I have reported here and elsewhere about the goings-on at Archie Comics. While DC keeps on hitting the reset button like a monkey in a crack experiment, and Marvel keeps on doing endless – literally endless – mega-events, Archie has been slowly making history.
In the past several years they’ve added a major gay character and they’ve had Archie fall in love (on the cover, no less) with a black woman. They’ve taken ongoing looks into the potential futures of their characters, which plays against the assumptions held by our culture for more than 70 years. They’ve tried to make Riverdale look and feel more like the real world: even the hallowed Pop Tate’s has had to endure competition by national fast food chains. Archie Comics continues to be the major force in entertaining each next generation of comics readers; without their efforts and similar, but smaller, endeavors by Boom!, Bongo and others, we would have no future readers for the graphic novels published by Fantagraphics and Abrams.
And, I’m happy to report, now Archie Comics is just getting weird.
In Archie #636 (the alternate cover is shown here; the newsstand cover is done in sort of a traditional 1950s Archie style), the current issue, the Riverdale gang swap sexes. Yep, the boys become girls and the girls become boys. This doesn’t happen voluntarily; Sabrina the Teenage Witch has a snarky cat who casts a spell so that the kids can see things from the other side of the gender bend. Hilarity ensues, and the point is made. Two points, if one wants to infer a warning about the dangers of catnip.
Mind you, I like weird. Weird is the antidote to boring. It’s the elixir that promotes experimentation and new story concepts. But I doubt Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie will be getting permanent sex change operations any time soon.
All Pulp sat down with Roy Thomas, writer of the upcoming Tarzan Sunday Strips about the project as well as his legendary comic book career.
AP: Tell us a little about yourself and your pulp and comic book interests.
RT: Loved the comics medium since I discovered them at around age 4 1/2, starting with things like Superman and Batman, but nowadays don’t follow the field at all… I just collect comics from the Golden and Silver Ages, plus a few other things. At age 10 or so I read a few pulps like PLANET STORIES (have already read PLANET COMICS); only pulp I have now are a complete-but-for-one collection of the magazine appearances of Conan, plus the complete Adam Link stories of Eando Binder and a couple of others.
AP: How did you get your start as a comic book writer?
RT: Wrote to letters to comics editors, esp. Julius Schwartz–and one day in early 1965 Mort Weisinger, with whom I’d never exchanged more than one or two letters, offered me a job as editorial assistant on the Superman books. I threw over a foreign relations fellowship and went to work for DC… two weeks later, for Marvel.
AP: With Tarzan’s 100th anniversary in full swing, you’ve landed the writing duties on a new Tarzan Sunday web strip along with artist Tom Grindberg. What can we expect from this new strip?
RT: Beautiful artwork from Tom and our attempt to tell stories which will be true to the classic spirit of Tarzan.
AP: Will the Tarzan strip be an on-going project?
RT: We hope so. We have to be able to make a minimum of money from it after a little while, but mostly we’re doing it for the love of it.
AP: Anything you can tease about the new Tarzan strips?
RT: The story involves the disappearance of Jane, and Tarzan’s involvement with La, who’d like to take her place. Tom had drawn several of the La sequence strips before I came aboard, so I figured we’d find a way to make everything fit as a story. At this writing, we’ve done nine “weeks,” I guess… the equivalent of nine Sunday strips, if they were appearing in newspapers… which they ought to be.
AP: Do you, as a writer, approach doing a web comic such as Tarzan any differently than if you were doing it for a newspaper or comic book?
RT: Yes, you have to write in little bursts… a climax of sorts every few panels. But you quickly get into the rhythm, and I know that whatever I come up with, Tom will draw beautifully. He, as much as Tarzan, is the reason I’m doing this, even though we really hardly know each other. But I’ve always loved his work… and the fact that he isn’t too busy right now with comic book work to even consider such a project is as damning of the present-day field as anything I could think to say about it.
AP: There seem to be many different opinions about what can be defined as pulp. How do you define pulp and what do you look for in a pulp story as a writer and a reader? Do you consider Tarzan a pulp hero?
RT: Sure. Tarzan started in a pulp, albeit a higher-class one than some… and he and ERB almost definite pulp, at least at the high end.
AP: Tarzan is not your first time stepping into the world of pulp. How does working on Tarzan compare and contrast to working on Conan?
RT: We’ll have to see. They’re quite different characters… both men of action, but Tarzan is probably more introspective than Conan. When I did the TARZAN comics for Marvel, I tried too hard to keep ERB’s prose when I was adapting the novel TARZAN, LORD OF THE JUNGLE. You can’t do that as easily or as well as you can with REH and Conan, because ERB doesn’t write purple and/or poetic prose the way Howard does. ERB just tells the story… so I should’ve thrown away most of those captions I wrote for TARZAN, or severely shortened then. I don’t feel the same way about CONAN.
AP: Where do you see the comic book industry in the future?
RT: Online, probably. That’s another reason I’m less interested in it. I can get interested in writing an online strip… because it’s basically the same as writing a strip for newspapers, and I already do that by working with Stan, for over a dozen years now, on the SPIDER-MAN strip… and of course I wrote two years of a CONAN strip 30 years ago. But I’m personally less interested in READING an online strip, because I want to hold the paper in my hands, etc. I hope and trust many other readers nowadays do not feel the same, and we’ll do the best we can to deliver the kind of strip they’d like if they read it once a week in the Sunday papers, surrounded by “Dilbert” and “Classic Peanuts.”
AP: And how can we get the millions of fans that enjoy movies based on comic books to pick up the source material?
RT: If I knew that, I’d be rich. I’m not rich…but I’m comfortable.
AP: Is there a particular character out there you haven’t had the chance to work on that you would love to take a crack at writing?
RT: No characters I haven’t written that I can think of that I’m wild about writing… though I’d like to write AGAIN some of those I wrote before: Conan… the Invaders… All-Star Squadron… Infinity, Inc… Arak, Son of Thunder… Captain Carrot… Jonni Thunder… hey, even Starr the Slayer. Couldn’t do worse than THAT Marvel mini-series of a couple of years ago. It made my skin crawl. Or would have, if I’d bought it and taken it home with me instead of just skimming it at the store and putting it firmly back on the shelf. Still, somebody there was trying to be creative… I just wish they’d done it with (and TO) their own character, and not one I co-created.
AP: Where can readers find information on you and your work?
RT: In general, I can be Googled, like everybody else… but I eschew Facebook and the like, though Tom Grindberg will keep me apprised of what readers say to him on Facebook. They can reach me at roydann@ntinet.com or write me a letter at the address that’s in every issue of ALTER EGO, my heroic-comics-history magazine.
AP: What upcoming projects do you have coming up that you can tell us about at this time?
RT: No comics besides TARZAN and the ongoing SPIDER-MAN strip I work on with Stan Lee. I have a couple of comics projects, esp. One, that’s near to making a deal on…but it’s hard to find time for it, because I’ve signed a contract to write a biiiggg book about Stan’s life for Taschen, the German company that published that big DC book by Paul Levitz last year. Similar format and size… so it’ll be big and expensive, and is about to start taking up a huge percentage of my time. I’ll be lucky to keep everything else minimally afloat till I finish it, months from now!
AP: Do you have any shows, signings, or conventions coming up where your fans can meet you?
RT: Not till Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC, next June. Well, actually, there’s another big con coming up late this winter… but they’ve asked me not to mention it till they announce it, so… like I said, I’m gonna be busy with this book and my previous commitments.
AP: And finally, what does Roy Thomas do when he’s not writing?
RT: I read (though hard to find time these days)… watch a lot of TV (Netflix and Canadian, mostly) with Dann… and spend time exercising (not rigorously) and playing with our eight dogs, feeding the capybaras, etc., etc. Always something to do when you’ve got a 40-acre spread and a couple of houses… I even have to help clean up the swimming pool, though that season is about over right now.
AP: Thanks, Roy. We’re looking forward to following the new adventures of Tarzan.
No, no no, no…. That’s the title of a very famous song by the Marvelettes. You may be too young to know it by just the title, but I’m pretty sure if you heard it you would recognize it. If you or your parents own any greatest hits albums by Motown then this song is bound to be on there.
If you are really young and a geek fan boy (as am I) let me save you some time. Don’t bother goggling the Marvelettes. They were a singing group, not an all girl or gay men superhero group from Marvel. Now that I think of it, that could work…
But (Peter, I swear I’m writing you a check) I digress.
After the great speech Bill Clinton gave at the Democratic National Convention, “Don’t mess with Bill” could easily have been the heading of a piece about Clinton. Alas, as hard as I tried I could not think of any way to weave a comic book narrative from his speech. Well, I could but that would have meant I’d have to be clever and after the week I’ve had clever would be pushing it.
Trust me, you don’t want to know.
The Bill I’m talking about is my dear friend for over 20 years (since I was five, Jean) Bill Sienkiewicz.
I met Bill when he was doing Moon Knight. I was not a fan; I thought he was one of a long line of artists who were doing their best to copy Neal Adams. We met at Marvel Comics one day when he was bringing in pages. I think it was Denys Cowan who introduced us and Bill showed me some of his work. I remember thinking two things. The first was the comic book reproductions did not do his work justice. His originals were far and away much better to look at. The second thing I remembered is, yes, his work looked a lot like Neal Adams but that look was just surface deep. There was uniqueness to his work that was all Bill.
After that meeting I went and brought all the back issues of Moon Knight I could and, yeah, by “bought” that means I asked one of my contacts from Marvel to hook me up. Yeah, I got them free, but I would have paid if I had too.
The next time I saw Bill at Marvel he was delivering a painting. It was a New Mutant cover all I could think is; “Shit, this motherfucker can paint also!”
Yeah, I was a bitter bastard. Age and good living has mellowed me, and by mellow I mean “tequila.”
Bill and I had a cordial if not friendly relationship… until one day at some industry event we started talking about illustration. That’s when we clicked. Bill was not a comic book artist who wanted to be an illustrator Bill was an illustrator who was doing comics.
That’s common in the industry now. What people seem to forget is that Bill started that trend. I say without hesitation Bill Sienkiewicz’s art changed the way comic art was done and if not for Bill and his pioneering bad ass work the industry may look different today.
For my money Bill is the artist/illustrator who paved the way for comics to have the depth and artistic reach they have today. Yes there have been comic artists that have painted covers or done innovative designs within the story lines but Bill’s cover work and later his graphic novels elevated the art form to another level. Unlike those who may have dabbled in comics as mainstream illustration up to that point what Bill was doing stuck and spread.
Andy Helfer was a big time editor at DC in the 80s. Denys introduced me to Andy and I showed Andy my painting portfolio.
Andy looked at my work and said “You could be our Bill Sienkiewicz.” Andy was not saying that because my worked looked like Bill’s – it didn’t – he was saying it because the kind of work Bill was doing over at Marvel was in a class by its self. That was said by one of comics leading editors working at one of the two biggest comic book publishers during the second silver age of comics.
That’s like giving props to John, Paul, George and Ringo before they became the Beatles. Andy saw clearly that Bill was changing the industry.
I look at all the new talent and groundbreaking work being done today and often think, yeah, that’s nice but Sienkiewicz did that shit 20 years ago.
As with anyone, if you are so good for so long some people tend to not really acknowledge you as you should be acknowledged. And when I say some people I mean young stupid artists. Some people even resent your success if you are the best at what you do and have been doing it for a while. Case in point: people don’t just dislike the Yankees, they hate the Yankees.
I’ve have not run into any people who hate Bill but at this year’s Comic Con I did hear this young artist dismiss Bill’s work and even say “He’s no Alex Ross.” True. But with all due respect to Alex, if there was no Bill Sienkiewicz there may have been no Alex Ross.
I took a moment to look at the artist’s work and told him he was neither Alex Ross nor Bill Sienkiewicz and talk is cheap, like the portfolio his work was in. I was a bit harsh, but in my defense I was out of tequila…
There really should be an admissions policy to get into artist’s alley. I mean…ugh.
Take a moment to reflect on the immortal words of Dr. Dre…
Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say
But nothin comes out when they move their lips Just a buncha gibberish
And muthafuckas act like they forgot about Dre…
People forget that Bill changed the game. And he is still changing it.
Bill is one of the greatest artists who have ever worked in comics. I don’t say that because he’s like family to me. I say that because it’s true.
Bill, if you are reading this (and I know you will be because I’m posting it on your Facebook page) if I told you this every day for a year it still would not be enough. You, my friend are a true living legend and I’m proud to be your friend.
But…the next time I give a party at Comic Con and your ass doesn’t show up I’m posting those photos (you know those photos) on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Society of Illustrators website.
WEDNESDAY: Mike Gold Gushes Poetown and Teases An Announcement
If you weren’t following our Twitter feed or our Facebook page in real time on Saturday night (and good heavens, why weren’t you?) the 2012 Harvey Awards were given out at the Baltimore Comic-Con. [[[Daredevil]]] was the big winner of the night with four wins for Best Series, Best New Series, Best Inker and Best Writer. [[[Hark! A Vagrant]]]‘s Kate Beaton won three with Best Online Comics Work, the Special Award for Humor, and Best Cartoonist. [[[Jim Henson’s Tale Of Sand]]] by Ramon Perez won two for Best Original Graphic Album and Best Story, tying [[[Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor: Artist’s Edition]]] with wins for Best Domestic Reprint Project and the Special Award for Excellence in Presentation, and J.H. Williams on [[[Batwoman]]] snagging Best Artist and Best Cover Artist.
The Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award from the Hero Initiative was given posthumously to Joe Kubert, while the Lifetime Achievement Award was handed to John Romita Jr. by his father and Stan Lee, much to JR JR’s shock and surprise.
Phil LaMarr did an excellent job as Master of Ceremonies, speaking from the heart as a true fanboy who’s made good as the voice of Green Lantern and Samurai Jack, as well as (and I didn’t know this until after the ceremony) playing future Mr. Terrific writer Eric Wallace in Free Enterprise. It didn’t really matter that he was a first-time host since, as he commented, the Harvey Awards were starting over and renumbering from #1. The keynote speech was delivered by Ross Richie, Big Kahuna at BOOM! And for our part, ComicMix was proud to be one of the many sponsors of the Harvey Awards this year.
The nominees are below, with winners in boldface.
1. Best Writer
Joshua Hale Fialkov, ECHOES, Top Cow
Laura Lee Gulledge, PAGE BY PAIGE, Amulet Books
Jeff Lemire, ANIMAL MAN, DC Comics
Jason Shiga, EMPIRE STATE: A LOVE STORY (OR NOT), Abrams ComicArts Mark Waid, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
2. Best Artist
Paolo Rivera, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Chris Samnee, CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY, Marvel Comics
Jason Shiga, EMPIRE STATE: A LOVE STORY (OR NOT), Abrams ComicArts
Craig Thompson, HABIBI, Pantheon Books J.H. Williams, BATWOMAN, DC Comics
3. Best Cartoonist
Kate Beaton, HARK! A VAGRANT, harkavagrant.com; print edition by Drawn and Quarterly
Jeremy Haun, PILOT SEASON: THE BEAUTY #1, Image Comics
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER, Amulet Books
Roger Langridge, SNARKED, kaboom!
Comfort Love & Adam Withers, RAINBOW IN THE DARK, uniquescomic.com/rainbowinthedark
Craig Thompson, HABIBI, Pantheon Books
4. Best Letterer
Chris Eliopoulos, FEAR ITSELF, Marvel Comics
Laura Lee Gulledge, PAGE BY PAIGE, Amulet Books
Todd Klein, S.H.I.E.L.D.: ARCHITECTS OF FOREVER, Marvel Comics
David Lanphear, SECRET AVENGERS, Marvel Comics
Jason Shiga, EMPIRE STATE: A LOVE STORY (OR NOT), Abrams ComicArts
5. Best Inker
Laura Lee Gulledge, PAGE BY PAIGE, Amulet Books
Mark Morales, THOR, Marvel Comics
Sal Regla, THE MAGDALENA, Top Cow Joe Rivera, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Jason Shiga, EMPIRE STATE: A LOVE STORY (OR NOT), Abrams ComicArts
6. Best Colorist
Elizabeth Breitweiser, CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY, Marvel Comics
Francesco Francavilla, BLACK PANTHER: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR, Marvel Comics
Sunny Gho, ARTIFACTS, Top Cow
Dave McCaig, THE MAGDALENA, Top Cow Dave Stewart, HELLBOY: THE FURY, Dark Horse
7. Best Cover Artist
John Tyler Christopher, ARTIFACTS, Top Cow
Marcos Martin, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Paolo Rivera, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Mark Simpson (Jock), DETECTIVE COMICS, DC Comics J.H. Williams, BATWOMAN, DC Comics
8. Most Promising New Talent
Nick Bradshaw, ASTONISHING X-MEN, Marvel Comics
Nathan Edmondson, WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?, Image Comics
Laura Lee Gulledge, PAGE BY PAIGE, Amulet Books
Justin Jordan, THE STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE, Image Comics Sara Pichelli, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, Marvel Comics
9. Best New Series
ANGEL & FAITH, Dark Horse
ANIMAL MAN, DC Comics DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
LAST MORTAL, Top Cow
OZMA OF OZ, Marvel Comics
RACHEL RISING, Abstract Studio
10. Best Continuing or Limited Series
ATOMIC ROBO AND THE GHOST OF STATION X, Red 5 Comics DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER, Amulet Books
ECHOES, Top Cow
RACHEL RISING, Abstract Studio
11. Best Syndicated Strip or Panel
BIZARRO, Dan Piraro, syndicated by King Features Syndicate CUL DE SAC, Richard Thompson, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate
DOONESBURY, Garry Trudeau, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, syndicated by King Features Syndicate
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, Stephen Pastis, syndicated by United Feature Syndicate
12. Best Anthology
DARK HORSE PRESENTS, edited by various, Dark Horse
FLIGHT #8, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Villard Books
JIM HENSON’S THE STORYTELLER, edited by Nate Cosby, Archaia Entertainment
SHAME ITSELF, edited by Tom Brennan, Marvel Comics
SOMEDAY FUNNIES, edited by Michael Choquette, Abrams ComicArts
13. Best Graphic Album – Original
[[[EMPIRE STATE: A LOVE STORY (OR NOT)]]], Abrams ComicArts
[[[HABIBI]]], Pantheon Books
[[[INFINITE KUNG FU]]], Top Shelf Productions [[[JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND]]], Archaia Entertainment
[[[ONE SOUL]]], Oni Press
[[[PAGE BY PAIGE]]], Amulet Books
14. Best Graphic Album – Previously Published
[[[BIG QUESTIONS]]], Drawn & Quarterly
[[[DARK TOWER OMNIBUS]]], Marvel Comics [[[THE DEATH RAY]]], Drawn & Quarterly
[[[ECHOES]]], Top Cow
[[[PS MAGAZINE: THE BEST OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE MONTHLY]]], Abrams ComicArts
[[[S.H.I.E.L.D.: ARCHITECTS OF FOREVER]]], Marvel Comics
15. Best Single Issue or Story
DAREDEVIL #7, Marvel Comics
ECHOES #5, Top Cow
GANGES #4, Fantagraphics
THE HOMELAND DIRECTIVE, Top Shelf Productions JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND, Archaia Entertainment
OPTIC NERVE #12, Drawn & Quarterly
ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #1, Dynamite Comics
16. Best Domestic Reprint Project
[[[BLACKJACKED AND PISTOL WHIPPED: A CRIME DOES NOT PAY PRIMER]]], Dark Horse
[[[THE COMICS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION]]], Abrams ComicArts
[[[DEFINITIVE FLASH GORDON AND JUNGLE JIM]]], IDW
[[[WALT DISNEY’S MICKEY MOUSE (THE FLOYD GOTTFREDSON LIBRARY)]]], Fantagraphics [[[WALT SIMONSON’S THE MIGHTY THOR ARTIST’S EDITION]]], IDW
17. Best American Edition of Foreign Material
[[[ADVENTURES OF HERGE]]], Drawn & Quarterly
[[[THE KILLER VOL. 3: MODUS VIVENDI!]]], Archaia Entertainment [[[THE MANARA LIBRARY VOL. 1: INDIAN SUMMER AND OTHER STORIES]]], Dark Horse
[[[ONWARD TOWARD OUR NOBLE DEATHS]]], Drawn & Quarterly
[[[SINGLE MATCH]]], Drawn & Quarterly
18. Best Online Comics Work
BATTLEPUG, Mike Norton
BUCKO, Erika Moen and Jeff Parker
DELILAH DIRK AND THE TURKISH LIEUTENANT, Tony Cliff
GRONK, Katie Cook HARK! A VAGRANT, Kate Beaton
19. Special Award for Humor in Comics
Kate Beaton, [[[HARK! A VAGRANT]]], harkavagrant.com; print edition by Drawn and Quarterly
Evan Dorkin, [[[MILK AND CHEESE: DAIRY PRODUCTS GONE BAD]]], Dark Horse
Jeff Kinney, [[[DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER]]], Amulet Books
Roger Langridge, [[[SNARKED]]], kaboom!
Lela Lee, [[[FAIRY TALES FOR ANGRY LITTLE GIRLS]]], Abrams ComicArts
20. Special Award for Excellence in Presentation
JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND, designed by Eric Skillman, Archaia Entertainment
PS MAGAZINE: THE BEST OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE MONTHLY, selected by Eddie Campbell, Abrams ComicArts
RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE MARTINI EDITION, designed by Darwyn Cooke, IDW
SOMEDAY FUNNIES, edited by Michael Choquette, Abrams ComicArts WALT SIMONSON’S THE MIGHTY THOR ARTIST’S EDITION, designed by Randall Dahlk & edited by Scott Dunbier, IDW
21. Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation
ALAN MOORE: STORYTELLER, Universe Books
THE COMICS JOURNAL, Fantagraphics GENIUS ISOLATED: THE LIFE AND ART OF ALEX TOTH, IDW
GOVERNMENT ISSUE: COMICS FOR THE PEOPLE, 1940s-2000s, Abrams ComicArts
PS MAGAZINE: THE BEST OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE MONTHLY, Abrams ComicArts
22. Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers
ANYA’S GHOST, First Second
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER, Amulet Books
FRAGGLE ROCK, Archaia Entertainment
MYSTIC, Marvel Comics
OZMA OF OZ, Marvel Comics
SNARKED, kaboom!
Joe Carnahan, director of The Grey, The A-Team, Smoking Aces, and Narc, had been approached by 20th Century Fox to do a reboot of Daredevil, the blind Marvel Comics character who uses his heightened other senses to battle criminals, previously brought to life in a film starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, and Jon Favreau.
20th Century Fox has to get a new Daredevil project underway by October in order to keep the rights, otherwise they revert back to Marvel Studios. Right now, it looks like Carnahan’s version is dead, but he released two “sizzle piece” videos that cut together footage from the 2003 film with comics images from Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli’s “Daredevil: Born Again” and scenes and audio from various crime dramas– I spotted Taxi Driver, The Untouchables, Serpico, The Warriors, and Enter The Dragon— to create a feel straight out of 1970s exploitation films. I kept expecting to see Richard Roundtree walking around that version of Hell’s Kitchen.
Avengers Vs. X-Men #9 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book to specialty retailers in August 2012, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.
DC Entertainment was August’s leading publisher in Retail Dollars, leading Marvel Comics 33.32% to 32.42%. Meanwhile, Marvel Comics edged DC Entertainment on the Unit Market Share for the month, 37.18% to 37.12%.
For the second month in a row, Geoff Johns and Gary Franks’ [[[Batman: Earth One]]], the original graphic novel that reimagines the early days of Batman, was the best-selling graphic novel to retailers.
Based on Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s best-selling Batman: Arkham Asylum video game, Square-Enix’s Batman: Arkham Asylum Play Arts ~Kai~: Harley Quinn Action Figure was the best-selling toy product to comic book specialty retailers in August.
Earth’s most powerful heroes join the HeroClix campaign with the DC HeroClix: Justice League Expansion from WizKids/NECA, the best-selling games product to comic book specialty retailers in August.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
PUBLISHER
DOLLAR
SHARE
UNIT
SHARE
DC COMICS
33.32%
37.12%
MARVEL COMICS
32.42%
37.18%
IDW PUBLISHING
5.88%
4.64%
IMAGE COMICS
5.75%
5.37%
DARK HORSE COMICS
4.92%
3.89%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
3.19%
3.16%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD
1.83%
0.40%
BOOM! STUDIOS
1.52%
1.48%
VIZ MEDIA
0.96%
0.41%
ARCHIE COMICS
0.85%
0.82%
OTHER NON-TOP 10
9.35%
5.52%
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
DOLLARS
UNITS
AUGUST 2012 VS. JULY 2012
COMICS
6.49%
6.38%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
22.13%
19.48%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
11.23%
7.43%
AUGUST 2012 VS. AUGUST 2011
COMICS
19.27%
14.22%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
14.95%
24.74%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
17.80%
15.09%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2012 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2011
COMICS
20.51%
17.97%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
14.13%
12.78%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
18.41%
17.54%
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
RANK
DESCRIPTION
PRICE
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
AVENGERS VS X-MEN #9
$3.99
JUN120592-M
MAR
2
AVENGERS VS X-MEN #10
$3.99
JUN120599-M
MAR
3
BATMAN #12
$3.99
JUN120177-M
DC
4
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12
$3.99
JUN120142-M
DC
5
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692
$5.99
JUN120622-M
MAR
6
BEFORE WATCHMEN: RORSCHACH #1 (MR) [*]
$3.99
JUN120129-M
DC
7
AVX VS #5
$3.99
JUN120590-M
MAR
8
BEFORE WATCHMEN: DR. MANHATTAN #1 (MR) [*]
$3.99
JUN120134-M
DC
9
GREEN LANTERN #12
$2.99
JUN120196-M
DC
10
DETECTIVE COMICS #12
$3.99
JUN120181-M
DC
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
RANK
DESCRIPTION
PRICE
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
BATMAN: EARTH ONE HC
$22.99
MAR120234
DC
2
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP
$9.99
JUL068351
IMA
3
SWAMP THING VOL. 1: RAISE THEM BONES TP
$14.99
MAY120280
DC
4
SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS VOL. 1: SUPERMAN MEN OF STEEL HC
$24.99
APR120245
DC
5
BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS HC
$24.99
JAN120300
DC
6
HULK SEASON ONE PREMIERE HC
$24.99
MAY120746
MAR
7
SCOTT PILGRIM VOLUME 1 COLOR HC
$24.99
MAY121234
ONI
8
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: SITH HUNTERS TP
$7.99
APR120041
DAR
9
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US TP
$14.99
SEP088204
IMA
10
FEAR ITSELF TP
$29.99
JUN120721
MAR
TOP 10 TOYS
RANK
DESCRIPTION
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM PLAY ARTS KAI: HARLEY QUINN ACTION FIGURE
JAN128132
SQU
2
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM PLAY ARTS KAI: ARMORED BATMAN ACTION FIGURE
PATHFINDER BATTLES: RISE OF THE RUNELORDS BOOSTER BRICK
MAY128110
NEC
Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.
Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.
Please note that comics marked with an asterisk have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.
We would like to get ahead of the curve and start the first official campaign to keep Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. on the air and avoid premature cancellation.
We don’t know how it will happen this time. It could be a remade pilot, or a pilot put in at the end of the season. It could have its budget cut. It could be put on Friday night, always a favorite. It could have the network shot out from under, but it’s unlikely that could happen to ABC (although not impossible). It could be a combination of all of them.
But this time, we can get a head start! Because we know that people are going to be trying to strangle this show as soon as humanly possible, we can prepare months, nay, years in advance. We can create cool social media campaigns! We can start making t-shirts, and buying up eyepatches in bulk for the inevitable mail-in to executives claiming that if they’re so blind as to cancel a show as brilliant as this, they should have Nick Fury’s eyepatches! (However, threatening to pluck out network executive eyes, while fun to contemplate, should be saved for later when we start sending telegrams.)
So we’re calling on you, faithful ComicMix reader. Retweet this post! Like it and share it on Facebook! Digg it! Put it on Reddit! Use StumbleUpon! Heck, even use LinkedIn, even though it’s supposed to be for work! There’s no time for work! This is important! This is your new job now! Click all those buttons below this article! Joss Whedon’s vision depends on you! If you don’t do it, he won’t be able to take your favorite characters and emotionally torment them… and mess with their heads… and then gratuitously kill off your favorite one, just because he was in a bad mood that day…
…nah. Joss wouldn’t kill off S.H.I.E.L.D. agents just for the heck of it, would he?
ABC has ordered a pilot for S.H.I.E.L.D, a live-action series from The Avengers writer-director Joss Whedon, Marvel TV and ABC Studios. The project is based on Marvel’s peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D (which stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) found in both the Marvel comic book and feature film universes, including the blockbuster 2012 movie The Avengers, in which S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, recruits Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor to stop Thor’s adoptive brother Loki from subjugating Earth.
S.H.I.E.L.D. will be written by Whedon and frequent collaborators, his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. Joss Whedon also is set to direct the pilot, schedule permitting. Production on the pilot, which marks the first live-action Marvel TV project to get a green light, will start immediately. Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Tancharoen executive produce with Jeffrey Bell and Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb.
The project had been in the works at Marvel TV and ABC Studios for some time. Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that it had signed an exclusive film and TV deal with Joss Whedon, which included him writing and directing The Avengers sequel and develop a live-action series for Marvel TV and ABC, both owned by Disney.
This marks a return to series television for Joss Whedon, creator of cult favorites Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Dollhouse. Husband and wife writing duo Jed Whedon and Tancharoen co-penned with Joss Whedon Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and also have worked on Dollhouse and Spartacus.
In addition to S.H.I.E.L.D, Marvel TV has a couple of other projects in development at ABC Studios, including a Hulk series.
Please read parts one and two before this installment.
The Comics Code Authority (CCA) tried its best to stop EC from publishing a particularly offensive (to them) comic book. The book they were trying to stop was Weird Fantasy #18 (April 1953); the story was called “Judgment Day.”
What was objected to was not a gory scene of a space monster under orders from a criminal ripping to pieces an earth girl who, clad in scant bra and panties, was an obvious sexual tease for 50s era yikoung boys.
What was objected to was the main character, an astronaut, was revealed on the last page in the last panel to be a black man. Wow, who knew that the Tea Party was alive and well in 1953 under the name Comics Code Authority?
Why am I surprised at this? The GOP thinks that a woman can’t get pregnant and everyone knows that’s science fiction but (sorry Peter) I digress…
The CCA demanded the story removed or the last panel changed to a white boy. ECs editor William Gaines, the publisher of Weird Fantasy, responded to that demand with “Fuck you.”
Three years later, Gaines reprinted the story in the final issue (#33) of Incredible Science Fiction.
William Gaines was gangsta.
Like Branch Rickey, the man who brought Jackie Robinson to professional baseball, William Gaines was a civil rights pioneer. Both were white men and although Gaines rarely gets any kudos for his civil rights stance, certainly not the way Rickey is remembered.
That shot fired in 1956 started a war in the comic book industry over black story lines, black characters and black creators and that war continues today. A war not nearly as difficult as it was in 1956 but a war nevertheless.
1956 meet 1993 meet 2012…
In 1993 Denys Cowan, Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Dingle, Christopher Priest and myself founded Milestone Media.
Milestone was a worldwide phenomenon making history with its ground breaking deal with DC Comics. At the time the deal with DC was the biggest joint venture deal ever done in comics.
The deal was not the reason Milestone was heralded. Milestone was rocketed in front of the public because the founders were four African American men. We were four because Christopher Priest left the company before Milestone published.
In the almost 20 years since Milestone came on the scene the company is still thought of as the penultimate African American comic book company.
That’s good.
That’s bad.
It’s good because Milestone accomplished something that was a long time coming. Milestone put black content on the map. Black creators, black characters and black story lines were propelled to the forefront of the American comic industry. Never before in comics long history has African American content captured the imagination of fans, retailers and the press.
It’s bad because Milestone is almost 20 years old and still the penultimate African American moment in comics. As a founder of Milestone that gladdens me as an African American creator it also saddens me.
Where is the next wave?
Within the African American comics’ community there exists splits’ that mainstream comic book readers for the most part are not aware of. Among most black creators Milestone is respected, but there are some young black creators who see Milestone as sellouts, Uncle Toms or worse. Some in the black comic book community have gone so far as to brand Milestone, House Niggers when discussing our groundbreaking deal with DC Comics.
This is the state of the very real divide within the black comics community.
There is a thriving independent group of young black creators who are doing bold and wonderful work. They publish with small indie houses or they self-publish. The stories they are creating are mostly Afro-centric, mostly positive but there are some which are anti-establishment, a.k.a. anti-white.
On the flip side of that there is a contingent of black creators who reject all other forms of publishing unless a major publisher publishes them and by major publisher I mean the two big boys, Marvel and DC. Lastly there are those black creators who would not publish with Marvel or DC if their lives depended on it, seeing both companies as comic’s answer to plantations.
With all the seemingly inexhaustible black talent out there I ask again…
Where’s the next wave?
Why is a new black anything (comic, creator, character) at Marvel or DC still seen as a breakthrough 20 years after Milestone and 58 years after Judgment Day?
Case in point, Marvel’s new half black, half Latino Spider-Man. That was a huge story, which captivated numerous news cycles. The recent cancellation of DC Comics’ New 52 StaticShock after only six issues sent shock waves (pun intended) throughout the industry.
The outcry from fans on the net went from, oh no Static was cancelled to Static was cancelled because he was black.
Here’s what Denys Cowan and I, co-creators of Static Shock and both black creators think, Static was cancelled because this hit, cool, teenage hero was fighting a giant fish.
Up until now there has been no serious attempt to showcase African Americans and the creative excellence, which has been a mainstay of the industry for as long as comics have been an American art form. Unfortunately at the beginning of the American comic book business, African Americans were depicted most often as horrible stereotypes.
I’ve seen that movie; Milestones: African Americans In Comics, Pop Culture And Beyond will not be that kind of show.
Yes, there will me a nod or two to the depiction of those sad and hurtful images. However, this show will be about the vast talent and wonderful innovation that came from or were influenced by African Americans.
From the faceless contributions of those like William Gaines almost 60 years ago to the constant search for African American talent by Mike Richardson to the acknowledgement of contributions by people like Jenette Kahn, Marv Wolfman, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby this show will embrace the totality which is black comics.
Make no mistake; the overwhelming focus will be on black creators and their art. But let’s face it there would have been no Static Shock without the Black Panther.
It’s my hope that the show will feature not just the work of mainstream black creators but also work from those who consider themselves outside the mainstream as well as those who want nothing to do with the mainstream. I’d like the major comic book companies like Marvel, DC and Dark Horse to have sections devoted to them and their efforts to level the racial playing field but also let’s learn from the mistakes they made.
Independent and new companies will be invited to participate as long as the work from that company is quality. Let’s face it; some independent publishers simply suck.
I don’t care if you are the son of Malcolm X. If your work sucks you will not be represented in the show and I’ll keep you out by any means necessary.
Damn, I’m witty!
Writers from within and outside the comics industry will be called upon to write essays and reflections on the fight for acceptance and the triumph of arriving and exceeding expectations.
In America it’s no secret that African American culture is pop culture so it’s my objective to showcase that. I may fail, I may not be the guy that should have been chosen for this wonderful event but from the bottom of my heart I swear I will do the best I can.
If I fail, it’s my fault…and the Tea Parties…what?
The heroes are at their lowest ebb, mankind has reached its darkest hour, and all of free will hangs in the balance. With their numbers depleted and their trusted colleague in the thrall of the enemy, the heroic Cerberus warriors are forced into a multidimensional war between men and would-be gods with Earth as the prize. Before this day is over, history will be remade forever.
This volume of the modern-day pulp sci-fi series is written by Rik Hoskin and finally draws together the threads he’s laid out over the past four years/15 books. New readers should not be daunted, however – the book can also be read as a stand-alone.
About the author: Writing as “James Axler”, Rik Hoskin has been the primary author of the Outlanders series since 2008 as well as contributing several volumes to James Axler’s Deathlands. He is also a comic book author and has written Superman for DC Comics, helped develop a successful Spider-Man series for Marvel Comics’ European licensor, Panini and currently writes for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic as well as several younger readers titles.
I have reported here and elsewhere about the goings-on at Archie Comics. While DC keeps on hitting the reset button like a monkey in a crack experiment, and Marvel keeps on doing endless – literally endless – mega-events, Archie has been slowly making history.
