Nick Mag Comics Awards
Nickelodeon Magazine has opened voting for the first annual Nick Magazine Comics Awards for the best U.S. published comics, comic strips and graphic novels for kids. In the tradition of the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards honoring television, movie and musical acts, the Nick Magazine Comics Awards will be voted upon by their target audience, actual children. Now through December 31, kids can vote online for their picks in such categories as favorite comic book series, favorite graphic novel, grossest thing in comics and cutest comic character. The awards will be announced in the magazine's April 2009 issue as well as on the Nick Magazinesite.
Archie Comics Gets New Management
Archie Comic Publications has announced that it has a new management team. Victor Gorelick is now co-president/editor-in-chief, Fred Mausser is co-president/director of circulation and Michael Pellerito is vice president/managing editor. Archie Comic Publications owns Archie, Betty & Veronica, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and the Pussycats among other classic comic titles. It also publishes licensed properties such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
New Rep Groups for Diamond Book
Graphic novel and pop culture distributor Diamond Book Distributors announced representation deals with Wybel Marketing Group (for the Midwest) and Bill McClung Associates (for the South and Southeast) for graphic novel sales into the independent bookseller market. DBD sales manager John Shableski says the new rep agreements come after a year of “great results” with its rep partnerships with Parson Weems in the Northeast and the Wilcher Group on the West coast. Citing the impact of the movie industry on graphic novel sales, Shableski says “we have begun to see an increased interest in the graphic novel format from the independent bookseller market and we wanted to make sure we were properly positioned to take full advantage of this.” Shableski also noted the importance of independent retailers to the educational market for comics, “independent bookstore is in a great position to become a resource for teachers who are discovering the benefits of using graphic novels in the classroom.”
Today Show Picks Wimpy Kid
The bestselling children's graphic novel Diary of a Wimpy Kid is now the most recent selection of The Today Show's "Al's Book Club For Kids". Originally published online at Funbrain.com Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the first book in a series of popular graphic novels by Jeff Kinney purporting to be the illustrated diaries of a hapless fictional 11-year-old named Greg Heffley. The books are published by Abrams. "Al's Book Club For Kids" is an ongoing program of The Today Show to encourage children's literacy. Today's weatherman Al Roker leads an on-air monthly book club for 9 - 11-year-old children, complete with televised author appearances and book discussion for the month's selection. Previous selections include Chasing Vermeer and The Tale of Despereaux.
Paul Sizer Signs B.P.M
Paul Sizer, creator of Little White Mouse and Moped Army, will be celebrating the release of his new music-themed graphic novel B.P.M. with a book signing party at Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, Michigan. A live techno set from local d.j. DJ Konspiracy will accompany the signing, which will be immediately followed by Green Brain's monthly Comic Jam event. Green Brain's Comic Jam gives local fans and comic creators a chance to meet, swap stories, and create improvised comics together. The signing will be held on December 17, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and this month's Comic Jam will follow, running from 7 p.m. on into the night. Green Brain Comics is located at 13210 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, Mi.
Dark Reign Trailer
Marvel Comics has released an online video trailer for their upcoming comics series Dark Reign. Dark Reign is a sequel to the popular Secret Invasion comics series. It will begin with Secret Invasion: Dark Reign, a comic by Eisner Award winners Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, which went on sale on December 10.
Sandman Cover for Rain Taxi
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's comic epic Sandman, its acclaimed cover artist Dave McKean has created a new Sandman portrait to be published on the cover of Rain Taxi Review of Books. McKean's other notable works include his movie Mirrormask, his graphic novel Cages, his children's books and his book designs and CD covers. Rain Taxi is a non-profit literary review magazine. The cover will be appearing on Rain Taxi's 52nd issue, which will also include a Sandman feature section including reviews, commentary and an interview with DC/Vertigo editor Karen Berger who edited Sandman. Rain Taxi will also be hosting a fundraising auction on Ebay from December 14-20 of signed books, graphic novels and other collectibles donated by writers.
Penny Arcade at NYCC
Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, creators of the hit webcomic Penny Arcade, will be featured as guests of honor at 2009's New York Comic Con, taking part in the panels and signings. Penny Arcade is a video gaming themed comic strip with a monthly readership of over 3.5 million, and is collected in print by Dark Horse Comics. Gabe and Tycho are also known for Child's Play, their children's charity and Penny Arcade Expo, their Seattle-based gaming convention.
Go! Comi Gets New Distributor
Beginning March 16, 2009, the manga publisher Go! Comi will be distributed in the US and Canada by PGW. Go! Comi is a California based company devoted to publishing Japanese manga as well as creating new manga and manga-oriented properties. According to Go! Comi CEO David Wise, they chose PGW in the belief that it will help increase their growth in traditional bookstores. PGW, which specializes in sales and marketing for independent publishers, also counts Grove Press, New World Library and Gallup Press among their clients.
