Archive for category sequential art
Frank Santoro on Cold Heat, Comics Comics
Posted by admin in art, comics, Literature, pop culture, sequential art on November 5, 2008
Frank Santoro is a Pittsburgh-based artist who first became known in 1995 for Storeyville, a “perfect match of form and content” that was re-released in 2007 by Picturebox. More recently he has collaborated with Ben Jones on Cold Heat where the two storytellers are “applying Jones’s surreal, biting prose to Santoro’s elegant yet dynamic renderings”. Many folks will also recognize Santoro for his rather passionate opinions about comics and storytelling in general as shared at the group blog, Comics Comics. Through such efforts as Cage Match at the blog, as Santoro recently noted: “It was—and remains—our hope that people care enough about comics to take a stand, one way or the other. To get involved, to build a dialogue that will help create an emotional as well as intellectual foundation for the comics of the future.” This email interview took place soon after the initial David Heatley Cage Match, but before Heatley responded to critics (and the ensuing comments section from hell).
Tim O’Shea: If you had the chance to tell Heatley in person what you thought of this work, would you be this passionate? In asking this I’m not implying you would not have the guts per se to say these things in person, but rather the written word allows nuances and complexities lost in standard conversation. You were excited about his potential five years ago, but now feel far differently. Do you think Heatley squandered his talent and failed his potential–or that you were mistaken in seeing potential in his efforts in the first place?
Frank Santoro: I might not be so “passionate” but I plan on being honest. I’ve known him for years. He’s a nice guy. I don’t think he’s squandered his talent but I do wonder, openly and in a public forum, what the big deal is about his work. Why does it get so much attention? I think it has more to do with David’s “provocative” themes and his careerist approach to the new “graphic novel” landscape within the publishing industry than it does with how sound his comics are.
Stuart Moore & Joe Harris on Nightmare Factory: Vol. 2
Posted by admin in comics, Literature, sequential art on November 3, 2008
A few weeks back, I got my hands on an advanced copy of The Nightmare Factory: Volume 2 (Fox Atomic/HarperCollins). As described by the publisher: “The mind-bending universe of horror master Thomas Ligotti awaits in another graphic adaptation of his haunting work … Four more of Ligotti’s arresting tales are adapted into fine graphic literature by famed creators Stuart Moore, Joe Harris, Vasilis Lolos (The Last Call), Bill Sienkiewicz (Elektra: Assassin), Toby Cypress (Killing Girl), and Nick Stakal (Criminal Macabre: My Demon Baby), featuring all-new introductions to each story by Thomas Ligotti.”
With the help of HarperCollins’ Greg Kubie, I was able to get in contact with both Moore and Harris for email interviews to discuss the book. First off, we’ll begin with Moore. Here’s his official bio (via his must-read blog, Pensive Mischief): “Moore has been a writer, a book editor, and an award-winning comics editor. His recent writing includes Iron Man (Marvel Comics), The 99 (Teshkeel), Firestorm (DC Comics), the original science-fiction series Earthlight (Tokyopop) and PARA (Penny-Farthing Press), and the prose novels American Meat and Reality Bites (Games Workshop). He was a founding editor of DC’s Vertigo imprint, and has also edited the Marvel Knights and Virgin Comics/SciFi Channel comics lines. Stuart lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, author Liz Sonneborn, and three of the most spoiled cats on the planet.”
Tim O’Shea: In adapting someone else’s prose for graphic novel, how hard is it to find your own voice while maintaining the spirit of Ligotti’s work?
Stuart Moore: I don’t do a lot of comics adaptations, but I always find them interesting. You exercise different writing muscles, and it makes you think differently about the way you construct your own comics.
With the Ligotti books, I don’t really worry so much about finding my own voice. These are really beautifully crafted stories, and I always try to keep as much of the original prose as I can. The trick is to figure out how to make each individual piece work in comics form. It’s a challenge, because in their original form, these stories rely much more on interior narrative and moody prose than on dialogue.
Jeff Parker on Giant Size X-Men: First Class
Posted by admin in comedy, comics, sequential art on October 27, 2008
Jeff Parker is a damn fine storyteller in my book. Well not my book, because I don’t have a book. But with Halloween fast approaching, Parker and company have put together Giant-Size X-Men: First Class #1 (set to hit your store this Wednesday) with a Halloween theme. As detailed by Marvel: ” Just in time for Halloween, The Beast starts conducting investigations into his own “X” files around the world! Are there aliens among us- or things even weirder? Featuring special guest-star artists and classic material too! And emboldened by the safety net of Nowlan inks, Parker even drew the cover!” As noted by Parker at his fun-lovin’ site, Parkerspace, Comic Book Resources has a preview of the book here. I was able to snag Jeff for a brief email interview recently, which is always fun for me. This blog would not exist were it not for Jeff’s encouragement and support, so I’m always happy to throw back some support his way.
Tim O’Shea: How did the Giant-Size X-Men: First Class with Halloween theme first get developed?
Jeff Parker: Me. I love Halloween specials, as might be obvious from the Monster-Size Hulk with the Frankenstein monster that came out this month. And my cool editors were fine with doing another special.
Mike Raicht & Scott Cohn on Army of Darkness
Posted by admin in comedy, comics, sequential art on October 26, 2008
This Wednesday will see the release of Dynamite’s Army of Darkness #14. To find out what’s going with the series, I caught up with series writer Mike Raicht and artist Scott Cohn. I had the pleasure of meeting the creators at the recent Baltimore Comic-Con and from that meeting we were able to conduct this email interview.
Tim O’Shea: Am I correct in thinking that starting with issue 14, the focus will be a little less humor and little more horror? Or is humor too crucial an ingredient in any AoD story?
Mike Raicht: Starting with issue #14 we will be going a bit “darker”. However, Ash will still be Ash. His humor and outlook on being a Chosen One is crucial to the book and that will always remain. At least I hope. But the situations the book unleashes on Ash will be more horror oriented. The Book of the Dead has basically ruled Ash’s life for a long time now. So much so that Ash has kind of accepted his fate. He is the Chosen One and his job is to protect humanity from the horrors unleashed by the Necronomicon.
Mike Cavallaro on Loviathan, Parade and More
Posted by admin in comics, pop culture, sequential art on October 15, 2008
When I set out to interview Mike Cavallaro, I knew a little bit about him. But I’ll be the first to admit I was surprised at how much I did not know about him and his career to date. Some folks may recognize the name from various projects he has worked on, but once we got into the email interview questions, it pleasantly surprised me just how deep his industry experience goes. When I contacted him for the interview in the first place, he quickly brought me up to speed on his current projects: He recently put the finishing touches on the Parade (with Fireworks) 72-page trade paperback, due out in November from Shadowline/Image Comics. As noted by Cavallaro: “PARADE originally debuted on ACT-I-VATE, our webcomics site, and was serialized there weekly in 2007. Shadowline picked up on it pretty early in the run, and released it as a two-issue limited series that was later nominated for a 2008 Eisner Award for ‘Best Limited Series’ (Gerard Way’s UMBRELLA ACADEMY won).”
He is currently working on Foiled, a 160-page graphic novel, with author Jane Yolen for First Second Books–a project that he’s penciling, lettering, inking and coloring. “I’m also penciling and inking a co-created six-issue limited series written by J.M. DeMatteis for IDW titled, ‘The Life And Times Of Savior 28′,” said Cavallaro. “My work on LOVIATHAN also continues for ACT-I-VATE. LOV is my superhero-sci-fi-fantasy-romance homage to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby comics that I love, and is serialized weekly online.” And if that’s not enough for ya, he also has been doing some coloring work at Marvel. And with that substantial ground covered, on with the interview.
Tim O’Shea: Back in February 2008, you wrote at the First Second blog about working in the Deep Six Studio: “I’ve worked off and on at my own desk or at various studios here in NYC for almost 15 years, but this past spring I took a slightly different step. I rented a separate workspace with five other artists and moved my old art table in, along with a pile of the usual art-making stuff.” You touch upon it in the post, but I’m curious how much has your work–and to a larger extent–has your career been boosted by the experience?
Mike Cavallaro: I’m not sure I would currently have a career in comics if not for Deep Six and ACT-I-VATE, the two things being difficult to separate for me.
Paul Sizer on BPM
Posted by admin in comics, Music, pop culture, radio, sequential art on October 6, 2008
Paul Sizer can always rely on me to be a major supporter of his work. One of his trade collections for Little White Mouse features a foreword by me. I was a beta tester on his latest book, BPM. The only thing I like more than reading Sizer’s work is when I get to interview him. Before jumping into the interview, though, let’s get the basic info on BPM.
“BPM is a full color 96-page graphic novel written and drawn by Paul Sizer (LITTLE WHITE MOUSE, MOPED ARMY graphic novels). The graphic novel will contain the main story, plus a comprehensive sketchbook section and detailed playlists and notes. Plus, the book will also be linked with iMixes from the Apple iTunes website that provide a ‘soundtrack’ to accompany the book, as well as playlists for each of the main DJ characters, showing each person’s musical tastes.
“‘B.P.M.’ is Paul Sizer’s love letter to the music he loves. In combining the story of a young DJ with the power of computer enhanced artwork, Paul’s goal is to merge his love of comics and his love of music into a moving, dynamic story of passion, motivation and hard choices over following one’s creative dreams. Paul has challenged himself as a writer and artist, using new techniques to tell this story. Combining his art with hundreds of photos he’s taken in New York, Paul has worked to make “B.P.M.” a unique visual experience as well as a thoughtful and engaging story that transmits the raw power and inspiration that music can generate.
“‘Roxy spins records in dark clubs and small bars, hoping to make a name for herself as a DJ in the complex and demanding club culture of New York City. She stumbles across Robie, a burned-out former superstar DJ, who shows her how to rise to the next level of her art. As Robie’s mentoring begins to elevate Roxy’s career, she must choose whether to follow her heart or the beat of the music she loves. Looking for the ‘perfect beat’ is a long and demanding journey. Which path will Roxy choose, and what will she have to leave behind?’”
Once you read the interview, be sure to visit Sizer’s site which takes the concept of multimedia to its fullest extent. He taps into every form of media except reel to reel and HD, I think. The book is listed in October’s Previews (OCT084169) and will be available in stores by November. You can also buy the book via myriad links at Sizer’s site.
Baltimore Comic-Con: Yep, I’m Going… As Part of My Honeymoon
Posted by admin in comics, pop culture, sequential art on September 25, 2008
When I first met Baltimore Comic-Con Big Cheese Marc Nathan a few years back, at Heroes Con, he and I spent a good part of the night discussing baseball. Nathan spent a number of years working PR for the Baltimore Orioles organization–the man knows baseball almost as well as he understands the comic book industry. So when I read this week that Jim Lee was going to be throwing out the first ball at tomorrow night’s Orioles game, I was not too surprised. And with any luck, I’ll get to see that first pitch tomorrow night. After missing the con for a few years, I’m happy to report I am making it this year. The con is kicking off my delayed honeymoon–and this was my incredible wife’s idea. No I am not joking. I am merely a lucky man who married beyond what he deserves (and who is grateful for it).
Here are the official details on the panels for the con.
Baltimore Comic-Con: Yep, I’m Going… As Part of My Honeymoon
Posted by admin in comics, pop culture, sequential art on September 25, 2008
When I first met Baltimore Comic-Con Big Cheese Marc Nathan a few years back, at Heroes Con, he and I spent a good part of the night discussing baseball. Nathan spent a number of years working PR for the Baltimore Orioles organization–the man knows baseball almost as well as he understands the comic book industry. So when I read this week that Jim Lee was going to be throwing out the first ball at tomorrow night’s Orioles game, I was not too surprised. And with any luck, I’ll get to see that first pitch tomorrow night. After missing the con for a few years, I’m happy to report I am making it this year. The con is kicking off my delayed honeymoon–and this was my incredible wife’s idea. No I am not joking. I am merely a lucky man who married beyond what he deserves (and who is grateful for it).
Here are the official details on the panels for the con.
Three Questions for Dean Haspiel
Posted by admin in art, comics, pop culture, sequential art on September 22, 2008
Few storytellers have as rich a career as Dean Haspiel has experienced before his 40s. As unique as his career may be, his current creative efforts are even more intense and busy. How busy? The guy has five different links for his myriad projects. Here’s his offical bio at present (I’m sure he’ll add another project sometime soon, though…in addition to the Marvel upcoming work he discusses in this interview): “Dean Haspiel is the creator of the Eisner Award nominated, BILLY DOGMA, and the webcomix collective, ACT-I-VATE, and the editor of Smith Magazine’s NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR anthology. He has drawn superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics and Pulitzer Prize winning, Michael Chabon’s THE ESCAPIST. Best known for his collaborations with Harvey Pekar on AMERICAN SPLENDOR and THE QUITTER, this Fall will see the release of THE ALCOHOLIC [Vertigo] {To be exact, THE ALCOHOLIC goes on sale this Wednesday, September 24}, his original graphic novel collaboration with author Jonathan Ames, and MO & JO, a children’s comic book collaboration with underground legend, Jay Lynch, for Francoise Mouly’s TOON BOOKS series from Raw Jr. This summer Dean launched STREET CODE, a new webcomic series for Zuda.
Dean is a founding member of DEEP6 Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn.”
I have had the good fortune to interview Haspiel in the past. And, over the years, I’ve seen Haspiel’s popularity substantially grow (as well it should) . As I already stressed, he’s a busy man–and always highly in demand on various fronts. So, when I contacted him recently for an email interview, I was grateful for any time he could spare. I could honestly get a one-question interview with Haspiel and be happy. Fortunately, he spared the time to answer three questions. And we covered a lot of ground with those three questions.
Keith Dallas on The Flash Companion
Posted by admin in comics, pop culture, sequential art on September 17, 2008
Keith Dallas and I have some great history, having worked together at Silverbulletcomicbooks.com (now ComicsBulletin.com) for a few years. Dallas was (and is) one of the nicest guys I’ve met in my travels through the comic book journalism dog and pony show. I consider myself fortunate to have get to do some mild copy-editing (once Dallas writes or edits something, there’s not much to edit to be honest) on his new book, The Flash Companion. Described by publisher TwoMorrows Publishing as detailing “the publication histories of the four heroes who have individually earned the right to be declared DC Comics’ “Fastest Man Alive”: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. With articles about legendary creators SHELLY MAYER, GARDNER FOX, E.E. HIBBARD, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, ROBERT KANIGHER, JOHN BROOME, ROSS ANDRU, IRV NOVICK and all new interviews of HARRY LAMPERT, CARMINE INFANTINO, CARY BATES, ALEX SAVIUK, MIKE W. BARR, MARV WOLFMAN, MIKE BARON, JACKSON GUICE, MARK WAID, SCOTT KOLINS, among others, THE FLASH COMPANION recounts the scarlet speedster’s evolution from the Golden Age to the 21st century. Also featured are “lost covers,” never before published commission pieces by Flash artists throughout the decades, a ROGUES GALLERY detailing The Flash’s most famous foes, a tribute to late artist MIKE WIERINGO by Mark Waid, a look at the speedster’s 1990s TV show, and “Flash facts” detailing pivotal moments in Flash history.” I was really excited to get a chance to interview my old pal, Keith, and I hope you enjoy our email exchange.
Tim O’Shea: In listening to the TwoMorrows podcast interview, I was interested to hear that, while the book covers Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West and Bart Allen as well as the Rogues Gallery, you admit there was some of the book that had to be edited out for space. How did you go about deciding what ended up in the book and what was the hardest aspect to trim out of the book?
Keith Dallas: When I pitched The Flash Companion to John Morrow [TwoMorrows' publisher], I gave him a detailed outline of all the Flash material (articles, interviews, sidebars) that I wanted the book to include. When you think about the publication history of The Flash, there is a lot of “no-brainer” material, like spotlights on Carmine Infantino, John Broome, Julius Schwartz, Cary Bates, Mark Waid, etc., etc.
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