Currently viewing the tag: "Comic"
Comixology Submit – Opening the door to Independent Comics
I didn’t think this would ever happen, but just hitting the wires is the idea that Comixology is going to start a new program called “Submit” that is going to open the doors to independent comic book authors and creators to sell their stuff on the popular and profitable Comixology Platform.
I have a lot of issues with Comixology, but this is not going to be one of them. The submit platform if it really happens and is really true is going to upend the digital market for indepedentent comic books in ways that Graphicly cannot and did not. Guess you can tell that Comixology has a credibility problem with me, but hey they have a press release, they have authors talking about it, and are promising to release the details at SXSW. I really hope they mean to do this, and I personally hope that it is awesome. They state on their PR piece:
ComiXology Submit enables independent comics creators, from promising new talent to established veterans, to reach a global audience of comic book fans for whom comiXology already created the first viable digital marketplace for leading publishers. At the same time, comiXology Submit bolsters comiXology’s commitment to bringing its customers the best and most diverse content available.
From what it looks like, you have your regular old Comixology account that you use to login, and that gives you access to publish using the submit system at http://submit.comixology.com. From there you provide your file, and it hits the system. There is an approval process, and they do have a handy guide for why your comic book got rejected. They want professional looking pieces, just depends on what “professional means” and they do admit that. Cyanide and Happiness or XKCD are not “professional” level like Marvel or DC, but they have a huge following to begin with. I have the feeling that part of the approval process is also going to focus on how well your own web site does and how large your audience is, that will make a huge difference in how we apply the word professional. I am sure that Adult comics are going to be clean on out, there is a market for them, but adult comics have taken a real side road lately that has made them rare and hard to find.
In the meantime this is going to kick Graphicly in the gut, but for independents, this is really a meaningful thing for Comixology to do. And while they have a serious credibility gap with me on so many levels, maybe some independent somewhere will make some money on the deal. Hate to say this, but you know, I might just shove both editions of Comics Forge Presents to them and see what happens. That might go a long way with rebuilding the trust process with them. I will try it out when I can get things together next weekend and let you know how it goes.
Related articles
American Terrorist Trade Paperback Comic Book
Story by Tyler & Wendy Chin-Tanner
Art by Andy MacDonald and Matt Wilson
Published by A Wave Blue World
I got this Trade Paperback at Emerald City Comic Con this weekend and have spent the last day consuming the comic book. It is a dark dark story, but so worth reading. Here is a book inline with some of the cooler Science Fiction stories like Little Brother from Cory Doctorow (read more from BoingBoing on the story line, and download a copy, don’t forget to leave a tip). This is a really nice dystopian book.
Just so we have something quotable here “This is in my top 5 list of the most important dystopian books you will ever read”.
Seriously it is that good, ripping through some 200 pages of dark, dank, gloomy, and oh so plausible future America is a morality story we should pay more attention to. We know the game is rigged, what we don’t know is just how deeply the game is corrupt. And that is what our intrepid investigative journalists are about to find out. We want to show what is happening, but with an apathetic society, and a police state out of control, showing that the game is rigged makes you a terrorist. You are one of the bad guys, and you are going down. The authors describe their story as:
A war has been waged against the American people. It’s a covert war, one that those in power hope will go unnoticed, but day by day, jobs, homes, pensions, healthcare coverage, quality of life, and civil liberties are taken away, while the gap between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider. With no way out, four activists become fugitives from the law and go on the offensive against corruption and injustice. Sharing their story with the nation using social media, they inspire their followers to rise up and reclaim their country.
The problem is that the game is rigged.
This is not a book for the casual reader; if you are foaming at the mouth extremist of any stripe you won’t like this book. Right wing, Left wing, it does not matter, some part of this book is going to piss you off and make you unhappy because the game is rigged, and you don’t want to know about it. You are happy to scream for the feds to keep their hands off your Medicare not understanding that Medicare is a federal program. You are willing to open the doors to unlimited resources for the poor not understanding that it will bankrupt us socially and economically.
If you believe that everything is simply hunky dory this comic book is going to shock you. The ending is realistically the only outcome that could happen, given the scenarios in the comic book.
Yes, this is a five of five star comic book, no question about it. Scary, provocative, informed, insane at times, with wonderful characters this book is simply depressing. Because the game is rigged, and we find out just how rigged the game is to a great extent in this book. So worth reading, pick up a copy from the publisher A Blue Wave World.
Related articles
Pictures from Emerald City Comic Con 2013 Day 2
Getting around to posting the pictures from Emerald City Comic Con finally, these are the pictures from Day 2, Saturday. We didn’t really have the chance to get any pictures from Day 3, because you folks were in a buying mood. Not complaining at all, it was awesome to see people comfortable buying stuff that serves no real purpose other than enjoyment. Let us use this as a baseline for hoping that the recession is finally over with.
Day two was an absolute zoo with tons of cool stuff going on.
Did you get to see Felicia Day, she is amazingly awesome to begin with, but meeting her in person was a real treat for me. Then the folks from Star Trek the Next Generation were awesome, and well ok, everything was awesome. There is no problem when stars are totally interacting with the people who love them. I really like it when that happens; everyone is just being totally cool and awesome and letting us spend some time with them.
Overall though, besides the gaming, the stars, the comic books, the toys, and everything else we had going on it was an amazing day of wall to wall people all digging on the comic book culture and who we are.
Although what is it with all the vendors having bobble heads or vinyl action figures? It felt like almost every vendor had the same toys this year, or at least the same distributor. Ok, that was a crack at Diamond, but I can do that. Remember there are other companies out there to buy stuff from.
I liked all the ½ price books though, and got a pile of them that will take me the next month to go through. We really saw a bounce in sales when we hit five dollars per book, although the independents we had didn’t get as much love as I would have liked to have seen. Marvel and DC still rule the market, but we need to find time for the independent comic books as well, so if you see them, buy one of them, try something new along the way.
And what was up with the DC booth?
Seriously looked like they really were not trying, while the Zenescope, Boom, Kaboom, ONI, IDW, Dark Horse, and other booths were all crammed with people and cool stuff to see. DC could have at least brought along something other than Mad Magazine Masks, free buttons and an otherwise empty table.
Enjoy the pictures, hope you are in there.
Pictures from Emerald City Comic Con 2013 Day 2
Related articles
Emerald City Comic Con 2013 Wrap Up
Yes I still have a ton of pictures to post, but overall this was in my opinion the best Emerald City Comic Con of them all to date. The cool part is that next year is year 10, the 10th year anniversary of the show, so expect blow out crowds again, and make sure you get tickets for 2014 early.
For the first time that we know of all three days were sold out, which added to the insanity that was this last weekend. Even the Seattle Police Department showed its sense of humor over the weekend by asking people to pretend that the police on horses were centaurs in cosplay.
As we all bask in the afterglow of the show, and are probably taking Motrin because of the miles walked around the show all weekend long it is a good time to sit back and go over just how amazingly cool this whole thing was.
The best part is that FlipON.tv was recording the whole show, so if you want to go capture the glory, or see if they got you on TV, head on over there and check it out.
It was also good to see Valliant Comics there, and Zenescope. Valliant was the first comic book series I started with back in the 1980’s, so it was awesome to sit down and talk to their reps. I am hoping that they will do an interview in the future with us, so come on Valliant, reach out and over. Zenescope was there with their two exclusive covers which we will be putting up for sale, along with some awesome bennies that they let us have along the way, so check out the store in the next week, you will get some awesome Zenescope stuff!
Big Shout Out to Justin Zimmerman over at Bricker Down Productions for some new awesome comics, and his new partner over at A Wave Blue World for the comic “American Terrorist” which we will be reviewing this week.
A big boo to the scalpers and the forgers, hey just remember both sides of the pass next time you decide you want to forge three day passes for the show. If you bought a three day pass from the forgers and scalpers, idiot.
A big shout out to all the ECCC Minions, you folks were awesome all weekend, and we were glad we could hook some of you up with toys and books you wanted to have. Feel free to come visit us next year because we will hook you up with what we have when you are looking for it.
A huge shout out to the guy who came by at 4:58PM, 2 minutes before show close and bought the “Oh my Goodness Doctor Who box” for your kids, I hope they are having a blast with that puppy this morning.
Really, you could not have a better show, and as we get the pictures up, we will so post them here. But as always the real world intrudes, and ECCC is just one weekend out of the year. See you all next year!
Related articles
Justin Zimmerman and friend setting up in Artist Alley at Emerald City Comic Con 2013
Emerald City Comic Con Day Zero Setup and Prep
Yesterday was the setup and preparation day for the biggest most awesome comic book show here in Seattle. Emerald City Comic Con starts at 2PM today and goes until 8PM. But have you ever wondered what a comic book convention looks like before all the people show up? The vendors were hard at work yesterday in both the regular vendor area on Floor 4, and Artists Alley on the Sky Bridge and Galleria area on Floor 4 putting things together. We had the time to wander around a little bit and take some pictures of the folks setting up and getting ready for you to come on down and have some fun with it.
Seriously Emerald City Comic Con is sold out, you can’t get any more tickets, if you don’t have them now, and you can’t get them at the convention. I think this is the first time that the whole place has ever been sold out period. This is really awesome because that means between 30 and 40 thousand people are going to show up over the weekend, and that ECCC is getting a tad too big for the convention center on its own.
There are worst problems to have in this world.
So take a look through the pictures and have some fun with it. Seeing how things happen during preparation and setup is something that not everyone has a chance to see, and we are glad to bring it to you today.
Today is going to be awesome.
Emerald City Comic Con 2013 Day Zero Setup and Prep
Related articles
DSC_6341 (Photo credit: Dan Morrill)
Safe Comic Book stores for kids, ladies, transgendered and everyone else
Something tells me I am going to really like 2013 because of this. We have all heard the same old story, about how women have a hard time feeling comfortable let alone spending enough time in comic book stores. When I go to places like Geek Girl Con, and other everyone else friendly comic book events, I am so happy that my friend Robb Orr sent over this article from Crisp Comics about safe comic book stores.
I feel like we are moving from the back lot to the main stream when I am writing this one, because everyone should feel safe when they are in your store. If they don’t feel safe they don’t come back, they don’t spend money, and they will talk about it on Yelp or somewhere else. Your store loses, that is the important part, and ticking off your customer base is no way to keep your company open.
Christine Brunson has an awesome article over here at Crisp Comics, which then leads you to this amazing site called “Safe Places for Comics Fans”.
The sad part is that we need this; the good part is that we have this tumblr site now, and as we are a small, vocal, amazingly interesting community the word of this site will spread fast. They state on their web site:
Comic shops are notoriously hit and miss when it comes to being inclusive of women, lgbt, PoC, and other minority comics’ fans. This tumblr is for you to share your positive or negative comic shop experiences, so that fellow comics’ fans can find friendly local comic shops, and be warned of which shops to avoid.
And they mean it, a good review looks like this:
Store Name: is one of my favorite places to be. My teenage daughter and I have always welcome there, and inclusion of every customer is a given, as is respect and humour. The staff is warm and knowledgable and silly, and the shop’s owner has come to my middle school classroom to talk to my students about the history of graphic novels and comics. Their guest speaker/signing events have always been diverse. The men and women working at Atlantis treat everyone as a welcome customer and member of a very extended family.
And a negative review looks like this:
Do not go here. It is poorly lit, cramped, up a long flight of steps and utterly terrifying. Staff is rude and uncooperative towards women and those they perceive as LGBTQA (unknown towards other minorities).
Be on notice people, crowd sourcing your comic book store’s future are sites like this, and as customer experiences go, these are pretty straight forward. While some reviews might show up on Yelp, it is going to be locally produced and curated sites like this that will carry the most weight with the comic book crowd, boys, girls, and everyone else in between. We really should try to be nice to each other, and make sure that when you decide what con to go to, if friendly and inclusive matters to you, then Geek Girl Con in Seattle is going to be the show you are going to want to go to this year.
Related articles
Princeless Volume 2 Number 2 of 4
Story by Jeremy Whitley
Letters by Dave Dwonch
Published by Action Labs Entertainment
Oh way back in the day we took a look at Princeless and thought it was a downright awesome comic book. Volume 2 of the story line is just as amazingly cool as we thought the first series was. The first series reviews are right here on this tag line and written by one of our coolest writers Ted Brown.
Remind me that if you are a dwarf girl and you wake up with a full beard and mustache, that using a sword is a perfectly fine way of shaving in the morning. Oh and remind me that if your sister ends up being the muse of an arts colony that there has to be some saving her involved as well. Climbing towers, killing wild animals, hunting people down, and visiting family, it is all in here. This has ended up being just a cute little series that is pretty safe for kids. If your kids need a comic book, you can do much worst than this fantasy fairy tale series.
Overall this is a nice sweet little comic book that is easy to read with bright vibrant coloring that is going to totally appeal to kids. Adults will find it funny as well, making this a great comic for family reading nights as well. Kids are going to immediately dive into this story line and find it funny. Heck I found it funny and I am loosely termed an adult in this society. Nothing beats a good clean family fun comic book.
This is one of those comics that I am going to rate five of five stars mostly because it is downright funny in places, improbable in others, and you can skip over some of the hunting parts. The best part is the dwarf girl and the muse story line while the evil king is up to being comically evil. Worth finding and purchasing if you are getting ready to go on a trip with the kids and the batteries are running short on the electronics. It would be good for kids to learn to read on paper, it is a skill that should not go out of style. Worth it, so totally worth it for comedy alone.
Related articles
Written by Bryant Dillon
Art and Design by Megan O’Keef
Edited by Barbara Dillon
Produced by Barbara Dillon and Sam Rhodes
Near as I can tell, this is a story about a man, a woman, and a critter that can inhabit other people’s bodies. So not quite like being a cyber identity thief, but more of being able to take over and control your body, subdue your personality, all the while not sure if you can see what the critter is doing. The whole idea is spooky; there you are lying in bed after being with your girlfriend and up comes a shuffling wheezing monster who takes over everything about your personality. Based on the book, I am thinking that there is not a lot of room here for being able to read the engrams of the person you have taken over other than superficial because the critter keeps on making mistakes, and has a pretty bad temper problem, as well as a pile of credit cards that are really hard to explain when they are all in someone else’s names.
Sometimes it just does not pay to live in an apartment complex, and this is a place you really don’t want to go live, at least not with this land lord.
Overall this is an interesting comic book, approximately 100 pages, and will keep you on your toes. The art work is different, dark, moody, at times interesting in an arty way. Megan O’Keef does an interesting job of floating the idea of what a shell monster would be like. The story line helps keep you engaged, but it is the combination of almost a minimalist story line along with dark brooding art work that helps define the book. Overall I am going to give this a 4.5 of 5 stars, the only reason for dinging ½ of a star off this one is that the book was hard for me to follow at times. That does not mean that others will not have a blast with this book, because it overall is a worthy read. You should check out the video below, and you can pick up the comic book over on either the Fanboy Comics site or over on the site for the comic book itself on ecrater. Overall you could and will spend your money wisely on this one, it is at least an entertaining read, and the monster is just downright wickedly well done.
Related articles
Written By: David Lapham
Art By: Jacen Burrows
Colour By: Juanmar
Avatar
Edmund has proven over the past three issues that he is, in fact, nothing more than the yellow-bellied coward everyone assumed him to be. He had several chances to help save and aid other people during attacks but instead, he runs. At the end of last issue and just in the nick of time, Lorre (the Psychopath we all known and love from Volume 3) appears with a solution for all of Edmund’s problems: the dead girl, the soon-to-be angry bikers and most notably of all, a strengthening of his ego.
Everything is well and good, Edmund didn’t necessarily see eye to eye with the options Lorre presented him with but it got him out alive and in the end that is all that truly mattered. Since the corpse of their dead biker-chick appeared more Crossed-destroyed than human, the gang quickly named Edmund a hero and treated him as such with beer, women and a party like none he had ever seen.
I know what you’re thinking: But what of the karma due on this cowards head? What of this woman who was, in life and death, submitted to the confused and thoughtless ways of young Edmund? There’s a simple solution to that – read the issue. And between you and me, he gets his in a fashion worthy of his self-focused existence.
Although it lacked on the gore front in comparison to other instalments, Edmund’s run in Crossed Badlands, headed by Lapham and 
Burrows, has been one of my favourite to date. It was refreshing to take a trip back to the start through the eyes of a young man known for his inability to buck-up and fight for those he loves since we normally find ourselves following a more heroic, powerful protagonist. It felt like an appropriate transition from Delano’s character-packed run to have the focus on a single character, and of course the inclusion of my greatest fear; Harold Lorre.
I was extremely exited when I heard that Lapham and Burrows would be teaming up for the series and frankly I couldn’t be happier with the result. Edmund provided an intriguing and original perspective that you don’t often find in apocalypse stories. The dialogue, language and style all felt real enough to terrify and the imagery only amplified those fears. Proving that it is men like Edmund you need to fear come the end of the world because nothing screws you over harder than a coward.
I know I say that about almost every comic book show I attend unless I am being cranky, or the show is really not up to speed when they were the year previous. This is our second year at the Jet City Comic Show, and this year was way better than last year. There were a good bunch of vendors, and the costume contest was very good, and I got to meet up with a group called Comic Book Characters for Causes, and they were able to raise a 100 bucks for the Children’s Hospital yesterday.
We were playing official photographer booth of the show, and that ended up going over very well. There were lots of very good people in very good costumes, and generally having a good time. Much like last year, this is a long box kind of comic show where people are looking for bargains or things that are significantly price reduced. We are hitting a market that might not otherwise be able to participate in the larger shows, with their larger ticket prices, and larger crowds. This crowd is more laid back, relaxed, and just in the show to pick up some bargains, see some cool new stuff they can’t afford, and run around in Marvel or DC inspired Cosplay for the better part of the day.
And Comic Book Characters for Causes is simply awesome; go check them out on Facebook. They are really a worthy group to get to know.
Otherwise, good show, tons of fun, along with all the general things that you would expect from a one day bargain discount comic book show. We are going to go again next year and see what happens, but let’s hope that it starts growing and drawing a bigger more diverse crowd. It is always good to have a show like this come along as the convention season starts winding to a close. The last show of the Season is Aki-con and Steam Con, we are going to try to make it to both, you never know.
Jet City Comic Show 2012 Pictures
Related articles
