Sex, Lies and Religion: A New Edition of 'Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary'

Long considered a classic of the 1960s underground comics era, as well as a progenitor of a wave of imaginative autobiographical comics works to come in the 1980s, Justin Green’s Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, is being reprinted in an oversized hardcover edition by McSweeney’s Books this month.

The Image-Makers Reunite

The founders of Image—Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino—have reunited and teamed with writer Robert Kirkman for an all-star mini-series that brings the larger than life characters of Image's early days back to the page.

Ted Rall’s The Year of Loving Dangerously

Remember the 80’s? The legwarmers and the feathered hair and the cheesy guys named Chad? Remember Ronald Reagan and Bernie Goetz and the very first hints of the AIDS epidemic? Well, Ted Rall does and, along with artist Pablo Callejo, he’s wrapped it all up into a gorgeous whirlwind of a memoir.

Comics Briefly

Comics Reviews: 11/30/09

Jim Rugg's nostalgis satire, Afrodisiac, a new graphic novel by the artist of Air and comics adpatations of the works of Louisa May Alcoot are in this week's reviews.

Panel Mania: Shutter Island

Shutter Island, an adaptation of the novel by Dennis Lehane, follows two U.S. Marshals who are sent to the island in search of a mass murderer who has escaped from a hospital. First published in France, and illustrated by Christian De Metter, the book will be released by Tokyopop on January 5th, timed to tie-in with the upcoming movie adaptation directed by Martin Scorsese and staring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Yen Press Cites Adaptations; Plans Kids Comics and More

Back in 2007, when Yen Press, Hachette’s manga, manhwa and conventional graphic novel imprint, was first starting out, publishing director Kurt Hassler predicted that graphic novel adaptations were going to be the next big trend for manga publishing in the U.S. So far he's been right.

Davis’s ‘Secret Science Alliance’ Appeals to All Ages

Eleanor Davis’s The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, a delightful mystery in which three science-loving kids band together to solve a crime, is attracting attention from readers of all ages.

Tezuka: Discovering a God of Manga

Few if any creators in the history of the comics medium have wielded the wide-ranging influence of Japan’s Osamu Tezuka, and to prove it Abrams Comicarts recently released a stunning coffee table book comprehensively covering his life and career for the Tezuka aficionado and the curious newcomer alike.

Comics Briefly

Joe Kubert Collected Work Up for Auction: Live Chat with Eisner Winner Nina Matsumoto ; Harlequin Romance Manga Now On Kindle; Dash Shaw, Josh Neufeld & David Heatly with Chip Kidd's Band; This Week @ Good Comics for Kids; and This Week @ The Beat

Panel Mania: Sublife Vol. 2

Sublife Vol. 2 is the continued collection of short stories and strips by John Pham. This nine page preview is taken from the short story "Deep Space," which was started in the first volume. Sublife Vol. 2 will be released by Fantagraphics in December.

Comics Reviews: 11/23/09

Taiyo Matsumoto's follow-up to Tekkonkinkreet, Al Columbia's long awaited Pim and Francie and the latest from Vertigo Crime are reviewed this week, along with a new Kin Kull volume.

Dynamite: Five Years and Counting

While many have proclaimed the "death of the pamphlet" where periodical comic books are concerned, a few companies have been able to prove that it still has a lot of life left in it. Five-year-old Dynamite Entertainment is one of the success stories in recent years with a mix of licensed and creator-owned titles.

‘Wimpy Kid’ Becomes Hit Zombie Parody for Papercutz

Papercutz, a tween-focused graphic novel publisher, seems to have caught lightning in a bottle as demand for its zombie parody of Jeff Kinney's bestselling children's book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, is sending the publisher back for a second and third printing. The title has sold about 30,000 copies since early November. Papercutz publisher Terry Nantier, who published the graphic novel anthology...

Royal Flush Magazine Doubles Down

Fans of Royal Flush magazine have had to wait more than a year for the sixth installment of the comics- and interview-packed independent arts publication—a wait that was unexpectedly extended even longer when retailers including Borders, Barnes & Noble, Hot Topic and Hastings refused to carry the magazine without poly-bags, on account of the potentially "offensive" material within.

Comics Briefly

Geoff Johns Tabbed as C2E2 Guest of Honor; Carla Speed McNeil, Sarah Ryan Team To Create New Vertigo GN; New Silent Film from Gaiman; Kevin Baker on NPR with Luna Park; First Look at the New Spider-Man Parade Balloon.; This Week @ Good Comics for Kids; and This Week @ The Beat

Panel Mania: Goats: The Corndog Imperative

Goats: The Corndog Imperative is the second collection of the webcomic Goats by Jonathan Rosenberg. In this seven page preview two characters are stuck in a bar in an alternate dimension, where other strange people keep popping in. Goats: The Corndog Imperative will be released by Del Rey on December 1.

Comics Reviews: 11/17/09

Eddie Campbell’s Life-Sized Comics

Emerging from the British small press scene of the 1980s, Eddie Campbell has since produced a body of thinly-veiled autobiographical comics featuring his stand-in character “Alec” (the pseudonym has been dropped in recent years). These works are distinguished visually by Campbell’s fluid, pen-and-ink technique, which marries the observed realism of classic continuity strips with the loose efficiency of a courtroom sketch artist (a vocation Campbell has practiced).

Comics Programming Grows at the Miami Book Fair

After adding a full slate of programming focused on comics and graphic novels for the first time at last year’s fair, The Miami Book Fair International, scheduled November 8-15 in downtown Miami, returns with new additions to its slate of comics events, panels and workshops.