Archive - 2008 - Article
May 18th
Panels & Pictures: Parade (With Fireworks)
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In this month's Panels & Pictures, Derik A Badman takes a look at Parade (With Fireworks) by Mike Cavallaro. Nominated for an Eisner in "Best Limited Series," the comic originally appeared online.
May 12th
The Immortal: Aggro-Moxie at its Finest
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Dean Haspiel's Eisner-nominated story Immortal is a sprawling little tale about Billy Dogma and Jane Legit, their violent love, and what that love has wrought. It's full of weird energy and very good.
The Road Less Traveled: Selling the Book
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Most people, like me, are not very good at selling things.
But according to what I've learned, there's really only one true thing about selling your book: You have to do it - one on one, one at a time.
Unless you're John Grisham, you're not going to get a marketing budget, a promotional manager or personal assistant. You'll have to do it all on your own.
First things first - you've got to track your money. Only you know how much it makes sense to spend on things like conventions or advertisements, but to know that you have to have hard data. That means get in the habit of saving your receipts and maybe even setting a budget. Purchase a financial program. But know how much you're spending - you can use that knowledge to test what works and what doesn't.
Here's where you'll spend that money:
Conventions
SugarShock!, reviewed by Larry "El Santo" Cruz
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When ComixTalk head honcho Xaviar Xerexes (a.k.a "Tha Tru Triple X") mentioned that he wanted to see articles on the Eisner Award nominees, I slobbered at the chance to review one particular title, SugarShock! Why, you ask? It's because this little series is written by a somewhat popular guy by the name of Joss H. Whedon.
May 11th
Straight Outta Warrenton: Clay and Hampton Yount
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Clay and Hampton Yount are the co-creators of the weekly-updated comedy comic Rob and Elliot. Clay is also the creator of the now on hiatus Cosmobear as well as the creator of "Bikini Frisbee Suicide Days", the former Saturday-only series at Sluggy Freelance.
Rob and Elliot is one of those "wacky roommates doing crazy random things" comics that is a lot stronger than its thin premise would initially suggest. As a comedy comic it scores on the most crucial criteria -- it's funny. And it does so through both the writing and the artwork.
Read on for my interview with the brothers Yount.
April 27th
Marvel's Moral Compass Needs Righting
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Charles Gaines is conflicted.
Can a socially responsible citizen love the characters of Marvel but hate the company of Marvel?
More importantly -- should he see the new Ironman movie or not?
April 19th
Weekly Scatter-Shot Pop Culture Blast: An Interview with Jose Cabrera
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This month I got a chance to interview Jose Cabrera, the creator of the weekly webcomic Crying Macho Man which has a print collection of its first year out called Prime Cut. Cabrera's work uses caricature, parody and gross-out humor, often all at once and has been attracting notice over the last year. Cartoonist Keith Knight wrote, “Jose Cabrera's Crying Macho Man touches me in ways I cannot explain. Sharp, well drawn, and funny. It deserves your attention."
The Phoenix Requiem, reviewed by Larry "El Santo" Cruz
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In this review, El Santo takes a look at Sarah Ellerton's The Phoenix Requiem, a beautifully illustrated tale set in 19th Century England about a mysterious stranger who stumbles into an idyllic village.
April 15th
Panels & Pictures: Text in Comics
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In this month's Panels & Pictures, Derik A Badman makes an illustrated list of the various ways text is used in comics: from speech and thought to sound effects and labels.
April 13th
Is This A Comic? Closure and Synthesis (Part 2)
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Last month, we began delving into my third of Four Criteria which I propose help to define comics, Closure and Synthesis. We looked at what has been a widely (though not universally) accepted concept of closure, best defined by Scott McCloud as “the phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole.” This time around we’re going to be further exploring the other half of the criteria, synthesis.
