Manga Publishers Face Uphill Battle Against Scanlations

The announcement of a joint coalition between American and Japanese publishers targeting illegal online manga "scanlations" has spurred a flurry of activity on two major aggregator sites. Since the announcement three weeks ago, MangaFox, one of the primary aggregators of illegal manga scans, has pulled over 330 titles--a large number of them Viz Media properties--from their home page. Likewise, OneManga, a scanlation aggregator that has a reported over a million visitors per month to their site, also pulled titles from their manga list.

New Book Reveals Funnyman, Siegel and Shuster's Other Hero

Previously relegated to the dusty corners of comic book history, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Golden Age comedian/superhero Funnyman, has been rescued from obscurity by authors Thomas Andrae and Mel Gordon for their new book Funnyman: The First Jewish Superhero, coming from Feral House in July.

Comics Reviews: 6/28/2010

This week: reviews of Mark Waid's new take on superheroics, Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro's whimsical Toriko and a new food manga by Kenji Sonishi.

DC Comics Launches iPad, iPhone App; PlayStation Network Deals

DC Comics has teamed with the comics resource site and app developer Comixology to make its comics available through the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch beginning today; and in a separate deal, DC's comics will also be distributed through the PlayStation Network.

Comics Briefly: 6/22/10

Longbox Digital Launches Public Beta; Black Panther Epic Motion Comic Premieres June 23
Dark Horse's FCBD Comics Available Free Online; Cartoonist Al Williamson Dies at 79; Comic Art for Kids Class at MoCCA; This Week @ Good Comics For Kids; and This Week @ The Beat

Apple Relents: 'Ulysses 'Seen' and 'Being Earnest' Comics Approved For the iPad

In a story both satisfying and cautionary, artist Robert Berry and the partners behind the creation of Ulysses "Seen," a Web comic and reader's guide based on James Joyce's commanding novel, rode a wave of media attention and popular exasperation to get Apple to relent and accept an iPad graphic application based on the work. After initially rejecting the Ulysses "Seen" iPad app because of minor nudity (apparently a penis and breasts), Apple came to its senses and admitted that it made a mistake.

New Comics and Graphic Novels from Zenescope

Founded in 2005 by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco, Philadelphia indie comics publisher Zenescope, has managed to grow its sales using a mix of classic-but-twisted fairy tales, horror, a bit of girlie cheesecake and a growing list of film and TV properties as well. Now the house is moving into larger offices and Zenescope has announced deals with the Discovery Channel and the Animal Planet cable TV networks to create a series of graphic novels based on their programing.

Life in Comics: What a Girl Wants

Like many women who read comics, I have a "girl in a comic shop" horror story. When I first started working in the comics industry, I told it a lot more often than I do now. I'd since pretty much retired it, thinking it wasn't relevant anymore, not in this age of manga and young adult graphic novels. But it seems I was wrong, so here's the story, briefly:

The Resurrection of A Jewish Giant: Craig Yoe on Milt Gross

IDW's Yoe Books imprint again rescues a treasure from comics obscurity with the release of The Complete Milt Gross Comic Books and Life Story, a massive book that returns its subject's lunatic works to the spotlight. Gross, "America's Great Yiddish Humorist," pioneered the graphic novel and inspired generations of cartoonists with his manic energy.

Panel Mania: The Playwright

The Playwright is a celibate, middle-aged man who observes women and the world as a passive outsider, using what he sees as inspiration for his award winning plays. Written by Daren White and illustrated by Eddie Campbell, this dialogue free comic reveals the playwright's inward quirks while depicting the subtle shifts in his life. The Playwright is published by Top Shelf and will be released in July.

Down, but Not Out: Manga Holds On in a Tough Market

Despite a serious downturn in the U.S. economy and a 20% drop in sales last year, manga, or Japanese comics, still represents more than $140 million in sales and continues to be a significant niche in the American comics market.

Children's Comics Reviews - June

Comics Briefly: 6/15/10

Grant Morrison Comes to TV with His New Series, Bonnyroad; DC Hopes to Create Live Action Blue Beetle; Wizard Buys ComiCONN; Gaiman vs. MacFarlane... Again; iTunes Censors Kiss in Oscar Wilde Comic; Greendale Preview at Huffington Post; Bill Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner Live at MoCCA; Jackie Ormes Tribute at the Cartoon Art Museum; Dark Horse Founder's Art Collection Open to the Public; How to Write for Animation Workshop at MoCCA; The Last Two Weeks @ Good Comics For Kids; and The Last Two Weeks @ The Beat

The World of Independent African American Comics

After collaborating on a variety comics-related projects over the last 5 years, John Jennings and Damian Duffy have put together an anthology, Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art, and Culture, that showcases independent African American cartoonists and the subculture of conventions, websites, and awards surrounding them. The book will be published later this month by Mark Batty Publishers.

McKeever Makes Mega Return with META 4

Described by its author as "a journey of self-discovery on a road trip of bizarre nightmares, twisted romance and scientific comedic insanity, spanning from Coney Island to the desolate Midwest," Ted McKeever's new 5-issue mini-series META 4 marks the return of one of comics' most eclectic artists.

Graphic Novels in the Spotlight at ALA

Graphic novels will take center stage at this year's American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington DC. While graphic novels have become a mainstay at ALA and other library events, this year's annual conference will feature three days of panels, author previews and other scheduled programming all focused on comics and the continued development of the category in libraries.

Panel Mania: Networked: Carabella on the Run 6/15/10

In Networked: Carabella on the Run, by Gerard Jones and Mark Badger, the blue-skinned alien, Carabella, comes to Earth to escape the oppression on her home planet. Yet, in doing so, she is exposing Earth to a quiet invasion. When she discovers what is happening, she attempts to alert people that websites and cellphones are being used to steal their privacy and freedom. In this preview, Carabella worries the new shoes she is helping to release, which have a built in social networking system, are being used for nefarious purposes. Networked is published by NBM and will be released in July.

Comics Reviews: 6/14/2010

Classic British war comics and a caustic new comic about the Iraq War highlight the week's releases, along with new books by Tony Millionaire and Cathy Malkesian.

Japanese, U.S. Manga Publishers Unite To Fight Scanlations

An international coalition of Japanese and American-based manga publishers have joined together to combat what they call the"rampant and growing problem" of scanlations, the practice of posting scanned and translated editions of Japanese comics online without permission of the copyright holders. The group is threatening legal action against 30 scanlation sites.

Comics Reviews: 6/1/2010

A collection of Basil Wolverton's priceless nonsense and a fantasy tale of a boy whose toys must rescue him fro the Booegyman highlight thid week's reviews.