Google France Pays Homage to Gaston Lagaffe

Gaston Lagaffe is on the front page of Google France.

The character was created by the Belgian cartoonist André Franquin, in issue #985 of Spirou magazine, on February 28, 1957. Gaston Lagaffe is the star of dozens of albums published in France and Belgium and a film released in 1981.

Despite this, he is virtually unknown in the US and Brazil.

(Original article: Google celebra 57 anos de Gaston Lagaffe, written by Sérgio Codespoti on February 28, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission by UniversoHQ)

Lagaffe means “the blunder” in French. He was introduced as an office worker to show behind the scenes of the magazine. He “worked” in the Spirou offices alongside front runners Spirou and Fantasio until creators were changed. Stories often focused on his inventions and antics in the office. His crush, M’oiselle Jeanne, was another gag for the stories which originally started as one page vignettes to help the page count of the magazine. He went on to star in his own albums. Gaston appeared in a Fantagraphics Books publication under the name Gomer Goof.


Spirou the magazine launched in 1938 as one of the leading comic magazines for Franco-Belgian talent,rival only to Tintin magazine, named after Hergé’s character. Spirou has been a breeding ground for many classic comic characters including The Smurfs, Johan and Peewit, Young Spirou, Lucky Luke, Marsupilami, and, of course, Spirou and Fantasio. 

Brazil's Comic Book Carnival

Monica and Friends will walk with Samba  School  Rosas de Ouro at Sao Paulo’s Carnival Parade

This Friday, February 28th, the Samba School Rosas do Ouro (Roses of Gold) Society will present the theme unforgettable with the presence of Monica and her friends at the parade.

The School will present their theme in the four phases of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. The school will be the second of the special category to march in the Sao Paulo Carnaval, with close to three thousand people participating in the parade.

The character’s float has childhood as a theme and carries the name “Childhood Fascination”. Monica, Jimmy Five, Smudge, Maggie, Chuck Billy, Rosie, Franklin, Angel and Thunder are all participating characters in the parade.

The traditional samba school of the Northern Region was founded in October 1971 and already won seven titles in the Sao Paulo Carnival in the special category.

In 2007, Mauricio de Sousa(Monica's creator) was the theme of a different Samba School, Unidos do Peruche(States of Peruche, a tropical bird), also of Sao Paulo.

(Original article: Turma da Mônica desfilará na Rosas de Ouro no carnaval paulistano, written by Marcelo Naranjo on February 27, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission from UniversoHQ)

Marvel Entertainment/Macy's 

As Spider-Man has been a staple in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and hundreds of thousands of superheroes go trick or treating every October 31st, it is good to see comic characters so intertwined with cultural traditions.

Stripped: Documenting a Return to Glory

Calvin and Hobbes creator, Bill Watterson, released his first public piece of artwork in 19 years. It is the theatrical poster for Stripped- a new documentary directed, written and produced by Dave Kellet and Fredrick Shroeder of Sequential Films, Inc.. The feature length documentary is said to be a love letter to comic strips with candid conversations about cartoonists, comics, funnies, newspapers and online outlets. It is available on  iTunes now.

Bill Watterson gives his first EVER recorded interview in Stripped. He is one of 90 interviews collected for the documentary. Creators of note are Jeff Smith, creator of Bone and RASL; Garfield’s Jeff Davis; Inheritor of the Peanuts legacy, Jean Schulz; Understanding Comics author, Scott McCloud; Cathy Guisewite(Cathy) and Jeff Keane(Family Circus). Even internet comics are represented with Matt Inman of The Oatmeal and Ryan North from Dinosaur Comics.

Watterson made the news at the beginning of month as he won the Grand Prix award at the 41st Angoulême International Comics Festival in France. As winner of the esteemed award, he automatically becomes Grand Marshall for next year’s Festival, responsible for planning and promotion. The cartoonist is very elusive and does not make public appearances. It is to be determined how cooperative, helpful, and/or present in next year’s Festival. The author and his work are the focus of last year's documentary Dear Mr Watterson, by Joel Allen Schroeder. His last public work: Calvin and Hobbes' last strip was published December 31st, 1995. The characters have never been licensed. (That Calvin window sticker on the back of cars is unauthorized). 

"I clearly miscalculated how popular it would be to show Calvin urinating on a Ford logo."-Bill Watterson

In an interview with the Washington Post, Watterson stated why he decided to contribute with the poster. "Given the movie's title and the fact that there are few things funnier than human nudity, the idea popped into my head largely intact. The film is a big valentine to comics, so I tried to do something really cartoon-y." Is Watterson turning over a new leaf? Could this mean anything for Angoulême 2015? Only time will tell. Check out the trailer at the film’s website.

Florida Has One More Attraction: A Comic Convention!

As comic books are becoming more and more popular in the public sphere, comic book conventions are attracting bigger audiences and popping up all over the world. Here at Culture of Comics, we have covered various conventions from the world over. Rob Salkowitz, author of Comic Con and the Business of Pop Culture, estimates comic book conventions made 600 million dollars last year domestically in ticket sales alone. He talks numbers in his ICv2 column here.

Fort Lauderdale about to have its own convention this May. Joey Cammisa, owner of War and Pieces and Troy Humble , owner of graphic design company Humble Ink, decided to partner up and start their own convention closer to home. Conventions have all different capacities and venues. 

Cammisa and Humble's  WAP! Comic Book Convention doubles as a charity event for the Dan Marino Foundation which helps children with neurodevelopment disabilities. They are also hosting various events prior to the convention to raise money. This past weekend the pair held the WAP the Wall event, a donation to the charity grants you access to graffiti a 30-foot-wall. 

From the Convention's Facebook page

The WAP! Comic Book Convention takes place May 9-11 at Broward convention center.It features a rare art exhibit by classic DC artist Jerry Robinson. Ninja Turtles co-creator
Kevin Eastman will also appear. Stay tuned to the Convention's Facebook page for new announcements. Tickets are $25 and available through Ticketmaster.


Of the location Cammisa says, “"Right now when people think comic conventions they think San Diego and New York, and I want to add a third one to that list, and I want it to be South Florida." This is a smart choice. San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con might be destination conventions, with thousands upon thousands flocking into the area specifically for the con but Fort Lauderdale and neighboring Miami have other attractions already bringing in tourists. They are also home to two of the busiest Cruise Terminal ports in the United States: Port Miami and Port Hollywood. With couples, families and singles waiting to embark(or disembark) on a ship, looking for some entertainment to hold them over, the right advertising and marketing could make Fort Lauderdale's first big comic convention the first of many!

The Turtles Make Their Renaissance: 30 Years and Counting

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

The first Ninja Turtle was sketched out by Kevin Eastman in 1983 in Northampton, Massachusetts. His friend, Peter Laird, liked the idea of “Ninja Turtle” and sketched another. In no time, the pair quickly created the four turtles: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael.

A few months later, using their tax returns, Eastman and Laird formed Mirage Studios and in March 1984 printed 3,000 copies of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- a dark and gritty black and white parody of Daredevil starring the four turtles, their rat Master Splinter(Daredevil’s Sensei was named “Stick”) battle Shredder and his Foot Clan(Daredevil: “The Hand”). Even the toxic spill that blinded Daredevil as a boy also washed into the sewers and mutated the four turtles and rat.

Mirage Studios

The issue was advertised in a comic trade journal and became a sweeping success. It was continued the following year with reprints and further issues released intermittently. In what became Volume One of the series, a portion of the work was done by the original creators, guest artists and close collaborators (of note: Ryan Brown and Jim Lawson) also helps contribute to the volume’s 62 issues, with various Micro Series, miniseries and specials. A companion anthology piece “Tales of the TMNT” added 7 tales to the mythos in the early years.

In 1987, the property was optioned to Playmates Toys for a toy line. They wanted to test the characters with a five episode miniseries, making the characters much more kid friendly with phrases like “Cowabunga”, “Turtle Power” and “Heroes in a Half Shell”. Much more comedy than grit, the Fred Wolf show was very different from the ongoing, mature, black and white comic that was simultaneously being published. The show lasted ten seasons and had 193 episodes and a wildly popular, and collectible, action figure line.

Archie Comics/Mirage Studios

Archie Comics published Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures to market comics to a younger audience, spanning 72 issues from 1988 to 1995, using cues from the animated series and toy line. Adventures featured an expanded cast and more global mindset. Stories were written by Steve Murphy (under a pen name “ Dean Clarrain”) and penciled by Chris Allen. During this period three major motion pictures were released with puppetry from Jim Henson Studios(and music from Vanilla Ice).

After Volume 1 ended, Volume 2 quickly came to pass. Written and illustrated by Jim Lawson, the full color series lasted 13 issues and was a direct continuation of the series.

In 1996, Image Comics launched a 23 issue Volume 3, taking the property to new and strange places (Donatello became a cyborg). It was written by Gary Carlson and illustrated by Frank Fosco, with covers by one of the Image founders, Erik Larsen(Savage Dragon). The volume was later said to be “outside of continuity”. 1997 saw an ill fated live action show by Saban, those responsible for Power Rangers. The Next Mutation saw the controversial inclusion of a female turtle, Venus de Milo. The show lasted one season. The property’s popularity was waning. Kevin Eastman sold his ownership to Laird and Mirage in 2000.

In 2001, Peter Laird and Jim Lawson returned to continue the original continuity of the Turtles. Now in their 30s (yet still titled TMNT), the turtles faced new and old enemies and challenges. Tales of the TMNT was also revived in 2004 to try and fill the missing history gaps.

In 2003, Laird partnered with Lloyd Goldfine and 4Kids Entertainment to produce a new animated series, heavily based on the comic series. Playmates once again saturated the toy aisles with Turtles Products and Dreamwave Productions released a short lived, 7 issue comic book based on the show, written by Peter David and art by LeSean. The show lasted various incarnations until 2009 with seven seasons, ending during the Ninja Turtles’ 25th anniversary with a TV movie crossing over the Mirage comic book, the 4Kids cartoon and the original cartoon.

4 Kids/Mirage Studios

In 2007, Kevin Monroe directed a CGI movie with voice talents of Chris Evans(Casey Jones), Sarah Michelle Gellar(April O’Neil) and Patrick Stewart as the movie’s antagonist. Mirage released the comic book tie-ins.

Peter Laird sold the Ninja Turtle rights to Viacom/Nickelodeon in October 2009. Tales of the TMNT concluded with issue 70 and Volume 4 was paused indefinitely. Peter/Mirage was given permission to publish 18 issues a year about the Turtles if they so chose. In any event, IDW Publishing was rewarded the comic license. Kevin Eastman returned to oversee the property with Editor Bobby Curnow and writer Tom Waltz and art by Dan Duncan, Ben Bates, Ross Campbell, Andy Kuhn and Mateus Santolouco. The new series premiered in 2011 and took inspiration from all incarnations of the Turtles lore. Micro series, miniseries and annuals help booster the rapidly expanding new world for the heroes in a half shell.

IDW Publishing

In the same vein, Nickelodeon premiered its new CGI series in 2012 which also honors its roots. The creator of the show, Ciro Nieli, grew up with the original series. Throwbacks and references are littered throughout the series, now in the middle of its second series, with characters being reimaged and updated to fit the new tone. Cory Feldman, the voice of Donatello in the first live action movie, returns in season two to voice the evil turtle, Slash. Rob Paulsen-Raphael in the original series- now voices Donatello. Jason Biggs (American Pie), Greg Cipes (Teen Titans), and Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) round out the green cast. IDW Publishing has their own monthly Adventures series telling stories inspired by the cartoon and Playmates is, again, churning out the toys.

Nickelodeon

That brings us to 2014: The 30th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. How to celebrate? IDW has a wide range of reprints in production-ranging from hardcover collections of original Eastman and Laird issues to reprinted floppies for the first time in color (In the Mirage “universe” all four turtles have red masks). IDW recently announced they will publish the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 30th Anniversary Special in May. The cover is a collaboration between original creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, marking one of the first times the two have reunited since the split. The 48 page special is a reunion of many of the special creators who brought life to the license. Kevin Eastman will tell a story from the Early days; “Dean Clarrain”/Steve Murphy and Chris Allen will tell another Archie Adventure tale; Gary Carlson and Frank Fosco look back on the Image Volume 3; Jim Lawson will tell a story set around Volume 4; and the original IDW artist Dan Duncan returns with scribe Tom Waltz to round out the special. Pin Ups are also promised but kept under wraps.

IDW/Viacom

 If that isn't the best way to honor the long legacy, you can always watch Meghan Fox as April O’Neil in the next Ninja Turtles movie by Paramount Pictures. The Jonathan Liebesman directed movie (with involvement by Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes company) is in theaters August 8th.

Viacom/Paramount Pictures

Caliber Comics Returns!

The publisher Caliber Comics, who had ceased production in 2001, will return to publish comics.

The new Caliber is the result of a partnership between the publisher’s founder, Garry Reed, and Eric Reichert, of Eagle One Media. Together, they will create Caliber Entertainment.

Created in 1989, the original Caliber published various comics from writers who were starting their careers, like Ed Brubaker, Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Allred, Vince Locke and David Mack. Some of the published titles include Jinx, Kabuki, Mr. Monster, World of H.P. Lovecraft, War of the Worlds, among others.

During its 12 years, Caliber Comics released 1,400 magazines.

The new company will also handle Transfuzion Publishing’s catalog:one of Reed’s companies that published hardcover books and graphic novels like Vietnam Journal by Don Lomax.

The publisher didn’t release which would be its first titles, but they informed that they will publish hardcover books that will be released this year. According to Reed, monthly magazines, in comic book format, are not in the immediate plants at Caliber. For him, the floppies represent a difficult market and it would be necessary to partner up with an established company to take care of distribution and press.


(Original article: Caliber Comics voltará a publicar quadrinhos,written by Sérgio Codespoti on February 20, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission from UniversoHQ.)

With alumni like Michael Allred(FF, X-Statix, and next month's Silver Surfer), Brian Michael Bendis(All New/ Uncanny X-Men,(New) Avengers, Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man), David Mack(Kabuki, Daredevil), Vince Locke(A History of Violence), and Ed Brubaker(Catwoman, Gotham Central, Captain America and Fatale)- Caliber has an eye for up and coming talent. With Valiant's recent relaunch and the companies like IDW  also focusing on publishing collections and entertainment ventures- Caliber is ready to try the new market. It is exciting to see the possibilities of Dreamworld and  Saint Germaine(Transfuzion's release with Image Comics). The comic world is huge on reinterpreting classics and hopefully, 12 years later, Caliber Entertainment can reach  the whole new audience of today. 

President's Day meets New Comic Day

Type in President in the search bar at ComicVine Comics database. Lex Luthor with 2730 issues is the first result. He was president off and on in many of DC's universes. George W Bush is listed in 195 issues. His father: 107 comics. Bill Clinton? 196. Comic book cameos can add value to a comic or horribly date a comic. It can make a comic seem current, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. It can also put a huge spin on "alternate realities". Comic Books can make presidents larger than life. Superheroes, barbarians, zombie hunters or just interacting with the heroes we long to believe in. Here is a sampling of Barack Obama's 244 appearances. Read about other presidential cameos here!

Image Comic's Savage Dragon started the craze. In issue 137, by creator Erik Larsen the politically minded green man-dragon meets and endorses Obama. The issue kicked off the election season coming out September 2008.

Image Comics

Blue Water Comics, famous for publishing biographies in comics for various icons/pop culture personalities started the craze by publishing "Presidential Material" special editions for the incumbents: John McCain and Barack Obama.

Blue Water Comics

They have not stopped with lucrative series, showcasing his "Political Power", his wife, First Family: The Obamas, and even his dog, Bo.

Blue Water Comics

When Obama won the presidency in November 2008, the comic book industry was quick to cash in. 2009 became the year of Obama. Spider-Man had an important meeting with Obama in January 2009's Amazing Spider-Man 583, becoming one of the best selling American comics of the year.

Marvel Comics

He met with Green Goblin turned Iron Patriot in Thunderbolts 128-129(Marvel) and handled the Youngblood team in issue 8(Image Comics).

Obama and Norman Osborn, Thunderbolts. Image from Green Goblin Hangout

Image

Then...the job description got a little weird.  I will let the images speak for themselves.

Drafted: One Hundred Days(Devils Due) 2009

President Evil(Antarctic Press) 2009

Barack the Barbarian(Devils Due Press) 2009, Yes, that IS Sarah Palin

2010 saw Mister President visit Riverdale to hang out with Archie and Veronica. He teamed up with Harry Potter, Invincible and Walking Dead's Rick in an ongoing editorial Guarding the Globe. And he..."met" Bomb Queen in the "Oh-BOMB-ah!" four act story.

Archie 616 (Archie Comics) 2010

Guarding the Globe 1(Image Comics) 2010

Veronica 199(Archie Comics) 2010

Bomb Queen 3(Image Comics) 2010

Obama helped save America from Godzilla in 2011 and advised Cyborg in the Flashpoint miniseries.

Flashpoint 4(DC Comics) 2011, image from Everyday is Like a Wednesday 

Godzilla:Kingdom of Monsters 1(IDW) 2011 courtesy of  Bloody Disgusting

One of 2012's best graphic novels was Fantographics' Barack Hussein Obama written and illustrated by Steven Weissman. Marketed as "A book about you, your country, your family and your president."

Barack Hussein Obama (Fantographics Books) 2012 

This year started off with Skyman and The Other Dead premiers both debuting with Obama on the cover,

Skyman 1(Dark Horse Comics) 2014

The Other Dead 1(IDW) 2014

Will the President have a career in comics? It is doubtful. When the new presidential hopefuls are announced be prepared to see comics take sides in new and sometimes unsettling ways.

Comic Industry Awards: A History of Excellence

This week San Diego Comic Con announced Eisner Award nominees. The Eisner Award is named after comic great Will Eisner(The Spirit, City of God).

The Award had some name and personnel changes. It started by Publisher Fantographic’s Books in 1985 gave out the Kirby Awards at Comic-Con with Jack Kirby himself on hand. In 1987 Fantographics lost Dave Olbrich, their chief organizer of the awards. They created the Harvey Awards named afer Harvey Kurtzman. Olrbich organized the newly named Eisner Awards in 1988. In 1990, Comic Con took over the organization of the awards. Jackie Estrada is the administrator of the awards.

Orrin C. Evan's All-Negro Comics

Traditionally, the judges select two nominations before the awards ceremony at the Convention. This year, they decided to add one more for instant induction in the Hall of Fame. There is still a pool of 14 nominees, 4 of which will enter the Hall of Fame.

Journalist Orrin C. Evans published a single anthology in 1947- All-Negro Comics. It was the first of its kind, solely created by African American talent. Sheldon Moldoff was a DC comic book artist. He helped create Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and  the brought life to the whimsical era of Batman: Bat-Girl, Batwoman, Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound.  He also drew Hawkman, golden age Green Lantern(Alan Scott). Irwin Hasen created Citizen Smith, Son of the Unknown Soldier, DC superhero Wildcat(with Bill Finger) and the comic strip Dondi(with Gus Edson) about a war orphan. Hasen also did art for The Flash, The Green Hornet, the Fox and various other golden age heroes.  

Irwin Hasen's Dondi

Sheldon Moldoff's characters Bat-Girl and Batwoman

Fourteen other talents are now being considered in voting. These include  international talents Mexican Gus Arriola(Gordo), Frecnhman Philippe Druillet(La Sloane), Hiyao Miyazaki( Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Japan’s biggest filmmaker(Spirited Away,etc)), Britt Alan Moore(Watchmen, V for Vendetta), Cuban Antonio Prohias(Spy vs Spy), Japanese female creator Rumiko Takahashi(Ranma ½). Super hero creators are well represented with Fred Kida(Ringo Kid, Flash Gorden, Spider-Man) Tarpe Mills(creator of Miss Fury), Dennis O’Neil(Batman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow,editor), George Tuska(Crime Does Not Pay, Marvel and DC Comics artist), Bernie Wrightson(Swamp Thing).Eisner Awards continues to recognize the Underground/Independent movement with Howard Cruse(Gay Comix editor, Stuck Rubber Baby), Rube Goldberg(Rube Goldberg machine, Mike and Ike), Francoise Mouly(RAW creator).

The list of Eisner Award Hall of Fame members is long and varied. Batman’s creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger(Batman’s creators), Neal Adams(Batman artist who created the dark and brooding Dark Knight), Joe Simon(Captain America), Superman’s makers Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Gardner Fox(Justice Society), Steve Ditko(Co-creator of Spider-Man, The Creeper, The Question) are all well represented. Classic comic artists like John Romita(Marvel), Marv Wolfman(Blade, DC and Marvel), and Joe Kubert(DC) among others also hold membership.

The Eisner Awards does a great job representing pillars of the comic book medium. From the first remnants of the budding art like : R. F. Outcault(The Yellow Kid), Rudolph Dirks( The Katzenjammer Kids), Winsor McKay(Little Nemo) and George Herriman(Krazy Kat). And others, like Lee Falk (The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician) and Carl Banks(Disney Comics) who helped propel comics to international popularity and recognition. William Gaines the EC Comics publisher who almost single handedly caused the Comics Code Authority  even gets a spot  with his coulegue Harvey Kurtzman(MAD Magazine). The Hall of Fame features non mainstream,underground movers and shakers like Art Spiegelman(Maus, RAW), Trina Robbins(Wimmin’s Comix)  and Robert Crumb(Fritz the Cat).

Comic strip creators had a huge part on the popularity and notability of the medium. Charles M. Schulz(Peanuts and Snoopy), E.C. Segar(Popeye), Ernie Bushmiller(Fritzi Ritz and Nancy), Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie), John Stanely(Little Lulu), Walt Kelly(Pogo), Harold R. Foster(Prince Valiant),  and Chester Gould(Dick Tracy) all won membership.

International inductees include Italian Huge Pratt(Corto Maltese), Katsunhiro Otomo(Akira), Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima(Lone Wolf and Cub), Rene Goscinny and Alberto Uderzo(Asterix), Herge(Tintin), and Osamu Tezuka(Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight and Black Jack).

Attendees of the awards ceremony are given a copy of a Will Eisner graphic novel. He has been known as the “father of the graphic novel”. 

Make Mine Valiant!

Valiant Entertainment is the little engine that could. Founded by Marvel alumni Jim Shooter and Bob Layton in 1989, the line enjoyed early success. Originally called Voyager Communications, their comics division was called Valiant Comics. They purchased rights for Gold Key/Western character catalog: Magnus-Robot Fighter, Turok-Dinosaur Hunter(the character now sold to Dynamite Comics with his first issue coming out this month) and Solar- Man of the Atom- tweaking and updating the characters to the new generation. Along with these licensed characters, they created their own and quickly populated their newly created universe. The first titles were Harbinger- a group of renegade teenagers on the run from an evil cooperation focused on harnessing mental powers, X-O Manowar-a Visigoth who was abducted by aliens and bonded to an alien uniform. Skip a few centuries and he is a very powerful fish out of water in the 20th century, Shadowman-a New Orleans boy becoming a superhero fueled on the darkness of the underworld, and Rai- the Japanese spirit guardian.

The original Valiant Universe, image credit: Valiant Comics Database

Valiant had a company wide crossover, Unity, which, well, united the line. Lasting 18 issues, including a free promotional first issue. The crossover launched Eternal Warrior- with a self explanatory title- and the fun duo Archer & Armstrong. Ninjack the ninja, Bloodshot the cyborg arsenal,and other accepts of their ever expanding universe.They had their own future timeline (4000 AD) and all together 22 titles were published.


Sold to Acclaim in 1996, the video game developers rebooted the line and added prolific writers to tell the new tales. Warren Ellis wrote Solar. Kurt Busiek wrote Ninjak. Mark Waid opened X-O Manowar. Garth Ennis wrote an arc of Shadowman. New series like Troublemakers, Trinity Angels and Quantam and Woody were introduced. Shadowman, Turok and Armorines translated well to the video game market. In 1999, Unity 2000 saw the return of Jim Shooter to the line, adding an alternate universe filled with his ideas and takes on the characters. The crossover was canceled after 3 issues effectively ending the line and the acclaim universe saga. The Gold Key characters were sold off. Jim Shooter oversaw  Dark Horse Comics’ handling of the Gold Key Characters even returning to write them once more.The characters now reside with Dynamite Entertainment.

In 2005 the Valiant/Acclaim original characters were auctioned off to Valiant Entertainment, owned by Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari. They published some collected reprints in the interim. In 2011, former Marvel CEO Peter Cuneo joined as Chairman. Warren Simons followed as Executive Editor. And the Summer of Valiant 2012 was their reintroduction. Month after month, these classic characters debuted in their own titles: X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Bloodshot and Archer & Armstrong. The reviews were in and Valiant became synonymous with good writing and great focused characters. Shadowman followed and 2013 brought Quantam & Woody and Eternal Warrior. The year ended with the start of their own Unity series- written by Matt Kindt. Valiant is going strong, winning various awards and appearing on many best of the year reviews. Valiant even helped design the official USA luge uniforms for the Sochi Olympics. They have had successful translations in France, Brazil, Spain and most recently Mexico.

Valiant Entertainment 

They are not slowing down. This week Valiant launched the Valiant First initiative. Starting in May with Rai, they will launch a new series every month. Shamdasani calls the initiative “It’s a chance to jump into the Valiant Universe every month.” Editor Simons reflects on the unique business model: “Just care about every individual issue, care about every page, care about every panel. We want to make sure everything goes out the door with an amazing amount of love in it. We never want to just be mailing in an arc, or even an issue. We’re really trying to focus on consistently putting out great books, every month, with every issue. You won’t always hit the mark you want to, but I like to think that we do more often than not. That’s really the goal we’re trying for here, and I think it’s what the market and the fans have really responded to.”

Valiant Entertainment 

Big things are happening in the universe:Eternal Warrior is currently leading into the 4001 A.D. timeline, Harbinger promises the “Death of a Renegade”, Archer and Armstrong are crossing over with Bloodshot and the H.A.R.D. Corps in Mission: Improbable and Shadowman will have his own miniseries, the ominous ” End Times”. Armor Hunters is coming affecting X-O Manowar, Bloodshot and Harbinger specifically- the story line will develop over 18 issues.

In May, X-O Manowar will be the first series to reach the monumental 25 issues. The 25th issue will feature 48 pages including the start of Armor Wars, an origin story penned by series scribe Robert Venditti and other stories by Peter Milligan, Bryan Hitch, Justin Jordan, Rafer Roberts and other special guests. Keep in mind chief creative officer at Marvel, Joe Quesada got his start writing X-O and other Valiant characters.

I leave you with a quote by Shamdasani:



” We don’t publish anywhere near the quantity of the books Marvel and DC publish. We’re not trying to publish the most books. We’re not trying to publish even the biggest-selling books. We’re trying to publish the best books. It was so motivating for us to hear that our fans were more excited to read our books than anything else anyone was publishing. That’s what we want to do in a broader way.”

Valiant Entertainment

Culture of Comics' Top 10 Recommendation for People Who Don’t Read Comics(Part 2 of 2)

Yesterday I outlined half of my picks for great comics for non-comics readers. But if you ask 5 people for their picks, you will receive 5 different recommendations. The diversity of comics is great and every genre has their own audience. Poke around. Movie tastes and television habits can translate to a comic book series that is right for you.
Without further ado... here are the remaining 5(ish) picks!

6.All New X-Men(Marvel)

Marvel

The X-Men are one of the most complex and convoluted cast of characters in comics. How many times has Jean Grey died? Which villain turned hero and vice-versa? The X-Men started out with a 5 member team in much simpler times. Marvel’s golden writer, Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, New Avengers, Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man) finally has his hands on the X-Men. He brings back these 5 founding members, straight from the past, to catch up on the times and history and witness the changes right along with the readers. The book is fun, fast paced and a breath of fresh air.

7.Mind the Gap(Image)

Image

Mind the Gap started with a mysterious death of the protagonist. The whodunit unfolds in crazy ways that examines all aspects of someone’s life. Families and friends are left to grieve and place blame and try to move on…or investigate the unclear cause of death. Clues and red herrings litter each and every issue that make the series so addicting and compelling to read. Jim McCann is the writer and Rodin Esquejo and Sonia Oback handle the art and colors, respectively and they create a truly beautiful comic, from art to story. This is the type of comic you would want to watch weekly on prime time.

8.Life With Archie(Archie)

Archie 

This is the first time I actually sat down and read an Archie comic…and the second time the redhead appears on this list. This comic is for the twenty something. It’s for those just out of college who are trying to juggle new careers and new relationships. It’s for newlyweds and newly singles and those who hate returning to their hometown. It can be depressing at times but the good and positive always shine through. The book is split into two full sized stories, each existing in their own universe(depending which girl Archie married). I found the stories adult but not mature, serious in content but still in the cartoonish style. The series is written by Paul Kupperberg. 

9.Saga(Image)

Image

Critically acclaimed writer Brian K Vaughan(Y the Last Man, Runaways, Ex Machina) joined with artist Fiona Staples to produce a cosmic space soap opera. Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Romeo and Juliet all thrown into a blender challenges issues of love, family, war and (alien) race. The creators churn out 6 monthly issues and then take a short break to get ahead of the process and recharge their batteries- ensuring that no issue feels stale and uninspired. The title characters live this “saga”starting literally with the birth of their baby, to being chased down by waring factions, making choices that question love and family and morals that are quite universal. The comic is for mature audiences as it can be graphic at times, but aside from the controversy, it is a study on the human condition.

10.Valiant Comics

Valiant Entertainment 

I wanted to represent this up and coming publisher but could not settle on a series. I hold them all to the equally high caliber. They have a little bit of everything, and what they do, they do well. Unity is a team up book. X-O Manowar is an action adventure bridging the ancient Visigoths to space age technology. Harbinger is a team book with teenage mutants running around. Bloodshot and the HARD Corps is a heavy action book, a la Punisher. Archer & Armstrong and Quantum & Woody are fun buddy romps with a lot of laughs. Shadowman is a horror mystery. The  line, history and recent developments will be explained in a post shortly.


Do you have a series, past or present, that you recommend to anyone that will listen? Why is it so special?