Thursday, November 18, 2004
STAPLE! UPDATE
STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo
March 5, 2005
Austin, TX
www.staple-austin.org
MORE SPECIAL GUESTS!
Shannon Wheeler, creator of Too Much Coffee Man, lived in Austin, Texas from '89-'99 during which time he wrote, drew and stapled 12,000 TMCM mini-comics before self-publishing his own full-sized comic books. One of the only people to have self-published full color comics, he now lives in Portland, Oregon where he publishes Too Much Coffee Man magazine. Shannon will appear at STAPLE! courtesy of sponsor Austin Books.
Barbara Lien-Cooper, writer of Gun Street Girl at Graphic Smash and one of the original founders of Sequential Tart, is currently co-columnist at Silver Bullet Comic Books and managing editrix of the 2004 Eisner award-winning print magazine Comic Book Artist. Named by Mark Millar as one of the three most promising new talents in the next wave of comics writing, Barbara will be exhibiting her works at STAPLE! and joining Lea Hernandez and Aaron Romo on the STAPLE! Webcomics Panel.
STAPLE! ON THE RADIO!
Yours truly will be appearing on Fanboy Radio www.fanboyradio.com to talk about STAPLE! in an interview to be broadcast on KTCU - The Choice FM 88.7 in Fort Worth, Texas and webcast around the world on Wednesday 11/17/04 at 1pm CST. Check it out and dig my dulcet tones! [ Note: The episode is available online in their archive for 75¢ through BitPass.]
MORE EXHIBITORS!
Friends of Lulu, a national nonprofit organization promoting female readership and participation in the comic book industry.
The Austin Zine Library, an Austin, Texas non-profit organization dedicated to archiving and preserving underground literature and providing a space for it to be read and enjoyed. AZL will be accepting submissions for their archive at STAPLE!
Viper Comics, Little Engine Studios, Repercussion Comics, Sparkplug Comics, Studio NDR and MORE!
Randy Lander of The Fourth Rail will review the comics exhibited at STAPLE!
For those wishing to exhibit at STAPLE! I urge you to send in your registration form (available at www.staple-austin.org) as soon as possible. Space is limited so don't delay!
STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo will be held Saturday March 5, 2005 in Austin, Texas and is open to creators of small-press, independent and self-published comics, mini-comics, zines, graphic arts and more! For more information go to www.staple-austin.org or email us.
See you there!
Chris "Staple-Head" Nicholas
www.staple-austin.org
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Wednesday, November 17, 2004
HIGHWATER BOOKS TO CLOSE SHOP
Tom Spurgeon's got the scoop at The Comics Reporter.
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ODDS & ENDS
• Here's an interview with Raina Telgemeier ( Smile, Take-Out) at Comixpedia.
• Alternative Comics’ Escalator by Brandon Graham is late (Brandon has been re-re-re-editing his book) and is now available for Order Adjustment through Diamond Comics.
• Donna Barr's got a new Bosom Enemies out.
• Robert Goodin's got a new comic up at Serializer.
• NOW Comics will release Ralph Snart Adventures Vol. 6 in December, which collects the first year of the webcomic by Marc Hansen. More info.
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Monday, November 08, 2004
ODDS & ENDS
• Check out John Weeks' reportage of the Bande Dessineé au Cambodge (Comics of Cambodia) festival that took place this past week.
• Small Press Swap Meet is now open for business.
• RL Crabb profile in The Union (Western Nevada County, Calif.)
• Jesse Reklaw ("Slow Wave") is aiming to upload one new watercolor painting for each day this month. Check them out here.
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SLG HOSTS CREATORS STUDIO II, NOVEMBER 20
Are you an aspiring comic book creator? Do you want to learn more about the craft of creating comics? On November 20th, independent comic book publisher Slave Labor Graphics will hold the second in a series of workshops designed to help aspiring comic book creators learn a little more about the craft of creating comic books.
The Creator's Studio II workshop will be held from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. in the lavish SLG office/warehouse complex located at 577 South Market St., San Jose, CA 95113. It will consist of several question-and-answer interview sessions with long-time SLG creators conducted by SLG's President/Publisher and Supreme Commander himself, Dan Vado.
Creators confirmed as attending the workshop include:
Serena Valentino - The writer of GloomCookie and Nightmares & Fairy Tale will answer questions about plotting and story arc development, as well as script-writing.
Landry Walker and Eric Jones - The creative team behind Little Gloomy and X-Ray Comics will conduct a seminar on going from script to a finished page of art. Writer Landry Walker will discuss his vision for a single page of script while artist Eric Jones actually lays out the page.
Scott Saavedra - SLG Art Director and the creator of Comic Book Heaven, Dr. Radium and Java Town will talk about graphic design and cover design.
In summary:
WHAT: Creators Studio II
WHEN: Saturday, November 20
WHERE: SLG Publishing office/warehouse complex, 577 South Market St., San Jose, CA 95113
WHO: Serena Valentino, Landry Walker, Eric Jones, Scott Saavedra
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
ADVANCED RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Please call 1-800-866-8929 to reserve your seat.
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HOUSTON COMIX AND ZINE FEST, NOVEMBER 20
The Houston Area Comics Society (HACS) and Super Happy Fun Land present
The First Annual Houston Comix and Zine Festival
Saturday, November 20 10am-6pm
at Super Happy Fun Land, 2610 Ashland in the Heights
Pre-party and after-party info to be announced
Join us again the next day for our traditional third Sunday Comics Jam
2pm - 4pm at Super Happy Fun Land
For more info, contact Shane Boyle.
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Friday, November 05, 2004
FOOD AND FAITH IN LOYOLA CHIN, FROM SLG IN DECEMBER
"My mom used to warn my brother and me to never argue while eating," Gene Yang says, musing on the inspiration for his new graphic novel Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order. "Otherwise, the food would turn into insects in our bellies. I was convinced from an early age of the mystical powers of food."
Yang explored this theme in his previous graphic novel Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, published earlier this year, but he uses it to explore more deeply into questions of faith in Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order. The graphic novel, which will be released in December from AmazeInk comics, tells the story of a high school sophomore who discovers a way to visit other realms through what she eats before sleeping. On one of these sojourns, she meets a mysterious man named Saint Danger – a saint who has lost his faith – who has a plan to save humankind. Loyola must examine her own heart and what makes us better human beings – our intelligence, or our compassion?
"I wanted to delve into religion, evolution, and the concepts of strength and weakness," Yang said. "Religion, especially, is rarely talked about in comics in a realistic way. Comics that actually deal with faith as believed and lived by flesh and blood people are few and far between." He cited Craig Thompson's Blankets as an example of a graphic novel that depicts faith realistically.
The world in which Gordon Yamamoto and Loyola Chin live, however, is not quite the world as we know it. Micronauts inhabit people's noses, televisions show visions of the future, and eating cornbread before bedtime can change a teenaged girl's life forever. "Derek Kirk Kim called Gordon Yamamoto 'magical,' in his introduction to that book" said SLG Publishing editor-in-chief Jennifer de Guzman, "and that description fits Loyola Chin just as well. It's a whimsical and charming book even while Gene is exploring some heady themes."
Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order, a 104-page graphic novel, will be published by AmazeInk Comics, the all-ages imprint of SLG Publishing, in December 2004. It is available for order now through Diamond Comic Distributors. A preview of Loyola Chin is available at SLG Publishing's website, www.slavelabor.com.
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ADHOUSE SIGNS SOTO AND CAMPBELL
AdHouse Books is excited to announce their plans to publish two new series by two unique creators who attended this year's SPX show:
The Secret Voice by Zack Soto, and Zig Zag by J. Chris Campbell.
If the name Zack Soto sounds familiar, it's because he edits and contributes to the Ignatz award-winning anthology Studygroup12. Zack's comics and illustrations have also appeared in Hi-Horse Omnibus, Kramers Ergot, and the back cover to this year's SPX anthology. The Secret Voice will be Mr. Soto's first effort into the realm of extended sequential art.
J. Chris Campbell has been cranking out his sequential form of hilarity for some years now. Under the imprint of Wide Awake Press, Mr. Campbell has produced a number of high-production pamphlets that will tickle your funny bone, and other parts. His book, Zig Zag, will be his own anthology, a virtual cornucopia of yuck-yucks!
Chris Pitzer, publisher of AdHouse Books had this to say, "While it might seem strange to have such different creators sign on to work with AdHouse, they really are similar in one regard: they have their own distinct voice... and, they make great comics. OK, I guess that's two reasons."
Look for The Secret Voice and Zig Zag in Spring and Summer of 2005.
Zack Soto
J. Chris Campbell
AdHouse Books
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Tuesday, November 02, 2004
ODDS & ENDS
• Shuck creator Rick Smith is interviewed at Comic World News.
• Shipping this month from Dark Horse is Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures Of The Escapist Volume 2 featuring work by R. Sikoryak, Paul Hornschemeier, Dean Haspiel, Scott Morse and Matt Kindt, among others. Preview.
• Dan James ( The Octopi and the Ocean) has had a few science-fiction themed illustrations published in The New York Times. Check 'em out here.
• Did you catch the Indy Magazine entry in the Village Voice's "Best of NYC" issue a few weeks ago?
• A new issue of Arthur is out, free wherever you can find it, with comics by Jason Miles, David Lasky, Vanessa Davis, Tom Gauld, Ben Katchor and Howard Cruse, plus loads more content.
• New reviews are up at Almost Normal: zines and comics
• As peculiar as it may sound, the final issue of Alan Moore's Tom Strong (#12) will feature a story drawn by Peter Bagge and Eric Reynolds.
• Randy Osborne's well-received Big Pinch World has now gone virtual. Check it out here.
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