(Star Wars issue 103 published by Marvel in 1985. Cover art by Cynthia Martin. Stolen from ComicVine.)
Here are some things I found interesting in the world of minicomics, comic books, graphic novels, small press, self publishing, zines, webcomics, cartoons, digital comics, other, etc. during the week ending
"To hell with every greedhead operator who flocked here throughout history because you wanted what we had, but wanted us to go underground and get it for you. To hell with you for offering above-average wages in a place filled with workers who’d never had a decent shot at employment or education, and then treating the people you found here like just another material resource—suitable for exploiting and using up, and discarding when they’d outlived their usefulness. To hell with you for rigging the game so that those wages were paid in currency that was worthless everywhere but at the company store, so that all you did was let the workers hold it for a while, before they went into debt they couldn’t get out of." -Eric Waggoner speaking on the situation in West Virginia and/or the situations the majority of Americans are living in right this second.
- My kitty cat Choo Choo died a while back but this is the first time I've posted since then. I still miss her. She was the best cat. She loved me like crazy. She talked to me and played games with me. She would play hide and seek with me. Death is stupid. One day, probably after I die (I will never die) I will murder Death. I will murder Death dead and no one will shed a tear for that jerk.
- I started this post months ago then things happened. Look, I know you don't wanna know my bizness so I won't go into it. I'll just say that almost everyone in my family has been hospitalized since Thanksgiving of last year. So, I've been busy. It has sucked. Feel sorry for me. Thanks. Whatever. Most of this post was written in the way back times so it will be old news to you. Also, whatever. Look, I don't know why I didn't hit the "publish" button on this sometime back in January. I just didn't. Sorry. Whatever. Hang in there and maybe I'll get back to regular updates with more recent news. Maybe. Whatever.
- Hi frequent readers. Some of you may have noticed that I often (almost always) post videos with no explanation. Some times that is because there is no explanation. They are just dumb videos I liked. Other times, they are there for a very specific reason but I want you to guess what it is. Like, it's this game you and I are playing but only I know we are playing the game. That way, I always win. Sorry. But today I want to post a video and tell you exactly why I posted it. Below is a video from Blake Werts where he talks about minicomics. It is great for a lot of reasons. Werts is charming and has that cool accent. Also, it's about minicomics and I love minicomics. Blake shows off a bunch of physical copies of some fascinating rare comics. (As well as some that are not rare but just too expensive for me.) He does a very good job of making sure the viewer gets a chance to see these comics and put faces with names. But what I like most about the video is that he is not talking to you and I the comics reader. As someone who normally makes videos about records, he is talking to an audience that does not necessarily know anything about minicomics. I feel like we need more of that. We get too insular and sometimes forget how to talk to people that don't already speak the language of comics.
- And here is a follow up if you enjoyed that one.
- Speaking of minicomics... yes, put a price on the dang things!
- Did I tell you guys about this big anthology of minicomics that I'm in that is on sell at Amazon? Well, I am. Go buy it. I bought it. I like it. It's very nice.
- Hey guys, it's time to go register for the Fluke Minicomics and Zine Festival in Athens, GA USA.
- Oh man, sorry pals. Fluke registration filled up in just a few hours. Dang, I probably should have mentioned that in the bullet point up above these words. I might be a jerk. Hey, don't cry. They have a waiting list. I personally DID register for Fluke. I hope to make it. I missed the past two years. It's going to be tight to fit that trip in since it is the day before Easter but I'm working on an elaborate plot to make my children believe that the Easter bunny has been kidnapped by Robert Newsome and the only way I can set things right is to go to Fluke. Again, I might be a jerk.
- Robert Newsome has a new issue of The Atomic Elbow out.
- Josh Latta did some talking words on The Busy Creator Podcast.
- Finally a New Yorker cartoon that made a lick of sense to me.
- Patrick Dean is the best. Go read these comics. Also get super excited about the privilege you will have of buying Patrick Dean comics from Recoil. Also, you can be Ant-Man. Always be Ant-Man.
- Brad McGinty has a bunch of super rad new shirts and stuff. I just got a shirt and those patches. You seriously will not believe how awesome those patches look until you hold them in your hands and look at them with your eyeballs.
- My pal Jeremy Massie now has two issues of his All My Ghosts comic up on comixology. You should buy and read it.
- In a move that was surprising only in that it took this long to announce, Disney has finally made it official that they will move the Star Wars license from Dark Horse Comics to Marvel in 2015. A date that is not all coincidental as the first Disney Star Wars movie is scheduled for 2015. I have mixed feelings about this. I'm a big Star Wars fan and in my own personal connection to Star Wars the Marvel Star Wars comics from 1977 to 1986 are second only to the films themselves. Marvel did a great job with those comics but they were made years ago when Marvel was an entirely different company and there is no reason to expect that any of the people that made those great comics will be involved with the new Marvel Star Wars comics. There is also the fact that Dark Horse has done a good job with the line as well. And that is where one of my main concerns lies. I would hope that talents like John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, for example, would be welcome in Marvel's Star Wars line. That is Marvel's loss if they are not. And the fans' loss too I guess.
- Who knew that when comics finally got its own mainstream celebrity comedy slow motion trainwreck it would be Shia LaBeouf? (UPDATE: Not really an update. When I started this post Shia was still new news. Old news now. But one of the things interesting to me about the whole deal is that Shia is a guy that makes comics. His biggest moment in the public eye however is playing a character that was created by Marvel Comics. Spike/Buster Witwicky was created by Marvel for the comics and the TV cartoon. Not by Michael Bay, Hasbro or any of the companies Hasbro bought the Transformers toys from. But despite the fact that Marvel created most all of the characters of any value in the Transformers franchise, they don't get a penny for anything from those movies. They don't get a penny for the Witwicky characters they created. But Shia does. So yeah, Shia LaBeouf, bane of the comics world, probably has made and will make more money off those characters Marvel created than anyone at Marvel ever did or ever will. Shia is currently worth about $25 million. But hey, at least we got that week or two where people in comics got to feel superior to the millionaire. Comics everybody.)
- Hey guys, guys, guys. Do you like looking at things that are funny and great? Well Patrick Dean has a new tumblr where he gives you illustrated cosplay ideas.
- Also, that wrasslin' book Patrick Dean did the cover for is out.
- Matt Fraction wrote about alcoholism and drug addiction.
Julia Wertz also talked about (and drew about) her issues and other things at Narratively. And, there is going to be a Fart Party Omnibus. - The Doctor Who comics are moving from IDW to Titan. I'm kinda bummed about that. I thought the IDW Doctor Who books were pretty good. I don't know that I've ever held a Titan comic in my hands.
- Yeah, sure, give Bill Finger a Google doodle. Also, go read that Ty Templeton comic.
- I'd like to take second to point you in the direction of the Punching the Clock webcomic. Mainly to point out that Jeff Manley is back on the comic after being away due to some family health issues. I like Manley's style, he's a sweetheart of a guy and he works really hard at comics, family, life etc. Good to see him back at it.
- I wish all history could be delivered in a one panel Rob Ullman cartoons.
- I feel your pain Mike. But on the bright side, at least it's not Jessie.
- "I have learned never to engage with people I don’t already know, as you will likely be wasting hours of your time arguing with some political zealot." Um, well, good luck avoiding the human race. I mean, I guess it gives you more time to draw and color insane looking comics so...
- “...the business in the direct market [the comics shop market] is a much stronger model and try as we might, we have not been able to make the comics newsstand model work for years, I don’t think anyone has.”
- That new Miracleman comic costs way too much and I'm super, super, extremely pissed that it did not come with the digital code at that price but... it's always good to hear that people are going to get paid.
- Must have Howard Chaykin blanket now!
- I really like this Ryan Andrews comic that The Comics Reporter pointed out earlier this week. Reminds me of Josh Simmons and Gabby Schulz.
- This is a world where people cheer when someone gets health insurance.
- Never stop turning the knife. Never let them catch their breath. Never stop kicking them until they stop trying to get up.
- We are all going to die.
- Also dead, the internet.
- Some good advice on 2000AD's submissions page. "THE FIRST PERSON TO SPEAK SHOULD ALWAYS BE ON THE LEFT."
- I want to marry the Baxter Building.
- Can't we just let this be the next Fantastic Four movie?
- One man's space garbage is another man's gold.
- Here is a neat look at Kirby's 2001.
- Retrofit has posted its lineup for its next subscription run. Remind me try to get on board that as soon as I get paid. (Especially since it was my new year's resolution.) Rob at Panel Patter talked about Retrofit's digital expansion. (UPDATE: I did subscribe.)
- I wanted to share a link to the interview Chris Sims had with Mark Waid but that giant transitioning link box thing at the top of Comics Alliance's webpage made me so angry I just gave up on finding the link. The future is stupid.
- I enjoyed this Paul Pope interview at TCJ. I'm a big Paul Pope fan but I have not yet read Battling Boy. I keep bidding on it on eBay and losing. Comics are very expensive.
- So, that Alan Moore interview. First of all, it is not an interview. It is an essay. Or, several essays. And I think I'm done with Alan Moore's essays. Alan Moore is a great comics writer. Is, as in still IS a great comics writer. As in, despite often acting like he is retired from comics, he is still writing new contemporary genre comics. And he is still very good at it. But I'm through with the essays. Let me know when someone draws them as comics.
- There was that day my pal Robert Venditti was mentioned in the USA Today for being a part of the new team on The Flash. No big deal.
- Comics art from the collection of HeroesCon founder Shelton Drumm is on exhibit about 45 minutes from my house. I need to go to that!
- I'm excited that the powers that be have finally decided to take our money for a home video version of the Batman TV show. I'm also excited that I can already watch the show every Saturday night at 7 PM on MeTV.
- Listen, we're all *possibly* Frank Sinatra's son.
- And finally... I don't wanna live in a world without Nintendo.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith
p.p.s. Let's pretend we went to high school together on facebook.
p.p.p.s. Google + is another place you can read the same thing I posted here.
p.p.p.p.s. I'll tumblr for ya.
p.p.p.p.p.s. Yeah, I do Instagram too now. I guess it's a law or something.
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