oktober unbounded

Came across a few interesting comic book-related things of note today for this month's schedule.

First is a release for Radical's The Last Days Of American Crime, from Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini. This reads like the first in a new directional wave for Radical Publishing. And Tocchini is one of those artists of recent years who evolves rapidly, to the point of having a very polarizing effect on readers in general in the love him or curse him manner. However, I know through a mutual friend that this particular book has been a true labour of love for him, with actual production having began almost five long years ago. This book will be gigantic for all parties involved, I have no doubts.

Second, IDW has officially solicited GI Joe: Snake Eyes #1, from actor Ray Park and my friend Kevin VanHook. Kevin snuck back into comics a couple of years ago, but this story will be the one to make folks acknowledge his return fully. Not just because of Park, who portrays the character in the otherwise disgusting live action film, is co-writing, but because of the total package. IDW is aiming to breathe serious extant life into the franchise with more than a couple big name talents in the coming year, but from what I gather this mini series will be the cornerstone in many fun ways.

Third, Dark Horse announced a Bruce Campbell action figure, to tie in to the My Name Is Bruce b-movie par excellance. Twelve inches of campy goodness. I wish I was making such a thing up.

And finally, Steve "the DUDE" Rude is unveiling his brand spanking new website here. I've been lucky in talking with Steve and ladylove Jaynelle online a little bit earlier this year. They also host an awesome online store (via their site as well as through ebay), with Steve pounding away on commissions right now. Despite his professional background and master master master craftsmanship, he is one of the many of us who is enjoying the fruits of our glorious economy. A wacky guy and every bit as cool as the crazy stories one can unearth in the kinds of circles I increasingly find myself in. To see the best damned rendering of Doctor Strange that's been done in years, check out his website, please.

quote

I have had stuff pulled for many sites before, from outright quotes to links to even reviews reposted in full, all from reviews and interviews I've done. Earlier this year, the trade collection of Ape Entertainment's Super Human Resources had my quote on the back, which was super cool for me. The book's author, Ken Marcus, even sent me an autographed comp copy.

Yesterday, I received in the mail three copies of Accent UK's Whatever Happened To The World's Fastest Man? one-shot. I knew the writer/co-publisher, Dave West, had loved my review before, but I was unaware that he had snuck a line from said review onto the back cover of the actual comic. (I had reviewed a pdf version- not my preference of course, but shipping costs something, I know....) Absolutely made my damn day. I hear tell of at least three other books which might be quoting me soon as well, but this is a kick in the pants for me all in all. It's one thing if a line of mine ends up on press releases, or a review is linked and/or quoted on a publisher's website, but hard copy quotes are fantastic, and extremely flattering.
Especially when on books I honestly dug.

Hercules Kush'd

Hercules: The Knives Of Kush #'s 1-3

Written by Steve Moore
Illustrated by Cris Bolson
Lettered by Todd Klein
Coloured by Doug Sirois
Edited by Renae Geerlings
Character (& Logo) designed by Jim freaking Steranko
Published by Radical

In issue one we meet Hercules and his allies- Iolaus the Charioteer (and general narrator for the series), Meleager and Atalanta the hunters, and Autolycus the thief, as they make their way from hard adventuring in Thrace only to be attacked at sea by the pirate Caunus. Diving straight into the action, the pirates are fought off at the cost of the band finding themselves aboard a literal sinking ship, forcing Hercules and company to swim for the approaching shore of Egypt. Stumbling upon a raiding party in action, the heroes pick the right side, at once endearing themselves into the service of the Pharaoh's employ while finding enmity with the assassins guild known as the Knives Of Kush.
In issue two the plot speeds along, as the Pharaoh- currently in a bloody civil war with his half brother- requires Hercules to spy on his own temples so as to find the source of the information leaks that are resulting in the loss of much blood and many lives. Visiting an old necromancer friend of Autolycus, the heroes uncover clues to the apparent network of duality while defending one of the Pharaoh's wives from a surprise attack by the Knives Of Kush. This secret society is bigger and more powerful than anything the good guys were expecting, their sorcerous leader allied with the Pharaoh's power-hungry half brother. To deal with the looming threat, the Greeks are moved to the frontlines of the upcoming full on assault, to face down impossible odds.

And now issue three, on sale at the end of this month (with gnarly covers by both Clint Langley and Daryl Mandryk), explodes as the middle of the five-issue Hercules: The Knives Of Kush series delivers more meat than many of the books from the larger publishers out this month. Moore writes like a pulp serial gone mad on speed, allowing the action to move the story in breakneck fashion. So much happens in these issues, the flow is fantastic to digest. Page turner, all the way. Bolson displays the dynamic realism of the battlefield in such a manner that every single page is incredibly atmospheric and dense. Limbs are forcefully removed, faces are ripped off by clubs, and enough thought is put into all of it so that afterwords the victors slump a bit, their world seeming all the more brutally real for the reader. And the ethnic and cultural differences are observed well by the raiment, etc, meaning actual research went into the production of this comic! The Egyptian women especially are easy on the eyes. Very solid stuff, and all of it brought home by Sirois, whose palette infuses every frame with ghostly auras of soul. I know most colouring is handled digitally nowadays, but so many of the scenes in these issues were like gorgeous watercolor paintings. This art is beautiful, really beautiful. I want to see Bolson and Sirois work together again after this story wraps.
Thus far, this mini should greatly appeal to fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy genre materials. The plot is carried very constructively well, and the characters have great banter. And the art, like with many of the Radical books I have seen, is of an insane level of quality. However, the fights and sexual innuendos are all a bit expressive at times, so if you are looking for something withwhich to win over your stodgy fundamentalist grandmama then this might not be it. But if you like smart, action-rich adventure then by the gods hunt down copies today.
In all seriousness, Radical gives damn good comic. Check them out now.

http://www.radicalcomics.com/

Wonder Woman Day IV updates...

Announcing now the FINAL Guest List for Wonder Woman Day IV in Portland.
What a spectacular group!
Thanks to everyone who agreed to come to share their time and talent!


Sunday, October 25, 2009 -- 12noon-6pm -- FREE
Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon
A part of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

SPECIAL GUESTS SIGNING (with FREE Prints):

Gilbert Hernandez from noon-6pm (Love & Rockets, Luba, Palomar)!
Jaime Hernandez from noon-6pm (Love & Rockets, Penny Century, Locas I & II)!

Paul Gulacy from noon-3pm (Batman, Star Wars, 007, Master of Kung Fu)
Anne Timmons from noon-3pm (Go Girl!, Graphic Classics, Star Trek)
Steve Dorris from noon-3pm (onsite caricatures of YOU as a super-hero)

Gail Simone from 3-6pm (Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Welcome To Tranquility)
Aaron Lopresti from 3-6pm (Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Excalibur, Ms Marvel)
Ron Randall from 3-6pm (Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Outsiders, Star Wars, Trekker)

AMAZING AMAZON - A Wonder Woman Art Event

A part of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month and a precursor to WONDER WOMAN DAY on October 25, 2009. Amazing Amazon is an ALL AGES benefit and celebration for Bradley-Angle House, Raphael House of Portland, and the Portland Women's Crisis Line.
Gallery Exhibit from Thursday, October 1 to Saturday, October 24, 2009 (FIRST THURSDAY ARTIST RECEPTION - October 1, 6-9pm) at Lara Sydney Framing Gallery, 1230 NW Hoyt St., Portland, OR.
Artists from Portland and worldwide celebrate the strength, power, and grace of the world's most iconic super-heroine...Wonder Woman!

ATTENDING artists at First Thursday Reception: Paul Gulacy, Anne Timmons, Ibrahim Moustafa, Keith Tucker, Matt Grigsby, Rich Ellis, Dylan Williams, Celina Hernandez, Mike Murphy, Jesse Hamm, Emi Lenox, Aaron McConnell, Ron Chan, Knate Carter, Tram Ngo, and Terry Blas. Plus Wonder Woman Day organizer and best-selling author Andy Mangels.

Exhibiting Art at the gallery from:
Alex Ross -- Aaron McConnell -- Anne Timmons -- Bob Prodor -- Celina Hernandez -- DJ Jackson -- Dylan Williams -- Emi Lenox -- Ibrahim Moustafa -- Jesse Hamm -- Keith Perkins -- Keith Tucker -- Knate Carter -- Linda Chartier -- Lynne Anderson -- Mark Bloodworth -- Matt Grigsby -- Maureen Gubia -- Mike Murphy -- Mike Pascale -- Natalie Nourigat -- Nicole Falk -- Paul Gulacy -- Rich Ellis -- Rob Jones -- Ron Chan -- Ryan Odagawa -- Terry Blas -- Todd Moniz of Thunder Road Laser Graphics -- Tram Ngo - and Others!

For more information, see
http://www.wonderwomanmuseum.com/WWDay4/WWDay4.html

gas station coffee

Too blasted tired to be jumping at shadows.

And she may as well have never even existed.

This life is like all the others.

the mountain comes to mahound

Strange day, accomplishing all manner of things...

I am lining up some curious projects for the rest of the year, with a few interviews in the works, a troika of prose stories to finish, and a couple of gigantic things that will demand much of my time but will result in buckets of fantastic.

Yesterday was the mountain, today I get the view beyond.

I like it very much.

nein

9 years ago today, my sister Rebecca was murdered. A few days later I sang this song at her burial...

jesus hates something

Jesus Hates Zombies Lincoln Hates Werewolves Vol. #3 is finally out! This is an obsessively fun trip of a strip, even if some folks currently think zombies are overplayed. Stephen Lindsey and Daniel Thollin just want to show off how much Lincoln hates werewolves and Jesus hates zombies. In honor of hate everywhere, I have really been looking forward to this one since reviewing the first two volumes awhile back.

I like what Peter Simeti does with Alterna Comics. They are not afraid to test the waters with some real imagination. From Bret Herholz's witty and perfect gothic mysteries to Michael Bracco's "Saturday afternoon" science fiction, to this insane stories of the Second Coming being overshadowed a bit by the undead, every book of Alterna's holds up strong, no matter the genre. And what certain unnamed publishers and marketing persons could really learn from Alterna is how approachable their entire crew is, from creators on up to Simeti himself. And their creators tend to linger for multiple projects, which means minimum of assfuckery as seen among such publishers as BlueWater, A First Salvo, Atomic Pop, Platinum Studios, Zenescope, The Dabel Bros., etc.

Check out their website for order info and other swell miscellanea: http://www.alternacomics.com/

...and I would be more than happy to portray Jesus in the film!

Jaymes Reed's Lander 1

Lander #1

Created, designed, written, lettered & packaged by Jaymes Reed
Illustrated by Lee Melton & Philipp S. Neundorf
Published by Haley's Comics/indyplanet
Reviewed by Richard Caldwell

Under a cool cover by series regular Andrea ASH Peron, Jaymes Reed takes us right into the worlds of poor Haley, the girl who died but must prove her spiritual weight before she can cross over to whatever the higher powers have in store for her. Lander is science fantasy, to be sure, with a solid dose of the original Twilight Zone and a hint of Touched By An Angel (or even Highway To Heaven, which was the obvious original inspiration behind the better-known television series of angels dealing with the problems of mortals). In this first issue of the Lander ongoing, we begin appropriately enough, at the genesis of all that we know.

Mars Lander, the lead story, has our hero Haley land in the body of a woman scientist who must deal with a spiritually torn man who may or may not be in a position to save the Martian population from utter extinction. Melton's art would greatly appeal to fans of 80's Marvel, ala maybe Allen Milgrom. What is lacked in flair is more than compensated by actual storytelling. Competently taking the reader from an alien laboratory to jungle paradise, with the twist ending adding a new spin on an old tale. Thoughtful, old-timey sci-fi.
Everywhen, the backup feature, is a bit moodier of a yarn, involving a dialogue between Haley and a priest and set several hundred years in the past. What is faith? Short of digesting the long answers via such works as Kierkegaard's Fear And Trembling or Watts' The Wisdom Of Insecurity, Haley is given the comforting words of a stranger to help her continue the strange and adventurous life (or afterlife?) that is unfolding before her. Excellent art from Neundorf- definitely on par with Max Douglas and/or Tristan Schane, both supremely underestimated graphic artists who each seem to have fallen off the face of the earth in recent years. Philipp- don't go anywhere- please!

While the artists on this book continue to be distinct in individual voice, one still gets the overall feel of a very nice house style developing, casting Haley, Skippy and their growing list of friends and enemies all in the same universal light. Lander is an incredibly well-written and produced book, and I will continue to endorse the living hell out of it, because I like it very much.

http://www.digital-caps.com/Lander.htm

Newt's Tale

The Precarious Adventures Of Newton Von Brisby

Created, Written & Illustrated by Nicholas B. Myers
Published online via ANA Comics
Reviewed by Richard Caldwell

The Precarious Adventures Of Newton Von Brisby is a new and continuing comic strip from the psyche of one Nicholas Myers, wherein we meet and follow the young boy nicknamed Newt. Seven long years ago, Newt's parents were taken away from him, and he has been searching for them ever since, across the world...and across other dimensions and parallel realities, too.
Having read the first eleven pages/screens worth of story, I was absolutely impressed by the vast levels of imagination in this story of a parentless boy and his peculiar name. A strong intro is given, as we also meet Newt's sidekick Bug, who is a flying, speaking, robotic...well, bug. And as with many of Myers' previous efforts, things are not at all what they seem. This certainly applies to our youthful hero as well.

The visuals are great, black and white art with a very natural flow in spite of the unnatural characters and settings. As with the Harijan series by this writer/artist, the more inhuman and bizarre the subject matter, the more the art sings its own song of intuitive praise for such geniuses as Tex Avery, John Byrne, and Katsuhiro Otomo. I have followed Myers' work, and his growth evidenced in this strip as both a draughtsman and storyteller are phenomenal. His layouts are confident, and his brushy inkwork colors and defines this new world well.
This is the kind of story open enough where almost anything you could possibly imagine just might indeed happen. Though all-ages (with a knowing nod to the readers looking for more experimental subject matters) in general tone, the promise of fantasy, mystery and adventure offered by The Precarious Adventures Of Newton Von Brisby is overall enticing and unique enough to hope to oneday have a few trade collections on the old shelf.

And like all good webcomics, look for updates every week regularly from the guys at ANA.
Although you can see teaser pages in print if you are lucky enough to score a copy of the ANA Previews book, available later this year.

http://www.anacomics.com/

stones are for throwing

Alright, so Wednesday I walked on ComicNews.Info, sending out a mass email chain to all contributors explaining myself.
I was clear that my decision rested on the fact that what I was doing was the bulk of the site's output, and that the constant laziness of more than half of the bullpen was placing me into a series of embarrassing situations, as I was the prime point of contact for a number of editors and marketing persons from different publishers. In addition, as my work was increasingly taking on a more journalistic and details-oriented approach I was doing quite a bit of investigation where concerns some of the more colorful names of the funny book industry. I support small press, and I support creator rights. As such, I felt compelled to use my platform for righting wrongs. A big example of this was the issue regarding BlueWater Productions and its head cheese, Darren Davis.
Two days after leaving the site, Gary took it upon himself to delete all of the comments from artists on both sides of the fence, from the two articles I had written on the matter. In my mind (whether responding to a weightless threat from Davis or not) Gary's actions are the same as saying that he both endorses and enforces mindless censorship, and that at the very least he does not care for the plight of the growing list of writers and artists who have been and are being burned by Davis. Though in truth, I am certain he acted with the express interest of slighting me. In past cases I was always quick to point out that my views were my own and not those of the site (even though I was Managing Editor), as a precaution. And I never wrote anything that could not be proven anyway, so nothing libelous or slanderous whatsoever. Even in my leaving, I explained how my distancing the site would detract my naysayers from targeting ComicNews.Info, as well as remove those around me from getting hit with the guilty by association label. Apparently, my actions were not enough. Why would anybody wish to leave a comment regarding anything there now, knowing that their words can be erased at the whims of the alcoholic and paranoid Editor In Chief?
To my credit, and I hope others realize this, in the four days since my exiting stage left, a grand total of two posts have gone up thereabouts, and both of them press releases.
I had wanted to leave on commendable terms, even contacting over three dozen persons on my email contact list to inform them that I would not be their representative from ComicNews.Info any longer, but that they were still more than welcome to send reviewables and etc to Gary's email (which I also freely provided). I also expressed interest in the option of responding to review/interview requests myself here at my jalopy, so that now the publishers we dealt with can have another set site willing to give attention. In no way have I led anyone to believe that they should just follow me altogether. But the responses I have already received seem to suggest such a thing, and from decent publishers at that. As to be expected, to date I have only heard from a fraction (Gary, Joseph and Tony) of the bullpen concerning my departure.
Make of that what you will.
Things are getting interesting nonetheless, as the future accepts a peaceFISTING from yours truly.

two

This was in my mailbox today, courtesy of Cardboard Gods...

The Last Article?

Optimum Wound Contest Winners Lineup

posted on September 9th, 2009 in news

Announcing the winners of ComicNews.Info and Optimum Wound Publishing’s contest du jour! As you may or may not recall, depending on the number of whiskey bottles you have since let pile up, not too long back we opened the floodgates for our first official contest here at ComicNews.Info. We asked for readers to submit one-hundred (or more) word essays defining what independent comics mean to you. And the responses were unleashed!

So today, we are naming names of the top prize winner and the two runners up, all of whom will receive stuff so cool it might even be illegal! The top three winners were a mighty tough call, so we have decided to run all three essays right here!

First up, let’s here it for Greg Harms of Texas, whose entry is the top prize winner! Greg will be receiving a copy of the debut anthology from Optimum Wound, signed by the entire Optimum Wound strikeforce of Jason Thibault, Richard Serrao, Fiona Ho, and Sean Fidler. Greg will also receive a page of original Optimum Wound art!

From Harms:
“What the idea of independent comics mean to me? Independent comics are the comic industry. They are the soul of the industry. They are the conscience of comics. They can force change in society, they force us to laugh at our own shortcomings, they poke fun at our world and they raise our hopes to heroic levels. They allow a glimpse at new worlds and beautiful lonely places. Independent comics are not hindered by a corporate mentality, or share holders. They speak truth and imagination. They mirror current events and political and social events, all the while asking or telling the reader to come alive if it is worth fighting for. They allow readers to escape a horrible reality if but for a few minutes, to allow hope of better things to spring alive. It is pop culture and underground comics. It is the voice of idealists and clowns. It is something for everyone, without a movie deal or big fat check. It is fun, anger, and sadness, but if the words and pictures were not done, the creators would not feel right and the world would be a little less for it.”

And our runners up, Sean Kleefeld of Ohio and Chris Thorne of California! Sean and Chris will each receive a copy of the anthology book, with each autographed by both Jason Thibault and Richard Serrao!

From Thorne:
What Independent Comics Mean to Me (in 100 words)
“Independent comics mean freedom to tell the stories that people need to hear, not the ones that they are told they want to hear. Indy books mean foul language, nudity, true heartbreak and taboo subjects. I think people making Indy comics are torch-bearers, for today’s great storytellers and artists. All Indy comics are not great, but neither are all mainstream comics. People who take a chance on Indy comics are looking for something different and Indy comics is the media for those stories or that art style that is skewed from the mainstream. Longliveindepedenantcomics.”

From Kleefeld:
“How can I comment on “independent comics” in only 100 words? Personally, I can’t. It’s too broad a topic to summarize. Independent comics are too raucous, quiet, bold, subtle, raw, seasoned, loose, crisp, poignant, divergent, pithy, drawn-out, personal, worldly, frenzied, introspective, crude, thought-provoking, refreshing, aggravating, perverse, enlightening, coarse, refined, literate, graphic, appealing, grating, ground-breaking, reflective, anguished, delightful, and unique to concisely outline.
Independent comics are everything that mainstream ones can’t be. They’re real. Honest. Earnest. The purest form of mass communication. That’s why they can’t be neatly summed up with only 100 words. And how could you not love that?”

Ain’t this fun? And fear not, gunshy readers, more contests are in the works! In the meantime, we at ComicNews.Info would like to thank the gang at Optimum Wound for their participation in this bit of insanity. If you’d like to order your own damn copy of the Optimum Wound Volume One Anthology, you can do so

RIGHT HERE!

http://www.optimumwound.com/

comicnews.info

Earlier tonight, I resigned from ComicNews.Info.

No more Managing Editor, though my column will continue hereabouts, along with my continuing stabs at comic book journalism.
This was completely my call, as I feel I am being drawn naturally towards other endeavors.

Though anyone who has followed the site in recent months might attest that the efforts of the thirteen member bullpen combined had less of an output than me alone. People approach me daily for reviews and interview requests, and I have to keep saying "no" because there is nobody to hand them off to.
I love comicnews.info, I loved my time there, but I feel that my own time is limited and that floating others is not to be found on my list of things to do.
I didn't want to leave on a sour note, but I know there will be some who will see it that way.


It is never my fault if I am the only one in any given crowd who possesses a solid work ethic. I make time for my passions, no matter the hours worked.

Look at me, I'm an adult.

spine

There is not a god damned person in the world I can talk too.

backstepping

http://nilskidoo.blogspot.com/2008/10/good-is-subjective.html

I survived the week. Again.

drawing mazes

...might the fires of purgatory forge my soul like unto a thing of irons?

Not that I believe in souls. or hell, for that matter.

I just like mixing metaphors.


That kind of night.

torquemada myriad

Talking With The Ever Industrious B. Alex Thompson

posted on September 4th, 2009 in interviews

B. Alex Thompson is one of those writer/artist/letterer/editor/packager/publisher guys. You know, the ones that make you look lazy. He speaks here with Richard Caldwell about college girls and zombies and cool stuff like that…

Alex, why comic books?

Good question, Richard. Hell, sometimes I wonder that myself! Long answer- I’ve always done comics, I just didn’t realize it until 1992 when I first really read comics and considered it as an option. I was already writing and drawing stories, I just thought I was preparing for a career in television and movies. So I looked at what I had and what comics were and since I didn’t have a video camera I figured I’d give comics a shot. Short answer- it’s cheaper than making movies and tv, plus you have more control of the final result.

How was Approbation Comics formed? And what was the very first story you put out there before the world?

I assigned my main three personalities jobs (writer, artist, letterer) and we all used pencils, Sharpies, and letter-sized paper to create two very rough and sketchy issues of Vampires Unlimited. Then we decided a novel would be better for Vampires Unlimited and using a more streamlined and animation influenced style we created ten issues of The New York Creatures.

I have heard you say elsewhere that Vampires Unlimited was a trial and error process for you. Up to and throughout that series, who influenced and taught you the most, from your writing voice to your visual style to behind the scenes entrepreneur stuff?

Another good question… [ponders a moment] Up to and throughout that series I don’t think I was influenced by comics much yet besides learning the comic page layout and putting dialogue in bubbles. I’m trying to remember what vampire stuff I watched and read up to that point… but I wanted to make something more hardcore, more action oriented, more modern, and bloody and gore-filled than any of the previous vampire stuff I saw or read before. Vampires were always so prissy, gentle, and romantic. I’m sure a few would be that way, but not all of them. Vampires should be primal, especially when in a feeding frenzy. I love claws and fangs… it irked me that vampires only had two fangs- the upper canines/cuspids. What about the lower set? My vampires had four sets of fangs- the upper canines were the longest and primary, the lower canines are second longest, and the upper and lower lateral incisors which help hold a victim while feeding.
They all had particular lengths depending on if they were used for showing off or threats, actual fights, or just feeding. Same thing with their claws/talons.
Went on a tangent and lost my train of thought! [laughs] Um, influences. Writing up to that point I was a hybrid of so many authors, but I never tried to emulate anyone in particular. I kinda wish I did… that might have helped! Lots of movies, television, and books over the years just funneled through… I wanted to do something that would appeal to people and seem similar, but still be my own thing and different. Visuals, the same way. I wasn’t really particular with being some artistic great, I just wanted to get my story across. I’ve always been a fan of special effects, so Stan Winston was a huge influence (though I wasn’t thinking that at the time). Behind the scenes entrepreneur stuff? No influences whatsoever. I made all that up as I went along. I made basic duplex copies at first, making the comics these huge magazine style things. That irked me. Eventually I figured out how to shrink things on copy machines and arrange them to where I could print out pages, fold them all in the middle, and after stapling on the spine they came out these decent mini comics. Lots of trial and error. Distribution? Local people at school and the addresses I found in the pen pal sections of The Maxx and Wizard magazine.

God I loved the Maxx.
Anyhow, you seem to have a couple of books running right now, from romance to zombies (which makes since, as you and I both know that Louisville is in fact, the zombie capital of the world). Care to elaborate on where the books came from, and where you wanna see them go?

The Maxx was very much the awesomeness! I’ve always wanted to meet Sam Kieth, but never got the opportunity. I was in contact with Bill Messner-Loebs during the Myriad experiment/mini-series and he was very great. He did a back up short in one of those issues, too.
The Evil Inside and Amour were both experiments in short stories. I did ChiSai within the Myriad anthology and I was never satisfied with how that turned out. The stories that were better built for that format were better received, so I wanted to gain that ability, too. I’m naturally drawn to horror and romance seemed like a good challenge to tackle, so that is how those came about. I didn’t have huge aspirations for those… it was mostly a way for me to just try out things with my writing, publishing more, and testing new artists I dug and who were interested in going on the journey with me.
Chaos Campus… [long and amused sigh] Everyone has hyped me up to think Chaos Campus is my “IT” book and that it’ll go far, so now I’m starting to think that way. Well, sometimes. To get to that point I have to be able to mass produce copies, and sadly my income isn’t at the point to get the series out like it should. So to actually somehow bring this back to the point, I’d like to see Chaos Campus as a Diamond distributed set of graphic novels (well, actually there will be trade paperback collections of the POD single issues). From there I’d be happy to make enough to surpass Diamond’s benchmarks as well as make enough to print the next books until the series ends. The series is scheduled for 60 issues/15 TPBs… the art for Act 1 (the first 20 issues/5 tpbs) is almost complete so hopefully that will get attention for the series and even more (hopefully) money coming in. Besides that, whatever happens, will! I’d love a live action movie… I’d really love a cartoon series starring the girls. But the comic comes first and getting out 10 issues of one series is a huge accomplishment for me, let alone 20… and moving towards 60!!!

I read Myriad, and the name really did suit the end product. I would think a mixed bag like that should have more of an appeal, like an “anything goes” sort of thing.
But name drop a bit. Who are some of the folks you are working with right now?

Yeah, turns out people like their anthologies in one genre. Different stories and creative teams AND genres seemed to make people’s heads explode!
Right now on Chaos Campus I’m working with amazing individuals like Daniel Fitz, Kewber Baal, Caio Majado, Paolo Cattelini, and Cary Lee Baker, who bring the girls and their crazy adventures to sequential life. Schimerys Baal with her amazing colors on the series. John Ward who can bring the funny dialogue when I’m completely at a loss. Quinton Bedwell who does our beautiful cover art. I’d also like to mention Ant’juan Avri of Dream Realm Entertainment for letting us borrow his slasher killer, Kurtis Kasey. Dan Schaffer for letting us borrow Violet and the rest of the Dogwitch gang. Mike Lilly for the first TPB cover artwork. And artists Jed Raven, Andy Screen, Louis Bernal, Martheus Wade, Steve Doty, Christian Duce, Josh Cruz, and Michele Buscalferri, who all lent their artistic talents to earlier versions of the Chaos Campus incarnations.

While you stay very very approachable through such sites as comicspace, myspace and twitter, you have been a bit sidetracked from comics more recently, due to some film projects. Are you in a position to share some words to that effect, or are you sworn to secrecy?

Ah, yes, film- one of my first loves! I’m a member of Feathered Italian Films started by Jason Crowe (Dead Moon Rising) and TJ Moreschi. I’m also in good company with “Rockstar” Roni Jonah, Jennifer Convery, James Tacket, Jeff Mitchell, and Avri Apocalypse.
I did a lot of behind the scenes work in “The Legacy” but on screen I was briefly one of the victims chained to the wall that Al Snow’s character, Grim, killed. I had a larger role as Lewis in “Hell House”… that one I can’t say too much about as it is still being cut as we speak. But we’re all really proud of the work we put in on that. I was also in Roni’s short “Trepan” which was good fun. “The Legacy” and “Trepan” both premiered at this year’s Fright Night Film Fest and was well received.

You really are all over the place. Any parting shots before I let you go back to giving Louisville some respectability?

Haha, so many interests and so little time! I’d really like to thank you for having me as this was good fun! I’d like to thank everyone who has supported Approbation Comics, indy comics, indy films, and their local comic shops… and also those who haven’t yet, but plan to! Make sure to order those copies of Chaos Campus!!!
When the zombies hit, you’ll wish you did!

http://www.approbationcomics.com/

the Lottery Party XXX

the Lottery Party: Pirates Of Dark Water 2.0

posted on September 1st, 2009 in columns

I have now personally verified eleven persons who performed a variety of creative functions for Darren Davis and BlueWater, apparently all working for free. Eleven people who wrote and drew and inked stories, mini-series, etc, and who were not paid so much as a single cent. Reasons most often implored are apparently either poor sales in general (which is not a freaking excuse at all), or not enough copies sold.
Let’s take a look at that, at least with regards to a specific case.

I was given permission by a BlueWater artist to post here the contract that he signed.

That’s it, no other pages, and no non-disclosure agreement. The meat and potatoes:
“The page rate to be paid by Darren Davis to artist are as follows…15% of profits. Profits include single issue of the series and percentage will be negotiated for Trade Paperbacks- depending on how many issues the artist contributes to that trade paperback. If the comic sells more than 10,000 copies an extra 10% will be added as a bonus.
Payment will happen 30 days from the day the comic is released in stores. Quarterly reports will be given regarding: trade paperback, foreign sales as well as digital media.”

The series in question was a 4-issue mini released in February, March, April, and May of this year. All issues were completed on time and by deadline.
The excuse given to this artist for late payment was poor initial sales (amount of sales not being a factor in the contract, as a 15% percent presumably regardless of copies sold would be in order). The next phase of excuses explained how the entire series had to be released prior to any payment being issued (a contradiction of what is stated in the contract). Then on to because of poor sales on the mini-series, a trade would be released in the Fall of this year, with an additional chance to sell enough copies so as to warrant pay (while the contract leads one to believe that trade sales would be an addition to pay). Then the emails and phone calls stopped being returned. This was the case for a few different persons in the last year, some incidents going back quite a bit longer.

Darren Davis, if you happen to be reading this, I invite you to contact us here at ComicNews.Info. We will gladly allow you an unedited op-ed piece to present your side in this continuing drama. I mean, you just lost the deal with Ray Harryheusen. How soon before Roger Corman and William Shatner go the same route? And exactly how many creators need to come forward for this to be considered something worth publicly acknowledging?
If multiple persons are reaching the same conclusions though, your case had better be better written than your contracts.

by Richard Caldwell, Managing Turk182
tell me to go to hell via:
richardcaldwell@comicnews.info

torquemada 45

Andi Ewington Talks About His 45

posted on September 1st, 2009 in interviews

Andi Ewington has written a new book for the folks at Com.x. Called 45 because each page is illustrated by not merely a separate artist apiece, but each a stunning master of their craft. To attract such an insane grouping, this story is clearly very special. Here, Andi shares some thoughts with Richard Caldwell about the past, 45, and beyond…

Andi, share with us a bit of your background, have you always wanted to write? Is it a hobby for you, or more on the obsessive end of the spectrum?

I’d say it’s closer to a passion than an obsession. I was about ten years old when I first attempted to publish my own work. I created a Fantasy magazine filled with comic strips and features. I wrote and drew everything in it. It’s laughable when looking back now. Optimistically I tried to sell it at my local corner shop.
Not surprisingly, I failed miserably!
After that, writing took a back seat while I concentrated on drawing (I was okay at it in those days), school work and everything else that interested boys at that age. I was a huge D&D/MERP nut so I lost most of my free time to the genre (I still tend to relax by playing computer games; mainly RPGs like Baldur’s Gate or Fallout). It was around the time I clocked up 120 hours on one game that it became clear how much time I had been wasting! I realized that I could have written a book in the same time. That was the moment my writing career was reborn. I spent the next three years writing a fantasy comedy with my best friend Dennis Johnson. “Limpit Muskin & Company” was like Blackadder meets Lord of the Rings. It was a 250,000-word beast which we submitted to various literary agents and publishers. It received favourable comments but ultimately found no interest.
When I changed jobs two years ago I found out that my employer, Eddie Deighton, also ran a comic publishing company called Com.x with his business partner, Benjamin Shahrabani. I hadn’t considered turning my ideas into comics, and I was relatively uneducated in the field, but Eddie told me that I just had to find the right idea that would resonate with Com.x and they would consider publishing my story. After a few weeks of to-ing and fro-ing with stories, I came up with a concept that Eddie and Ben really dug and my pipe-dream of being published was very real again.

How did 45 come about then, exactly? Was it an idea you had been batting about in your head for awhile?

Actually, 45 was an idea that had only been forming in the back of my mind for several weeks. It started when my wife was pregnant with my son-to-be and we had just come back from our twelve-week scan. I was awash with strange, new emotions and I got to thinking about how cool it would be if my son was born with superpowers (What dad hasn’t!). This was the spark that ignited my idea. At around the same time, I was reading both World War Z by Max Brooks and Marvels by Kurt Busiek. I really loved the way WWZ used transcripts to form the narrative, and how you were able to follow Marvels through the eyes of the main character, who was both mortal and a journalist.
I began to develop a story about a journalist faced with the imminent birth of his child who is potentially carrying a ‘Super-S gene’ which, if it is, would mean it would be born with super-powers. He embarks on a mission to interview a whole spectrum of superheroes in order to accumulate a better understanding of what he could potentially expect from bringing up a child with extraordinary abilities. I roughed out the story arc that followed the main protagonist as he interviewed each of the characters. I pitched the idea to Com.x as a series of superhero transcripts, each placed opposite a single page of comic art. Com.x thought the idea was great and Eddie Deighton (of Com.x) took it a stage further by suggesting I try securing a different artist for each interview, something that neither of us had seen tried before. It was at this point ‘45′ was born.

And the list of artists is spectacular. How much of an undertaking was the search for visual collaborators? Any surprises? Any disappointments?

Yes, you can see that the list is pretty awesome! I keep pinching myself when I think about who’s involved; it seems like a comic writer’s dream. The search for the ‘right’ artists was considerable and, to be honest, I hadn’t really prepared myself for the logistical nightmare that lay before me. Managing forty-five individual pieces of art across a fourteen-month period almost broke me - it seemed like it was going to be relatively easy at the beginning!

I was very fortunate having John Higgins and Liam Sharp onboard almost immediately. It wasn’t long before Ed (Com.x) introduced me to Jock, Charlie Adlard and Sean Phillips and, once they understood the concept behind ‘45′, I had five more top artists under my belt. Just another forty to go! Finding the right people was tricky. I wanted an eclectic mix of established names, others that had moved on to pastures new and undiscovered gems. I’d like to think there’s an art style in ‘45′ for everyone - and one or two surprises where we’ve tempted some really cool names out of retirement. Disappointments? Not at all - I’m totally satisfied with the guys involved. But that’s not to say I haven’t tried for other artists. In comics you have to accept that the timing might not be right, or that talent is committed to other projects or exclusive contracts. Everyone that turned me down had a valid reason for doing so, and would have loved to have been involved. Maybe my timing will be better next time around.

With so many artists involved, were they given somewhat specific character guides to maintain some level of flow, and if so, who handled the design work? Or was everything trusted to the imaginations of the talented roster?

The only real constant within the ‘45′ world is the interviewer, James Stanley. John Higgins’ first interpretation of him became the basis of my style guide. As we progressed with the pages of art, James’ look became more and more defined. I would send out the latest incarnations of the main character as support material for new artists. I was prepared for James to change slightly from artist to artist and I left it up to the artists to determine the individual look for the respective superheroes - something I know they enjoyed. If any superhero appeared in cameos within other interviews then I would supply the relevant character for the artist to follow. Even though I had a visual in my mind for each character I didn’t want to influence their end look, it was important for me to keep my involvement to a minimum, as the purity of the art is a huge part of the appeal of ‘45′.

So you did much of the packaging yourself then? Does the behind the scenes stuff hold any interest for you, or do you see yourself in keeping as more of a storyteller? Also, is it at all possible that the 45 world might someday somehow continue, or do you feel that your story is told as much as it could or should be? And what other projects do you yourself have in the works?

I’ve worked on pretty much every aspect of the book. I’ve slipped back into my natural role as a graphic designer to create the look of ‘45′ and worked up everything from the cover and page layout to the logo. And I’m liaising with some legendary people for quotes and forewords. I’m working closely with Com.x on the PR and we’re currently trying to pull several of the artists together for a ‘podcast’ launch party; they have been totally supportive of ‘45′ and truly unbelievable in keeping me in the loop with things out of my remit. I’m aware of so much now because of them, of how the industry moves as a whole - from distribution all the way through to on-shelf presence.

As for beyond ‘45′, I certainly have plans to push the story further. I want to produce ‘45+1′ which revisits the same characters one year on, and a prequel that digs deeper into the history of the ominous XoDOS. There’s even speculative talk with Com.x about a special one-shot for the best loved character from ‘45′.
For projects away from ‘45′, I’ve already drafted up two further scripts that I’m hoping to pitch at a later date, plus there’s a dozen or so ideas I’ve been mulling over for a while. I definitely want to produce a second book. It’s safe to say I’ve been bitten by the publishing bug!

Do you feel at all spoiled, having been already illustrated by some of the finest artists working today, or does it feel like you have created a hard act for yourself to follow? From a writer’s perspective, and this is something I really wondered about, does the exposure to so many graphic interpretations of your story widen your realm of influence? And what forces outside of comic books have shaped your voice thus far?

That’s a tricky one to answer. I think in truth it’s a little of both. I’ve certainly been spoilt - there’s no denying that - yet equally I’ve had to work very hard to get the talent onboard and maintain a high level of consistency in the quality of what I was writing. There’s been no opportunity to take a few projects to ‘mature’ in my writing style, that’s why it’s been so helpful having Eddie and Ben to watch over me. “A hard act to follow?” - It’s been an absolute honour to work with so many talented people and I’m humbled that they’ve responded so favourably to my story. At the same time, it’s given me incredible confidence and faith in my abilities and has, in fact, spurred me on to write more and better stories. I don’t feel as if I’ve peaked too early - I have a lot more to offer and I hope I get the chance to prove it. As for a widening influence, definitely. You can’t work with so many gifted creators and not be inspired by the quality and diversity of their interpretations. It has helped to open my mind to so many alternative opportunities in terms of where I seek inspiration from. It’s been a truly amazing experience. It’s early days yet to see how exactly I develop from this point - maybe ask me again when I have another five books under my belt!
As for external influences, there are so many, but the ones that stick out for one reason or another are: all things Lord of the Rings (including MERP, the role-playing game); Dungeons & Dragons; Star Wars (the original trilogy, not the inferior prequels); Blackadder (a genius BBC TV period comedy series); The Young Ones; The Office (UK version); Red Dwarf; 24 (TV Series); Life on Mars (UK version); Band of Brothers; Spooks; Leon; Aliens; Fight Club; Terry Pratchett; Max Brooks; Stephen King; Fighting Fantasy books by Ian Livingstone & Steve Jackson; Elite (Old 80’s computer game that I played to death on the BBC Micro B); Fallout (1, 2 & 3); Baldur’s Gate; Music by The Smiths, Radiohead, Unkle, Doves and Elbow. Beyond that, my biggest external influence has to be my son, Zack, who is the inspiration behind ‘45′.

Fantastic. Thanks for taking the time out to speak with us, Andi. Any parting shots?

Thank you for the chance to talk about ‘45′. I’ll be at the Long Beach Comic Con on from the 3rd of October, so if anybody is around then feel free to come down to the Com.x stand to say hello and pick up a few Com.x goodies.

http://www.comxcomics.com/
http://www.thefortyfivecomic.blogspot.com/

years

I realize fully how I am throwing myself headfirst into projects, from comic book journalism to hunting jobs and sitting through demeaning job interviews to my growing list of creative things to do. House chores aplenty. Never sleeping enough or with any regularity in schedule.
I spend whole days just walking around this hellmouth of a town.
September 18th of this year will make nine years to the day since my elder sister Rebecca was murdered. I heard or read somewhere somebody once say, that the older one gets the faster that time goes by. I have to agree with the sentiment. But I feel that no matter how many sunrises I survive, I will always be under that particular shadow. I still hear her voice.
Where the hell does time go? I feel entirely too old for my years.

I feel like this song, The Man Who Told Everything, by the Doves.

the Lottery Party XXIX

the Lottery Party: Pirates Of Dark Water

posted on August 30th, 2009 in columns

No, it has not been two weeks.
I am breaking my self-imposed bi-weekly schedule for this here column, because I feel obligated to speak out on certain troubling matters that have come to my attention. And I do this fully aware that this might well garner the labeling of libel or slander. Up front, the information I present here may not necessarily reflect the views of the rest of the ComicNews.Info staff.

However, when the rights of creators are pulled into question and on the defensive, people should take notice. Many of you have likely heard the horrible tales of mismanagement and questionable bookkeeping practices from companies such as A First Salvo, Atomic Pop, Dreamwave, and more recently- Platinum Studios and the Dabel Brothers. Many a hardworking artist was seriously ripped off by the greed and/or ineptitude of the persons in charge of those publishers. I am adding one more to that group, BlueWater Productions.

By my count, I now know of EIGHT creators (writers, pencilers and inkers), who have not been paid a single cent for their efforts. I am waiting on word from two others. This is not chump change either, with total estimates easily into the tens of thousands of US dollars.
A few days ago I was forwarded several dozen emails, from multiple sources, validating all manner of gossip and rumors that I had been hearing of for awhile now. As I understand the trepidation many artists feel in such circumstances- the fear of being labeled “difficult”, if not outright blacklisting (and yes, it does in fact happen), I will not name any of my sources here, because I have no interest in rocking the boat of anyone other than the transgressor in question. But the things I’ve read…anger-inspiring things about BlueWater’s President, Darren Davis and how he has been conducting himself and his business.
Tales of his lying outright, with my own eyes now having read numerous self-contradictory emails of his. Tales of Davis specifically targeting rookies, even non-US residents, for easier victimization. Duping earnest artists into contracts where payment is backend, relying on number of copies ultimately sold with the chance to pick up the slack via a later trade collection of the works. Only, he has the oft-employed habit of then reneging on a trade altogether, thereby no longer seeing the need to pay anyone anything. And I know of the freelancers who are managing to get paid, many are getting a good deal less than what was originally agreed. I have read accusations of Darren Davis manipulating, misleading and even threatening his employees. Even charging some of his employed creators for their own comp copies of the books they worked on.
Curiously, earlier this year BlueWater announced the signing of an exclusive distribution deal with Diamond. The curious part is that in the months leading up to the arrangement, many of their titles had been dropped from the megalithic comics distributor. Who the hell offers an exclusive AFTER deciding that the books are not selling? Did something funny happen, some offensive deal made to get the line back into the Previews catalogue? Apparently. Other reports sent my way lead me to believe that once the exclusive contract was in place and BlueWater was again with Diamond, some of the titles were refiled from Diamond comics to Diamond books so as to cancel out certain details of the contracts signed by certain of the artists, thereby giving Davis further excuse to withhold payment for services rendered.
But am I having a Marv moment here, seeing things that aren’t there? This is not about just one or two or three of four pissed off creators, this is eight and growing. This does not involve a singular work, but rather entire mini series, entire runs on books. Some of this goes back to the previous companies that Davis ran, with one artist having tried since 2001 to receive a check for work used. And I know of at least one creator who is actively persuing direct litigation, with others throwing around the possibility of a class action lawsuit. Leave enough people hanging, fail to respond to emails and phone calls, and they will knock louder, and bring friends.
So what the hell is my aim, other than pissing on one man’s parade? I want to find the truth, as ugly as it seems to be looking. I want to invite creators to step forward about their treatment by Darren Davis and the duplicitous contracts of BlueWater. I want people to voice out the dollar amounts that are not being paid. I want to publicly embarrass any and all offenders into making the necessary restitution. And I want it to happen fucking yesterday. These artists and creators, most of them have families to fend for, children to feed.

Real men keep their promises, and settle their debts. If you ask me, business dealings like this lot are doing more to kill the industry than overpriced books or egotistical creators or narrow-minded editors. Let’s change this.

by Richard Caldwell, Managing Turk182
tell me to go to hell via:
richardcaldwell@comicnews.info