Bomb Shelter
Do You Like Podcasts?
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 8, 2007 - 09:35
T Campbell, who's filing stories for Broken Frontier these days, has done a plethora of podcasts this year, calling up and interviewing a ton of interesting people and posting the audio (most recently T talked with Tim "Destructo" Demeter, the editor of Clickwheel and Graphic Smash as well as the creator of the comic Reckless Life).
I wrote a short post pondering why I don't listen to more podcasts but it started to sound a bit too negative. Instead let me ask - how many of you listen to the various comic-related podcasts out there and what do you like and dislike about the format (and the quality of current efforts)?
Throw Out Ideas for the Upcoming Bomb Shelter Comics - Transplant Comics Battle!
Submitted by Sean C on April 30, 2007 - 22:38
Bomb Shelter Comics and Transplant are throwing down for no reason! The grudge match without a grudge!
So here's where you all come in. The format for this battle will be randomly assigned "themes". We want those to come from a neutral source. So if you wanna say, "road rage" or "monkey in a washing machine", go for it! We're gonna randomly assign them to the participants, so be creative and challenge us.
Tag Your Posts with a Webcomic Group
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on April 24, 2007 - 11:26
When submitting blog posts now you can tag them with a webcomics "group" (formerly listed as "collectives"). If you don't see an existing webcomic group (a group of artists, comics, etc.) let us know and we'll add it to the list. You can also help us by sending us 100x100 logo images for each group. Thanks!
Uku by Otto Germain, reviewed by Grant Thomas
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With Uku, Otto Germain has created a vivid world illustrated in a dream-like lush painted style which he filled with strange creatures and a mysterious meteor. Uku has no dialogue and so Germain's ability to move the story and develop his characters comes entirely from body language and facial expressions. An interesting and compelling new webcomic.
The March of the Collectives
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A collective, loosely defined, is any sustained grouping of webcomic creators. What they do together varies greatly from group to group. Some are largely a peer group offering each other critical feedback and encouraging support. Others throw in cross-promotion for each others' work. Some build a collective brand with logos, advertising and a central website. Some share business experience and expertise in areas as varied as merchandise, books, conventions, hosting and website creation.
And what did I find from my research? There's a tremendous number of collectives out there (and that I never want to attempt another "survey" article again). And, oh yeah, checking out collectives can be a great way to find excellent new comics.
- Altbrand
- Ape Law
- Blank Label Comics
- Bomb Shelter
- Boxcar Comics
- Dayfree Press
- Dumbrella
- Eyeskream
- Found Hat Press
- SpinZone
- The Nice
- Transplant Comics
- Amber glych Greenlee
- Barb Lien-Cooper
- Bernie Hou
- Brad Hawkins
- Brandon Carr
- Bryant Paul Johnson
- Chris Shadoian
- Clay Yount
- Dave Roman
- David Malki!
- Desmond Seah
- Fred Grisolm
- Gordon McAlpin
- Ian McDonald
- Joe Dunn
- Jon Morris
- Kelli Nelson
- Lou Graziani
- Mark Mekkes
- Mike Krahulik
- Mike Maihack
- Mike Russell
- Mischa Unovich
- Mitch Clem
- Ovi Nedelcu
- Ryan Estrada
- Ryan Sias
- Shaenon K. Garrity
- Ted Rall
- Terrence Marks
- Thomas K. Dye
- Tom Brazelton
- Trade Loeffler
- Tyler Martin
- Wes Molebash
- Zach Miller
- What Birds Know
- Wondermark
- Yirmumah
- Zortic
- Features
Reckless Life Back From Hiatus, Joins Bomb Shelter Comics
Submitted by Tim Demeter on February 13, 2007 - 11:35
Today Reckless Life, the comic from the editor of Graphic Smash and Clickwheel detailing the zany criminal adventures of a thief named Locke, returns from a six week hiatus. With the return, Reckless Life has also joined Bomb Shelter Comics, the masterminds behind Webcomic Idol.
Two More Join Bomb Shelter Comics
Submitted by Sean C on January 11, 2007 - 22:48
After cancelling the Webcomic Idol contest due to voter fraud, Bomb Shelter Comics extended an invitation to all ten finalists to join the collective, and we are proud to announce that One-Liners and Zed Reckoning have joined Amazing Superzeroes, What Birds Know, On the Edge, and Stark Reality in accepting the invitation.
News for Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on January 10, 2007 - 11:01
HEADLINES
- FLEEN is still looking for creators to participate in their statistical analysis project - the deadline is January 31st. This could provide an interesting snapshot of webcomics overall circa end-of-2006 if they can get a statistically significant set of data to work with.
- Sarah Ellerton, creator of Inverloch,took a new system admin job that leaves her less time for to work on the webcomic. She's also comments on her commitment to finishing Inverloch:
I'm going to be up front and honest and say that drawing Inverloch no longer holds the joy for me that it used to. Don't worry, I intend to finish it - I'm so close to the end, after all (which I think is probably part of the problem). I just don't want to hear people bugging me about updates and such. It doesn't help the motivation levels. Anyway, I hope that explains the lack of update regularity lately, as well as my absence from the forums and the dozens of unanswered emails.
IF IT QUACKS LIKE A DUCK?
Dirk Deppey posts the results of his look at the recent "marketing" campaign by Platinum Studios on behalf of its debut title Cowboys & Aliens. So far my reaction would be characterized as "zzzz....".
No disrespect meant there to Journalista! - which should be commended for doing actual solid journalism on this story - but I can't seem to get too worked up about this. In a nutshell, it's fairly clear that Platinum spent money to get C&A into stores and that different stores used that money in different ways (some stores may have used it to give away or deeply discount the books but either allegation doesn't seem to have been confirmed by anyone). This isn't an unheard of practice in other content distribution models, such as books, movies (DVDs), music (CDs), (and even sports (tickets)) where "marketing coops" between publishers and retail outlets are standard practice.
At the end of the day it seems to me that books leaving stores and getting into customers' hands is a sale. (Maybe that's my webcomic perspective speaking though - we start with the idea that getting a reader counts - even if you give the webcomic away for free!) Admittedly it might not be a profitable sale, but still a book getting in front of a reader. And given Platinum's multimedia business strategy that might actually be the primary focus of what Platinum's trying to do. If this offends some idea of "purity" on the sales charts well I'd like to understand what this "purity" meant before Platinum showed up and for starters, I'd like to see some investigation of Marvel and DC to ensure that they're also "pure".
- Gilead also weighs in on the Platinum Studios Cowboys & Aliens best selling comic book-or-not story, although with a webcomic-centric take on things. (Also be sure to update your book marks as Gilead has moved to webcomicker.com)
JUSTIFY MY HYPE
- The Contra Code is a pretty funny send-up of an old Nintendo game and it's legendary "cheat code". It was also recently Joystiq.com's comic of the week.
- Speaking of Platinum Studios, D.J. Coffman's Hero By Night has an 11 page preview up of its forthcoming first comic book issue. The "prequel" webcomic Hero By Night Diaries has been running at Drunk Duck.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BLOGS
- Bomb Shelter has a podcast about the recently terminated Webcomics Idol contest.
- FLEEN interviews Ben Stirling, who writes and draws Patrick Grey, Online.
- Gone With The Blastwave goes on hiatus as its creator, Kimmo Lemetti, goes into service for 6-12 months with the Finland Defense Forces. Lemetti also indicates he's ready to put out a book based on the first 32 pages of the webcomic. Let's all hope Lemetti's time in the military is nothing like GWTB.
- Be sure to check out Unityflow's sprite comic on "spriteness".
News For Monday, January 8, 2007
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on January 8, 2007 - 16:53
MAGAZINE
HEADLINES
- Bomb Shelter's Webcomic Idol shuts down due to voting fraud.
- A good round-up of links about the bankruptcy of Advanced Marketing Services (AMS), the distribution and wholesale company responsible for circulating books between giant chain stores and smaller publishers, just declared bankruptcy.
- For Better Or For Worse is going to do some kind of quasi-classic Peanuts-style rerun after it ends, thereby keeping its more than 2000 newspaper slots tied up into the indefinite future.
BUSINESS
- Someone started an unofficial message board and blog about the Project Wonderful advertising service.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BLOGS
- Webcomics In Print has its weekly round-up of webcomic books.
- Joey Manley thinks the webcomic Behind the Blue Door is something.
- TalkAboutComics links to Scott McCloud's Ten American Comics to read.
- Journalista! mucks around in the selling of the print version of the comic Cowboys & Aliens.
- It was Vera Brosgol who did the webcomic Enchanted Office for the new version of Microsoft Office
Webcomic Idol Ends Amid Voting Fraud
Submitted by Sean C on January 8, 2007 - 11:28
Bomb Shelter Comics has ended the Webcomic Idol contest after discovering new evidence of additional voter fraud. We tried a number of potential solutions to combat the cheaters, but they just kept breaking the system.
