in style this season, so no luck there.

We wrapped up the afternoon visiting the Museum of Modern Art. We only had a couple of hours, so it was a quick walk through the history of art, but we saw work by Picasso, Duchamp, Matisse, Warhol, and Monet's Water Lilies. I recall two standouts of the experience:

* I saw Van Gogh's Starry Night, which I will always remember.
* We had a lovely conversation about how to define art and the influence of the academy in declaring what is and isn't. As modern art becomes more current, the piece becomes less about the craft and representation and more about the concept.

Dinner was at the MOMA restaurant, the Modern. After a delicious arugula/watercress salad and a liverwurst appetizer, I had an astounding duck breast with pistachio/truffle dipping sauce and surprisingly different peppercorn-crusted green apple slices. It was hard to tell they were apples, but they tasted terrific with the duck and the sauce. Mom enjoyed a pan-seared skate wing with creamy grits and brown butter vinaigrette. Everything was so intensely flavored, it was wonderful.

One more note for NYC visitors: It is not an early-rising city. We found ourselves relaxing in the morning, since there was nothing to do before 10 AM, and we were up and ready before 8. I suspect everyone else was sleeping in from a late night.

TCAF Teen Boat Comic Features Wonderful Cameos

• Posted by Johanna on April 27, 2012 at 2:28 pm
• Category: Digital and Webcomics

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More MoCCA: Some Updates

• Posted by Johanna on April 27, 2012 at 1:59 pm
• Category: Comic News

MoCCA Fest is tomorrow! When I'm not obsessing about packing, I'm noticing the following additional things I'm going to have to do.

Jesse Lonergan, whose Dancer a Day blog brings a smile to my face every morning, will have two new minicomics, 'High Flyer' and 'Fancy Footwork', which collects favorites from that blog.

Jonathan Baylis, whose So Buttons #4 Ed reviewed last year, will have a 'MoCCA Edition' teaser of the upcoming #5 (which will premiere in San Diego). It features a cover by Tom Scioli, modeled after Kirby's Captain America #212 and includes three short stories for only $1. The longest, drawn by Thomas Boatwright (panel shown here), can be read here. I'm sure coffee junkies will appreciate it.

Robot6 has a more formal rundown of publisher appearances, which mentions that Fanfare/Ponent Mon will have advance copies of The Summit of the Gods Volume 3 available to buy. I read an advance PDF and recommend it. Publisher Stephen Robson will also be joining Heidi's small publishing panel, making it even more of a valuable discussion.

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Savage Critics Launches Digital Comic Store

It's not just that comic shop retailer Brian Hibbs makes such interesting decisions, it's that he explains them in such informative ways. Take the latest, with Brian's review site the Savage Critics (disclaimer: I was one for a short one) signing up to sell digital comics through Diamond's program with iVerse.

That Diamond connection is key, because right now, their offerings are only available through established retail accounts with physical storefronts, as Brian explains:

Most of Diamond's focus has been on a kind of 'do you want fries with that?' digital copy upsell in store. Hell, maybe that can even work ' though I have a hard time picturing it, and, besides, the physical print market is already niche enough that physical retailers would be, I think, largely foolish to even raise the possibility that customers in their physical stores might migrate to digital (not that I think they WILL, as a mass) [...]

All I know is that I'm sure as hell not going to promote digital within my individual physical sales environment. I think that's plainly counter-productive to my physical print-based business. The internet, however, is different. I'll be surprised if even 1% of my regulars read this blog posting, or even an aggregation site's picking up on the 'story'. But there are hundreds, thousands, lots! of readers reading these words who will never set foot in my store for the simple reason that you're nowhere near me whatsoever. SOME of you are interested in digital comics.

And due to the Diamond connection, those readers can now buy from his review site, but not from mine. If I wanted to sell digital comics through my own links, I can't. Brian acknowledges the combination: 'because I'm one of the very very few people who has both a Diamond account, as well as an internet review site, boom, now we're selling digital comics.'

There is a market for such an affiliate program, I'm confident, and someone will eventually set one up, although now, it risks raising the ire of store owners who are already very uncertain about digital 'competition'. Letting anyone sell digital comics opens the door to divvying up the market among so many potential slices that the cost may not be worth the damage to established outlets and distributors.

Since this effort isn't through comiXology, the two major comic shop publishers, DC and Marvel, aren't included. Prices are either cover ' making the digital comics cost as much as $3.99 ' or a dollar less, in the case of Archie titles. As for potential profit, the business side gives each major player a third of the sale: the retailer, the publisher, and the distributor (Diamond and iVerse together). Which isn't a balance that I suspect will last, because it's unclear that all of those people are needed.

I look forward to hearing more about how this effort proceeds, since Brian's dispatches from the front lines are always educational, and I appreciate his willingness to share.

Why DVD Bonus Features Are Going to Get Worse

Mark Evanier sheds some uncomfortable light on what it's like to be asked to be part of a DVD bonus feature. Too often, valuable sources like him are asked (even expected) to participate without compensation, regardless of the effect on their schedule. Many times, they aren't even given a copy of the resulting DVD.

More and more, I don't buy DVDs unless they provide substantial bonuses. (Especially when it comes to classic films, which I can otherwise record from TCM.) I want studios to create and include that material to make it worthwhile for me to own that movie, and I want them to fairly compensate the talent who contributes to that bonus material. If not, everyone loses out. The customer doesn't get the benefit of added information from sources with substantial knowledge. The studio doesn't sell as many discs as they could have. What we often end up with are lame examples of company executives telling us things we already know.

Unfortunately, given the way corporations think, I predict that, if valuable sources refuse to participate, the studios will simply quit doing bonus material and then continue complaining that home media sales are declining. Few companies these days are willing to give away a penny to make an extra dollar, although that's the sensible strategy. As Evanier sums up,

You don't have to make a buck off everything you do. But there are some things in this world that are done for a profit and by not insisting on a share, all you're doing is charity work for Disney. Or Time-Warner. Or some other financial force of nature.

Scott is right. Those of us who were privileged to work with guys like Bill and Joe and Bob and Tex and men like Jack Kirby' we have an obligation to share what we heard and observed. That's one reason I have this blog and do other things like articles and convention panels, gratis. But I have to remember not to be so quick to do it for free for people who are going to turn around and sell it' because that's not a commitment to history. That's a commitment to being a chump.

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Marvel Anime: Iron Man and X-Men

I was curious to check out the Marvel Anime collections, especially the Iron Man one. Given my love of Japanese media and enjoyment of Iron Man in filmed entertainment, I was hoping it would be a case where two great tastes tasted even better together. Unfortunately, for me, the result was more like pickles and peanut butter.

Iron Man Anime is a two-disc set, with six episodes on each disc running about 23 1/2 minutes an episode. When you start it up, the default is subtitled with Japanese audio. It's also possible to run them dubbed, with an English audio track, in which Tony Stark is played by Adrian Pasdar. The credits are in Japanese, not subtitled, so I don't know why Jeph Loeb, Alan Fine, and Dan Buckley were listed. (Although since Loeb is now head of Marvel Television, that probably explains his credit.)

I couldn't get used to Tony Stark speaking Japanese and looking so much like a blow-dried 80s yuppie. The strong shadows would have worked better for me in a manga, but then a figure would move, and it reminded me of David Bowie's 'Blue Jean' video, with the shaded face paint.

The Iron Man armor, which is computer-generated animation, is a much more effective visual, but not enough so for me to keep watching the cartoon. Since I didn't see enough to be sure I was getting the whole plot, here's how the studio describes it:

Tony Stark arrives in Japan to help implement his goal of world peace by building the Arc Reactor, a carbon-neutral power plant, that once operational will be able to provide limitless (thus free) energy to the world. Set to retire his Iron Man persona, and about to mass-produce a line of Iron Man armor known as 'Iron Man Dio', Stark's plans are derailed by a series of high-tech Mech monsters. Zodiac, a top secret organization funded by the terrorist group A.I.M., is out to disrupt the Arc Station, steal the Dio armor, and put an end to Iron Man.

When I first turned on the dubbing, I forgot to turn off the subtitles, and I was amused by the mismatches. Most were due to the audio elements being longer than the visual text, but a couple did change, such as when a sleeping co-worker is awakened. On the screen, it reads, 'I'm full'' but the English dialogue says, 'One more sake,' giving a very different impression of the nap. Because of the additional information in the audio dialogue, I recommend watching these dubbed.

If my experience is anything to go by, though, this is for collectors only, those who want every Iron Man DVD available or those who follow Madhouse's anime releases. I'm not sure superhero fans will like the different visual look, and anime fans have a lot more entertaining choices available, shows that were envisioned as such to begin with. If you'd like to see for yourself, here's a clip featuring the Tony Stark character:

and one with Iron Man:

Special Features

There are a small number of bonus features, but they're your typical promotional pieces, short and lacking depth. Disc one has two special features:

'The Marvel Anime Universe: Re-Imagining Iron Man' (10 minutes) praises how superior anime is to Western animation, especially if you look at the character as a mecha. Warren Ellis (credited for story) participates, along with several executives, who summarize the plot and visuals. Lots of mention of the 'Marvel universe' and its importance, but no mention of specific creators (unless talking about the animation studio Madhouse as one entity counts).

'Voicing Tony Stark: Interview With Keiji Fujiwara' (5 minutes) is subtitled footage of the actor answering a few questions about playing the character. With his shades and his goatee and a little age in his face, I'd watch him play Tony in live action.

Disc two has another two:

'21st Century Hero: The Technology of Iron Man' (7 1/2 minutes) features the same folks as in the Anime Universe segment talking about how forward-looking the armor is and a little about the character's comic history and changing visuals.

'Special Cross Talk: Marvel Anime's Iron Man and Wolverine' (29 minutes) puts four Japanese creators, two for each character, into a blank white room, where they talk to each other about their experience working on these properties.

X-Men Anime

There is also an X-Men Anime, with the plot described as follows:

The X-MEN are reunited following the death of a teammate and are summoned by Charles Xavier to Japan following the abduction of Hisako Ichiki. There, they confront the U-MEN, a lunatic cult that steals and transplants mutant organs to further strengthen its own army, and the battle for justice is on. Discovering a series of bizarre occurrences in the area, the X-Men investigate, only to be confronted with a terrible truth that will force them to confront long buried secrets.

The special features on that set are:

'The Marvel Anime Universe: Re-Examining the X-Men' (9 minutes, disc one) has the same talking heads and general puff-piece approach as the similar Iron Man featurette.

'X-Men: A Team of Outsiders' (10 1/2 minutes, disc one) mentions more of the comic history and the team's concept.

'Special Talk Session: Marvel Anime's X-Men and Blade' (32 minutes, disc two) starts off as a behind-the-scenes documentary, where several of the creators discuss their preconceptions of the brands. Then the four of them wind up sitting together and talking. Instead of a white room, they get a picture window with high-rises behind them.

I'm sorry this is such a minimal review, but I was disappointed that I wasn't grabbed more by these offerings, and I'd rather spend more time on works that are exciting me these days. (The studio provided review copies.)

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Support Good Comic Porn: Smut Peddler Kickstarter Launches

• Posted by Johanna on April 27, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Category: LinkBlogging

The Smut Peddler Kickstarter has launched! It's been live for less than a day, and it's already close to the $20,000 funding goal. I'm impressed, but you should also note: the more money it makes, the more the contributing creators get paid. They've already gotten a page rate ' no free work here ' but more income means artist bonuses.

You may remember the name Smut Peddler from a three-issue minicomic series that ended six years ago. This particular incarnation came back to life two years ago, and I'm thrilled to have helped it along as a submissions editor. The end result will be a collection of great comic porn, created by women (as well as some men) in a book of over 350 pages.

There are a ton of amazing creators contributing, including Jess Fink, Carla Speed McNeil, Erika Moen, and a cover by Emily Carroll.

See the full contributor list ' and the details of the bonus payment plan ' at the Kickstarter page.

If you're interested in sex-positive, female-friendly dirty comics by a truly talented list of contributors, check it out.

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Freeloader by Nomi Kane

• Posted by Johanna on April 26, 2012 at 8:43 am
• Category: Minicomics
• CREDITS: by Nomi Kane

After seeing Nomi Kane in the Cartoon College documentary, her name rang a bell. Then I realized I had been given a copy of her minicomic Freeloader at last year's SPX, the show where it debuted.

It's a 16-page traditionally quarter-page-sized collection of short strips based on Nomi being unemployed and living back with her parents. While that's a time period I'm sure she doesn't want to dwell on too much, I wished there was a lot more about it, since she only really scratches the surface here, and this comic left me wanting to see more of her work and observations. It's a great idea with a lot of appeal.

Unfortunately, it's been a situation over the past few years many young adults can relate to. Here, Nomi contemplates how to get work, with the standout strip for me being the one where she's turned down for looking too young. Two other strips don't have anything in particular to do with the economic situation, with Nomi feeding a dog and fighting a bee. As with many diary comics, these are moments in time selected for their interest to others, and each succeeds in keeping my attention.

Her work is anchored in many panels by the solid black of her hair. A little more shading/background detail would be a natural direction of growth, as would a bit more attention to flow between panels. Her individual illustrations are well-chosen and executed, but they feel like static moments in time as we move from one to another. For a second opinion, Rob Clough has also reviewed this minicomic.

Nomi Kane has an online store offering this and other of her minicomics ' several of which I'd like to buy and read ' but I couldn't get it to work this morning. I suggest emailing her if you'd like to see Freeloader or her other work.

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Cartoon College Shows Life at Center for Cartoon Studies

Cartoon College is a new documentary about The Center for Cartoon Studies. That school, founded in 2005 in White River Junction, Vermont, accepts 20 students a year to work towards a Master of Fine Arts degree focused on the comic medium. The film's directors, Josh Melrod and Tara Wray, shot from 2007-2010, exploring 'what it takes to make it in the world of indie comics'. They describe the graduates as 'ready to face the uncertainty of a career in one of the world's most labor-intensive, drudgery-inducing art forms,' which makes me laugh and cringe at the same time.

I had the pleasure of viewing a screener of this hour-and-fifteen-minute movie. Watching the trailer, shown below, demonstrates a who's who of comic creators, including Art Spiegelman, Francoise Mouly, Scott McCloud, Chris Ware, Lynda Barry, Douglas Wolk, school faculty members Jason Lutes and Stephen Bissette, and James Sturm, who's also the school's Director. While the big names will certainly be an attraction, I found it more fascinating to watch the faculty and hear the students talk about their work and bits of their lives before they came to the school. Especially since I've read the comics one of them, Jen Vaughn, talks about producing. That passion, showing how the students struggle and how their intentions may not be realized the way they hope, is the real strength of the film.

I was very happy to learn more about the school, its courses, the Schulz Library, and how learning is structured there. (I think there's a followup to be done examining how the town population views the school and its creators in its midst.) It was also interesting to see the comments about different kinds of comics available these days and how to approach them as art. But it's the students themselves, especially the brief moments where they acknowledge what they gave up and the choices they made to pursue cartooning, that will stick with me. Plus, there are cartooning couples and a visit to MoCCA Fest. If you're at all curious about where the next generation of comic creators is coming from and what their influences are, you need to see this movie.

Speaking of which, the film will be shown on the West Coast this Sunday, April 29, at the Newport Beach Film Festival in Southern California. I hope the filmmakers make copies available to purchase, because it's good watching.

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Billie the Unicorn Available as Ebook; Special Discount Available

• Posted by Johanna on April 26, 2012 at 7:24 am
• Category: Digital and Webcomics

After I talked about the charming children's book Billie the Unicorn last week, I was made aware that it is also available as an ebook for the iPad/iPhone as well as other Macs.

I tried it out on the iPad, and the book has been faithfully converted, adding a bit of motion and sound to the original drawings while keeping the mood and tone of the story. There are two options, 'Read to Me' and 'I Can Read', as well as the ability to access any page directly. The Settings allow you to turn the narration, music, and sound effects on and off separately. If you turn on the hints function, you'll get help seeing which elements respond to a touch (such as the bird in the tree bobbing and tweeting when you tap it); every screen has several.

There's also a mini-game, where each page has a hidden magic blue flower to find. That provides additional value, since it gives the reader a reason to spend more time with the app, even after they know the story. I found returning to the pages, with the flowers and forest inhabitants and the music, relaxing.

The only problem I had was that the app forced me to use a particular horizontal configuration of the iPad. I like it with the Home button on the left, but Billie the Unicorn opened upside-down, so that you had to put the button on right. It's the only app I've seen that did that.

Thanks to the publisher Mobad Games, I am able to announce that today (Thursday, April 26) only, for readers of this site, you can get this app for $2.99 instead of the usual $4.99. Spread the word! Here's a trailer, so you can see more of the art:

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Good Comics Out April 25: Sailing, Sailing, With Popeye and Teen Boat

Thank goodness it's a light week, since I have plenty of shopping to do coming up at MoCCA this weekend.

My two book recommendations are at very different ends of the graphic novel spectrum. I haven't seen Guy Delisle's newest travelogue, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City (Drawn & Quarterly, $24.95), yet, but I'm sure it will be in keeping with his earlier volumes, such as Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea. However, unlike his other books, this one is about a city that others may already know more about, or at least have their own perceptions. I'm curious to see how this one is received. The publisher has posted a preview.

From meaningful and insightful to silly fun. Teen Boat! (Clarion Books, $14.99) by Dave Roman and John Green has the tagline 'the ANGST of being a teen, the THRILL of being a boat!' That may seem to sum it up, but with this crazy character, a boy who turns into a smallish yacht, Roman and Green tell classic school stories: being used by the popular kid throwing a party, detention, class trip abroad, first kiss, running for class president, learning to drive. It's like every teen movie wrapped up in one colorful, kid-friendly set of gags. There's also a Scooby-Doo-like segment when Teen Boat (the actual character's name) tries to get a job but winds up defeating a gang of monster-truck-driving boat smugglers. I suspect young readers will find this collection imaginatively inspiring and enjoyably goofy.

Also out this week is Oni Press' Play Ball, which I've already reviewed. That's another teen-friendly title.

There's a debut comic issue you want to be sure you check out this week. IDW launches a four-issue Popeye ($3.99) series written by the talented Roger Langridge and illustrated by Bruce Ozella. I've had the pleasure of reading it already, and it was great fun, faithful to what I know of the original but thoroughly fresh. Castor Oyl decides to find another Jeep so he can breed Eugene, which leads a bunch of the cast to an island excursion. And Olive gets to show some gumption.

The creators clearly know their material, with Popeye saying, for example, 'D'ja think I'm a cowboy?' the first time we see him, just as he did in his first appearance. It's impressive that each page is structured as a scene, rather like reading the old Sunday pages. You can see here, on the first page, how faithful the style is. All the favorite characters are here, and it's a wonderful comedy adventure read with terrific action art.

I'm also looking forward to how The Twelve wraps up (Marvel Comics, $2.99). The penultimate issue was satisfying, and I'm glad we finally get the finale.

MoCCA Fest 2012 Coming This Weekend!

It's almost here! This year's MoCCA Fest will be held this coming weekend, April 28-29, in New York City. Now that my plans are finalized, I'm getting very excited about all the things to do there. Pre-order tickets are available through Thursday if you're interested in attending.

The following is my list of exhibitors and artists I'm looking forward to meeting at the show. It's very individual, mostly based on so far on posts I've seen on blogs I follow or Twitter. If you're going to be there, please, leave a comment!

Publishers

Just about everyone on my favorite list is here: Abrams, Archaia, Boom!, Drawn & Quarterly, Fanfare/Ponent Mon, Fantagraphics, First Second, NBM, Top Shelf, and Vertical (no! really? I haven't been able to be at a con that manga publisher has attended in forever). It will be a thrill to see all these great indy publishers in one place.

(I only linked to MoCCA-specific posts I could find ' if there's more information out there on what these publishers plan to bring to the show, please share.)

Exhibitors and Artists

Way too many to list, but here's a few I'm sure to seek out. (Note: always best to double-check if guests' plans have changed ' the list still includes Faith Erin Hicks and Spike of Iron Circus, both of whom are not planning to attend. Still, even if a favorite doesn't make it, there will be plenty more people and their comics to check out.)

• Sarah Becan
• Kris Dresen
• Laura Lee Gulledge
• Alisa Harris
• Lucy Knisley

And then I will simply walk the show floor, discovering things, my favorite part of an exhibition. I'm beginning to worry that I won't have enough time to do everything I want to do during my time there! Especially when I look at the programming schedule'

Panels

I had planned to visit MoCCA Fest on Saturday and then spend Sunday touring NYC, but it looks like the panels I'd most like to see are kicking off the show at 11:15 on Sunday, with a focus on 'Graphic Novels for Young Adults' (including Raina Telgemeier, MK Reed, and Derek Kirk Kim), followed by advice on how 'To Run a Comic Shop', with four NYC retailers, and then everyone's favorite hot topic, 'Digital Distribution and the Future of Comics' with David Steinberger, the CEO of comiXology.

There are some good panels around lunchtime on Saturday, too, with Alex Cox providing 'A History of Comics Censorship' (sponsored by the CBLDF) at 12:15 followed by Heidi MacDonald moderating a conversation on 'The State of Small Publishing' at 1:15. That's the sign of a good show, right, when there's more to do than time to do it all?

More on How to Handle Free Comic Book Day

• Posted by Johanna on April 25, 2012 at 9:59 am
• Category: LinkBlogging

The unnamed folks at Stumptown Trade Review have a response to my post about a local store ditching Free Comic Book Day to give away cookies instead.

This is a comic shop that is trying something different. More importantly, this is a comic shop that is doing something different that will bring the general public in to the store. Most people are not going to accept something for free that they do not regularly consume in the first place. For example, I do not belong to a gym, so offering me a free turn on the dumbbells on a particular day of the week is not going to make me rush to my nearest gym to try them out. It is not even going to get me to try them out if I am walking down the street and pass by a gym.

But who can resist a cookie?

This is an excellent point. However, I think our difference of opinion in this case comes from me actually having visited the stores involved. Based on my experience with the chain offering this promotion, their attitude is less 'how can we reach out to more customers?' and more 'how can we ride the coattails of an event but pay less to get attention?'

Plus, I have not yet seen that this store is offering the cookies to people who don't already shop there. The advertising I know about is through a postcard mailing to existing customers and their website. It's true that one of the locations is in a strip mall with a Chuck E. Cheese and other venues that might attract walk-in traffic, but reaching out to families might mean they'd need to take the kid-unfriendly 'you cannot come in without a parent' sign off the door. (I don't blame them, if they're in an area where thoughtless parents treat them as a babysitting stop.)

The general principle STR proposes is a good one, and that's why many comic stores have artists appear on FCBD to give away sketches (especially to kids). People may not want a comic, but an original piece of art? That's cool! Many stores also offer snacks and refreshments and create a party atmosphere ' they just don't make it the center of their advertising campaign and talk down their competitors while doing it.

(Oh, and thanks for the compliments, guys!)

Similar Posts: Who Is Free Comic Book Day For? § Free Comic Book Day to Happen Twice a Year in 2012 § Dark Horse Tries to Get Retailers Onboard With Digital Exclusives § Local Store Attacks Free Comic Book Day, Offers Cookies Instead § How Should Free Comic Book Day Deal With Online Readers? The Books Are Free, Right?

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Viz Signature Manga Moveable Feast This Week

It's time for the Manga Moveable Feast again! This month, the topic is manga published by the Viz Signature line, hosted by Kate Dacey at The Manga Critic (and bless her for doing it, since she just served as host in February for the Osamu Tezuka MMF). There are a huge number of possible titles to cover, as Kate has listed them in her call for participation. Kate has also posted an insightful history of the imprint.

Here are some of the titles we've previously reviewed here at MangaWorthReading.com:

• Afterschool Charisma
• All My Darling Daughters
• Bokurano: Ours
• Children of the Sea
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Book 4
• Detroit Metal City
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Book 3
  • Books 4-6
• Dogs
• Dorohedoro
• House of Five Leaves
• I'll Give It My All' Tomorrow
• Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit
• Jormungand
• Kingyo Used Books
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Book 3
  • Book 4
• Maison Ikkoku
• Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Book 3
  • Book 4
  • Book 5
  • Book 6
  • Book 7
  • Books 8-11
  • Books 12-13
  • Book 14
  • Book 15
  • Book 16
  • Book 17
  • Book 18
  • Book 19
  • Book 20
• Naoki Urasawa's Monster
  • Book 1
  • Book 18
• Oishinbo: A La Carte
  • Book 1: Japanese Cuisine
  • Book 2: Sake
  • Book 3: Ramen & Gyoza
  • Book 4: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi
  • Book 5: Vegetables
  • Book 6: Rice
  • Book 7: Izakaya: Pub Food
• Ooku: The Inner Chambers
  • Books 1-2
  • Book 6
• Phoenix
  • Book 1: Dawn
  • Book 2: Future
  • Book 3: Yamato
  • Book 3: Space
• Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Book 3
  • Book 4
  • Book 5
  • Book 6
  • Book 7
  • Book 8
• Ristorante Paradiso
• Saturn Apartments
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Book 4
• solanin
• Tesoro
• What a Wonderful World!

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SPX Announces Big-Name Guests for 2012 Show

• Posted by Johanna on April 23, 2012 at 4:21 pm
• Category: Comic News

SPX Banner by Margo Dabaie

This year's Small Press Expo will be held September 15 and 16 at the Marriott Bethesda North Conference Center. They've just announced the first of their special guests, and boy, they're doozies. I'll let Warren tell you about it, because I can't do any better than he can:

Dunno if you heard, but we have one of the most amazing lineups ever. In fact, I am so hyped up about it I can barely type out that we will have not only Chris Ware and Dan Clowes, but also Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez!!!

Yes, indeed, The Fab Four of indie comics, all here at SPX!!!

This will be the first time at SPX ever for multiple Ignatz Award winners Mr. Ware and Mr. Clowes. In fact, as best as anyone can figure, this will be the first time in the 21st Century that Chris and Dan will be together at the same festival in the U.S. And for Los Bros Hernadez, this is the 30th Anniversary of Love and Rockets, with SPX being their ONLY East Coast festival appearance to celebrate this great anniversary.

The show is also expanding the size of the floor by half again and adding 35 tables to allow more exhibitors with wider aisles, which should make for easier browsing and shopping.

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Manga Out Loud Discusses Naoki Urasawa

As our contribution to this week's Manga Moveable Feast, Ed and I were joined for the Manga Out Loud podcast by Faith Erin Hicks (Friends With Boys) and Daniel Briscoe to discuss the works of the extraordinarily talented Naoki Urasawa. We were supposed to talk mostly about 20th Century Boys, but we wound up enthusing a lot over how much we all enjoyed Monster first.

I also appreciate Daniel and Faith giving me new perspective on 20CB. I wound up playing devil's advocate a bit more than I wanted, but they showed me new elements to discover in the series. We also compare it to the TV show Lost.

This was a long conversation, almost two hours total, but that includes a half-hour of Ed and I first. In that section, we talk about some license announcements and what we've read over the last month, including my re-read of Oishinbo. (Note: I tell Ed I'm not going to spoil the last volume for him, and then my next sentence does just that, so yay for inconsistency.) We also briefly mention the new Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service and the news of Bakuman's planned ending, plus we discuss A Bride's Story Book 3 and what JManga Ed had read.

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Recent Oni Graphic Novels: Play Ball, Courtney Crumrin, Avalon Chronicles

Play Ball

written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
art by Jackie Lewis
$19.99, due out April 25

I heartily applaud the plot of this graphic novel, about a talented girl who struggles to get the right to play on her new high school's baseball team (not softball), but I wish the execution was as strong as the concept.

The characters are two-dimensional. Dashiell is a grumpy tomboy. Her sister is boy-crazy and wants Dashiell to try harder to fit in and not rock the boat, but comes through for her in the end. Mom has left Dad because he's a deadbeat, and he promises to show up for the kids but never does. There's another school loner, Adam, who befriends and guides her through the new school structure. There's a good boy on the team, who supports Dashiell based on her talent, and a bad one, who hazes her because she's a girl. We've seen all this before, and the cast voices are flat and interchangeable, often speaking in exposition.

This is Jackie Lewis' first major work in print, and while she has potential, her style reads as young. Some panels are great; others feel a little unfinished or too predictable (mostly the talking heads). Color or shading or toning would have helped give the work more sense of depth, especially in the many panels with no backgrounds. Her expressions are good, though, and I'd read another book by her.

Among its audience, the unexciting use of the comic medium won't matter, since plenty of young women will enjoy reading about Dashiell's challenges and how they play out over the baseball season. In fact, the straightforward structure might be a plus for the reader attracted by the subject matter but new to comics. A real love of the game comes through. There are a bunch of preview pages available at that interview link.

Courtney Crumrin Volume 1: The Night Things

by Ted Naifeh, $19.99

Speaking of color, the upgraded hardcover re-release of the first volume of Ted Naifeh's series looks terrific. Great timing, too, since I was curious to reread these stories after the launch of the new ongoing series.

The color, by Warren Wucinich, is nicely shaded and moody. It's not garish, but it makes this magical word seem more plausible, with plenty of purples and shadows. The hardcover binding, with its silver trim and bound-in ribbon bookmark, also suits the material well. It feels like a much older volume than it is, which plays along with the story about discovering spellbooks in a haunted old mansion.

Courtney has moved in with her creepy uncle, and she struggles to survive a world full of monsters. The woods have goblins, and her school has rich, spoiled social climbers. Now, rereading years later, I still admire Courtney's reserve, her determination, her bravery, and her intelligence. She's got a rough sense of justice and a special intensity.

I was also pleased to be reminded of Courtney's experience with popularity spells and a visit to Goblin Town, both elements that reappear in the first issue of the new series. The stories stand on their own, but together, they make up a richer world tapestry. I'm looking forward to the second volume, The Coven of Mystics, due in August.

The Avalon Chronicles Volume 1: Once in a Blue Moon

written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
art by Emma Vieceli
$19.99

Similar as was done with Weir and DeFilippis' Past Lies, this book is being re-released years after its original debut to re-launch the series. Only this time, the art is all-new.

Once In A Blue Moon was first released in 2004, drawn by Jennifer Quick (who as Jen Lee Quick wrote and drew Off*Beat). Now, The Avalon Chronicles has been redrawn by Emma Vieceli. The writers explain the background of the situation at their blog.

The plot is one many fantasy fans have dreamed of. When she was a girl, Aeslin's parents read to hear from a book called 'The Avalon Chronicles'. It's all about how a prince and a beautiful dragon knight have adventures and save the kingdom. Now, she's a teen, and her mother has given up fantasy. But then Aeslin finds a shop that wasn't there yesterday, and she winds up sucked into the world of Avalon to find her destiny.

Vieceli does a great job, especially with the teen girls, both in the 'real world' and fantasy land settings. If you ever wanted to be part of your favorite book, especially if it was about riding dragons, you'll enjoy this escapism, even if it spends a little more time on the mechanics (how the book works) than it does battle in this first installment. It may be a better choice to pick this up once the second book is available, since much of this volume is introduction, and there is plenty more quest to come.

Recommended, especially for young women who want examples of how fantasy women can be more than princesses. (The publisher provided digital review copies.)

*A Devil and Her Love Song Books 1 and 2 ' Recommended

If you've missed the enjoyable Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko series, A Devil and Her Love Song is a more than suitable replacement. Although both have a charmingly grumpy protagonist learning to make friends and fit in, Devil is preferable to me because it's less episodic. With its continuing story chapters, there's more potential for character revelation and development.

Maria, the 'devil' of the title, is a new student previously at a Catholic school. She has a unique combination of abilities: she's preternaturally insightful about why people behave or react a certain way, and she has nearly no empathy. Without the ability to put herself in someone else's place and predict their feelings, her extraordinary truth-telling seems demonic in the pain she causes others by revealing their innermost motivations. Yet her commitment to authenticity is strangely compelling.

She's a fascinating character, especially once you layer on her own emotions. She's convinced that she 'taints' everyone around her, yet she's still trying to overcome that perceived curse. If this was a sitcom, we'd be speculating on how much Asperger's she has, but in this romantic high school story, we feel her pain at not fitting in. Yet I admire her strength, as well, since she doesn't bow to bullying (of which there is a lot) or peer pressure. She knows her own goal ' to be accepted ' and regardless of the words or deeds cast against her, she continues to struggle to reach it.

(Also, if this was an American comic, Maria's faith, demonstrated by the cross she wears, and her truth-telling individuality would be more praised, less seen as a sign that she's evil. The girls who haze her would also be more subtle about it. But since this is Japanese, the way she can't help standing out is a bad thing, considered her fault.)

Miyoshi Tomori draws Maria as very attractive, almost sly, but not in a purposeful (from the character's perspective) or creepy (from the reader's perspective) way. She's calm, self-possessed, demonstrating her quiet inner strength.

Maria is not completely alone. There are two boys who admire and crush on her in different combinations. Yusuke is an outgoing talker who wants everyone to like him. He's the one who teaches her how to rephrase her comments in a more positive fashion (although the way she often gets that wrong is entertaining). His goal is to make everything beautiful, regardless of what lurks underneath. Shin is more of a loner, but his appreciation of her seems more honest, more aware of who she really is.

There's also another girl, Tomoyo, who over the course of these two volumes goes from a kind of class mascot, tagging along with the mean girls just to fit in, to a proto-goth making her own decisions about who is really her friend. At first, she's used by the other girls in the class to set up Maria and get her in trouble, but in the second book, we learn more about her motivations.

The challenge there revolves around an upcoming school choral competition. The cowardly teacher puts Maria in charge to set her up for failure. He wants to get rid of her because her presence makes too many problems visible that he's not capable of coping with.

Before that, though, book two opens with Yusuke and Maria visiting Tomoyo at home. She hasn't been coming to school. The other kids think it's because Maria hurt her, but it's really something more complex. There are a lot of layers among the class politics in this series, which makes it an involving portrait of teen life, anchored by the captivating Maria. (The publisher provided review copies.)

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Local Store Attacks Free Comic Book Day, Offers Cookies Instead

• Posted by Johanna on April 22, 2012 at 8:12 am
• Category: Comic News

I was a tad surprised to get a postcard yesterday from a local three-store comic outlet promoting their 'Free Chocolate Cookie Day' on May 4, 5, and 6. (Yeah, it's not a day, it's a weekend.) Especially when I saw that they were ripping off the Free Comic Book Day logo. (The bite marks are where the TM trademark notice appears.) Compare:

I thought, well, ok, you want to do something that weekend without the minimal buy-in to participate in the official Free Comic Book Day program, I guess no one can stop you' but I was shocked when I saw them actively talking down what all the other comic stores in town are doing. Their website is currently running this blurb:

I wanted to capture the image in case they change it. The first line says, 'We wanted to offer something better than lame advertisements on Free Comic Book Day' We're offering food and discounts!' Yeah, that's a great teaser to get people into your COMIC BOOK store ' call comics 'lame ads'. This particular store is rather old school, in that they have plenty of back issues and trade paperbacks, but they aren't in the best condition, and they often look pawed over. I can't visit for long, because there's a thin layer of dust over everything, and the store concept appears to be 'cram as much stuff in as possible'.

I wish them good luck, but I won't be visiting. Ed and several other local fans put together a caravan every year where we hit every store in town EXCEPT for this chain, because they don't participate. I guess they finally got tired of not being part of Comics' National Holiday ' but this just looks petty.

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Blake Edwards' S.O.B.

Blake Edwards' infamous S.O.B. (1981) has returned to DVD courtesy of Warner Archive.

Edwards' wife Julie Andrews plays a character loosely reminiscent of her real-life self, an actress best known for her family-friendly saccharine musicals. Richard Mulligan is her husband, Felix Farmer, a producer who's just made his first flop. (Reportedly, the story was inspired in part by the experiences of Edwards and Andrews making Darling Lili.) Farmer has a nervous breakdown and tries to commit suicide, but after failing multiple times, he hatches an outrageous plan: he will remake his failure of a movie as a porn film, and his wife will appear topless (which, yes, Andrews does).

This is a classic of Hollywood satire, a significant film in the genre of 'movie makers make movies about how messed up the industry is'. At the time, it was intended to be black comedy, wicked in its spilling of secrets, but modern watchers of the business won't find it quite as shocking. Many of its revelations ' movie people are crazy, greedy, motivated by sex, on drugs, or all of the above ' are now common knowledge, making the movie even darker. (Today's viewer might snicker, though, at how upset everyone is getting over losing a few million dollars, given the scale of current film disasters.) Instead, what surprises is the casual acceptance of varying sexual partners and business alcoholism; that, the deliberate pacing, and the fashions, especially the one-piece pantsuits on the men, all mark this film as from another era. (So does, more disturbingly, the plot twist that Andrews' character says no to the nudity until she is drugged.)

None of the characters in this film are likable, but all are entertaining, due to the many strong performances. Mulligan doesn't even talk until 45 minutes into the two-hour movie, but his expressions are something to behold. S.O.B. also stars Robert Vaughn (as the studio president), Larry Hagman (studio executive), Robert Preston (Farmer's smoking/drinking/injecting doctor, stealing every scene he's in), Loretta Swit (gossip columnist), and in his last movie, William Holden (a director). Rosanna Arquette has a small role as a teenage hitchhiker; she also gets topless. It's an old white man's world in this movie.

Special Features are minimal, just the theatrical trailer and a list of Blake Edwards' credits.

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Skin Deep

Along with S.O.B. and Victor/Victoria, a third Blake Edwards comedy has returned to DVD courtesy of the Warner Archive: Skin Deep (1989).

This one, I admit, I knew nothing about, other than that it starred John Ritter and a lot of random women. Ritter (in his bearded phase) is an alcoholic writer and womanizer who, in the opening scene, is caught in bed with another woman by his mistress (Denise Crosby), who tries to shoot him, and then his wife (Alyson Reed) walks in. He doesn't have a place to live, since she tosses him out, and he can't write, since he's blocked. He spends the rest of the movie trying to sleep with various anonymous girls (one is the Boss' ex, Julianne Phillips, another the bodybuilder/American Gladiator Raye Hollitt; since it's the 80s, all have various forms of bad hair) and complaining about how difficult his (rich, accomplished) life is.

I didn't have much patience for this ' like the later Californication, it asks us to sympathize with a guy whose life would be pretty good if he didn't keep screwing it up by not being able to keep his dick in his pants or liquor out of his glass. The concept of self-control doesn't seem to occur to him, or to the kind of men who make these movies to indulge their arguments for pity. Then again, they live in California, where addictions are accommodated until someone winds up dead.

Ritter's character goes to a bartender, he goes to a shrink, but actually making the difficult choices to improve or work hard at solving his problems seems beyond him. The whole movie is an argument for why everyone should love this asshole anyway, trying to cast his struggles as charming under it all. At least, Ritter makes this unlikable character sympathetic, reminding me just how much of a talent he was. He balances the dramatic and comedy moments well, even if I'm clearly not the audience for this middle-aged-man's movie.

For special features, there's the theatrical trailer, some dated cast & crew listings, and some other DVD ads.

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Think Like a Man

Thanks to a preview screening, I had a chance to see Think Like a Man Wednesday night. Loosely based on the Steve Harvey self-help book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, the movie is a predictable romantic comedy that makes heavy use of character stereotypes. Still, if you expect nothing more than a competent entrant in the genre, it's enjoyable enough for an evening.

I haven't read the book, but the film treats Harvey as a genius and the book as second only to the Bible as a source of received wisdom. Every so often, the movie stops dead so he can come on screen to tell us bits of advice, much of it based on reductive gender assumptions, along the lines of 'men do this' and 'women do that' with vague explanations referencing cavemen and DNA. From what I could tell, the book is similar to The Rules, telling women that they should play hard to get and manipulate men to make the guys into reliable marriage partners. There's nothing wrong with advice that revolves around respecting yourself and being clear on what you really want, but I bristle at the idea that all male/female love relationships can be fixed by reading one pop-psych book.

Meagan Good and look! Product placement!

The film is based around six men who play basketball together. Three of the black guys and one of the white guys (who's dating a black woman) are coupled up during the movie. The remaining black guy (Kevin Hart) is exaggerated comedy relief and the narrator; the remaining white guy (Gary Owen) is there just to be the happily married big dumb fella.

Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Gary Owen, Terrence J, Romany Malco, and Jerry Ferrara

The couples fall into these partnerships: a single mother (Regina Hall) and a mamma's boy (Terrence J); a rich executive (Taraji P. Henson) and a guy who's still trying to find the right job (Michael Ealy, very attractive); a geekboy still living like he's in college (Jerry Ferrara, who's lost some weight since Entourage and apparently reads Hellboy) and his live-in girlfriend who wants to finally get married (Gabrielle Union); and a player (Romany Malco) and a woman who's decided not to sleep with a guy until they've been dating for three months (Meagan Good, whose character had horrible taste in earrings).

Gabrielle Union and Jerry Ferrara

Everyone is very attractive, which makes it nice to spend time with them even though you already know most everything that's going to happen in their stories. I found the plot about the high-powered COO the most interesting, just because it's rare that we see that struggle in media ' whether a woman should expect to find a guy as smart and accomplished as she is, and how that becomes increasingly difficult the higher she rises in her career. Plus, I like Taraji P. Henson.

Michael Ealy and Taraji P. Henson

The predictability becomes even worse once events are presented as turning into a gender war, with the guys finding out that all the women are using the book to 'manipulate' them. However, among its demographic audience, I suspect Think Like a Man will do quite well, since the line to attend the preview wrapped around the movie theater lobby twice, and almost 70 people didn't get in. That indicates to me demand to see it.

Overall, Think Like a Man reminds me of He's Just Not That Into You, another romance based on an advice book for women by men that tells women if only they did the 'obvious' things and worked harder to understand men, everything would be as perfect as they dreamed. The various intertwining storylines mean everyone will find someone that reminds them of themselves or someone they know, and visually, there are plenty of attractive people making out and looking for love. It works as a date movie or a girls' night out event.

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Don't Like UltraViolet Digital Movies? You Can't Sell the Codes

A lot of customers have been unhappy with the UltraViolet digital copy system set up by a number of movie studios. I'm finding it frustrating that I now have to use two apps to manage my digital films, with plenty easily usable in iTunes, and a handful more restricted in Flixster. (That app keeps losing track of which ones I actually have rights to view. And emailing their support link never got me an answer.)

Some have, since they didn't plan to use the system, sold their codes to those who are interested. Seems like a win-win ' I don't want that digital copy of the movie, you do, so let's make a deal. However, it seems that, at least in some cases, eBay is now blocking those sales, claiming it's copyright infringement.

This is why content providers love more DRM; they are better able to attempt to control user behavior and restrict what people think of as legitimate transactions. That little piece of paper with the string of numbers that comes with your Blu-ray or DVD doesn't represent anything you own. It's just a license, and the studios clearly intend it not to be separate from the plastic disc. Unless they're the ones selling it to you, at much greater prices than the eBay sellers want.

Then again, if someone wants to get into legal hair-splitting, I expect to see offers to see an UltraViolet-decorated piece of paper any day now. Selling scrap paper isn't illegal, right?

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Dark Horse Part of Loyalty Program for New Credit Card 'Payment Device'

• Posted by Johanna on April 20, 2012 at 2:27 pm
• Category: Comic News

Wow, this press release required some research. If I'm reading it all right, then Dynamics, Inc. is planning to introduce a 'payment device' called ePlate that wants to be a sort of next-generation credit card. Instead of picking a card to pay with based on which points or miles or bonuses you want to earn, you carry this one device, and you can pick different applications/loyalty programs at the time of purchase by pressing a button on the device. The buttons change the data on the card's magnetic stripe. There are only two buttons, but you can swap out which programs they represent by using software available through your online banking website or smartphone.

Dark Horse has signed up as one of the launch vendors, promising a program where purchases lead to digital comic pages. Buy enough, and your pages add up to an entire digital comic. After you collect a certain number of digital issues, you'll be sent 'exclusive physical copies'. Additionally,

Users will be able to earn comic books faster with purchases made at Dark Horse affiliates, sponsors, and retail outlets. At any time, a user can also decide to earn Dark Horse credits instead of exclusive content so that the user can earn any product from DarkHorse.com.

Other launch programs users can choose from include digital trading cards from Upper Deck (that can be collected and swapped for a physical collector card), social games, Toys for Tots donations, and other charity and social networking options.

This is all planning, not actual 'you can buy it now' at this point ' it remains to be seen if customers sign up for the experience (a big word in the publicity) or merchants will support it. It sounds a bit too complicated to me. Anything that promotes itself with this many buzzwords:

ground breaking in the way it links payment devices with unique content and experiences, empowering consumers to engage with brands of their choice

may have an uphill battle ahead of it living up to its promises. Also, since the coverage so far is business-oriented, there's not a lot of information on how much information customers have to agree to share to get the promised rewards. I sense privacy concerns arising out of the greater amount of data promised to vendors. All this tracking and incentive purchasing makes me want to go back to cash.

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Archie Archives Volume 5

It's always a thrill to see this site's recommendations quoted on a graphic novel, as is the case with this latest volume of classic Archie comic reprints, which cites my previous review of volumes 1 and 2.

Volume 5 reprints Archie Comics #15'#18 and the Archie stories from Pep Comics #54'#56, both from 1945 and 1946. That last issue, Pep #56, is historically significant, since it marked the publisher's name change from MLJ Magazines to Archie Comic Publications. Also different in this book is how much of the art is done by Bill Vigoda instead of Bob Montana.

Readers likely won't notice, though, since the cast has that old-fashioned humorous approach we've seen throughout these early issues. Even though they're wearing out-of-date looks, many of the situations are familiar: Archie stumbles all over himself at a costume party. Veronica teases him (and the readers) with some sexy outfits. Archie tries out for a sports team, tries to get a band for the dance, or adopts a monkey. (That one's a little weird.) Reggie uses ventriloquism to get Archie in trouble. Archie wants to date the new girl in town or runs for class president.

What's a bit more unusual is the presence of a couple of stories that aren't focused exclusively on the teens. One early story shows Archie's dad as a hypochondriac, while another sends him golfing (with Archie as idiotic caddie). The stories about the girls have them often competing, but it's not always over Archie. Instead, they sometimes battle over who can meet a visiting star or baking a cake.

Other tales are poignant reminders of the time, with one story featuring Archie trying to cope with a blackout. Another has him try to sell using a horse and cart to Veronica by talking about how patriotic it was not to use gas. Overall, the humor here is very similar to modern-day Archie (without as much romance), but the look is very much of its time, with more exaggerated takes on the characters.

The book includes the fashion pages (which at this time were ads for patterns readers could order through the mail), puzzle pages, text stories, and Archie-related ads. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

Good Comics Out April 18

It's the revenge of the single issue, as this week has more out than typical for me!

My favorite discovery was Resident Alien #0 (Dark Horse, $3.50), which I reviewed this weekend, while my most anticipated is the return of Linda Medley's Castle Waiting! Issue #16 ($3.95) is out from Fantagraphics, and I hope it begins a long and enjoyable run of the title. Here's some more information from Kim Thompson.

On the superhero side, I've been enjoying Wolverine and the X-Men #9 (Marvel, $3.99). And perhaps it's shallow of me, but I'm going to try Defenders #5 again because there's a Walt Simonson Variant Cover (Marvel, whatever your retailer will charge).

Autobio readers will want to be sure to check out Harvey Pekar's Cleveland (Top Shelf, $21.99). Back when Flashmob Fridays was running, I posted my reactions to the title as part of that roundup; the short version is that it's a great book and a particularly good introduction to Pekar's flavor of comics, blending his life memories with thoughts on his hometown. Artist Joseph Remnant is very well-suited to the material. Publishers Weekly has more background on how the book came about.

For history buffs, Archie Archives Volume 5 (Dark Horse, $49.99) brings new comedy adventures of the classic teen boy.

Horror fans, it's bonus time for you. I enjoyed the stories in Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest (Dark Horse, $17.99) and the illustrations Becky Cloonan added to Dracula: The Illustrated Novel (Harper Collins, $17.99). For more vampires, Matt Maxwell brings us Strangeways: The Thirsty (Highway 62 Press, $17.95). His first book in the Western/horror series was Strangeways: Murder Moon, which tackled werewolves.

I'm not sure where to categorize The Shark King (Toon Books, $12.95) by R. Kikuo Johnson ' it's a fable/monster/fantasy/kid-grows-up story, but regardless, it's lovely to look at.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Bakuman Manga End Announced; 10 More Books to Go

There are 10 books in the Bakuman series out in the U.S. so far, and I've been enjoying them. Now, via ANN, comes news that the creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata have announced that their last chapter will be published in Japan next week on April 23.

The final book will be Volume 20, on sale in their home country in July. So, as Americans, we're only halfway there, with plenty more books to come before we see the end. I'm glad to know an end is in sight, but it's still far off.

Similar Posts: Viz Releases Bakuman 4 Digitally Before Print to iPad Users Only § From the Mailbag January 16: Indy Graphic Novels Are Alive and Well § Freakazoid! Season 2 DVD Announced § Coming Up: Manga Due in May 2010 § Top Shelf on Sale!

The Post-Superhero Era: The Protagonist as Celebrity or Consultant

For years, the advice to aspiring young creators has been, 'Don't create superheroes. DC and Marvel have that market locked up. Do your own thing.' That advice seems to be sticking, with plenty of new, exciting titles launching recently that avoid creating yet more musclemen and babes in spandex fighting for justice.

Superheroes used to be wish fulfillment, but for the past couple of decades now, it hasn't been fun to dream of that. Too many stories have focused on the downsides and the crippling responsibilities, taking all the enjoyment out of imagining yourself with superspeed or the ability to fly. So what are we imagining now, based on the new titles launching? In many cases, it's one of two things.

Celebrities

The one trend that is driving new superhero comics is hero-as-reality-show-celeb. It's most obvious in the recent Image launch America's Got Powers, which sets up the idea of a superpowered competition show, like American Idol but with fighting instead of singing. (I'm probably the only one who remembers the similar WildGuard by Todd Nauck in 2003.) It makes a certain amount of sense ' we now aim to become famous for being ourselves, perhaps with some kind of talent but mostly through luck and determination, which describes the motivations behind a lot of classic heroes. (AGP, by the way, is drawn by Bryan Hitch, so it looks amazing.)

Also in this category are Supurbia, which is structured after the Housewives shows and, to a lesser degree, Hell Yeah, which introduces superheroes as military heroes, dropping them into our world during action in Kuwait, and then winding up with a dissolute kid who acts like tabloid fodder, hanging in clubs. (The setup is not explicitly compared to a reality premise, but we do see the superhero on a TV talk show.)

Even these superhero books postulate dark forces controlling things behind the scenes. The show structure in AGP is manipulating society in a bread-and-circus, distract-them-with-entertainment fashion. There's a secret agent deep undercover among the neighborhood in Supurbia. That leads into the more common super-factor these days:

Conspiracies

In these stories, the protagonist is a multi-talented individual on the outskirts of a corrupt society fighting for what's right. This is the next-generation wish figure beyond the superhero. Prefigured by Transmetropolitan's journalist Spider Jerusalem, these characters might be burglars or consultants or mercenaries.

The one thing they have in common is they're all super-competent and nearly untouchable. In Jonathan Hickman's Secret, there's a master of corporate espionage who can defeat any security system and knows more than anyone else. He faces off against a powerful law firm who steals and engages in perversion. Thief of Thieves lays the achievement out in the title. Saga sets its runaways in a science fiction world, but they're still eluding the established justice system to live life on their own terms.

The difference between these guys and the old-school heroes is that they're fighting for what they see is right, often against their society instead of for it. They follow more in the mode of Bogart than Batman. Sometimes, they just want to be left alone. They're throwbacks to the superhero root of vigilantes that sprung up to give readers a sense that there's someone out there who can battle the entrenched special interests who seem to be beyond the law.