The Beat |
- A Year of Free Comics: Enter BLACKOUT CITY
- Marvel and PRH address comics retailers in new video
- Baby hybrids arrive in the first SWEET TOOTH trailer
- SERIES REVIEW: Just can’t take it anymore? Consider M.O.D.O.K.: HEAD GAMES!
- Amazon renews INVINCIBLE for two more seasons
- Interview: Adam Philips launches Untold Stories Marketing
- REVIEW: Kick into gear with WITCHBLOOD #2
- INTERVIEW: Ilana Zeffren on how her cats took over her daily comic strip URBAN TAILS
- Fan Expo San Francisco announced for 2022
- THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY BOXED SET collects all three Dark Horse trade paperbacks
- Madefire shuts down leaving several digital comics apps in limbo
| A Year of Free Comics: Enter BLACKOUT CITY Posted: 29 Apr 2021 03:00 PM PDT In Blackout City by Jaye Fabel, over-enthusiastic police secretary Coda Prosy gets embroiled in the mystery of the disappearance of Officer Mykita Merrigo. However, as he contends with poorly constructed robots and the skepticism of his superior officers, he's soon finds that he's in way over his head.
Just how over-enthusiastic is Coda? Several of his superior officers maintain that the secretary must live in the police station. However, Coda becomes somewhat disillusioned when the officers don't commit to solving a certain missing persons case.
The story becomes more complicated when Coda is forced to enlist the assistance of Liren Oh, whose recklessness is better suited to the virtual world than to reality. Although Coda may dream of a world where comic-style superheroes keep the peace, will reality measure up to his expectations?  For more on the characters, check out the Blackout City cast page.  The setting shifts between digital dreams and a rundown reality, and as such, there is plenty of opportunity for visual variety.
So far, there are a full 25 chapters that have been released, so you have plenty of space to get lost in Blackout City. Plus, in addition to reading the comic on Tapas, you can also check it out on the comic’s website, which features a nicely arranged archive of each of the chapters that has been released so far (which are arranged into “levels”).
You'll want to be sure to follow Jaye on Twitter, so you can keep up with all of their latest updates. Will you be checking out Blackout City? The Beat wants to hear from you! Let us know, either on social media @comicsbeat or in the comment section on this page. The post A Year of Free Comics: Enter BLACKOUT CITY appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Marvel and PRH address comics retailers in new video Posted: 29 Apr 2021 01:15 PM PDT
In the month (only a month!) since the industry changing Marvel/PRH bombshell news, we’ve all been absorbing the change and trying to imagine the radically realigned direct market. Meanwhile retailers are dealing with the nitty gritty of shifting to a new distributor for comics periodicals. Today Marvel released a video aimed at comics retailers with Marvel’s president Dan Buckley, and sales and marketing SVP David Gabriel along with Jeff Abraham, president of PRH Publisher Services, and Tyne Hunter, Associate Director of Comic Market Sales at PRH to offer reassurance, some updates, and high video production values to retailers who may still be wondering how this will all work. You can’t really apply the term “shock and awe” to a video of a bunch of talking heads going on about book distribution, but if the net effect was to show that PRH is a huge, giant company that can take almost anything in stride (and has the resources to do so), this video was a step in that direction. Oh, and they also talked about damages! A few takeaways: • Buckley mentioned that PRH will be distributing “all of our ongoing and backlist comic books, trades and graphic novels in the direct market.” Which is a reminder that even though talk about this pact has centered on moving periodical comics away from Diamond, and Marvel’s existing book distribution deal with Hachette was mentioned many times…this deal also covers all the Marvel GNS to the DM. A few comics shops may have moved to Hachette for book industry standard shipping, but they can move right back to PRH. • Abraham was the first high level PRHPS exec to address comics retailers directly (at least publicly) and he was highly complimentary, noting that PRH has been “investing in custom solutions,” and they will offer “a dedicated customer service team and dedicated sales team” along with their brand new warehouse just for comic books. (Word on the street is that PRH is already hiring away a bunch of ex-Diamond employees for their new Maryland warehouse.) • Most importantly (to me anyway), Abraham restated what we’ve been hearing about this deal from the start: PRH sees the direct market as a big growth area and will invest in stores to help them. “Our key focus is to support and grow physical retailers,” he said. “Just as we've seen in the indie book market, your stores, physical retailers, are the places to build around. We know you are a key part of what makes comics so entertaining and successful to fans.” • Hunter had her own version of this, noting that she has been working with direct market accounts for five years. It was only supposed to be a temporary assignment for her, but “I ended up working with you guys and learning from you guys and falling in love with this channel and this market. You are resilient and engaging and some of the most passionate retailers out there.” • Everyone emphasized that if you want to keep working with Diamond, you can. • Comic Book On Sale Day will remain Wednesday for Marvel, as is “hallowed tradition,” according to Gabriel. • Gabriel also reassured stores that PRH will continue to offer all the variants, promotional items and the physical Marvel Preview magazine that they are used to getting. FOC day will still be Monday and PRH’s self-service portal will be available to make things easier. He said they are “working tirelessly” with PRHPS to explain variant covers and all the other elements of the DM PRH may not have been familiar with. Marvel may also launch into new areas of promotion – a hint of the possibilities offered by working with a company the size of PRH.
• Marvel is offering a handsome variant cover (to what?) by John Romita JR as an incentive for both new and existing PRH accounts. • Hunter also wanted to address concerns about damages – and perhaps I am just projecting all my years of attending Diamond retailer summits, but she got a little more serious here because retailers like to complain about damages even more than TikTokers like to talk about KPop. As previously hinted, comics and graphic novels will ship separately, from different facilities in different packages, and they are working on new packaging all to minimize scuffs and dings. “But that said, damages can happen,” she acknowledged. And when they do? Reach out and PRH will work to make things okay. • The main reason for the video is that the first deadlines for PRH’s October Marvel launch are approaching. The deadline to sign up for a new account is May 7, and the first early FOC is May 26th. So time to get moving on this! Once again, if the purpose of this video was to get some vital information out there, but also show that PRHPS is approaching the ever quirky direct market as an important partner that is being taken seriously….I think that message was conveyed. Also, I’m guessing that we’re going to be seeing and hearing a lot more from Tyne Hunter. More to come!
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| Baby hybrids arrive in the first SWEET TOOTH trailer Posted: 29 Apr 2021 01:15 PM PDT The much anticipated television adaptation of Jeff Lemire's acclaimed series Sweet Tooth arrives on Netflix in June. The first Sweet Tooth trailer debuted online earlier today. Originally developed at Hulu, until the streamer opted not to move forward with the project, Netflix announced over a year ago that it had picked up Sweet Tooth as an eight-episode hour-long series. Written and drawn by Lemire, the Vertigo Comics series Sweet Tooth ran for 40 issues from 2009 until 2013. The series tells the story of Gus (played by Christian Convery), a young orphan who happens to be a human/animal hybrid, attempting to survive—and learn the truth about who and what he is—in a world ravaged by plague. He's joined in his journey by a man named Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), who reluctantly agrees to look after Gus in his journey. Last year, Lemire revived of his classic sci-fi Vertigo book with Sweet Tooth: The Return, a six-issue miniseries through DC Comics’s Black Label imprint. While Lemire has had many of his comics projects optioned for adaptation to the screen, Sweet Tooth will be the first to make it all the way. Legendary Entertainment had previously optioned Lemire and Dean Ormston‘s Black Hammer universe for exploration in both film and television, though Lemire recently revealed that Legendary’s option had expired. Lemire has also penned a pilot script for a TV adaptation of his award-winning graphic novel trilogy Essex County for the CBC. Check out some images from the first Sweet Tooth trailer below. The full season premieres on June 4th on Netflix
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| SERIES REVIEW: Just can’t take it anymore? Consider M.O.D.O.K.: HEAD GAMES! Posted: 29 Apr 2021 12:00 PM PDT  M.O.D.O.K.: Head GamesWritten by: Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt In the four-issue miniseries M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games, which just saw its fourth issue released this Wednesday, April 28th, 2021, one of Marvel's most infamous super villains gets his time in the spotlight. Mental Organism Designed Only for Continuity
M.O.D.O.K. was first mentioned in Tales of Suspense #93 (1967) in "Into the Jaws of… A.I.M.!" by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, and Artie Simek. In that issue, Steve Rogers was captured by A.I.M. as he attempted to infiltrate their base, and under the orders of "MODOK," they attempt to analyze the extraterrestrial metal that makes up Captain America's shield, but their leader doesn't appear in this issue.
However, in the follow-up story in Tales of Suspense #94 (1967), "If This Be… MODOK!" by Lee, Kirby, Sinnott, and Sam Rosen, MODOK makes his first full appearance. A grotesque creation, it's hard to decide whether you want to laugh or recoil from the oversized head in a hover chair…  But one thing is for certain: to be introduced to M.O.D.O.K. is to have the character permanently introduced into your memory banks. It's an axiom that has proven true for many writers over the years, and especially over the course of the past two decades, M.O.D.O.K. has had more appearances than ever. But is the character a punchline or a threat? Grand Unified M.O.D.O.K. TheoryBetween the mohawk'd M.O.D.O.K. that Gwenpool sent to space, the version known as "M.O.D.O.C.," and now, the patriarch who is equally concerned with his responsibilities as a suburban family father as with his responsibilities to A.I.M., it can seem like M.O.D.O.K. is all over the place.  However, what M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games understands is that while each of these disparate elements may seem to be at odds with one another, they are all nevertheless contained within M.O.D.O.K.'s oversized skull. This bundled-together contradictions are intrinsic to the character's design: scroll back up and look at that first full appearance again. Do you want to laugh or scream? Is George Tarleton's fate hilarious, or a nightmare? The Poole Factor M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games succeeds not just because it understands M.O.D.O.K. on an elemental level, but because it understands the characters of the Marvel Comics universe on an elemental level. Nowhere is this more obvious than in issue 3, which features the inimitable Gwen Poole.  Back-flipping off of a last-page appearance in issue 2, the recently retcon-relocated Gwenpool accepts a mission to dispatch her old nemesis. However, when she locates her bounty, she discovers a lesson she demonstrated to readers herself over the course of the first volume of The Unbelievable Gwenpool: the main characters of Marvel Comics stories are liable to be humanized, no matter how grotesque they may initially appear to be. M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games Supporting Cast It isn't just Gwenpool who gets her chance to shine in the carefully-structured four-issue series. The first issue sees M.O.D.O.K. butting his enormous head against Monica Rappaccini, while the second issue is focused on a "team-up" with Iron Man that leads the unlikely duo to a cameo-packed conventional hall.  But whether M.O.D.O.K. is teaming up with or battling against another familiar Marvel Comics character, each issue presents a somewhat self-contained episode, each with its own distinct (and distinctly Marvel) flavor. Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.How does M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games connect with Marvel's M.O.D.O.K., the adult animated series from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios which will see all ten episodes of the first season released for streaming on Hulu on May 21st, 2021? Suffice to say that the answer to this question is indeed answered by the conclusion of the four-issue miniseries.  But more important is the question of whether or not the comic stands alone – a relatively easy one to answer, since the show has yet to be released: yes, absolutely. And although it may take until issue 2 for the introduction of his family's characters to land with the intended emotional weight, by the time Gwen is surveying the situation in issue 3, readers completely understand M.O.D.O.K.'s emotional attachment to his family.
For more on the secret origin (and tumultuous history) of Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu, click this link. However, even if you aren't a Hulu subscriber (save your free preview week for M.O.D.O.K.), you'll want to consider checking out M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games. M.O.D.O.K.: Head GamesIn the best Marvel Comics stories, a sort of alchemy occurs. At first, you may think you're laughing at a character that is the brunt of the joke. But soon, you begin to realize that the "punchline" is actually their defining characteristic. And a little while after that, you realize that the person you're really laughing at is yourself. By the time you reach the conclusion of this four-issue miniseries, some real pathos has been uncovered. But whether it makes you want to laugh or cry in response, one thing's for sure: the final panel of M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games cultimates in a conclusion that simply won't let you look away.  And really… who would want to? All four issues of M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games are now available – and the first two can currently be read on the Marvel Unlimited App. The post SERIES REVIEW: Just can't take it anymore? Consider M.O.D.O.K.: HEAD GAMES! appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Amazon renews INVINCIBLE for two more seasons Posted: 29 Apr 2021 11:45 AM PDT Just ahead of the first season finale of the animated series Invincible based on the comic of the same name, comic creator Robert Kirkman took to Twitter to post a video exchange with actor Steven Yeun (who voices the titular character) to announce that that the series has been renewed not only for a second season at Amazon but also a third season. Since the animated adaptation premiered on March 26, it’s been a huge hit with fans and critics, so the news doesn’t come as a complete surprise. "I'm extremely thankful to Amazon for the support and dedication they've put behind Invincible," said Kirkman. "The comic book is truly a love letter to a genre that Cory (Walker) and I grew up reading and loving, and it's been a gratifying journey to watch our characters come to life again through the animated series. We're beyond excited to continue this story for at least two more seasons." "Invincible is a crowning example of how a fresh and edgy approach to the superhero genre can resonate with audiences around the globe and we're so glad that Invincible, one of our earliest investments in the adult animation genre, has accomplished just that," said Vernon Sanders, Co-Head of Television at Amazon Studios. "Robert's no-holds-barred storytelling coupled with a first-class voice cast delivered on fans' wildest expectations and we're thrilled to be giving them more Invincible." Check out the official announcement video below and be sure to tune in for the explosive Season 1 finale of Invincible penned by Kirkman himself.
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| Interview: Adam Philips launches Untold Stories Marketing Posted: 29 Apr 2021 09:30 AM PDT Adam Philips is a familiar figure in the comics world, but one you might not know you know. For many years he was the guy running the slide shows at DC’s convention panels – and as anyone who ever did a panel with images knows, the less attention that person gets the better the slideshow! Philips was much more than just a great A/V guy though – for more than 20 years at DC as Director of Marketing Services he worked with retailers behind the scenes as well n all of DC’s DM marketing efforts. Prior to DC, he worked in Marvel’s pioneering direct market sales division and Welsh Publishing as an editor.
With the announcement of his new venture, we reached out to Philips with a few questions to give more background on just where he’s been and what he’ll be doing. There are actually a lot of untold stories about Adam – from his non-comics writing to his early days in fandom – but we’ll leave that for the next interview! THE BEAT: Untold Stories is your new company which you call an agency, but from talking to you, I know it will be doing a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Can you give us a better description? PHILIPS: I think of Untold Stories Marketing as an agency because, to me, an agency provides fast, flexible service and expertise. One of the things I've heard a lot from retailers is that if they knew what a project was, they would have ordered more. So, the main purpose of Untold Stories Marketing is to help publishers provide better information to retailers. Retailers are the first audience for any comic. They have to understand it and believe in it before they place their orders and before they talk it up to their customers. That's why my focus is on sell-in.
THE BEAT: You’ve had a long career in comics – including 20 plus years at DC Comics as Director of Marketing Services, so this is probably a natural role for you, but why did you decide to jump back into the comics fray? PHILIPS: Honestly, I love comics. I've developed so many great relationships with people at different publishers, as well as retailers, writers and artists, distributors, convention organizers, and the comics press…it's such a great field, and we're in the midst of an exciting time, with lots of new companies developing distinctive approaches to publishing. I see a lot of potential out there. Every conversation I've had since leaving DC has made me more enthusiastic about sticking with comics and launching Untold Stories Marketing. People want to know what I'm doing and how we might work together. They want their projects to succeed. THE BEAT: What sort of tasks did you do at DC that prepped you for this? PHILIPS: All of them! But the things I loved best were communicating directly with retailers, either on videos we would post on Facebook, or creating presentations and getting up in front of a crowded room to talk about new sales and marketing initiatives. I used to say that when I died they would put "He Did Previews" on my gravestone, because that was my main gig at DC for such a long time, but the fact is that it taught me a ton about what's important – and what's NOT important – when it comes to the solicitation info. Retailers have very little time to spend reading catalogues. I used to tell editors, when you get to the word "meanwhile" in your solicitation text, stop – that's when you're getting past the main point of the story and into subplots. And little things like how I position the creative teams, the story, and the characters can make a huge difference. In the past year or so, I had a few opportunities to solicit new projects where I had to position and explain them in a very limited amount of space. The biggest version of that was the Future State special, where I worked with a couple of other DC staffers to create a 32-page promotional magazine in just a few weeks that would explain an entire two-month event. I wrote articles that covered the futuristic worlds of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more, with quotes from the writers and artists. That brought me back to my roots in comics, because my first work in the field was at Marvel Age magazine, where I wrote articles and worked as an assistant editor. (Did I mention that I'm blogging my way through the entire run of Marvel Age? Check it out at https://makeminemarvelage.blogspot.com! Why yes, I am a fan.) All these skills and others bring me to a place where I can provide a lot of business to business marketing for publishers to reach retailers, through optimized solicitations, retailer communications, sell sheets, etc. THE BEAT: What kind of clients will you be working with – you’ve mentioned it will be both publishers and creators? PHILIPS: My primary clients are publishers, but the kind of marketing work I'm looking at will directly involve the creative teams on new books, so in a way the writers and artists are the clients as well. I'm also talking to a couple of other comics-related groups, so we'll see what kind of marketing help they might need. THE BEAT: What are some of the challenges you see for your clients in the current market place? What can Untold Stories do to help with these challenges? PHILIPS: The marketplace is exciting, but very crowded. Getting a new project noticed can be very hard, especially if it's different, or if you're up and coming talent. Retailers have limited shelf space, buying budgets, and time, so getting your message out can be difficult. My work at DC placed me right at the crossroads of publishing, writing and drawing, distribution, and retailing – meaning that I can take the publisher's mandate and the creative team's messaging and push them through the distribution channels, all couched in language that retailers respond to. THE BEAT: There seems to be a growing space for companies like yours in the comics field. I think it’s a healthy sign of growth – there are just too many comics and too little time. Comics were heading for a huge year in 2020 before the pandemic, but even with the pandemic they had a pretty successful year. What do you think is the overall health of the direct market? PHILIPS: I agree! Like I've been saying, it's an exciting time. Even though the marketplace is dominated by the big two, there are so many new publishers that have popped up in the past few years with new approaches to the business and their own distinctive styles and tones. One of the biggest thrills I've had this year has been picking up tons of new titles from publishers I just couldn't find the time for when I was reading the entire DC line. This could just be confirmation bias, but I think we've seen a decrease in stories of shops going under in the past year, which is a good thing, especially in a pandemic. THE BEAT: Obviously the biggest story in comics has been Marvel’s partnership with Penguin Random House for periodical distribution. Unlike some of the other “distribution war” moves of the last year, retailers seem fairly happy with this pact. What’s your take on it? PHILIPS: From my conversations with retailers, there are still a lot of questions in the air. They're wondering how PRH will be able to handle the incremental business of multiple variant covers or store variants and guarantee that the product will arrive in pristine condition. And with PRH, they get free shipping but a flat discount, while ordering through Diamond traditionally got you variable discount rates month to month – but you have to pay for shipping. That may change, too. That said, Penguin Random House has a great team in place, so I'm confident that they will be able to rise to the task. And a lot of retailers already work with PRH for book distribution, so there's a certain amount of familiarity and comfort already baked in. It's been great to talk to you, and I just want to add that I'm as enthusiastic about comics now as I was when I started in the field. Anyone who wants to know more about what I'm doing can visit my website at UntoldStoriesMarketing.com, or you can email me with questions at info@UntoldStoriesMarketing.com. Or, you know, both. 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| REVIEW: Kick into gear with WITCHBLOOD #2 Posted: 29 Apr 2021 09:00 AM PDT
Witchblood #2Created by: Matthew Erman and Lisa Sterle This review contains mild spoilers for Witchblood #2 and serious spoilers for Witchblood #1, which you've had, like, a whole month to read. In the first issue of Witchblood, we were introduced to Yonna D'arc, the Ramblin' Rose ridin' sensualist who (truth be told) is more interested in watching after her own interests than getting involved in anything of a noble fashion. We got a chance to see how Yonna's magic worked, and see her take part in an almost-self-contained adventure.
Burning for You: Witchblood in second gearThe action begins right where the last issue left off, with Yonna barely keeping it together after her first encounter with the Hounds of Love. With Yonna incapacitated, the stage is set for two other characters to occupy the spotlight: Liana and Labelle.
Naturally, seeing more witches designed by Lisa Sterle, the visionary behind the Modern Witch Tarot Deck is a delight. But the real treat arrives when we get to see the form Liana's magic takes – and I don't just mean the psilocybin and LSD she dispenses to the locals of the Mahopi Trailer Reserve. Just like we got to see the unique magic system that Yonna uses in Witchblood #1, in Witchblood #2, we see how different witches conjure their spells in distinct, equally fascinating ways. Chattahoochee and the Hounds of LoveBut it isn't just the protagonists who get their time to shine in Witchblood #2. While we were introduced to Labelle and the Hounds of Love in the first issue, in the sophomore issue, they get a chance to spread out on the road a little bit.
This leads to a 2-page spread that, quite frankly, outdoes itself. Set to "Chattahoochee" by Alan Jackson (a note to the reader urges them to cue up the song before turning the page and frankly, you'd be remiss not to jump on the opportunity), the nearly-perfectly-timed sequence lets Labelle chew up the scenery (not to mention some bar patrons). While Matthew Erman's work has frequently incorporated music – see also: Yonna's spells in Witchblood #1; the playlists in the back of every issue of Terminal Punks; etc. – this scene is an incredible integration of music and comic, and one which you should really experience for yourself. On the Road with Witchblood Just like in issue 1, the colors by Gab Contreas in Witchblood #2 are spellbinding. While this may be most obvious in scenes with spells and sunsets, most books that feature so many scenes set at night are nowhere near this vibrant. Whether it's the starry sky over the highway or the hazy light of a sleazy dive bar, every single page of this issue is gorgeous. Plus, thanks to Jim Campbell's impeccable lettering, there's never any difficultly following the dialogue, with color-coded text differentiating between vampire and witch, along with different color schemes for different spellcasters. While Witchblood #2 is a delight in and of itself, one of the biggest thrills comes on back cover, where the preview for the next issue is waiting like a sucker punch. It's not immediately clear where Witchblood will be heading from here, but one thing's for sure: I'll be along for the ride (and frankly, I hope Yonna eventually gets that Gris-Gris Gumbo).
Witchblood #2 is currently available at your local comic shop. The post REVIEW: Kick into gear with WITCHBLOOD #2 appeared first on The Beat.  |
| INTERVIEW: Ilana Zeffren on how her cats took over her daily comic strip URBAN TAILS Posted: 29 Apr 2021 08:45 AM PDT
Soaring Penguin Press, the small press publisher based out of UK, is in the midst of their latest Kickstarter campaign, for an English language collection of Israeli cartoonist Ilana Zeffren‘s Urban Tails strip. The comic is a slice-of-life strip that follows Zeffren and a cast of those around her, particularly her two cats. As fans of all things cat-related here at The Beat, we’re pleased to present an interview with Zeffren on behalf of Soaring Penguin Press. Beginning in 2006, Ilana Zeffren has chronicled her life as a weekly newspaper comic strip. Urban Tails brings these strips together in English for the first time, presenting a 200+ page collection which is down to earth, honest, and provides a gentle look into the lives of Ilana, her girlfriend, and their two cats. Addressing subjects as diverse as mental health and the proliferation of Crocs (shoes), Zeffren brings a fresh perspective and humanity to her comics. The cats, Spaghetti and Rafi, serve as a Greek Chorus, providing a running commentary even as war zones and life-changing worries take center stage. She spoke about her work, her love of cats and the process of adapting her comics for Urban Tails. As a fellow cat owner, I know how easy it is to get sucked into watching them do whatever they’re doing- so what’s the most distracting thing your cats do? Ilana Zeffren: My cats do all the classic distracting things like sitting in front of the computer screen (during the days of Corona it evolved into sitting on the laptop too) and on the book I’m trying to read or on my sketchbook and knocking over whatever was in their way, and also more unique things like moving pictures on the wall from side to side.
Are you a lifelong cat fan or a later convert? Zeffren: I’ve had at least one cat since I was six years old. I have no idea what life is like without them, and that’s probably why the cats were talking in my comics from the start. It seemed natural and obvious. But I didn’t plan for them to become so dominant in my work, they just took over as cats do. This doesn’t mean I don’t like dogs too. I do. I actually love all animals (in some aspects more than humans), except for cockroaches. Do you have any favourite comic cats? Any cat comic inspirations? Zeffren: As a kid I read Garfield. It’s actually the only comic I read back then which is pretty funny if you think what became of me. I used to go with my twin sister on “fun days” in the big city (Tel Aviv) and we always came back with another Garfield book. Other than that I think I was more influenced by The Muppets and the characters from Sesame Street than by other cats.
One thing I love about Urban Tails is the warmth between the characters- humans and cats. I think there’s a growing audience for LGBT+ stories which are able to be happy and warm like that rather than fraught. Were you thinking about that when you started writing and drawing? Zeffren: I tried in Urban Tails, as I always do, to present a lesbian relationship as a normative one. Not because I think LGBTQ people should be like straight people (god forbid!), but rather because I really believe it is. I like to tiptoe on the thin line between mainstream and subversive, I think it’s an interesting place to be at and that in this way a wide range of people can relate to my stories. So I always refer to things in a gentle way and with humour, rather than in a militant way. That was my attitude from the start, with my first book, Pink Story, which tells the story of the LGBT community in Israel alongside my own story, and it still is today with the weekly (and many times political) cartoon I’ve been publishing in Haaretz newspaper for the past seven years. I take whatever I want to say and warp it in soft cat fur and humour. As it previously ran weekly, did converting Urban Tails for collected publication take much work? Zeffren: It took some adjustments and some editing decisions. Since it ran weekly and sometimes referred to current affairs it has a documentary aspect to it which I think is nice. On the other hand, similar to how it is with caricatures, some things don’t work out of context, so I had to add some footnotes and leave out things here and there.
One of the big draws of Urban Tails when it’s out here will be seeing how similar and how different your life in Tel Aviv is to life in the west- it’s important to have our eyes opened to diverse experiences like that. Is there anything in particular you want to share with distant readers? Zeffren: I think I would like to share the idea that Tel Aviv is a regular western city on the one hand and that the personal (and everything else) is political on the other, and also the idea that beneath our differences (in terms of culture, lifestyle, politics, religion and so on) we are all the same. I once did a cartoon in which Spaghetti asks Rafi: “What are you more, Jewish or democrat?” and he replies: “A human, I mean a cat”. I think that says it all.
The Kickstarter for Urban Tails ends in Monday, May 3rd. The post INTERVIEW: Ilana Zeffren on how her cats took over her daily comic strip URBAN TAILS appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Fan Expo San Francisco announced for 2022 Posted: 29 Apr 2021 08:15 AM PDT The Bay Area is getting a new comic con: Fan Expo San Francisco, which will launch in Fall 2022 at the Moscone Center, part of a multi-year agreement with the facility. The show is part of the Fan Expo family, which includes the huge Fan Expo Canada, shows in Boston and Dallas, Megacon in Florida and the recently acquired Denver show. San Francisco has long been the one major US city without a large signature comics show, although the area was home to several prominent events in pre-COVID times, such as the Silicon Valley Comic Con in San Jose. The announcement is a bit surprising to those who wondered if WonderCon (currently held in Anaheim) would ever return to its original Bay Area setting – one guesses, after all this, probably not. WonderCon was last held in San Francisco in 2011. Fan Expo shows are large, fan-friendly affairs, and this one will be no different, with event dates and more news to be announced later this year. The company is owned by the international event company Informa. More from the PR:
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| THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY BOXED SET collects all three Dark Horse trade paperbacks Posted: 29 Apr 2021 06:00 AM PDT Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá‘s The Umbrella Academy has been one of Dark Horse Comics’s biggest recent successes. Now readers who haven’t yet sampled the world of the series can catch up all at once, as the publisher has announced The Umbrella Academy: Boxed Set, a new slipcased set of the first three books of the acclaimed series. Along with the three books, the boxed set will also include an exclusive double-sided poster featuring artwork by Bá.
Here’s how Dark Horse describes The Umbrella Academy:
The three-book boxed set includes Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Umbrella Academy: Dallas, and Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion. The only Umbrella Academy collection not included is the Tales from the Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death trade paperback of the six-issue miniseries by Way, Shaun Simon, and I.N.J. Culbard. The softcover collection of that series was released last month. The Umbrella Academy: Boxed Set is the latest available format for the hit Dark Horse series. Along with single issues and softcover collections, each of the three books is also available as a deluxe hardcover edition, as well as in an oversized Library Edition format. The You Look Like Death miniseries will also be available as a Library Edition in September. None of those editions include the double-sided poster, though, so if you need some new wall art from your favorite comic the boxed set will definitely be the way to go. The Umbrella Academy: Boxed Set will retail for $55.97. The set is available for preorder now, and will be available in stores on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021. The post THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY BOXED SET collects all three Dark Horse trade paperbacks appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Madefire shuts down leaving several digital comics apps in limbo Posted: 29 Apr 2021 06:00 AM PDT Madefire, a digital comics platform that launched with some fanfare in 2011, is quietly shutting down, leaving many purchases and apps powered by its technology in limbo. The company was founded by by Ben Wolstenholme, Liam Sharp and Eugene Walden. Sharp left for things like Green Lantern, but Wolstenholme stayed on to the end. According to a notice on their website, the company has entered in an assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC) a sort of soft bankruptcy. The announcement was made earlier this month, and purchasers of comes on their app have until the end of the month (Friday) to download them.
The Madefire app powered several comics apps, leaving those stores in limbo as well. The Archie comics app shut down yesterday, on the 28th. In addition, they carried books by many publishers, including Boom and Scout – digital collections of these comics will be unavailable unless you download them now. UPDATE: To clarify, although some people tweeted that Madefire powered Dark Horse’s digital app, it is entirely unrelated to Madefire and their comics are still available. Purchase with confidence! You can read a lot about Madefire’s history here at the Beat, including their splashy launch all the way back in 2012 that included comics by Sharp, Dave Gibbons, Bill Sienkiewicz and more. The company debuted at the time when comics apps for the then-newish iPad were something of a goldrush for investors. Throughout its history, Madefire was a technology leader, offering “motion books,” a portal to upload your own comics and many other digital promotions (a partnership with Deviant Art, for instance, and later Magic Leap). They were (at least from an outside perspective) attempts to set up the platform for purchase by a larger entity – the classic Silicon Valley business plan. Although Madefire attempted to catch the eye of Apple or Microsoft some other tech giant…it never quite caught on. Along the way, the raised a lot of capital. According to Crunchbase, they had $16.4 million in funding – but I’m told it was even more than that. Investors included disgraced actor Kevin Spacey and musical artist Drake. In the end, digital comics reading via a dedicated app outside of Comixology (which was purchased by Amazon in 2016) and “motion comics” technology just never became a popular way to read comics. Meanwhile, the more open “Webtoon” type comics portal and its many competitors have millions of views a month. Although the shut down has flown beneath the radar all month, a few people noted its passing on Twitter, mostly with cries of unanswered calls for tech support.
Archie Comics addressed the end of their app on their website and offered free comics to download via Comixology:
Also in limbo, all of the comics properties that Madefire launched, including some notable ones such as Mono by Wolstenholme and Sharp – Titan put out a print edition, but its “motion book” format now has no way to be viewed. Sherwood Partners, the Madefire assignee, appears to be a company that specializies in liquidation, and they have a whole bullet point about IP on their website. In the end, many of the creators who worked with Madefire may have known it was rolling the dice on a payoff that never came. I wrote many stories about Madefire over the years, and interviewed Wolstenholme many times, including on a (in retrospect) kind of end of an era panel at NYCC that also included Tom Akel, then head of Webtoon but soon to leave himself. Those involved with Madefire always seemed very sincere about loving comics – something that may not have translated very well to Silicon Valley investment games. Digital comics platforms have tried to play the start-up-to-acquisition game a few times, none with as big a footprint – or as doggedly – as Madefire. In the end, readers have spoken with their wallets and eyeballs: people prefer free comics, print comics and Amazon (Comixology). The post Madefire shuts down leaving several digital comics apps in limbo appeared first on The Beat.  |
But while Yonna may have been behind the wheel in the first issue, she's more or less moved to the sidecar for the sophomore issue. This works well, allowing supporting characters – especially the villainous Paxton Labelle – to step forward and have their moment in the spotlight. The result is a second chapter that expands the scope of the world while maintaining the tire-melting pace of the first, representing the efforts of an entire creative team operating on all cylinders.
Readers are introduced to Liana, one of Yonna's estranged associate witches, on the very first page of the issue. This plays off in multiple ways, but they mostly boil down to this: Liana is a different "type" of witch than Yonna. She lives a different type of life (hidden as a herbalist but in symbiosis with the unsuspecting mortals of the Mahopi Trailer Reserve) and she projects a very different vibe (as we see her caring for a mandrake in a quiet moment – and it's difficult to imagine Yonna having a quiet moment).
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