DC Launches Wednesday Comics Weekly
At the 2009 annual meeting of ComicsPRO, the organization for comic book retailers, DC Comics announced plans to launch Wednesday Comics, a weekly 12 part comics series. Meant to mimic the feel of the traditional Sunday color comic strip newspaper supplement, Wednesday Comics will be over-sized, 14" x 20", and 16 pages long and feature 15 different ongoing one-page comics, each featuring a different team or character. Creative teams include Neil Gaiman and Michael Allred on Metamorpho, Joe Kubert on Sgt. Rock, Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso of 100 Bullets reunited on Batman, Jimmy Palmioti and Amanda Conner on Supergirl and Kyle Baker on Hawkman. Other featured titles include Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, Adam Strange, Catwoman and Green Lantern, and Walt Simonson and Dave Gibbons will also be attached to the project in an as-yet unannounced fashion. More information is available from official ComicsPRO blogger Matt Price here, and preview art from the project has been leaked to Newsarama here.
New Leadership at CBLDF
Chris Staros, President of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, has stepped down from his position in order to concentrate on his comics publishing company, Top Shelf Productions. His replacement is Chris Powell, General Manager of Lone Star Comics, already a member of the board and now elected the first retailer to lead the CBLDF. The empty seat at the board will go to Larry Marder, publisher, marketer and creator of the comic Beanworld. The full line up of the board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will be: Chris Powell, President; Joe Ferrara, Vice-President; Milton Griepp, Treasurer; Louise Nemschoff, Secretary; Peter David; Neil Gaiman, Steve Geppi, Paul Levitz, and Larry Marder
Viz Takes Entire NYT List
Viz Media, publishers of the wildly popular Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat lines of manga, took all ten of the top spots on the New York Times Graphic Books Manga Bestsellers List for the week ending March 7. This marks the first time that any of the newly created Graphic Books Bestsellers lists — Hardcover, Paperback or Manga — have been filled by the product of a single company. The winning list was as follows:
US, Japan Synch Anime Releases
Viz Media announced last Thursday that it will be airing the 101st episode of the hit anime Naruto Shippuden online on the official Naruto website at the same time that it premieres on Japanese television. And in separate release, online video site Crunchyroll announced it will also simulcast anime, thanks to a deal with the Japanese animation studio Gonzo to show their new series Shangri-la.
Previous episodes of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden have been made available for free online viewing on a variety of streaming video sites, including Joost and Hulu, but the special March 28 showing of episode 101 will be a Naruto.com exclusive in the United States. Naruto and its sequel Naruto Shippuden, tells the tale of a young boy trying to become the greatest ninja there ever was, despite a magical curse. More information about Naruto is available at the official site.
The entire series of Shangri-la will air for free on Crunchyroll, starting with the first episode on April 6. Shangri-la is based upon an original science fiction novel by Eiichi Ikigami set in a futuristic world where Tokyo has been turned into a jungle-city to offset global warming and where the very wealthy and powerful live in a mysterious tower city named Atlas. More information about the series is available on the Shangri-la page of Crunchyroll and the official series website.
Morning Manga Winners
Morning Magazine, the prominent manga magazine for mature readers, has announced the winners of its third annual international manga contest. The contest is open to unpublished 12-50 page manga from contestants from around the world, and the grand prize winning work is then published in Morning Magazine or its sister publication Morning 2 as well as receiving professional advice from the editors of Morning. This year's grand prize winner is "Poor Knight" by Huang Chun-chan of Taiwan, and tells the humorous story of a poor convenience store clerk who becomes one with the God of Poverty when his shop is robbed by incompetents. Second prize went to "Shinigami", another manga from Taiwan, the surprisingly heartwarming story of a young girl and a Grim Reaper who wants to become an angel. A note from the judges accompanying the winner's list encouraged future contestants to look beyond such common manga tropes as ninjas, spirits and giant robots, and explained that next year's contest will be entitled the Morning International Comic Competion, in order to generate more creative entries. Previous grand prize winners are available to read online on the contest's website.
Spider-Girl Returns Online
Spider-Girl, Spider-Man's future superheroine daughter, returns to comics in the online exclusive comic The Spectacular Spider-Girl at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited on April 15th. Spider-Girl, otherwise known as Mayday Parker, had the longest running title of any female Marvel Comics superhero with the 100 issue 1998 run of Spider-Girl. It was then revived in 2006 as Amazing Spider-Girl, which was cancelled in 2008 after a 30-issue run. Issues of Spectactular Spider-Girl will premiere online and be reprinted as part of the anthology comic Amazing Spider-Man Family two weeks later. Spectacular Spider-Girl will be written and illustrated by the character's original creators, Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. In preparation for this, Marvel is offering fans the chance to read issues of Spider-Girl and Amazing Spider-Girl for free online.
Star Trek Movie Comic Goes Mobile
Star Trek: Countdown, the official prequel to the upcoming Star Trek movie, will be available in digital format for the Apple Iphone and Ipod Touch and Google Android devices. IDW, which publishes the print edition of the comic, has teamed up with iVerse Media for the digital edition. The first three issues, including the sold-out Issue #1, are already available online and Issue #4 will become available on April 1, the same day the print edition arrives in stores. Star Trek is directed by Lost's J.J. Abrams, stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg among others and will be released in theaters on May 8
Humbug Comes to The Strand
Humbug, the short-lived satirical magazine for adults created in 1957 by Will Elder, Arnold Roth, Al Jaffee, Jack Davis and Mad Magazine founder Harvey Kurtzman has been recently reprinted in hardcover format by Fantagraphics Books. Now, Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee will be appearing at The Strand Bookstore in New York City on April 14 for a Humbug discussion and book signing as well as an exclusive screening of a short documentary about the late Will Elder. The event will run from 7 — 8:30 p.m., Tuesday April 14, and is free to the general public. The Strand is located at 828 Broadway, New York, NY, at 12th street near Union Square.
First Cosplay Party At Japan Society
In connection with the exhibit Krazy! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games, the Japan Society is hosting its first Cosplay Party on March 28. Cosplay, dressing in the costume of a fictional character, is particularly popular in Japan and is an important part of the manga and anime fan subculture in the United States. The price of admission includes screenings of such classic anime as Paprika, Akira and Mind Game, entrance to the Krazy exhibit, a live musical performance from Reni in Akihabara and Harajuku style, and entrance in a costume contest judged by World Cosplay Summit Team USA and Ningin.com with prizes from Kinukoya Bookstore and Manga Entertainment. Tickets are $10 ahead of time and $15 at the door. The Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY.
SVA Thesis Show Opens
An annual exhibition of works by third-year students in the Illustrations and Cartooning Department opens Wed. March 25 at the School of Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, New York, N.Y., 15th floor. Admission is free to the public.
