This Sunday, May 31st, Robin Fisher and her Montreal based radio show Onomatopoeia is interviewing Shannon Gerard. You can listen via streaming through CJLO Concordia University.
Shannon Gerard is well known for her fantastic comic/zine/readable-art-pieces, such Boobs & Dinks; Early Detection Kits. Shannon is the artist on Sword of My Mouth and is also working with TopShelf on a beautifully illustrated series Unspent Love.
L.A. Mood’s was my comic shop of choice when I lived in London, ON. Gord and Carol were always friendly, charming and interactive with the customer base. This successful family run business is in it’s 17th year. One thing that has impressed me about the London comic scene, which is quite competitive, is the fact that all of the stores work together once a year, on Free Comic Book Day, in a joint effort to reach out to the whole county and build interest and market the medium. A wonderful idea! — Robert Haines
Owner’s Name: Gordon Mood and Carol Vandenberg
Number of Employees: 4
Years in Business: 17
Physical Address: 350 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3C3
Telephone Number: 519-432-3987
Website: www.lamoodcomics.com and we have a blog
L.A. Mood's location on Richmond Street in London
How did you choose your store name?
The store was originally owned by Gordon Mood’s father, Lawrence A. Mood, as a stamp and comics collectable store, just called L.A. Mood. When Lawrence retired, Carol and Gord changed the name to L.A. Mood Comics & Games, and dropped the selling of stamps.
Favorite Comic Book, published in the past few months:
Gord: Conan
Carol: Mouse Guard
Five all-time classic comics, graphic novels or story arcs
Carol’s: Kabuki, Bone, Y: the Last Man, Mouse Guard, Collected Doug Wright, Lenore
Gord’s: Pyongyang, Conan
What are you excited about for this coming year?
Watchmen movie, we are planning a Watchmen screening for our customers. FCBD of course! We have Diana Tamblyn and Willow Dawson doing an instore signing. Starting up a local Graphic Novel group.
What are your plans for the next 12 months?
Starting a graphic novel group that will consist of picking a GN/TPB and discussing it on-line while also having regular group meetings.
For regular events: we are thinking of celebrating Spider-Man and Hulk 600th issues with cake for customers, making August Archie month for the 600th issue…anything to make the dog days of summer more exciting!
What has been one of the most rewarding parts of running your business?
Meeting people
What has been one of the biggest challenges?
Competition; locally, they keep us on our toes, as well as on-line sellers and big box stores.
Product Lines Carried:
New and back issue comics, trade paperbacks, graphic novels, wide variety of board games, Dungeons and Dragons as well as other role-playing games, Magic, Hero clix, toys.
Best selling books
Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Maus,
What are your Best selling monthly comic books?
Buffy and Dark Tower, X-men,
What percentage of your business is comics compared to the peripherals of a ‘culture store’?
40% comics and trades, and 40 % games and related, 20% other.
What books do you find yourself recommending the most?
Depends on the customer, but often it is Watchmen, Y: the last Man, Dark Knight Returns and other Frank Miller, as well as a variety of Batman books, Astonishing X-men, Walking Dead, Wolverine: Origin, Maus, Pyongyang, Ghost World, Lenore, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Marvel Essentials, Ultimate Spider-man, Scott Pilgrim
What great comic/manga should everyone under 14 be reading?
Bone because it is wonderful, well written, well drawn book, Simpsons, because it is colorful, funny, entertaining with no monthly commitment and it will still be funny when you go back to it 10- 15 years later.
What comic/manga would you recommend for an adult interested in returning to comics?
It depends on whether they want nostalgia, or something new. If it is nostalgia, Marvel hardcover reprints are great, the Omnibus, the Visionaries series, the Essentials, Conan from Dark Horse.
If their tastes run along the worldly and current events, we like to recommend Pyongyang, Joe Sacco books, or if they run to historic, Maus.
Superhero: If they don’t want a monthly commitment then, something like Superman Red Son or Dark Knight Returns, Arkham Asylum, The Killing Joke, Watchmen, V for Vendetta are all good reads.
How important is the web to your business?
We try to keep up with the current trends, we sell on ebay and have an ebay store, we have a website, which has been recently updated to include a shopping cart program. We have a blog to keep our customers up to date on current events in the store such as tournaments and sales. The blog replaced our printed newsletter, and is easily kept current. We use the store’s emailing lists to keep customers informed of upcoming sales and events as well. We often communicate with our customers via email, changing subscription lists, and taking orders, etc. We have used You Tube to upload any interviews we have done on TV.
Does your store have an area of expertise? What makes your store unique?
Quality and Premium Back issues and customer service
Describe the comic book scene within your community? (e.g.: amateur comics, anime/manga clubs, comic clubs, convention events)
I would say that within the last 5 years the comic scene in London has waned. A few years ago there were quite a few anime and manga clubs and there was even a comic artist group that got together once a month but they stopped. It often goes in waves, driven mostly by the university clubs, and then wane because most of that particular group graduates. But within our store our gaming clubs have become more dominant and have lasted, due in part to support by the gaming industry and because games are a group activity; it is harder, but not impossible, to make comics a group activity. We found because of Watchmen, people want to discuss GN’s which is why we are starting the Graphic Novel Group.
Do you participate in Free Comic Book Day?
Always! We even have coordinated a coinciding event called ‘Comic Shop Crossover’ that involves 4 other comic retailers in the area. The stores get together to give away prizes to customers who visit all 5 stores on FCBD. We make up a passport that gets stamped at all stores and then are entered into a draw at the end of the day. This makes London one of Ontario’s best stops on FCBD.
The London FCBD Passpost - 5 local stores work together to build up the audience. Somehow I don't see something like this working in Toronto.
What aspect of your store are you most proud?
Our Customer Service: we treat all customers with respect, we try and remember their names, we will order in what we don’t have, and we will mail to those who live out of town. Our customer base extends beyond the borders of our city. We are proud that we worked together with our competition to create Comic Shop Crossover in conjunction with FCBD
What have been some or your best/most fun promotions/events?
Free Comic Book Day and comic Shop Crossover. We also participate in D&D Days.
D&D Day at L.A. Mood
Have the last few years of Hollywood film releases changed your customer base?
Some of the movies have brought more customers in the store that would not have come in before, especially 300, Sin City, the recent Batman movie drove sales of The Killing Joke, and The Joker. Watchmen sales are up as well. Spider-Man movies do not change our sales, and Iron Man only had a small change within our own customer base. If the movie is based on a specific book people who would not normally come in will seek out the book, but they will not come in for a well-known character such as Spider-Man.
Graphic Novels have been a growth product for large bookstore chains, does this affect your customer base or business?
When the Canadian dollar was doing well, we got customers because our prices were better. In respect to Manga, we were losing customers to the book stores because they had a bigger selection, they were in the suburbs, and bookstores received the books a week or 2 ahead of us.
Top Shelf productions has put an extensive 41-page preview of the collected edition up on their site HERE, including Darwyn Cooke’s introduction.
Jeff Lemire was selected by the JSA jury as last year’s Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist for Volumes 1 and 2 of the Essex County Trilogy, and has been nominated this year in the same category for Volume 3. His latest work, The Nobody, is set to debut next month from DC/Vertigo, and this will be followed shortly afterwards by the ongoing series Sweet Tooth, also from DC/Vertigo.
OTTAWA COMIC-CON – Ottawa Civic Centre 1015 Bank Street
Sunday, May 31, 2009
MONTREAL COMIC-CON – Place Bonaventure, 800 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Guests include: DAVE ROSS (Angel artist)
POP CULTURE COLLECTIBLES FAIR – Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC.
Sunday, June 13, 2009
A couple of my favourite female creators, Willow Dawson and Diana Tamblyn, will be doing a signing this weekend at L.A. Mood Comics and Games in London, ON.
More information can be found at the L.A. Mood Comics and Gameswebsite.
Robert
No Girls Allowed - written by Susan Hughes with art by Willow Dawson
Over at his blog, Francis Manapul has detailed the steps taken in the creation of the central Superman image for this year’s Joe Shuster Awards poster.
The final poster will be a collaboration between Francis and Agnes Garbowska.
The Astounding Wolf-Man #16 (Variant Cover) by Dale Keown
If I have missed any works by Canadian Comic Book Creators, please leave a comment, or send me an email at jason@joeshusterawards.com
Aliens #1
Dark Horse US$3.50
Cover Colours by Brad Anderson.
Preview at Dark Horse Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #595
Marvel US$2.99
Colours by Chris Chuckry.
Preview at Newsarama
Astounding Wolf-Man #16
Image US$2.99
Variant Cover by Dale Keown.
Avengers/Invaders #11
Marvel US$2.99
Artwork by Steve Sadowski.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Batman: The Brave And The Bold #5
DC/Johnny US$2.50
Written by J. Torres.
Cartoon Network Block Party #57
DC/Johnny US$2.50
Written by Sam Agro.
Dead Of Night: Devil-Slayer (Trade Paperback)
Marvel US$14.99
Cover by Kaare Andrews.
Fathom #7
Aspen MLT US$2.99
Cover by Marcus To.
Preview at Newsarama
Futurama Comics #43
Bongo Comics US$2.99
Written by Ian Boothby.
Ghost Rider #35
Marvel US$2.99
Colours by Dave McCaig.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Glamourpuss #7
Aardvark-Vanaheim US$3.00
Written, Artwork, and Cover by Dave Sim.
Incredible Hercules #129
Marvel US$2.99
Inks by Terry Pallot.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Jans Atomic Heart
New Reliable Press US$5.95
Written, Artwork, and Cover by Simon Roy.
Least I Could Do Vol. 2: Velcro Pants Are Awesome (Trade Paperback)
Blind Ferret Entertainment US$11.95
Written by Ryan Sohmer. Artwork and Cover by Lar DeSouza.
New Avengers #53
Marvel US$3.99
Variant Cover by Chris Bachalo.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Northlanders #17
DC/Vertigo US$2.99
Colours by Dave McCaig.
Resistance #6
DC/Wildstorm US$3.99
Artwork by Ramon Perez.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Wind Raiders of Taloraan Trade Paperback
Dark Horse US$7.95
Colours by Ronda Pattison.
Star Wars Legacy #36
Dark Horse US$2.99
Colours by Brad Anderson.
Star Wars: Vector Vol. 2 (Trade Paperback)
Dark Horse US$17.95
Colours by Brad Anderson. Cover by Travis Charest.
This Is A Souvenir: Songs Of Spearmint & Shirley Lee Trade Paperback
Image US$29.99
Featuring a story Written, Artwork and Colours by Salgood Sam and Mike Holmes. Written by Derek McCulloch. Artwork by Kelly Tindall.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
True Loves Vol. 2: Trouble In Paradise (Trade Paperback)
New Reliable Press US$8.95
Written by Jason Turner and Manien Bothma. Artwork and Cover by Jason Turner.
Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk #6
Marvel US$2.99
Colours by Dave McCaig.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
United Free Worlds #4
Devil’s Due Publishing US$3.50
Cover by Steve Skroce. Colours by Blond.
Wolverine #72
Marvel US$2.99
Artwork and Cover by Steve McNiven. Colours by Nathan Fairbairn.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Wonder Woman #32
DC US$2.99
Colours by Brad Anderson. Variant Cover by Francis Manapul.
Preview at DC Universe: The Source
X-Force #15
Marvel US$2.99
Cover by Kaare Andrews.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
New Avengers #53 (Variant Cover) by Chris Bachalo
May 22-24, 2009 (Friday-Sunday)
Featuring:
| 1 | Steve Horton |
| 2 | Tara Tallan |
| 3 | Camilla D’errico |
| 4 | Heroes Of The World |
| 5 | Benoît Cécyre |
| 6 | Les Major |
| 7 | Ben Dunn |
| 8 | Svetlana Chmakova |
OTTAWA COMIC-CON – Ottawa Civic Centre 1015 Bank Street
Sunday, May 31, 2009
MONTREAL COMIC-CON – Place Bonaventure, 800 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Above - a scene from the "Abominable Charles Christopher" webcomic by Karl Kerschl
My CCBCAA associate Robert Haines posted an article yesterday re: the distribution of Sword of My Mouth, the follow-up series to the well-received graphic novel Therefore Repent, and I echo his sentiments — it’s an interesting solution to some of the problems the industry is facing during what I continue to call a “transition period”. The transition period began long before last fall’s pronouncements by the media that we are in the midst of an economic downturn. While there is no doubt that we are in a financial crisis, the situation has been made worse by the panic felt by consumers at daily reports of doom and gloom. It’s interesting to see that while the comic industry’s monthly Diamond orders have fluctuated only slightly lower since last fall, the consumers are continuing to make their transition from a periodical based model to one where the single edition graphic novel is the preferred format (hence the transition period…).
Of course, one of the issues that surrounds the transition is that periodicals have, in the old model, been the source of steady income for creators, with the graphic novel collection as the bonus for completing the work. At this time, very few companies are able to successfully carry a book through the periodical phase – we’re limited to the big superhero publishers (Marvel, DC) where the product is more character-centric than creator-based, and a few publishers producing material centred around movie and television concepts (IDW, Dark Horse, Boom!), video games (Udon) and, in some rare cases, creator-based (Dark Horse, Image).
When Diamond’s thresholds were lower, one could launch a periodical, sell enough copies to get you to the point where the book could be collected and hope that the graphic novel sells well enough to keep in print and generating income. Without the periodical phase, can creators and publishers remain financially solvent during the time it takes to get the story completed for the graphic novel publication? Well, it can when the creator and/or the publisher has a body of work out in the marketplace continuing to generate some revenue, but for those struggling to create their first graphic novel it’s probably not financially worthwhile to quit their day job.
And a few prominent Canadian creators (Seth, for example) have even gone out and said that they will no longer be producing periodicals. Darwyn Cooke is about to launch his first direct-to-graphic novel project (The Hunter from IDW), although he continues to do work for periodicals.
As Robert discusses in the chicken vs. egg debate, traditional thinking is that retailers are not taking chances and ordering the product. When retailers are presented with a monthly catalogue filled with potentially thousands of products to order from they tend to go with what they know they can sell — hence the prediliction for recognized superheroes, movie, tv, and videogame concepts, as well as the work of certain proven creators and little risk taking. Some stores may build their reputation on risk-taking, but those are few and far between, most are just making sure they can pay their rent and Diamond bills and can’t afford to sit on unsold product. Certainly it is in the publishers benefit to get the word out there on new product, hence the benefits of previews and supportive websites to create demand, but unless the customer-base preorders the work, most won’t take a big risk on an unproven concept.
Which is why the graphic novel format works better, as the price point is higher, and while the order thresholds are much lower than periodicals they generate a higher profit margin for the distributor and have a better chance of reaching the consumer as they tend to have a longer shelf life.
I think it would be wise for some people to look at some of the Canadian creators who are receiving accolades for their internet successes. Matt Forsythe, for example, did Ojingogo as a webcomic long before it was collected as an award-winning graphic novel. Lar De Souza and Ryan Sohmer have two successful webcomics that are regularly collected in print. I think Kate Beaton has already discovered vis-a-vis TCAF that there is an audience out there for collections of her Hark! A Vagrant history webcomics. I think there is a future in print for all of the Transmission-X webcomics if they so desire.
And taking Jason Turner as an example, while Warlord of Io is not available for purchase through Diamond, you can get it download it online from SLG for a small fee, and perhaps if enough people like what they see there, they’ll go on a limb and purchase a print collection, when offered. Ditto for Sword of My Mouth, and kudos for the concept of using the digital investment as a discount towards the print collection.
Basically, what we are seeing is not the rise of a new independent distributor with lower order thresholds, but the option to use digital delivery systems as a means to create interest in print collections. Eliminating periodicals with digital downloads may be the solution, but it will still require a lot of promotion and effort to encourage people to take the risk directly to go and browse the site — but at least the decision to support or not support the creator is directly in the consumer’s hands (vis-a-vis their mouse), and not the retailer or the distributor. Plus, there are some potential ancillary benefits if you include merchandising to your mix with items such as t-shirts.
Kevin Boyd
Squidwool's Abominable Charles Christopher head
Sword of My Mouth #1 by Jim Munroe and Shannon Gerard is available now.
Jim Munroe is a smart, savvy, independent thinker and I’m always interested in seeing what he’ll do next. Well, Jim is out there trying new ideas in marketing and distributing his new comic: Sword of My Mouth.
Sword of My Mouth is the follow up to ‘Therefore Repent’, a 2007 graphic novel written by Jim Munroe ( nominated for the 2007 Joe Shuster Writer Award) and drawn by Max Douglas aka Salgood Sam. For this follow up, art chores are performed by Shannon Gerrard.
The interesting twist: Sword of My Mouth #1 will be available in the traditional print/floppy format. Issues 2 – 6 will be available only in digital format and you can subscribe to the complete series, issues 1 -6, in a digital format for $6. Six bucks! If you purchased the print edition #1, your cost for 2 – 6 will be $5.
The completed story will be released as a print edition graphic novel, projected for sometime in 2010. Even cooler: if you pre-order the print edition graphic novel for $12, you will be enrolled to receive the digital distribution of the single format editions.
This is an innovative way to get the product into the hands of interested parties, very suitable and appropriate for the small publishing company Munroe operates. The current comic book market is fractured and diverse, the amount of product available boggles the mind. I read a lot of commentary that wants to put the blame onto the independent retailer (aka comic book store), whose budgets are stretched to the limit and have been placed into a risk adverse position due to this fractured market (chicken? egg?), but I don’t. I think publishers play a vital role in the selling of product in the post-1980 comic world and I have to shine a light on the very cool tactics Jim Munroe and No Media Kings are attempting.
For more information on this see: Sword in My Mouth – Remember when comics were cheap?
Robert Haines
Newsarama debuted a trailer for Jeff Lemire’s upcoming graphic novel from DC/Vertigo “The Nobody” today. Check it out.
Owner’s Names: Rob Sinnott and Kevin Hickey
Manager’s Names: Same
Number of Employees: 4
Years in Business: 20 years; 1.5 years under current ownership
Physical Address: 104 – 499 Main St. South, Brampton, ON, L6Y 1N7
Telephone Number: (905) 451-3751
Website: http://www.sidekickcomics.ca
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stadiumcomics
How did you choose your store name?
Stadium Comics was the name of the store when we took it over. Our customers were familiar with the name and the brand, so we kept it.
Favorite Comic Book, published in the past few months:
Green Lantern
Five all-time classic comics, graphic novels or story arcs
Identity Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Green Lantern Rebirth
Justice League of America: The Lightning Saga
Batman: No Mans Land
What are you excited about for this coming year? What are your plans for the next 12 months?
We are excited about the Blackest Night Story line coming from DC Comics, and also ‘Wednesday Comics’. We intend to grow our customer base over the next 12 months by getting the word out that Stadium is not like your average comic store: we are a fun, cool place to shop, and we like to make our customer’s shopping experience special.
What has been one of the most rewarding parts of running your business?
Being able to wake up everyday, go to work, and surround yourself with the things you love. It’s always great to meet new readers and share with them the stories that remind you why you love comic books.
What has been one of the biggest challenges?
Not a lot of people had heard of our store prior to us becoming owners. We have put a lot of effort into making our presence known in Greater Toronto. Events like our Free Comic Book Days, creator signings, and through our website and social networking sites we believe we are making an impact. It’s almost a daily occurrence for us to have someone from out of town come into our store because they have heard good things from someone or have seen us online. It’s a great feeling!
Why are you a comics retailer?
We are comics retailers because we love the medium. We have always read comic books and will always read comic books. It’s not often that people actually get to work their dream job and we feel very lucky everyday when we throw open our doors.
Product Lines Carried:
Comics, Trades and Graphic Novels, Action Figures and Toys, Manga, Collectible Card Games, Original Comic Art, T-Shirts
What percentage of your business is comics compared to the peripherals of a ‘culture store’?
70%
Best selling books
Trade Paperbacks – Y The Last Man, Watchmen, anything Joker-related
Manga – Naruto, Deathnote, and Bleach
What are your Best selling montly floppy comics?
New Avengers, Green Lantern, Batman, Uncanny X-Men, Justice League, Amazing Spider-man
What books do you find yourself recommending the most?
Y: The Last Man, Fables, Green Lantern, JSA
What great comic/manga should everyone under 14 be reading?
Comic – Tiny Titans
Manga – Naruto
What comic/manga would you recommend for an adult interested in returning to comics (superhero / non-superhero)?
Identity Crisis / Y: The Last Man
How important is the web to your business?
The web has been very important. We recently launched our website which focuses on our subscription program. Our customers can manage their pull list at the click of a button and receive discounts on their books. It has been quite successful for us and very well received. Our customers are able to have their own blog on our website. We use social networking sites, like our Facebook and Twitter accounts, to communicate with our customers and provide the latest news to them about sales, promotions, signings, etc.
Does your store have an area of expertise? What makes your store unique?
We could say we are experts in comics, but every retailer would say that. ;)
Our store carries a lot more original art and sketchbooks from talented artists than your average comic shop. Much of the art comes from homegrown talent in and around the GTA.
A selection of Original Art available at Stadium Comics.
Describe the comic book scene within your community? (e.g.: amateur comics, anime/manga clubs, comic clubs, convention events)
It’s hard to pin down a ‘scene’ in Brampton, being that it is only 15 minutes away from downtown Toronto which has such a great pop-culture scene going on. However there are a lot of comic fans in Brampton. We want to help show the community that we can have our very own scene right here in our city. When you have people coming out to our store from Toronto on Free Comic Book Day instead of some of the bigger stores downtown, you know you’re starting to take steps in the right direction!
Do you participate in Free Comic Book Day?
Absolutely! This year was our second Free Comic Book Day as owners. It was honestly the most successful day we’ve ever had, and the moment we were most proud of.
In our opinion, Free Comic Book Day should be akin to Boxing Day for comic retailers. It should be the day where you create the most exciting and memorable experience for your customers, especially the new ones who are coming into your store for the first time for all the free stuff!
We started planning for our event at the beginning of January and we were able to put together an impressive guest list of NINE artists with the likes of Francis Manapul, Alex Milne, Marcio Takara, and Agnes Garbowska.
Francis Manapul makes an appearance during FCBD at Stadium Comics
We promoted our event in store, at comic shows, and on the internet through Twitter and Facebook. On the day, our store was packed and the artists were working non-stop all day! Rogers Television News even came out to cover the story. We gave away over 2,000 comics and blew our previous sales record out of the water. It was a tremendous day and everyone – customers, employees, and the artists – had a blast!
You can read our roundup of the day, complete with pictures, here:
http://www.sidekickcomics.ca/blog/kevin-hickey/free-comic-book-day-roundup
What aspect of your store are you most proud?
Our great selection of trade paperbacks, the original comic art and sketch books we bring into our store.
What have been some or your best/most fun promotions/events?
See ‘Free Comic Book Day’ above :)
Have the last few years of Hollywood film releases changed your customer base?
Absolutely. A lot of our customers who enjoy graphic novels and trade paperbacks have come to us because of movies like “The Watchmen” and “The Dark Knight”. These movies have helped introduce them to comics.
Graphic Novels have been a growth product for large bookstore chains, does this affect your customer base or business?
Yes, more so in the past than now. We implemented a rewards card that allows our customers to receive a free Trade Paperback, Graphic Novel, or Manga once they have purchased 10 books. This has actually made customers who are used to buying those items at the large chains buy them in our store exclusively.
Jamie Trecker talked with North 40′s Fiona Staples for Newsarama:
Canadian artist Fiona Staples is a relative newcomer to comics: “I didn’t start reading them until high school,” admits the abashed Alberta native. But, over the past two years Staples has burst into the comics world in a big way, parlaying a stint on a little-seen indie comic to a regular gig with DC imprint Wildstorm. Along the way, Staples has drawn The Authority, Spider-Woman and will debut a new creator-owned project North 40 in July.
Fresh off his work on Ultimate Spider-Man, Canadian artist Stuart Immonen once again teams with writer Brian Michael Bendis on the New Avengers, starting with July 2009′s issue #55 .
The covers to 55 and 56 are previewed below:
So, here’s where we currently stand with the 2009 Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards:
- Waiting for the green light to announce the 4 Hall of Fame inductees.
- Comics for Kids nomcom finally received the additional books they were waiting to review, so they should be coming to a final list soon.
- We’ve received over 20 Wolverine pieces for this year’s Visions art show & sale, including the Sim and Manapul pieces that have already been previewed here on the JSA blog. People will be impressed. If you are submitting, the deadline for the Visions show has been pushed back to mid-September 2009 and the display will coincide with the late September Awards presentation.
- To the fellow that Twittered on the weekend that the deadline for Gene Day was on a Canadian holiday (Victoria Day), you should now know that the deadline for Gene Day Self-Publishing Award is now early August 2009 so there’s still time to get those submissions in and we hope you were able to enjoy the long weekend.
- Do you want your store to be considered for the Outstanding Canadian Comics Retailer Award? Nominate them as soon as possible! The deadline for nominating a store for the Harry Kremer Retailer Award is early August 2009.
- As you may or may not know, the Awards have been pushed back to September 26-27, 2009. We will be making further announcements over the summer re: the specifics of time, locations, festivities.
- Jury will be sent their copies of nominated works within the next week, and will have the summer to review them.
Source: DC Universe: The Source
Wonder Woman #32 Variant Cover by Francis Manapul
Superman/Batman #60 - Cover by Francis Manapul
If I have missed any works by Canadian Comic Book Creators, please leave a comment, or send me an email at jason@joeshusterawards.com
Air #9
DC/Vertigo US$2.99
Colours by Chris Chuckry.
All-New Savage She-Hulk #1 2nd Printing
Marvel US$3.99
Inks by Terry Pallot.
Amazing Spider-Man Family #6
Marvel US$4.99
Artwork by Tim Levins.
Angel #21
IDW US$3.99
Written by Kelley Armstrong.
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #3
Marvel US$2.99
Cover Colours by Dave McCaig.
Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles: Family Matters #2
BOOM Studios US$2.99
Artwork and Cover by Marcio Takara.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Fantastic Force #2
Marvel US$2.99
Inks by Serge Lapointe.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Grimm Fairy Tales #38
Zenescope US$2.99
Colours by Blond.
Heroes Vol. 2 Trade Paperback
DC/Wildstorm US$19.99
Artwork by Tom Grummett and Marcus To.
Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1
Marvel US$3.99
Colours by Nathan Fairbairn.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Marvel Triple Action #2
Marvel US$5.99
Artwork by Alvin Lee. Inks by Terry Pallot.
Mysterius: The Unfathomable #5
DC/Wildstorm US$2.99
Artwork and Cover by Tom Fowler. Colours by Dave McCaig.
NYX: No Way Home Hardcover
Marvel US$24.99
Artwork by Kalman Andrasofszky. Inks by Ramon Perez. Cover by Alina Urusov.
Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen #5
Oni Press US$3.99
Colours by Nathan Fairbairn.
Preview at Comic Book Resources
Superman/Batman #60
DC US$2.99
Artwork and Cover by Francis Manapul.
Ultimate Galactus Trilogy Trade Paperback
Marvel US$29.99
Artwork by Steve McNiven.
X-Men Forever Alpha #1
Marvel US$4.99
Artwork by Tom Grummett.
Young X-Men Vol. 2: Book Of Revelations Trade Paperback
Marvel US$19.99
Artwork by Yanick Paquette. Inks by Serge Lapointe. Colours by Nathan Fairbairn.
Disney/Pixar's Incredibles: Family Matters #2 - Cover by Marcio Takara
Captain Britain and MI13 Annual Page 1 by Adrian Alphona
Source: Paul Cornell’s LiveJournal
Making his return to comic interiors, Adrian Alphona (best known for Marvel Comics’ Runaways) provides artwork for the upcoming Captain Britain and MI13 Annual. Check out Paul Cornell’s LiveJournal for another preview page of the upcoming issue.
Adrian Alphona is nominated in this year’s Joe Shuster Awards, for the Cover Category.
Red 5 Comics’ Paul Ens writes:
If you picked up copies of this year’s Free Comic Book Day issue by Red 5 Comics, you likely saw our preview of a new series we are very excited about called “We Kill Monsters“. You may also have noticed that the first 40-page-special issue of “We Kill Monsters” is featured in the May issue of PREVIEWS as a special “Staff Pick”.
There’s also a fun website where you can learn more at http://www.wekillmonsters.com
Thank you for your time. As always, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have or to help in any way possible.
– Paul EnsRed 5 Comics
| We Kill Monsters #1 // We Kill Monsters (#1 of 6) |
 Written: Laura Harkcom, Christopher LeoneArt: Brian Churilla Colors: Ronda Pattison Letters: Jeff Powell Publication Date: 2009-07-08 Format: Comic, Full Color, 6.5 x 10, Soft Cover, 40 pages Price: $3.50 Diamond Code: MAY091014 UPC: 811316010405 Two unassuming auto repair shop owners discover that monsters are infesting the world. When they are attacked, the glowing blue juice from the monster’s brain heals his arm and saves Jake’s life. But this gift only begins a life-long link to the monster invasion.From the creators of Sci-Fi TV’s “Lost Room” mini-series. Featured on Free Comic Book Day 2009. |
Here’s what Diamond had to say…
Staff Pick (May09): We Kill Monsters
Proving to the comic book world once again that their 2007 GEM award for “Best New Publisher” was well-deserved, Red 5 Comics continues to release original, high-quality stories that rival just about any other book currently being published by even those who have been around for decades.
We Kill Monsters is a tale of two brothers who live fairly simple lives, and that’s just fine with them. Of course, the brothers’ lives go from simple to insane all in one night when a bloodthirsty creature decides to make the brothers its next meal. This unexplained attack triggers a chaotic journey for the siblings as they witness firsthand that there really are monsters under the bed — and everywhere else.
In the action-comedy tradition of Red 5 Comics’ other hits like Atomic Robo and Abyss, We Kill Monsters is fun, genre-bending actioner from creative professionals spanning the world of media from comic books to television. With art by Brian Churilla (Rex Mundi), and words by creators Laura Harkcom and Christopher Leone (Sci-Fi Channel’s The Lost Room), this will be the next choice for fans of books like Living With the Dead (Dark Horse) and Proof (Image Comics).
See PREVIEWS page 278.
