The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is the Best Selling Comic of the Past Ten Years

Diamond Comics Distributors released the sales figures for comics in the United States for May. The figures show that The Amazing Spider-Man #1, the issue that relaunches the classic title of Spider-Man, is the most sold issue in the country in the last ten years, both in product sold and in sales earned.

The Amazing Spider-Man # 1 cost US$ 5.99.

Initial orders were for 500 thousand copies, but the final quantity exceeded 600 thousand copies. The publisher took advantage of the opportunity to promote The Inhumans, reprinting the first issue of the new monthly series featuring the team.

The main story marks the return of Peter Parker as the arachnid hero after more than a year, the period in which the villain, Dr. Octopus, took on the identity of Spider-Man, better known as Superior Spider-Man.

With this, Marvel was the leader of the market with 41.15% of the moving value of the industry and 39.27% of all the copies sold were from Marvel. DC Comics was in second place with 27.24% and 23.65%, respectively. Image Comics follows, with 10.31% and 9.34%, then Dark Horse with 5.18% and 5.54%; IDW Publishing with 4.24% and 5.10%; and Dynamite Entertainment with 2.47% and 2.49 %.

This helps propel the growth of the North American comic book industry after repeated months it was stuck in stagnation.

In comparison with the month of March, 12.9% of magazines were sold, with a better taking of 18.27%. The growth maintains itself compared to April 2013 (7.32% and 17.18%) and shows a drop in this same period from last year, selling 5.61% less, principally due to the weak performance in the first months of 2014.

See below the ten best selling comics of April.

Position	Title	Publisher
1	The Amazing Spider-Man # 1	Marvel
2	Superior Spider-Man # 31	Marvel
3	Batman # 30	DC
4	Batman Eternal # 1	DC
5	Justice League # 29	DC
6	Batman Eternal # 2	DC
7	Hulk # 1	Marvel
8	Original Sin # 0	Marvel
9	Batman Eternal # 3	DC
10	Batman Eternal # 4	DC

Below, the best selling list for collections and graphic novels, where Image Comics dominates.

Position	Title	Publisher
1	Sex Criminals – Volume 1	Image
2	Saga – Volume 3	Image
3	East of West – Volume 2 – We are all one	Image
4	Saga – Volume 1	Image
5	Amazing Spider-Man – Family Business	Marvel
6	Guardians of the Galaxy – Volume 1 – Cosmic Avengers	Marvel
7	Batman – Death of the Family	DC
8	Saga – Volume 2	Image
9	Pretty Deadly – Volume 1	Image
10	The Walking Dead – Volume 1 – Days Gone Bye	Image

(Original Article: The Amazing Spider-Man # 1 é a revista de herói mais vendida dos últimos dez anos, written by Samir Naliato on May, 12, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission by UniversoHQ) 

 In comparison, DC Comic's Justice League #1 sold 360 thousand copies in 2011 and President Barack Obama's appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #583 sold 530,500 copies in 2009. Sales rarely break 200,000 copies, nowadays.

Marvel also included a free digital download code in the issue, as it is prone to do with its more pricier comics. The sales figures only represent Diamond Comics Distributors and do not account for digital sales. Issue two hits the stands this Wednesday.

Creator Controversy- From Tintin to Sonic

In an interview published by the Belgian edition of Paris Match magazine, Fanny Rodwell, the widow of Hergé-the creator of Tintin-, declared herself against the publication of a new album featuring the character.

 According to her, it’s necessary to respect the author’s wishes, that he didn’t want other new albums to be released after his death. Hergé passed away in 1983.

The declaration is controversial, because it contradicts the message of her current husband, Nick Rodwell, the administrator of Moulinsart, the company that cares for the work of Hergé. He defends the necessity of protecting the author’s rights ti the work, so that it wouldn’t fall into public domain so early.

Tentatively, a new album is planned for the faraway year of 2052. Before this, Moulinsart and Casterman intend to rerelease unfinished stories of the hero and versions of old books accompanied with new theoretical material.

Fanny Rodwell was born in 1934, in Brussels, Belgium. Her maiden name was Fanny Vlamynck. She was the colorist at Hergé’s studio and married the artist in 1977, when he divorced from his first wife, Germaine Kieckens. In 1993, she remarried to an Englishman, Nick Rodwell.

Rodwell is a controversial figure in France and Belgium, often criticized by the fans and company. He was the first to open a store dedicated to Tintin, in England.

(Original article: Viúva de Hergé é contra álbum inédito dopersonagem, written by Sérgio Codespoti on May 14, 2014. Republished and translated with permission by UniversoHQ)

Estate battles against publishers are nothing new. Jack Kirby, Bill Finger, Joe Shuster,  Jerry Siegel, and even Stan Lee's estate have had public, drawn out legal battles with their former employers who continue to utilize what the creators created, many years ago. Recently, the living Ken Penders sued Sega and Archie Comics for creator rights for the characters he created in the comic based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. His characters are now absent from the long running series as he attempts to reuse them in other mediums. 

May is international comic book month!

May is international comic book month!

The 20th Annual FestComix will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil from May 1st-4th.

Thursday will have panels about Marvel and DC, held by their foreign distributor, Panini Comics. Jheremy Raapack will talk about his work on Injustice for DC Digital. Translated manga and independent comics will also be discussed.

Friday : Joshua Dysart (Harbinger) will talk about reintroducing the Valiant Universe together with Brazilian distributor HQM. Shawn Martinbrough will talk about his work on Thief of Thieves. Cartoonists and editors will discuss the zombie invasion in comics. There will be a special panel preparing Brazilian national comics for international markets.

Saturday: Cartoonists talk about their favorite childhood heroes, Panini announces more Manga titles, and artists and writers talk about their work on Disney Comics. Jim Krueger ( Justice, Project Superheroes, Buffy)  will chat about his acclaimed work with Marvel, DC, and Dynamite.

Sunday, the festival will close with a celebration of Batman and Superman’s 75th, a round table talk with Will Conrad, Joe Bennet, Daniel HDR, and Marcelo Mailo about producing good artwork. Editor Sidney Gusman will talk about Graphics MSP with its creators Vitor Cagaggi, Danio Beyruth, and Gustavo Duarte. Jim Kreuger returns to talk about the Golden Age in the super hero world.

Also this weekend, in the United States, is the twelfth annual Free Comic Book Day. With involvement by practically all the major comic book companies in the business, each provides comic book stores across America with a free sample comic (often new stories). Some libraries also participate in FCBD, encouraging young readers. The program is all about outreach. It is aimed to introduce new readers; they even have a comic book explanation guide for those new to the comic book world. FCBD also strives to invite back readers who may have stopped collecting comics for one reason or another. It is also a thank you to current comic books readers.

The day also coincides with major motion picture releases based on comics. The first Free Comic Book Day followed the release of the first Spider-Man back in 2002. X2, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3 all invited excited moviegoers to check out their local comic store on opening weekend to experience a piece of the magic that inspired these larger than life films. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens May 2nd.

Click here to see the 57 free comics offered this year. Many shops have limits on the amount of comics you can take. Most shops also have great sales and special offers to commemorate the important weekend. DC Comics made a map to track where their creators will be appearing on Saturday. Don’t know where your nearest comic shop is? Check out Comic Shop Locator.

Not to be left in the dust, France is celebrating their Bande dessinée this month. Why just one day? France is trying out 48 hours (2 days) of the BD. The website have yet divulge what comics will be available but will be offering 100,000 BD. The event will take place May 16 and 17. French publishers Casterman, Dargaud, Dupuis, Fluide Glacial, Wide Angle, Jungle, The Lombard and Urban Comics are all involved. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Promises Big Changes- Red Herring or More Death Ahead?

A new poster from The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro was revealed, to be displayed at IMAX capable cinemas, and the image pays homage to the famous cover from the “Death of Gwen Stacy” story.

Rumors about the death of the character [in the movie universe] have been floating around for some time now, mostly because the story line is one of the most impacting for the hero in the comics. Mary Jane Watson was going to appear in the story, but her appearance was postponed for the third movie in the series.

The poster says “Secrets have a cost. The truth does too” and promises a turning point in the life of Spider-Man. See the comparison below between the movie poster and the original cover of The Amazing Spider-Man # 121, from 1973. 

Also: watch the TV spot promising that “Everything changes.” 

 

(Original Article: Novo pôster do filme do Homem-Aranha lembra morte de Gwen Stacy, written by Samir Naliato on April 10, 2014. Republished and translated with permission by Universo HQ)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by Mark Webb. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone return to play Spider-Man and girlfriend Gwen Stacy, respectively. Newcomers to the series include Jamie Foxx as electric villain, Electro. Dane DeHaan as Peter’s childhood friend Harry Osborn. Both characters (a pre-mutated Max Dillon(Electro)) are present in the film poster. Chris Cooper will portray Osborn’s father, the industrialist Norman Osborn. The Rhino, Felicia Hardy (Black Cat),


At the end of last year, Sony Pictures announced two spin off movies featuring Venom and the the Sinister Six. Sinister Six, with Drew Goddard (Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) directing, is said to be a “redemption story” of Spider-Man’s greatest foes. Spider-Man Andrew Garfield is contracted for three movies. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is out in theaters May 2^nd. 

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.

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”. 

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?