As part of the celebrations for 75 Years of the Dark Knight, DC Entertainment announced that this June 23rd will be Batman Day. Working with thousands of comic shops and bookstores, throughout the United States, a special edition of Detective Comics #27 will be distributed freely, re-imagining the original from 1939 in which the character made his debut.
The script will be by Brad Meltzer and all the art is the responsibility of Chip Kidd.
Also, the stores will have all kinds of collectibles available, including a commemorative cape, book marks with the most important graphic novels of the character and four masks created by artist Ryan Sook, who used famous interpretations of The Batman, like the first appearance, the 1960s television series and the graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.
On the same day, Robin Rises- Omega #1 , by Peter Tomasi and Andy Kubert, and Grayson # 1, by Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin, will both be released.
The publisher plans to release the special edition of Detective Comics #27 for a free download.
Culture of Comics already detailed some of DC's Bat-Celebration efforts including commemorative covers and animated shorts on Cartoon Network. Son of Batman came out last week on DVD with Batman: Assault on Arkham arriving in August. Gotham will be on Fox this fall, Mondays at 8.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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 havecoveredvarious 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.
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!
Getting comic books into kid's hands is a very difficult, and
very important, task in this day and age. Comics are no longer found at every
newsstand, grocery store, or book store. With comic themed cartoons running on
all the children’s TV stations, big blockbusters that attract moviegoers of all
types, and superhero licensed products flooding the market- kids should have
all ages titles that are easily acquired.
In 2010, America’s biggest toy store
chain, Toys R Us, signed a distribution deal with Archie Comics- adding a comic rack to the chain’s 879 nationwide stores, for better or worse. Last year, conservative group One Million Moms protested the sales of GLAAD nominated Life With Archie for its positive portrayal of gay marriage. The group attacked Toys R Us in particular for the sale of this comic to children.
Since then, Marvel and DC have been working on sending more comics to children. Not wanting to be left behind, publisher IDW houses popular children’s licenses like My Little Pony, Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles , Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, and Samurai Jack. Last year they launched Micro Comic Fun Packs- filled with
posters, how to draw sections, stickers and, of course, comics. The comics are
reprinted material but perfect for kids.
.
The fun packs are distributed to Target Stores, Toys R Us and comic book
shops. My Little Pony Micro Fun Packs are available now and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will hit stores in April.
Visiting New York around Christmastime came with ulterior motives. The Big Apple: where reality and dreams converge to produce the truly spectacular! The backdrop for many movies, the punching bag for many action scenes, where up until two weeks ago, you could see a grown man in spandex swinging around a Broadway theater...singing! Historically, US comics started here, until 2015, the two biggest publishers can be found here (DC is going west coast to join their Warner Bros backers...)... but, where are the comics? Sure, Toys R Us has Lego Hulk and there are many comic book stores scattered around the city, bootleg superheroes can be found in Chinatown and Times Square... but this isn't getting the comic book into tourist hands.
Compare this to Sao Paulo, Brazil, 7th biggest metropolitan area in the world ( New York is at 4). There, newsstands- found on every block, in every mall, in all parts of town- they are all littered with comics! Translated comics, original comics, mangas,graphic novels, imports and art books, comics in English and Spanish to teach the languages, educational comics, activity books...these are street sized meccas promoting literacy and imagination at every corner. Sao Paulo alone has more than 14 comic publishers of various sizes, putting out new and previously released material.
There is a reason for this. Historically, the collected comic book started as promotional packages. They were then sold exclusively at newsstands, with the promise to the vendor that unsold comics can be returned. This is still where Brazil is...newsstands and distributors have a rotating shelf for comics. Most have a 1 month- 75 day lifespan and after that they are returned to the publisher who oftentimes fulfill mail orders.
Around the 70's, comic book stores sprouted up all over the US, promoting collections and increasing the value of back issues. This meant comics didn't need to be returned to the publisher quite so often and they didn't have to return their profits. Back issues were cherished and promoted. Collector editions, reprints and sets allow the reader to catch up on long histories. Collectible variant covers and pack ins added value and assured various copies of the same issue were bought by serious collectors. Comics fell from newsstands leading to this month when Marvel clarified that they will no longer be sending floppy single issues to Barnes and Noble-one of the last remaining American bookstore chains. Comics are digital or found in Comic Book Stores...
Back to Brazil: comic book stores are scarce but starting to gain speed. Bookstores, newsstands, grocery stores all have the newest adventures of favorite comic characters. Sebos- used book stores often have stacks of old comics, sometimes back issue bins- it is not uncommon to find a whole room dedicated to used comics sold at a discount. Comics are being sold online, plagued with high prices and high shipping cost- but available nonetheless. Children's libraries have whole reading rooms, filled with back issues. Reading comics seems to be promoted and encouraged. Not surprising that FIQ-Festival Internacional de Quadrinhos(International Comic Festival held in Brazil) is the largest comic convention in the Americas.
As I search for a comic in New York's Port Authority- I yearn for comics to have this level of accessibility and acceptance. Digital is great but nothing beats a page turner.
Jeff**
