Miami Book Fair Embraces Comics
One of the the largest book fairs in the country, the Miami Book Fair International attracts more than 250,000 book-loving visitors to the grounds of the Miami Dade College from November 9-16 for all manner of book programming. This year the giant consumer book fair will mark its 25th anniversary by mounting a major presentation for comics and graphic novels for the first time.
While the book fair has featured comics artists in the past, this year the Miami Book Fair organizing committee has teamed with Diamond Comics Distribution to present a comprehensive program on the category that will include everything from a tribute to the late legendary comics creator Will Eisner on Wednesday evening November 12 to the School of Comics, a day-long educational workshop on the graphic novel format aimed at librarians and educators. There will be a comics pavilion during the street fair that is held over the weekend November 15-16 which will feature 11 publishers--from Marvel, Dark Horse and Tokyopop to Udon, Radical publishing and Diamond--taking 26 booths.
Diamond Comics’ John Shableski has been working with the Miami Book Fair to organize the unprecedented comics presence at this year’s book fair. The evening tribute to Will Eisner will feature a panel on Eisner that includes Eisner’s trade book editor, W.W. Norton executive editor Bob Weil, along with agents Denis Kitchen and Judy Hansen and the acclaimed comics artist/theory guru Scott McCloud; as well as a film documentary and a 30 year anniversary exhibit on Eisner’s seminal work of graphic fiction, A Contract With God. Shableski said the fair usually reserves the evening presentation for Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winners. “Last year Barack Obama was a guest speaker,” Shableski says, “so for these folks to host the Eisner event on that evening says a lot about how far the format has come.”
Look for panels on comics throughout the weekend, including workshops aimed at kids and teens and on Saturday, the Comix Galaxy, an all day slate of appearances by a range of prominent comics artists and prose authors that includes Art Speigelman, Scott McCloud, Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, Chip Kidd, David Heatley, Brad Meltzer, Ariel Schrag, David Hajdu and many others. Shableski credits Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Miami’s Books and Books store and a cofounder of the Miami Book Fair, with driving the upgraded presentation of comics and emphasizes that the Miami Book Fair is a big platform to promote comics.
“They draw hundreds of thousands of people each year. I thought Comic Con in San Diego was the biggest show in publishing,” Shableski says. “We are merging the comic-con environment with the traditional book show world. It will no doubt be an eye opening event for everyone involved.” —C.R.
2009 Eisner Judges
The judges for the 2009 Eisner Awards have been announced. The judges, Amanda Emmert, Mike Pawuk, John Shableski, Ben Towle, and Andrew Wheeler, will chose the nominees who will appear on the ballots in March. Comic book industry professionals will vote on the nominees, and the Eisners will be awarded during a gala at San Diego Comic Con Friday July 24. More information on the judges can be found at the SDCC website..
Steve Geppi Speaks
Diamond Comics Distribution founder and president Steve Geppi discusses the growth of the graphic novel category in a conversation with PWCW's Calvin Reid on the PW video channel. He also gives a tour of the Geppi Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, which holds his immense collection of historic comics and other pop cultural material.
NYCC Sign-up, Casting Call
Press registration for New York Comics Con is now open. Also, the complimentary registration for professional creators ends on November 15th. Those who apply for the complimentary professional registration will have their applications reviewed and the passes will be issued by January 1st. Professionals who do not meet the deadline will either have to obtain a badge through their publisher or purchase one. In addition NYCC and MTV have issued a casting call for a “fanboy” segment in the TV documentary series True Life. MTV will be shooting the segment at this year's New York Comic Con, held February 6th through 8th at the Jacob Javits Center. The chosen fanboy will be a guest at the show and followed around the convention by the MTV production crew. Applicants, fanboys or fan girls, should apply at the NYCC website
Death Note II Canadian Screening
Viz pictures announced a one night Canadian theatrical screening of Death Note II: The Last Name. The movie will be showing at select Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theaters on Wednesday December 3rd. A full list of participating theaters and ticket information can be found at the Death Note films website; advance tickets for the show went on sale on November 7th.
Abel on NPR
Comics artist Jessica Abel appeared on National Public Radio’s Studio 360. On the program she discusses the impact Los Bros Hernandez’s Love and Rockets had on her. The segment can be heard on the Studio 360 website.
Fan Questions on MyCup o’ Joe
In the most recent MyCup o’ Joe, Marvel Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada, devotes the entire segment to answering fan questions. Also, a preview of Andy Diggle’s Thunderbolts, is featured. For the next two weeks Quesada will be out of town, so Brain Michael Bendis will take over next week, and the following week Marvel Executive Editor Axel Alonso will answer fan questions.
Spotlight on Comics
Comics writer and publicist David Seidman offers a PW Soapbox on what comics publishers need to do while the media and consumer spotlight is shining down on the graphic novel category.
What's happening at The Beat
This week at The Beat: a cover credit for manga-ka Jiro Kuwata touches off a 12-alarm blogospheric kerfluffle; a proposed tv show about the early life of future Robin Dick Grayson is killed; monthly sales analysis for DC and Marvel were posted; and in non comics news, The Beat looks at the differences between US and UK versions of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
