John Barber
Vicious Souvenirs returns!
Submitted by johnbarber on June 4, 2003 - 11:33
John Barber's CCA-nominated series Vicious Souvenirs has returned to ModernTales following long-lasting and near-fatal computer problems.
Returning to its fortnightly schedule, chapter 3 of Last Train to Tomorrow, "A Equals A", has media-mogul turned would-be world conqueror Dorian Closer coming to America and igniting the biggest riot in the nation's history.
Latest MT Longplay Issue: Stream of Consciousness Comics
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 22, 2003 - 11:04
All art begins in the mind, but some artists settle to stay there. They trade concrete for subconscious, daytime for dream-time, common knowledge for a brief glimpse of the unknowable. The new edition of Modern Tales Longplay, focuses on 'Stream of Consciousness Comics.' For the next four weeks, Longplay will showcase six challenging and experimental works that chart the frontiers of the human mind.
Art and Narrative: A Regular Eisenstein, Or Something…
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A Regular Eisenstein, Or Something…
That comics and film have much in common is pretty much a given. The bond they share as mediums of visual communication is strong, and over the years there has been a great deal of cross-pollination between the two artforms. I’m not talking about comic adaptations of films or films based on comic books – although there certainly are a lot of those these days – but rather the nuts and bolts that hold the two mediums together.
Pulse Interviews John Barber
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on April 21, 2003 - 10:37
Pulse Reporter Jen Contino interviews John Barber about his current work, Vicious Souvenirs running on Modern Tales. VS is the story of two superpowered criminals Wikkid and Diesel who get caught up in a criminal mastermind's plan to conquer the world.
Modern Tales Longplay Goes Weekly!
Submitted by Joey Manley on April 21, 2003 - 10:19
April 21, 2003
Modern Tales, the leading provider of subscription-based webcomics, is proud to announce
that its subscriber-only anthology series Longplay is changing from a monthly to a weekly schedule.
'It just makes sense,' says Longplay editor Joe Zabel. 'I mean, you serve a banquet one course at a time--you don't put the plates on the table all at once. We've been serving a banquet of comics every month, but it's gotten to be too much for people, and so some of our best comics get neglected.'
Webcomics' Own Breath of the Dragon: An Interview with Merlin
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Daniel "Merlin" Goodbrey has been skulking around the webcomics scene for years now, shamelessly exposing small gaggles of readers and creators alike to the wanton nakedness of his raw Imagination. While not a 'mainstream biggie' (yet), e-merl.com holds its own in any measuring contest when it comes to quality of writing and entertainment value, and leaves the pack behind when it comes to breaking new ground in our burgeoning digital field.
Art & Narrative: Splitting the Atom Or A Comic Call to Arms
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Love him or leave him, no one has set the comics world on its ear in the last several years like Scott McCloud. His books Understanding Comics, and its sequel Reinventing Comics have challenged many preconceived notions of what comics are and still might be. Like a general marshalling his troops, McCloud has invigorated discussion and debate, and inspired a host of people to take up their pencils, markers and tablets to become part of the push towards whatever it is that Comics may become.
So, what are they becoming?
If Graphic Novels are "Really Long Comics," what is a Really Long Webcomic?
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on February 10, 2003 - 02:28
A brief primer on the "graphic novel" from Jessica Abel. A light-hearted look at what makes a comic a comic. Not specifically about webcomics but certainly raising some good points about the medium generally. (She even includes the McCloudian "container" metaphor!)
John Barber on Comics Layout and Storytelling
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on February 7, 2003 - 14:23
Don't be put off by the academic sounding language, The Phenomenon of Multiple Dialectics in Comics Layout by John Barber, is an excellent paper on the use page layout in relation to comics storytelling.
When we're reading comics, we don't see one panel at a time, we see two pages (or an entire screen). Most comics artists ignore or fight this, but it presents great possibilities for storytelling--not just flashy effects. What possibilities? How does this external system relate to the internal system of panel transitions? What about "closure"? Glad you asked...
Read the first section first, the second only after you've had a chance to chew on the first one. (You need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read pdf files. It's available for free download here.)
