Saudi Arabia Has 99 Problems...

The 99 was created in 2007 by Stuart Moore, John McCrea, and Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and published by Teshkeel Comics. The name stems from the eventual 99 member team of young super powered citizens of the planet. Their powers can complement each other and work best in certain groups of three, depending on the problem at hand. This stresses tolerance and diversity. They have already teamed up with DC superheroes like Batman and Superman. Download a free copy of the origin of the team at Comixology.

The comic has not been without its controversy among conservatives. Despite the controversy, The 99 franchise has a animated series broadcast in 70 countries and a theme park in Kuwait. In 2010, at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in 2010, President of the United States Barack Obama mentioned the 99 and head creator Dr. Naif Al Mutawa. “His comic books have captured the imagination of so many young people,with superheroes who embody the teachings and tolerance of Islam,” the President said. President Obama is an admitted comic book collector. In 2011, The 99 CGI  feature film debuted in New York and Dubai film festivals.

Saudi Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta issued a fatwa, or formal legal opinion, on The 99 recently. They call for the banning of the series for flouting religious values. “There have been numerous Twitter campaigns against me for a while now and so for me it’s not new,” Al Mutawa said to Gulf Business. “Maybe it is true this time, but I find it very difficult to believe that a group as influential and high profile [as the Saudi Committee] wouldn't recognise the good that THE 99 has done for Muslims around the world.”The creators were not notified of the ban and there is no official word if that is the case. The series(animated and comic) have been successfully sold in Saudi Arabia for many years now without official challenges. Al Mutawa vows that the franchise upholds strong Muslim values and cites that it is an uneducated opinion based on heresy.



The 2011 DC Comics/ Tashkeel Comics’collaboration , JLA:The 99, six issue miniseries is available on Comixology. The series is also available in Arabic. Download Beginnings for free(in English) here. Promotional information and more information is available at the official 99 website. 

How Much Would You Pay For a Comic? Name Your Price

The online comic store Mais Gibis(More Comics) is premiering a new way of payment, called “Name Your Price”, for select titles.

With this option, the reader will decide how much they want to pay for some editions, like Gibi Quântico("Quantam Comics") or Manual da Autodestruição("Self-destruction Manual"), and collaborate with the creators. The price paid could be any value upwards of 1 Real(.50 US cents). If the reader prefers, they can enter R$0.00 and download the issues for free.

Quantam Comics,  available through Mais Comics is created by 10 writers and various talents of Brazil

"Quantam Comics" is one of the new titles available through the site. Others include Pieces 1 and 2, by Mario Cau; and Os Passarinhos e Outros Bichos("The Birds and Other Animals"), by Estevão Ribeiro and published by Balão Editorial.(Other titles do not feature the "Name Your Price" flexibility)

To see the full catalog of digital titles, check out the site.

(Original article: Site Mais Gibis estreia o modelo Quer pagar quanto? Written by Samir Naliato on March 19, 2014. Reprinted and translated by permission from UniversoHQ)

Stateside, Brian K. Vaughan(Saga, Y the Last Man, Runaways) and Marcos Martin(Daredevil, Doctor Strange:The Oath, The Amazing Spider-Man) teamed up to “deliver original comics directly to readers around the world, who pay whatever the hell they want…” This format takes the middle man(distributors, publishers) out of the picture and all proceeds go right to the hands of the creators. Their digital exclusive series, The Private Eye, has been getting rave reviews and is currently in the middle of its proposed ten issue run. 

Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin through The Panel Syndicate

An appreciated feature is that the issues are available in English, Spanish and Catalan- with older issues available in additional Portuguese and French as well. Try it out at panelsyndicate.com. 

This is a great way to show comics are not a luxury item and that the medium can be enjoyed by all cultures and economic classes. Comics are for everyone!

Charlton Comics: History and Legacy

Charlton Comics might be the most important comic book company in comics history. Who? Why? Follow me here. Charlton Publishing, originally T.W.O. Charles Company, was founded by John Santagelo, Sr. and Ed Levy in Derby, Connecticut in 1940. In 1946, they started Charlton Comics. Derby is just an hour and half from New York City-the United States’ heartland for Comic Publishers.

Charton published A LOT of comics in their era from 1946-1985. They published popular licences like Abbott and Costello, The Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, The Six Million Dollar Man, Ronald McDonald, Bullwinkle and Rocky  and Hanna Barbera properties like The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, and The Jetsons. They took advantage of all the trends in comics, too. Military Books- War, Army Attack, Fightin’ Air Force, Fightin’ Army, Fightin’ Five, Fightin’ Marines, and Fightin’ Navy, among others; Love and relationship books: Teen Confessions, For Lovers Only, In Love, I Love You, Brides In Love…;Cowboy/Westerns like Billy the Kid and Davey Crockett. They took advantage of the space age and the atomic age with Atomic Mouse(and Bunny, and Rabbit), Outer Space and The Great Gazoo.  They were also participating in the popular horror genre which lead to the strict regulation of the Comics Code Authority (Creepy Things, Ghostley Takes, and Haunted). Charlton Comics created new highbrid comics combining two genres which catered to interesting crowds: Cowboy Love and Haunted Love.

But Charlton’s biggest claim to fame is their superhero books. They created characters like The Question, The Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, The Peacemaker, Nightshade…among others. After Charlton closed its doors, the superhero characters were bought by DC Comics. Alan Moore wanted to use the newly acquired characters for a graphic novel. He tweaked the characters a little and changed their names and appearances and Watchmen was born. 

Watchmen was released in 1986 as a 12 issue maxi-series and collected in 1987. Illustrated by Dave Gibbins, Watchmen ushered in the “graphic novel” quality that all publishers strove for and garnered public attention. It landed on Times Magazine’s 100 Greatest NOVELS list, with competition from any and all novels published…ever. In 2009, Fox and Zach Snyder released a major motion picture based on the series. According to DC’s contract with Alan Moore, they own the rights to Watchmen as long as it is in print. The series has never gone out of print since publication, with new editions  and sets every few years. In 2012, DC published a series of prequels titled Before Watchmen.

But DC didn’t purchase the whole Charlton catalog. A group of fans and creators are getting together to publish The Charlton Arrow- a 44 page tribute available only through mail order. The group is selling trading cards and the comic (#1 with the possibility of more) on the Charlton Arrow website. The Arrow promises stories about superheroes, humor, horror, western, and romance.

According to the website: “ The comic will be released in March 2014, but not available in stores, only through mail order. The comic is $6.99 with an additional $2.95 charge for shipping & handling. For orders shipping outside the US, please include $4.95. You will get a confirmation email from the publisher Comicfix via morttodd.com. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

    Order your copy NOW for $9.95 (including s&h) by securely paying via Paypal to charlton@morttodd.com or get two copies for $15.95 (inc. s&h) and save even more! Note: For shipping outside the US, it is $11.95 U$D for one, $17.95 for two! For more information, to pay with credit card or money order, and for bulk discount rates, contact charlton@morttodd.com”

Cue Theme Music: Snoopy Will Dance on the Big Screen

Sure, everyone has heard by now that Ben Affleck is the new Batman…And that Avengers 2 is coming. With the deluge of superhero movies by the big 2, it is easy to forget the little guys. But fear not! One beagle and his owner are returning to take over the silver screen!

The blockhead Charlie Brown first appeared in the Li’l Folks comic strip in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Charles M. Schulz then started a different strip starring Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. It ran daily for 50 years from 1950-2000. Fantagraphics Books is currently publishing the all-encompassing collection  The Complete Peanuts. Boom Studios is also publishing a monthly Peanuts comic book.

Fantagraphics Books

Snoopy and Charlie Brown and the Peanuts are some of the best known characters worldwide, and for good reason. Charlie Brown has been a staple among television specials, the most notable being: A Charlie Brown Christmas(1965), It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown(1966), and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving(1973) all still played annually on ABC. Snoopy and the gang are mascots of MetLife insurance. They have stared in not one but two musicals: “Snoopy” and “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”, both still popular and performed around the world. In 2015, Blue Sky will produce the fifth movie in the franchise. A Boy Named Charlie Brown(1969), Snoopy, Come Home (1972), Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown(1977) and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown(and Don’t Come Back!!)(1980) were all traditionally animated but Peanuts(2015) will be done in CGI. Blue Sky has a very good track record with CGI animation with Rio, Ice Age, Epic and Robots under their belt. Take a look at the trailer below. Peanuts will be released in theatres November 6, 2015. 

Asterix the Ambassador for Another French Comic Festival

Brazilians Ricardo Manhães and Gian Danton will be participating in a tribute to the character Asterix, by invitation of the Belgian journalist Lionel Flips, owner of the website Le Bourlingueur du net.

Asterix will be the theme of the Concile à Bulles (Bubble Council-referring to the speech bubbles in comics), a comic book festival that will take place in Brussels, Belgium, this April 5 and 6. The event will take place in MOOF- Museum of Original Figurines, just a few feet from the central plaza(Grand Place) of the Belgian capital.

The festival will feature an exposition o original art from Asterix and the Picts, by Albert Uderzo, Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad.

A special album with invited artists and writers will be distributed at the event. Among the authors will be: Ricardo Manhães, Gian Danton, Michel Rodrigue, Marc Hardy, Olivier Pâques, Thierry Capezzone, Stuf, Louis Michel Carpentier, Wasterlain, Christian Darasse, Dan Verlinden, Demarck, Magda, Jean Pol, Tim Bolssens, Didier Conrad, Stedo, Gilson, Malik, Walthery and Dany. The book will be printed in soft and hard cover for the festival. The originals will be sold and the money raised will go to charities. Some of the participating artists of the 1st Bubble Council are: Batem, Janry, Carrere, Rodrigue, Pâques, Malik, Capezzone, Dan, Stuf, Coppée, Carpentier, Wasterlain, Tibo, Carette, Demarck, Gilson and the team of Atelier 24, among others.

In the comic by Danton and Manhães, Asterix will encounter the Turma da Tribo(The Tribe Gang), characters from a series created by the two authors, that was made to educate children about topics regarding the Amazon Rainforest.


(Original article: Ricardo Manhães e Gian Danton participam de homenagem a Asterix, written by Sérgio Codespoti on March 14, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission from UniversoHQ.)



Tribute issues are nothing new. This week All New X-Men 25 comes out with art by many industry greats. Culture of Comics detailed the Stan Sakai benefit Dark Horse is arranging. To celebrate Monica’s 50th anniversary, an art book was published with tributes by Italian Hugo Pratt(Corto Maltese), Garfield’s Jim Davis, Beetle Bailey’s Mort Walker, Joe Kubert, and Will Eisner himself, among the 150 artists including many,many notable Brazilian creators like previously mentioned Manhães. Projects like these bring the international comic book community together to show the global reach comics, and characters, can have.

Meanwhile, Asterix's MO has always been about traveling. In his Albums he has visited Spain, Rome, Egypt, Britain, Belgium, and Switzerland. The newest release celebrated by the festival brings Asterix and his big partner Obelix to Scotland. This is his first book without involvement by the creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo who created the character in 1959.

A NEW Golden Age for Dynamite

Retro is a huge market. Bellbottoms came back, record players and vinyl…zombies. While some characters who debuted in the Golden Age of comics have never left the public eye (Captain America, Superman, Batman, others had their copyrights expired and have been auctioned off to the highest bidder. Dynamite entertainment, publisher of Red Sonja, Vampirella, and Army of Darkness have been busy in the past year buying many classic Golden Age characters…characters even OLDER than Batman(1939) and Superman(1938)!

The oldest character in their arsenal would be Zorro, created by Johnston McCulley in 1919 for All-Star Weekly, a weekly pulp magazine with various text stories. Many characters originated in different mediums and later migrated to comic book pages. The Green Hornet was a radio program created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. The property has inspired many other successful endeavors, most recently a 2011 movie starring Seth Rogen. Dynamite has taken full advantage of the hero with a solo series written by industry pillar Mark Waid and illustrated by Ronilson Freire. Green Hornet also teamed up with The Shadow for Michael Uslan and Keith Burns’ mini-series The Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights. The Shadow also debuted on a radio show, this time in 1930 in the Detective Story Hour. The following year he appeared in pulp stores by Walter B. Gibson. DC Comics held the license for a time in the 70s. Dark Horse Comics released some stories a few years ago before Dynamite acquired the rights. The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow, a six issue mini-series by Howard Chaykin, debuts in May.

The Spider was created as a pulp character by Harry Steeger in 1933 for Popular Productions. Similar to Batman, he was a millionaire playboy who enjoyed fighting crime. Moonstone Books published The Spider: Judgment Knight in 2009. He is now owned by Dynamite. Also very similar to Batman is The Black Bat, who debuted the same year as Batman, 1939. Norman Daniels created the character for Thrilling Publications. The Black Bat is a blind district (who inspired Marvel’s Daredevil, perhaps?). His story inspired DC’s Two Face and Doctor Mid-Nite(a blind superhero). Dynamite is completeing their 9 issue Black Bat series this month with Brian Buccellato and Ronan Cliquet. June Tarpe Mills was a rare sight in the Golden Age; she was one of the few female creators. She created Black Fury (now known as Miss Fury) in 1941, a strong empowered female superhero. Mills won an Eisner decades later for her contribution to comics. You can see Miss Fury now in her solo series by Rob Williams and Fritz Casas. Writer Chris Roberson brought together Zorrow, The Shadow, Green Hornet, The Spider, The Black Bat and Miss Fury in his mini series Masks, illustrated by Dennis Calero with covers by the masterful Alex Ross.

Masks(Dynamite Comics) Staring(clockwise) The Spider, Green Hornet, Kato, Miss Fury,  The Secret, Zorro and The Black Bat

Many classic characters appeared in comic strips syndicated for national newspapers. Flash Gordon originated in his own strip, by Alex Raymond, in 1934. Since then he has appeared in various TV shows, cartoons, movies and has been handled by most of the major players in comics (Dell, Harvey, Gold Key, Charlton, Dark Horse, Marvel AND DC). Lee Falk created two internationally popular characters in his newspaper strips. He created Mandrake the Magician in 1934 who went on to be published by Dell Comics, Marvel and Moonstone Books. His creation of The Phantom in 1936 is what really took the world by storm. Much like Disney comics, the character has spawned his own tales exclusive to other countries. Egmont publishes Phantom comics in Nordic countires and Frew Publications boosts his legacy in Australia and New Zealand. Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician are currently teaming up in Dynamite’s Kings Watch by Jeff Parker and Mark Laming.

Kings Watch (Dynamite) With The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician and Flash Gordon

Dynamite is now focusing on Western Publishing characters. Turok the caveman was created in 1954 by a collaboration of Rex Maxon, Matthew H. Murphy, Gaylord Du Bois and Paul S. Newman. The dinosaur hunter went to Dell and Gold Key before they joined the Valiant Universe in the 90s. Dynamite’s Turok: Dinosaur Hunter premiered last month by Greg Pak and Mirko Colak. Magnus the Robot Fighter from 4000 A.D. premiered in 1963 for Gold Key Comics by Russ Manning. Like Turok, he gave Valiant an expanded universe. Magnus: Robot Fighter by Fred Van Lente and Cory Smith premiers this month. Doctor Solar is a product of the atomic age. Created by Paul S. Newman and Matt Murphy for Gold Key Comics in 1962, he followed the other futuristic and prehistoric counterparts to Valient, Dark Horse and finally Dynamite. Solar: Man of the Atom is by Frank Barbiere and Joe Bennet.


Dynamite also holds the licenses of Edgar Rice Borroughs’ characters, Tarzan(1912) and John Carter of Mars(1911), as well as Man of Bronze Doc Savage, created in 1933 by Lester Dent, Henry Ralston and John Nanovic for pulp publisher Street & Smith. And the legacy lives on!

The Ignatz Brick, A Foundation of the Industry

Aside from the American Eisner Award and Harvey Awards, the British Eagle Awards, the French Angoulême International Comics Festival Awards, and the Brazilian Troféu HQ Mix, one important award recognizes an often overlooked aspect of comics, small or independent publishers. Enter: The Ignatz Awards.

The Ignatz Awards is named after a mighty mouse from the Krazy Kat news strip by George Herriman. The original Ignatz Awards were part of now defunct OrlandoCon from 1974 until 1980s. The award was revised and reformulated to be a part of the 1997 Small Press Expo. 

The Ignatz “recognizes outstanding work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an art form and as a means of personal expression. ”

The official ballot is created by panel of five cartoonists and voted on by attendees of the festival. The jurors of the year before are responsible for finding a new jury of five cartoonists. The awards recognize the outstanding. Awards are given for the best anthology or collection, graphic novel, outstanding series, comic, story, minicomic, and online comic- recognizing a growing and influential trend for cartoonists. They also award promising new talent.

The awards are given at the Small Press Expo(SPX)- comics and graphic arts festival. At this festival only creators and publishers are allowed to exhibit. The show also features special guests and signings, speakers, lectures and question and answer rounds with industry greats. It takes place on the Washington DC in Bethesda, Maryland.

Past winners include Craig Thomspon’s Blankets(Top Shelf Productions)in 1994,Dave Sim’s Cerebus(Aardvark-Vanaheim) in 1998, Love and Rockets(Fantagraphics Books) by the Hernandez Bros in 2012,  Skim(Groundwood Books) by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki in 2008, and From Hell(Kitchen Sink Press) by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell in 1997.

Last year’s SPX has 250 debuts. ComicBeat detailed the 2013 winners of the Award. 

The submissions regulations can be viewed here (independent comics are accepted). Submissions will be accepted by Big Planet Comics by late May. Winners will be announced when SPX takes place September 13 and 14, 2014. Winners will be given an Ignatz Brick…a trademark of the character. 

Mauricio de Sousa's Graphic MSP Ready to Take Brazil by Storm!

Two new graphic novels have been announced for Mauricio de Sousa Productions/Panini Comics Brazil’s Graphic MSP line. Graphic MSP started in 2012 with an idea to let Brazil’s best artists put their spin on Brazil’s most famous character catalog. During Mauricio de Sousa’s 50+ years in the business he has created countless characters from neighborhood kids and green elephants, blue puppy dogs and plump astronauts, teens, hillbillies, Amazonian natives and the living dead-all kid friendly teaching life lessons with crazy and humorous situations.

The first graphic novel, released at the end of 2012, was Astronauta(Astronaut)- Magnetar by Danilo Beyruth. The name comes from the magnetic neutron star. The novel, 8 pages in total, has been translated and distributed to other members of the Panini group: Germany (Der Astronaut), France (Astronaute- Au Coeur du Magneta), Italy(L’Astronauta Magnetar), and Spain (Astronauta Magnetar). The title is being shopped around for English publishers.

Panini Spain's Astronauta Magnetar

Panini Germany's Der Astronaut

Panini France's Astronaute- Au Coeur du Magneta

Panini Italy's L’Astronauta Magnetar

The second installment united the brother and sister act Lu and Vitor Cafaggi with their Turma da Mônica – Laços(Monica’s Gang- Ties), released last May. Gustavo Duarte continued the series with Chico Bento- Pavor Espaciar( Chuck Billy- Extra Terrestrial Terror) in August and Italian Shiko contributed with Piteco- Ingá about a prehistoric caveman, Piteco. These graphic novels have repetitively topped best of lists in Brazil by the countries’ biggest critics and connoisseurs.

Turma da Mônica – Laços by Lu Cafaggi and Vitor Cafaggi

Chico Bento- Pavor Espaciar by Gustavo Duarte

Piteco- Ingá by Shiko

The coordinator of the Graphic MSP initiative, Sidney Gusman, released the following tidbit today on Facebook and Twitter:

Well, the hour has arrived! There will be TWO Graphic MSP publications this year! He who will have the honor( and the responsibility) of opening the services is…Bidu, by Eduardo Damasceno and Luis Felipe Garrocho, which should come out at Book Biannual of Sao Paulo, in August. And, in Decmeber, it will be Astronauta 2’s turn, by Danilo Beyruth, with colors by Cris Peter. The idea is to coordinate the release with the Comic Con Experience event. 

Bidu, by Eduardo Damasceno and Luis Felipe Garrocho

Astronauta 2, by Danilo Beyruth, with colors by Cris Peter

And why only two, if we announced six books? Initially, it would have been four, but, to hold the price (r$19.90 for trade paperback and r$29.90 for hardcover), Panini will print these books in the Orient. This relies on sending the files very, very early.
So, to not pressure the production of the artists, we readjusted the schedule, so that, on wards of 2015, we will have four books per year, reoccurring every three months. And we are working to make this come true!

The other four releases, still untitled, include Papa-Capim(the Amazonian boy) by Marcela Godoy and Renato Guedes about a boy and his tribe deep in the Amazon; Penadinho(Bug a Boo the Ghost) by Paulo Crumbim and Cristina Eiko about a friendly ghost(Casper?) and his haunting friends: a vampire, werewolf, mummy, cadaver and Frank(the monster);Turma da Mata(Jungle Gang) by Greg Tocchini, Davi Calil and Arthur Fujita about a jungle kingdom ruled by a Lion who counts ants, foxes, rabbits, turtles, green elephants and monkeys as his subjects. Rounding out the releases will be the sequel to Ties by Vitor and Lu Cafaggi with Monica and her friends.

Papa-Capim by by Marcela Godoy and Renato Guedes

Turma da Mata by Greg Tocchini, Davi Calil and Arthur Fujita 

Penadinho by Paulo Crumbim and Cristina Eiko

Turma da Monica 2 by Lu and Vitor Cafaggi

No news yet on English releases but with the English Monica and her Friends being copywrited, it won’t be long until the series and the Brazilian talent reaches the English speaking population.

Until then, enjoy the production of these video trailers for the first two sequels in the line!

Special Editions of Tintin Are On The Way!

The French publisher Casteman and Éditions Moulinsart(Hergé Foundation) will release a special edition of Tintin on March 12.

The Curse of Rascar Capac- The 7 Crystal Balls- Volume 1(La Malédiction de Rascar Capac – Les 7 Boules de Cristal – Volume 1) is a 136 page publication in the Italian horizontal format(9inches(22.6cm) by 12 inches(30.7 cm) with a case. The book is an annotated edition of Tintin and the Seven Crystal Balls(1948).

The pages on the left, reproduce copies of the 150 strips of the original version of Tintin and the Seven Crystal Balls, which were published in Le Soir newspapers, from Belgium, between 1943 and 1944, during the World War II. The pages on the right include commentaries, sketches and diverse information about the creation of the comic, including the participation of Edgar Pierre Jacobs in the production of the work.

Different from Les Mystères des 7 Boules de Cristal (9 inches(22.6 cm) by 7 inches(17.5 cm) and 112 pages), published in 2012, the new book ties in the art from the work with the image archive of Hergé and his production team.

Philippe Goddin is the author of the new text in the two books.

The second volume of this series, The Temple of the Sun, will be published in September 2014. 

(Original article: Casterman lança La Malédiction de Rascar Capac,written by Sérgio Codespoti on March 10, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission by UniversoHQ.)

Hergé's Tintin spawned six feature films, two television series, five video games, and, of course, twenty four comic albums created by Hergé himself. In 2009, the Hergé Museum opened in Belgium to honor the creator of one of the most famous comic book characters in the world. The character turned an astounding 85 this past January. 

To honor Hergé's wishes, Casteman and Moulinsart will only release new Tintin stories, by other creators, in 2052. In the meantime, expect more Absolute Editions and all the behind the scenes information the publishers can muster to sell more books (see DC's handling of Watchman for an American example)! 

Social Issues though Comic Books Online Class

It’s been called the education module of the future- Massive Open Online Classes for people who want to learn about subjects for free. They cover a wide variety of topics and attract all walks of life. The technology is state of the art with video lectures, online testing, articles and Google hangout chats. Some accredited and big name universities sponsor classes and they are taught by real professors.

Last year’s Gender through Comic Books attracted some 7,000 participants for the six week class. This year, the instructor, Christina Blanch of Ball State University, is back to teach Social Issues through Comic Books. The course, spanning six months, plans to tackle big issues and look at them through a variety of comics both classic and contemporary. The class features live interviews(with student participation) for industry giants like Dennis O’ Neil(Green Lantern), Matt Fraction(Sex Criminals), Jeff Lemire(Sweet Tooth, Underwater Welder, Justice League Dark), Greg Rucka(Gotham Central, Batwoman, Daredevil), Scott Snyder(The Wake, American Vampire, Batman), Gene Luen Yang(American Born Chinese), Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Daredevil, Irredeemable, The Flash), Jonathan Hickman(Avengers, Fantastic Four, East of West), and Warren Ellis(Transmetropolitan, Planetary, The Authority), among others… Issues to be dissected, studied and discussed at length are addiction, environment, social inequality, immigration, media, government intervention, and information privacy.

The class features lectures, interviews, discussions, and quizzes. Class readings (comics) are for the student to acquire but can be found online or from a local library (also offering a 10% discount if you are buying books online). Each topic takes a month to complete, with only the live interviews on a strict schedule. The class will end in August. Successful completion of the course results in a certificate of completion (college credit is not available). 

The official course description is as followed: 

Are you a lifelong learner? Do you like comic books? Do you think it would be interesting to discuss social issues using comic books as a lens? Are you an educator looking for different methods to present your material? If so, this course is for you! From the creator of Gender Through Comic Books (aka the SuperMOOC), this six month course will examine current social issues through comic books while understanding how popular culture is shaped by its surroundings.

We will read a variety of comic books including Scalped, Daredevil, Swamp Thing, and many more. While reading these books we will examine topics such as social inequality, the environment, government intervention, addiction, and information privacy. Using lectures, live interviews with academics and comic book professionals, discussion boards, and readings, we will learn about social issues and how they are presented in comic books and the impact that those books have had on the issues whether large or small scale. This will be more than a class – it’s a formation of a community.

Registration is open here!

Try it out, the class is free and no penalty if you don't complete it! 

Marvel's Unlimited Infinite Proposal

Marvel had some big announcements today at SXSW. They are upping the ante with their digital offerings. They finally rolled out their Adaptive Audio feature on their Marvel Unlimited digital subsriprtion program. Adaptive audio, provided by Firelight Technologies(composers of BioShock, Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Spider-Man:The Animated Series) , is said to be “a non-looping soundtrack meant to enhance the reading experience with music and sound, but not dialogue.” In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Marvel’s vice president of digital products, Kristin Vincent, discussed the unique challenges, “How do we not make it just looping music in the background? How do we make it an immersive experience that's truly an adaptive score that the user controls, that adds to the storytelling? The collaboration has been eye-opening to me -- it's actually becoming a tool in storytelling, as opposed to just being music looped on.”

Adaptive audio, first announced last year at Marvel’s SXSW presentation, isn’t yet available on all titles. In preperation for Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America is first to undergo the treatment. According to Comic Book Resources, this is specific to issues 8, 9, 11 to 14. The arc is illustrated by Steve Epting.

To try an promote the app and its new features, Marvel is reducing the monthly subscription, normally $9.99 (or $69.99 a year), for only $0.99 this month-provided you join before March 14th. The subsription app does have a 6 month lag to promote purchasing new comics. Marvel is not ruling out a subscription service for release day comics, “It all depends on how the market goes.” Marvel Unlimited will also incorprate AR special features to be accessed mid story when using the app.

Use the code SXSW99 to take advantage of one month of comics for under a dollar!

Marvel also announced new content for their Infinite Comics digital first initiative. They are putting out a free 24 part series titled based on Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man. The release schedule has not been decided on but the series will be showcased in a new kid-friendly app. The writing duties will be divided by Eugene Son, Matt Kindt, Cullen Bunn and Tim Seeley. Art will be handled by JL Mast and Geoffrey Beulieu on storyboards and Luciano Vecchio and Soutchey Leimetry on finished art.

“Not only do I think it's a good opportunity for Marvel, it seems like we have great stories that resonate around the world, and we're really proud of that. That's why in my mind it makes sense to start, especially with kids, with a character like Spider-Man, as opposed to a Captain America -- which hopefully also has worldwide reach, but obviously is a little bit different," says Kristin Vincent. Ultimate Spider-Man will be translated shortly upon release to ten different languages to cater to children world wide.

Free Comics Galore

With Free Comic Book Day less than two months away in the US...Comixology is picking up the slack at the annual SXSW Fair. Fair-goers will be rewarded five dollar gift cards for the online app. Last year, Comixology partnered with Marvel to promote their MarvelNOW! Initiative, offering 300 free comics to all users for the SXSW weekend, crashing their system in the process.

This weekend, Comixology’s offerings are a bit more tame, rolling out a free comic code every few hours. Their Friday codes(8 in all) include collected editions of Ninjago(Papercutz), My Little Pony(IDW), and New York Times bestseller Locke and Key(IDW) along with DC’s first issues of Batman ’66, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Batman: Arkham City. Two other codes will be announced today. These codes are able to be redeemed until midnight on Saturday- New York time.

Locke and Key by IDW. Do yourself a favor and download volume 1 today for free!

The event page also has seven offerings for Saturday and seven more for Sunday. Take a look at the Geek Stage Giveaway here and enjoy a comic download today!


This comes after a breach in security over the week that Comixology is still trying to resolve. So far, only passwords were leaked . The application sent out emails to users to change their passwords and put up a warning on the main page.

Kadokawa

Also down the line is the launch of a new app for Manga- ComicWalker. Run by a Japanese publishing company, Kadokawa- the app will offer titles in Chinese, English and Japanese. They plan to offer 40 works on their March 22nd launchdate. Kadokawa also has plans to have a digital first selection on the app. Only drawback? The website AND the app menu is all Japanese! This is only temporary as the developers are working on an English menu.

Kadokawa publishes Cowboy Bebop, .hack//, Ludwig II, Trinity Blood, and Mobile Suite Gundam. The titles will be available for free and even can be combined into an anthology magazine(in traditional Manga style) to make reading your favorite titles easier and more convenient.  For more information on titles look here.

Illegal Comic Books And Those Who Try To Save Them!

In Malaysia, the Home Ministry is going against the recent release of Ultraman the Ultra Power. The comic is said to contain content that is “detrimental to public order”. Although this only adds the the popularity and allure of the book, owning, reproducing, producing, selling, importing or distributing the book could land you in serious hot water. Ultraman is a popular Japanese property that has toys, TV shows and comics(manga) to its name. The country has a Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984 with maximum punishments of $6,000 dollars or 3 years in Jail. Although less severe, comic books have a long history of banning and censorship in the United States.

The witch hunt started in the 50s and 60s after Fredric Wertham published his Seduction of the Innocent- branding comics as vehicles for violence and perversion. With the emergence of the Comics Code Authority soon after, any comic that was not comic code approved was deemed unsellable by many newsstands and stores. This is until ,in 1971, Marvel published their government sanctioned The Amazing Spider-Man 96-98, featuring a story about drug abuse. This was in strict violation of the code and the issues were published without the approval…but remained huge sellers. The comic code lost steam and influence, but only in 2010 when DC and Archie refused to be part of the Code did it cease to exist on the comic rack. To read all the Code’s rules and regulations(there are many) take a look at the ComicArtVille Library website.

http://cbldf.org/

In the US, The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund works to help un-ban any challenged book, be it libraries, schools or groups that do not agree with the content. They are dedicated to “protecting the First Amendment(Freedom of Speech) rights of the comics medium. The non profit organization will even take legal action if necessary to support their fellow creators in the courtroom. Take a look at their list of Banned and Challenged Comics here.

Image Comics

Recently, issues of Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky and Saga by Brian K. Vaugan and Fiona Staples, both published by Image Comics, have been banned by Comixology for not agreeing with their decency policy. Groups like One Million Moms have called for boycotts and bannings of Archie Comic’s Kevin Keller series profiling a gay teenager. Comics encompass such a wide audience and subject matter that it is inevitable that not all will be willingly accepted by the masses.

Girls Gone Archie: Celebrities Take the Comic Book Stage.

The Acadamy Awards aired last night, celebrating the best of the the big screen. But did you know many screenwriters,musicians and actors have dabbled in comics?

Archie Comics has recently been famous for pairing their characters with stars: Obama, Kiss, the cast of Glee, George Takei…now HBO’s Girls creator Lena Dunham has signed on to pen four issues of Archie debuting next year. 

Archie Comics

“I was an avid Archie collector as a child — conventions, first editions that l kept in plastic sleeves, the whole shebang. It has so much cultural significance but also so much personal significance, and to get to play with these beloved characters is a wild creative opportunity,” Dunham said in the press release.

Recently Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, writer of the critically acclaimed Afterlife With Archie, was internally promoted to Chief Creative Officer. “Roberto is the ideal person for the CCO role, and why this is the next logical step in Archie’s evolution as a real pop culture company — a place where the strongest, most unique voices can come and contribute to Archie’s world. The best part is — we’re just getting started.” CEO John Goldwater stated.

This follows the trend of celebrities flexing their writing talents…in comic book form. Actors Rosario Dawson and Tyrese Gibson have written for Image Comics in their own miniseries(Occult Crimes Taskforce and Mayhem!, respectively). Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader and Seth Meyers tagteamed on a Spider-Man parody one shot: The Short Halloween(parodying the successful Batman:The Long Halloween). Longtime voice of the Joker and Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill wrote The Black Pearl for Dark Horse. Jennifer Love Hewitt conducted a miniseries, Music Box at IDW. Nick Fury(aka Samuel L Jackson) wrote Cold Space for Boom Studios. Jada Pinket Smith wrote Menace for Awesome Comics. Patton Oswalt wrote for JLA(DC) and Kevin Smith has written for Daredevil(Marvel). Orchestrator of the Marvel cinematic universe, Joss Whedon wrote a definitive era for the X-Men in their Astonishing X-Men series.

See cover images and a more complete list compiled by Jason on Listal.


One of the factors behind DC’s cross country move to Los Angeles is for the publisher ties in this. It is rumored that they would like to tap the Hollywood screenwriters for potential comic book writers.