ComicBitsOnline.com

I know there are quite a few out there waiting -or looking- for the American Flagg book there is some bad news. Two shops tell me that the books arrived but they immediately got emails to send them back!  It seems there is “a printing problem” -whether this is referring to an actual printing problem or some publisher-creator problem I have no idea [neither do the stores!].

The worse news is that no later release date has been given.

A book skuppered?

PRESS RELEASE - VALENTINO, SIMON AND SILVERLINE SPROUT BRUCE: THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE! 

Image Comics‘ Silverline, Kristen Koerner Simon and Jim Valentino tell the tell of a blue spruce searching for a home!

 

13 August 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - This holiday season Silverline Books, the all-ages book division of Image Comics’ Shadowline, presents Kristen Koerner Simon and Jim Valentino’s all-ages story of a little blue tree without a home, but not without hope; BRUCE: THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE. 

 

“One of my unattained career goals was to do a children’s book and when Kris brought BRUCE: THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE to me, I instantly knew this would be it,” said Valentino. “Not only did I love the gentle message of accepting the differences in ourselves and others but the challenge of drawing a story where the principal character was a tree was too much to pass up!”

 

Just in time for the Holidays comes BRUCE: THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE,  a heartwarming tale of Bruce, a blue spruce who wants nothing more than to be chosen by a special family as their Christmas tree. Engagingly written by Kristen Koerner Simon, illustrated by Image Comics co-founder and award-winning artist Jim Valentino and featuring painted color by THE SURREAL ADVENTURES OF EDGAR ALLAN POO’s Avery Butterworth, BRUCE: THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE will charm even the most cynical of Scrooge’s all year long.

 

BRUCE: THE LITTLE BLUE SPRUCE (ISBN: 978-1-60706-008-6), a 32-page square-sized hardcover for $9.99, will be in stores November 5, 2008. 

If you had trouble with the link posted this one should set things right -thanks to Terry Pavlet!

 http://www.inter- fan.org/interfan jam/interfanjam. html

Mark this on your calendar! Its a Small / Indy Press con, 20 miles
south of downtown Chicago. (Please note one of guests of honor. Opps!)

INTER-FAN JAM
September 13-14, 2008
Derby Hall @ Homewood Hotel, 17400 Halsted St., Homewood, Illinois
708-957-1600 Fax 708-957-1963
http://www.homewood -hotel.com
(Out of town attendees can register at the hotel for the 12th)

Admission
$5.00 each with 2 cans of food.
This year we have MORE ROOM, MORE VENDORS, and MORE ACTIVITIES.

Guests of Honor
Alex Nino (70’s Dc artist and cover painter)
Doug Klauba (Moonstone artist and cover painter)
Terry Pavlet (RPG/CCG & Comic Cover artist)

Exhibitors
LaMorris Richmond (B.L.A.M. Comics)
Richard Case (Premier/SPA)
HIM (Hamtramck Idea Men)
Steven Piscione (Chaosfield)
Tom Stillwell (Spinner Rack Comics/Unscrewed)
Lance Stahlburg (Rouge Wolf Ent./Haven Distrib)
Rod and Barb Jenkins (Kiss Me Comix)
Donna Upshaw (Steeltown Funnies)
Wade Busby (Mr. E)
Liz Ortiz (Rasgals/IF)
Jim Main (Main Enterprises)
Wally Lowe (Wal2)
Nino (209 Ave Comics)
Moe Nasser (Indie Artist)

For more info go to
http://www.inter- fan.org/interfan jam/interfanjam. html

email to
doc@inter-fan. org

ROK Comics has just announced the launch of not one but two great competitions – open to everyone using the ROK Comics comics-to-mobile service, so pass it on! Both offer the chance to win a top of the range Nokia 9500 phone, worth nearly £500 ($1000 US).

The 2008 ROK Comics Humour Competition: This year’s Humour Competition through to 1st September 2008 after last year’s proved such a success, won by Steve English (see right) after final judging by Alan Digby, editor of The Beano. Any humour comic created on the ROK Comics platform – Pro or Freefall and assigned as “Fun” - qualifies for entry. The winner and runners up will be published on a special page on the ROK Comics site, just as we did last year (www.rokcomics. com/winners2007. php). • For full details of this competition, go to www.rokcomics. com/humour_ competition2008. php

ROK Comics is also partnering with the Birmingham International Comic Show (www.thecomicsshow. co.uk) for its ROK and a Hard Place Competition. The winner of this competition will also get free entry to the event (travel and accommodation costs not included). While it’s yet to reach the giddy heights of the incredible San Diego Comic Convention, the organisers fully expect over 4000 fans to plough through the doors for 4-5 October and they have a terrific line up of creators to see, including the legendary Michael Golden, Hellboy artist Duncan Fegredo, Thor artist Olivier Coipel, V For Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd and Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons and many more. The `ROK and a

Hard Place

‘ competition challenges comics creators to come up with a comic featuring a life changing moment. It could be your life changing moment or someone fictional… Even an animal or robot! What you come up with is up to you. • For full details of this competition, go to www.rokcomics. com/bics_ competition2008. php • For terms and conditions of both competitions go to www.rokcomics. com/competitionT erms.php

AS THE YEAR NEARS ITS END, ARCHIE KEEPS THE EVENT STORIES COMING!

2008 will surely go down as the year Archie Comics pulled out all the stops with one intriguing storyline after another.  From Alex Simmon’s thrilling mysteries in the pages of ARCHIE & FRIENDS, to Jughead’s and Moose & Midge’s forays into the “realistic style” in JUGHEAD’S DOUBLE DIGEST and PALS-N-GALS DOUBLE DIGEST respectively, to the readers voting for Cheryl’s new boyfriend in BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST, we’ve been keeping our readers busy with stories that play up the classic personalities and relationships of everyone’s favorite comic book teens!

This November, the excitement continues as fan-favorite writer Batton Lash delivers the final installment of his renown “Freshman Year” saga in ARCHIE #591, and popular “WJHC” writer Jane Smith Fisher concludes her two-part ARCHIE & FRIENDS storyline with what may well be the ultimate Archies band story!  Don’t miss these awesome issues!

 

ARCHIE #591

THE SCHOOL YEAR WINDS DOWN AND SO DOES THE “FRESHMAN YEAR SAGA” IN THIS THRILLING CONCLUSION! 

“Freshman Year: Spring Term”: As the first year of high school winds down, the teens anticipate the summer break… but not before having a “Spring Formal” to send off the school year.  But a few uninvited guests have crashed the dance – an unwelcome band of bikers who have an axe to grind with the school, especially a freshman named Archie!  Who are they and what is their problem?  Plus, the spy in Riverdale is finally revealed.  Will Mr. Weatherbee prevail?  It’s a thrilling way to end the school year, courtesy of fan-favorite writer Batton Lash of “Wolff & Byrd” and “Archie Meets the Punisher” fame, along with “Scrapyard Detectives” creator and popular Archie artist/writer Bill Galvan. 

SCRIPT: Batton Lash. 

ART: Bill Galvan.      

Shipping Date: November 19^th, 2008

On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: November 26^th, 2008

On Sale on Newsstands: December 9^th, 2008

32-recycled page, full color comic

$2.25 US.

 

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #125

THE SECOND PART OF A TWO-PART TALE BY POPULAR “WJHC” WRITER JANE SMITH FISHER!   

“ Battle of the Bands, Part Two”: In the aftermath of their rockin’ contest performance, the Archies face a new challenge: a sponsor who will only cover half their prize travel expenses!  Now the group must get jobs quickly to raise the money… except Reggie and Veronica of course, who are riding on their parents’ dimes.  But will that free ride last?  The rockers learn a valuable lesson about earning their own “fun money”… and the value of good work ethics in the process!  Not to mention how important it is to help those in need.  A longtime advocate for kids’ comics, writer Jane Smith Fisher has devoted her career to telling age-appropriate stories in series such as “Cybernauts” and the highly popular “WJHC,” about a group of teens who start their own high school radio station.  Jane has been embraced by librarians and schools across the nation.  Now she brings her special voice for both young and female characters to Archie Comics in this rock ‘n’ rollin’ storyline. 

SCRIPT: Jane Smith Fisher. 

ART: Stan Goldberg.     

Shipping Date: November 5^th, 2008

On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: November 12^th, 2008

On Sale on Newsstands: November 25^th, 2008

32-page, full color comic

$2.25 US.

 

Burn To Be Collected By Simon Pulse

Burn, the hit series by creator Camilla d’Errico, is going to be collected by Simon Pulse. The series tells the story of a world where humans and mecha co-exist. What was once thought to be a symbiotic relationship between humans and machines has turned into a full-scale war due to rising resentment by their human creators. In one of the towns, a 13-year-old boy named Burn will find out the true meaning of horror. The arrival of the sentient Shoftiel, a machine programmed to destroy mankind, will forever change the fate of man and machine.

Simon Pulse is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. that publishes paperback books for teens in various categories and formats including reprints, original paperbacks, and original series. Included in Pulse are books based on media properties such as Charmed, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Arcana’s 100 Girls.

100 Girls: The First Girl
Simon Pulse recently released the entire series of Arcana Comics’ smash hit, 100 Girls in a beautifully bound book. With a suggested retail price of $9.99 this book is packed with 176 pages that are filled with action!

100 Girls tells the story of Sylvia Mark, a thirteen year-old girl, who feels separated from her peers. However, Sylvia doesn’t know she’s just one of one hundred girls bred as part of a genetics experiment that sought to give normal humans extraordinary powers. Thirteen years ago, four girls were kidnapped and sent to families around the country to be raised and Sylvia is determined to find out why.

Purchase here:

http://simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=618716

 

 

 

In Previews
In the August Previews catalog, Arcana has solicited the following books for an October release: Burn #6 (Diamond Code: AUG08 3740), Minions of Ka OGN (AUG08 3741), Tales of Penance: Trial of the Century #4 (AUG08 3742), and Velvet Rope One-shot (Diamond Code: AUG08 3743).

Shipping This Month
This month in stores be on the lookout for the following titles from Arcana Comics: Burn #4 (Diamond Code: JUN08 3649), Dead Men Tell No Tales TPB (Diamond Code: JUN08 3650), and Tales of Penance: Trial of the Century #2 (Diamond Code: JUN08 3651). Lots shipping this month from Arcana Comics so be sure to check your local comic book retailer. Find your nearest comic book store at http://www.comicshoplocator.com/.

SDCC Wrap-up

San Diego wrapped up a few weeks ago and it turned out to be a huge successs for Arcana. Dragon’s Lair creators, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, signed and sketched for fans for 3 hours straight during a special Dragon’s Lair hardcover signing. In addition, the stars of Greatest American Hero, William Katt and Robert Culp, visited the Arcana booth over the weekend after the announcement of the new Greatest American Hero comic book series, which was the top news scroll on G4’s convention coverage. As well, fans had the chance to interact with Arcana creators such as Adam Gallardo, Todd Demong, Camilla d’Errico, Sean O’Reilly, and Mark Pouton throughout the weekend.

Interview with 100 Girls’ Todd Demong

This month VP of Operations, Mark Poulton, talks with artist Todd Demong for the 2^nd part of our 100 Girls’ interview.

 

MP: Did you always want to draw comic books? Were you a fan when you were younger?

TD: I loved comics when I was younger.  As with most young lads, I was drawing Superheroes alllllll the time.  I did kind of fall out of the comics scene during my late teens and thru a good portion of my 20’s…  The whole Spidey Clone saga is what seemed to be the proverbial last straw…  As for wanting to draw comics, of course!  Never thought I’d be lucky enough to get to do it though…  I really consider myself fortunate to be doing something I always considered a fantasy job.

 

MP: How did you get together with Adam Gallardo for 100 Girls?

TD: I got lucky after sending a blind submission into Dark Horse a few years ago.  One of the Editors working there at the time (Phil Amara – thanks Phil!) I guess happened to see my stuff on someone else’s desk and got my contact info.  He didn’t actually offer me a job right away, but he did hook me up w/ an assistant editor there who was interested in writing comics.  So I guess he gave Adam my email, and he sent me a number of pitches, and I picked 100 Girls as my favorite.  We were allowed to work on it and post it on the Dark Horse website as a web comic for a time!  The rest is history, I guess…

 

MP: What were your influences when designing Sylvia and the world of 100 Girls?

TD: Well, I’m a classically trained animator, so a lot of what I was doing and where I was coming from was a much more cartoony/animated place.  Also, my main influence at the time as far as comics go would have had to have been Carlos Meglia.  It was his work on StarWars Underworld that got me back into comics.  Up to that point I didn’t know that comics arts could be so fun to look at.

 

MP: Can you give us an update on the next installment of 100 Girls?

TD: Adam has written out a whole plot outline that I’ve read, and has sent me the finished script for issue 8, though we are thinking about doing it as a an OGN as opposed to individual issues.  It’s good, can’t wait to find the time to get to it.

 

MP: What advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to break into the comic book industry?

TD: Mainly that if you ever get the opportunity to work as an artist, to remember that it is work.  I’ve seen so many folks come and go, in both animation and comics, because they can’t make their deadlines.  A reliable artist who can make his deadlines but may not be the most talented is ten times as valuable to a company as a brilliant artist who can never finish an assignment.  It is a lot of work, and in no way resembles scribbling in your binder during class….

 

MP: Before we go, do you have any last words for fans?

TD: Just a giant thanks!  Remember to have a look at the collected 100 Girls that Simon and Shuster has published and can currently be found at all comics shops AND bookstores across the nation.  That’s right, BOOKSTORES.   Also, go check out Adam’s Gear School from Dark Horse.  It’s a lot of fun.  Cheers!

PRESS RELEASE - SHADOWLINE LAUNCHES THE DEFINITIVE TED MCKEEVER LIBRARY!

Acclaimed graphic novelist Ted McKeever begins THE TED MCKEEVER LIBRARY with the completion of TRANSIT!

 

8 August 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - Beginning this October, Image Comics‘ Shadowline will team with critically-acclaimed artist Ted McKeever for a project over twenty years in the making, THE TED MCKEEVER LIBRARY, beginning with the completed TRANSIT. 

 

“To think after 20 years that I would be returning to TRANSIT is almost abstractly absurd,” said McKeever. “TRANSIT had become my personal holy grail, but now, with this collected hardcover edition, I can roam free of it’s gaping wailing and allow it to scab over while I move on to new roads.”

 

Those new roads include the subsequent volumes of The Ted McKeever Library, EDDY CURRENT and METROPOL. Each edition will feature the definitive versions of McKeever’s vision, including all the original covers, unused art and TRANSIT’s never-before-seen ending. These graphic novels consist of McKeever’s inter-connected magnum opus in his world of tomorrow - from industrial wastelands torn by war, cities on the verge of self-destruction and one of the most twisted takes on superheroics to ever grace the comics medium. 

 

Shadowline Publisher Jim Valentino said, “While Shadowline loves to introduce the world to some of the most exciting new talent, bringing in someone of Ted’s caliber at such a major capacity is something we’re equally passionate about. We cannot wait to help bring his most personal works to their completion and look forward to more in the future!”

 

TED MCKEEVER LIBRARY HC VOL. 1: TRANSIT (AUG082275), is a 156-page black & white hardcover for $24.99, and will be in stores October 1st. 

Okay,so Mattotti is an incredible artist who uses colour like a surgeon -coming at you like a formula 1 racer along the M5!  But he is relatively unknown in the UK and USA.

In the UK the main purchaser of Mattotti books is one Paul Ashley Brown,Bristol Artist-in-residence. And it is Mr.Brown who frequently passes along links to Mattotti items -on this occasion a 5 minute programme on You Tube.  It is in Italian but do not let that put you off.  Check it out -I’m sure you’ll love it like a lady loves Milk Tray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKS-d5magjE

CAPTAIN ACTION 0

Fabian Nicieza

21 pages (April 2008)

Moonstone; ISBN: MOON-00051

The super spy master of disguise is back again for the first time! Brand new story by Superman/Thunderbolt writer, the Captain, Fabian Nicieza!

Led by the original Captain Action, the A.C.T.I.O.N. Directorate fought the Red Crawl for decades. The alien threat was thought long vanquished, so no one notices when Earth is conquered. Literally, no one notices it! He wakes up to learn the father who fired him is dead, and the job he never wanted is his.

He has to save a world that doesn’t know it needs saving.

He has to reclaim his identity while impersonating others.

He has to become the very thing he tried his entire life to avoid…

CAPTAIN ACTION!

That got your attention?  Well I asked Joe Ahearn for any news and he came through so:

“Here’s an easy way to take a look at Captain Action #0 from April. We just went live the other day on WOWIO.  http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=5179 

 Further, our new Novella which came out just before San Diego Comicon ia garnering alot of attention.Attached is a low- res of the interior . and also attached are the 2 finalized covers. 

As respects what’s next for Captain Action, we are currently putting the finishing touches on our first issue which will be out in September. The story of Captain Action continues and there will be a 6 page back up story of Classic Captain Action written by Paul Kupperberg and aother 6 page stale of Mandrake the Magician! All that plus an introduction by the famous Jim Shooter who got his first coic book byline scripting DC’s first 2 issues of Captain Action 40 years ago. 

Beyond that, we have our exclusive Mego Style action figures from Castaway Toys which are due in any time now for those who pre ordered and the next wave are currently on sale through the Castaway website right now.

Our beautiful Captain Action statue from Electric Tiki and Sideshow was just solicited in August Previews. That beauty, sculpted by the talented Ruben Procopio will be coming in just in time for the holidays.  

We also just had a great show out at the San Diego Comicon and have been greenlighted on several projects, one being a deluxe edition reissue of Michael Eury’s 2003 collector’s book “Captain Action, The Original Super Hero Action Figure” from Twomorrows Publishing. The book will be an expanded hard cover edition in full color with lots of additional new updates. We’re targeting that for a late Spring release. So, how’s that for an update!” 

I think that’s as complete an up-date as we could ask for!”

Sadly,though CA #0 looks good the CBO policy [for legal reasons which I think have been explained enough now-so don’t ask!] is we can only review based on hard copy and I look forward to the pleasure of reading the new comic [though Forbidden Planet Bristol say they can’t order it in?!].The original CBO feature is at:

http://www.comicbitsonline.com/2008/03/13/prepare-for-action/ And who’ll be waiting for the action figure?